marcuz
Norm Smith Medallist
Player #6
Sean Wellman 193cms 93kgs
Strengths:
Ability to read the play is Wellman’s greatest strength. Knowing when to zone off and be the third man into a contest is what he does very well. Skills are very good. Wellman loves to have a 10-20 metre dash out of defence and spot up a teamate in space. Has great vision which he uses to great effect. The main reason teams try and take him out of the play is the fact when he gets the ball things invariably happen. Very cool under pressure most of the time. Wellman has the ability to get the ball in traffic in the back half and clear it from congestion and find an open teamate. Doesn’t seem to panic and throw the ball on the boot.
Weaknesses:
Can’t play key defence anymore. Sean can be exploited by guys who like to play body on body. Sean can play CHB well enough as that position is more based on hard running than a battle of strength. But get Sean closer to goal and he becomes a liability. Many times his opponent has taken marks without Sean even trying to get a fist to it, just seems all at sea at full back.
Prediction for 2004:
With Fletcher hopefully having a suspension free year and Lucas and Hunt taking the other two key tall spots that would release Wellman to do what he does best. He seems to be in great shape and at 29 with no major injury concerns there is no reason why he shouldn’t have a super year. If we can free Wellman up as much as possible it will go along way to ensuring that we get plenty of drive off half back. If we have to play Wellman in a KP post then we are in trouble. Hoping for a big year for the Vice-Captain.
Player #7
Dean Solomon 188cms 95kgs
Strengths:
Ferocious attack on the football. As much as he is known as a player who likes to attack the opposition bodies he is first and foremost a ballplayer. Desperation plus is Dean will dive for loose balls and throw his body around like his life depended on it. Solomon has great physical strength. In terms of lifing weights or more to the point on the bench press, Solly is the strongest by a street at the club. Uses that strength to good effect on the field as his tackles rarely get broken. Loves to fly the flag for his teamates and provides a physical presence. Seems to intimidate some players just ask Matthew Pavlich. Moves very well for somebody nearly 100kgs. Has terrific pace and endurance. Unfortunately he seemed to have lost a little pace last year but they can be attributed to a couple of things. One is that he had bad case of ostietis last year which needed surgery by years end. And secondly he had just come off a knee reco. And as Joel Smith has showed it takes a year or two to get that pace back to where it was. Solomon is also a very good mark overhead.
Weaknesses:
Kicking skills at times are atrocious. Now I’m prepared to cut him some slack based on the injuries he carried last year. But even before the groin problems and knee op he was a turnover merchant. Solomon needs to steady up when he kicks. Has a great burst of speed so he doesn’t need to run flat out when he kicks. If he settled up before he kicked then that would cut down half of his turnovers. The other half is due to just poor decision making. Solomon also isn’t accountable enough. Solomon seems to have lost the balance of his game in when to attack and when to stay back and man up your opponent. He used to be very good at minding an opponent. Had a very good record against Aaron Hamill when Hamill was red hot for Carlton so he can play accountable footy when he wants to. It must be just a mindset thing for solly. Can be very undisciplined in his footy. He gives away too many free kicks and this needs to be addressed. Although he is not alone in this department.
Prediction for 2004:
Two years on from the knee reco and surgery to fix his groin problem Solomon is definitely in better shape physically than he was last year. Which is great news for bomber fans as Solly had a pretty good year last year. Without having to carry these injuries I’d expect an even better year for the bomber strongman. The question is where to play him. If his kicking improves then a 6”2, 95kg wingman would cause some teams some problems. I’m not sure he would make much of a forward as his goal kicking is not good. He probably would be most comfortable down back. And that may be the go pushing somebody like McPhee up the ground. It will be good to see Solly at his dashing and bone crushing best this year.
Player #8
Jason Winderlich 184cms 79kgs
Strengths:
Super quick. Has a great burst of speed and plenty of gears to go with it. He starred at the Rye gift last week until he injured himself after he won his heat. Jason has terrific foot skills on either side of his body. Seems to have a lot of time out on the field a sign of a class footballer. Loves to do the little things that coaches love eg Chase , tackle , smother , Shepard. Is very good overhead for somebody just on or over 6 feet.
