Discussion on Pick #14 - Jake Lever

[Elder van Berlo]

How fast can our fitness staff put 10kg of muscle on him? Ready for next season?

Well I don't know the answer to that... If Essendon drafted him he might be playing next week!!

But quite seriously I didn't realise just how skinny he was. I'd be shocked if he came into AFL contention this year.

 

[Cleric]

And based on your mentality, Daniel Talia would not be playing for the crows as we speak.

Lol. If you knew anything about Talia and our drafting him you would know we drafted him because we thought he could be someone who could play both CHF and CHB. As a jr he played alot at CHF and actually kicked 10 goals in a game.
But carry on talking.

 

[cmndstab]

Talia was very obviously recruited as a key back.

 

[Jars458]

Best available was he.

 

[Cleric]

Talia was very obviously recruited as a key back.

He was drafted as a defender but I remember listening to an interview after we drafted him and they said the reason we rated him so highly was he was very versatile and could play as a CHF and had done so alot as a jr. I remember they said he had kicked 10 goals from CHF. I remember because it moved a bit when I heard that.

 

[spenze]

An inordinate number of AFL draftees play a lot of their junior football in the midfield, especially before they get to U18s, because at the U14 and U16 stage their talent greatly outshines the vast majority of average schmoes they play with and against, to the point that their coaches will put them anywhere they are needed on a given day. Not to mention most of them don't start growing to KPP height until the age of 16 or more anyway.

It's the same sort of thing with cricket and junior development teams or area rep teams "where do you bat?'' "opening or first drop"...do you bowl? "open the bowling"...and if you are lucky someone says " I wicket keep".

 

[spenze]

How fast can our fitness staff put 10kg of muscle on him? Ready for next season?

Put him on the Stewie Dew diet?

 

[cmndstab]

He was drafted as a defender but I remember listening to an interview after we drafted him and they said the reason we rated him so highly was he was very versatile and could play as a CHF and had done so alot as a jr. I remember they said he had kicked 10 goals from CHF. I remember because it moved a bit when I heard that.

They say this about every KPP player we take early in the draft, though. "He's played forward and back, and his best work has actually been in the midfield!"

The reality is that Talia was 100% recruited as a key back. That's why I was so excited when we got him (never expected him to last to our pick). He wasn't just another tall, athletic guy we were hoping might mature into a KPP, he was a KPD who had been playing KPD for all his major junior years, and had dominated in that role. He was easily the best KPD in the draft and not just because of his size, but because he just understood how to defend.

 

[Thylacinus]

They say this about every KPP player we take early in the draft, though. "He's played forward and back, and his best work has actually been in the midfield!"

The reality is that Talia was 100% recruited as a key back. That's why I was so excited when we got him (never expected him to last to our pick). He wasn't just another tall, athletic guy we were hoping might mature into a KPP, he was a KPD who had been playing KPD for all his major junior years, and had dominated in that role. He was easily the best KPD in the draft and not just because of his size, but because he just understood how to defend.

While my brain didn't move, I did recall the fact that he did play forward for periods as a junior and actually preferred being a forward. Having said that I agree he was recruited as a key position back, although our recruiting/coaching staff at the time were mentioning his versatility IIRR.

"At the start of last season - the season where it all had to happen - he played in the forward line for the Calder Cannons and his Assumption College school side.

He took marks, kicked goals and was invited to try out for the Vic Metro under-18 team: a huge goal achieved."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/grandson-of-a-gun/2009/11/22/1258824626781.html?page=2

 

[Doctor B]

Put him on the Stewie Dew diet?

Or the Mark Cosgrove diet!

 

[hugecannon]

They say this about every KPP player we take early in the draft, though. "He's played forward and back, and his best work has actually been in the midfield!"

The reality is that Talia was 100% recruited as a key back. That's why I was so excited when we got him (never expected him to last to our pick). He wasn't just another tall, athletic guy we were hoping might mature into a KPP, he was a KPD who had been playing KPD for all his major junior years, and had dominated in that role. He was easily the best KPD in the draft and not just because of his size, but because he just understood how to defend.

His first SANFL game for South he lined up at CHF not sure how many games he played there though.

 

[Bound For Rory]

How was Lever through the pre-season? Starting to put some muscle on?

 

[mattymac]

How was Lever through the pre-season? Starting to put some muscle on?

Let's just call it a work in progress

 

[Bound For Rory]

Let's just call it a work in progress

looking forward to seeing him get a run in the 2's

 

[Pdub]

He may not need to put on as much weight as people think, he's apparently a talented boxer, I've met a few skinny boxers and they can be a lot stronger than they look.

 

[Campbell's Chunky]

He may not need to put on as much weight as people think, he's apparently a talented boxer, I've met a few skinny boxers and they can be a lot stronger than they look.

Don't think he'll ever need to be Hartigan size but maybe another 5kg would make him quite a handy size. Would like to keep him quite agile, nimble and able to go for some dashing runs.

 

[GROTTO]

Put him on the Stewie Dew diet?

There are better diets out there.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Reckon this kid is one injury away from debut if a kelly or Hartigan or even Henderson go down he could debut in showdown

Our depth is looking bare with these injuries !!

 

[SES SA]

Let's just call it a work in progress

Needs to look into that Broscience.

 

[SES SA]

Don't think he'll ever need to be Hartigan size but maybe another 5kg would make him quite a handy size. Would like to keep him quite agile, nimble and able to go for some dashing runs.

What's another 5 put him at? 89kg?

 

[latinoheat]

Don't think he'll ever need to be Hartigan size but maybe another 5kg would make him quite a handy size. Would like to keep him quite agile, nimble and able to go for some dashing runs.

Sort of like a Benny Hart build

 

[DD#23]

this brings me back to earlier thoughts about blooding him in the SANFL vs what you could do in the gym if you pulled him from playing.

you could make him as big as you want if you gave him a 12 month preseason, but of course you'd sacrifice a lot by not playing him.

it does sound ridiculous but I'd be interested to see the results if someone were to try it.

 

[Roo Lives Again]

Reckon this kid is one injury away from debut if a kelly or Hartigan or even Henderson go down he could debut in showdown

Our depth is looking bare with these injuries !!

I reckon you're way off on this one. He's very raw and not ready. I'm not sure he's going to get a game this year. If he does it'll be one or two games at best. Is he dominating in the SANFL yet? no.

 

[DD#23]

I reckon you're way off on this one. He's very raw and not ready. I'm not sure he's going to get a game this year. If he does it'll be one or two games at best. Is he dominating in the SANFL yet? no.

if Lever is the last fit defender on the list he will play...

 

[MRB37]

this brings me back to earlier thoughts about blooding him in the SANFL vs what you could do in the gym if you pulled him from playing.

you could make him as big as you want if you gave him a 12 month preseason, but of course you'd sacrifice a lot by not playing him.

it does sound ridiculous but I'd be interested to see the results if someone were to try it.

Isn't that what Gold Coast did with Jaeger O'Meara? Instead of playing NEAFL as a 17 year old like Brad Crouch did with Westies, he just sat in the gym for a year and did training with the Suns. Probably hard to tell which method worked better and the NEAFL is a step down from SANFL play probably, so O'Meara might not have gained as much as Crouch did from playing.