Weaknesses:
Lacks the body strength right now. Is still light but the weight will come with time as he is still a kid. Seems to be very injury prone. Suffered from shin splints as a junior and has been on a modified program this pre-season to make sure of no re-occurrence.
Prediction for 2004:
I’d expect Winderlich to play the majority of the year in the seniors. His pace and ability to carry and use the ball is exactly what we need. He is a lot stronger than last year. And although he is still a little way off being where he needs to be in terms of size, I think he can cope quite easily with the physical pressure of AFL footy. Exciting times ahead watching this kid tear it up in the coming years.
Player #9
Adam Ramanauskas 182cms 80kgs
Strengths:
Terrific balance. Almost cat like in the way he keeps his feet. Tremendous speed and ability to burst away from an opponent. Not super fast off the line but his ability to go up a gear is impressive. Has tremendous top end speed that few can match. Beautiful user of the football. His field kicking is a delight to watch, uses the ball very well off half-back and wing. Huge vertical leap. To this day it is second behind only Jared Brennen in vertical leaps at the draft camp. Very quick thinker. Uses his basketball background to good effect as his reflexes and vision are very good
Weaknesses:
Currently Rama is going through a traumatic time with the growth in his neck. It has no doubt interrupted a very promising football career. He seems to be getting over the worst of it. Here’s hoping it’s the last time he has to face this nasty problem. Ramanuaskas kicks the ball great up the ground but he does struggle in front of goals. Seems to kick a lot of floaters which may be due to the fact he is trying to kick it too hard. Does struggle in a defensive role mainly as a back pocket. I don’t see why Sheeds played him for so long down there. He has too much ability to be wasted down there considering we have a lack of pace in midfield. Luckily last year when Rama did play it was in the middle where he should be.
Prediction for 2004:
Just to see Rama get back on the field in full health would satisfy all bomber fans. I think he will have a decent year although I’m not expecting too much. I think he will get better as the year goes on with a huge 2005 waiting for him. Who knows he may star this year and if he does we may go a lot further in the finals than we did this year.
Player #10
Mark McVeigh 182cms 78kgs
Strengths:
Mark is very quick and explosive. Uses this speed to be a second skin to the opposing team’s best small forward. Very good endurance. Has been in the front pack of all the time trials so far this pre-season. Mark has a new found hard edge to his game, he loves to tackle, chase, smother and generally annoy the sh*t out of the opposition. Has Mick Martyn like distain for giving away goals to his opponents which is fantastic to see from a guy whose job it is to shut down the most dangerous small goal kicker for the opposition. McVeigh also has a huge leap. He has attempted many hangers during his career although I am yet to see him hold one. As a rule McVeigh is a good user of the football although he is prone to turning it over as with most players.
Weaknesses:
No right foot from what I’ve seen. Although in saying that he always finds space and room to get onto his left. Doesn’t find enough of the footy when left in an attacking role. I can’t see him becoming a midfielder as I think he may have found his home down back. If he can shut down his man and rebound the ball a few times then his job is done. He doesn’t get enough of the ball in the midfield or forward to hurt many teams. Sometimes tries to be too pretty with his kicks by kicking too short when the longer option was called for.
Prediction for 2004:
Last year was a very good year for McVeigh he not only cemented himself as the number one small defender in the side but he also became one of the better defenders in the league. This kid has won me over by changing his whole outlook and game around. Mark should go on from here and become not just a very good negating player but add a little more attack to his game to make him even more of a good footballer. He has the pace and skills to hurt opposition teams out of defence. I think McVeigh by seasons end should be right in the hunt for an All-Australian back pocket position. He has made himself a permanent member of the side. It’s time for him to take it to the next level.
Sean Wellman 193cms 93kgs
Strengths:
Ability to read the play is Wellman’s greatest strength. Knowing when to zone off and be the third man into a contest is what he does very well. Skills are very good. Wellman loves to have a 10-20 metre dash out of defence and spot up a teamate in space. Has great vision which he uses to great effect. The main reason teams try and take him out of the play is the fact when he gets the ball things invariably happen. Very cool under pressure most of the time. Wellman has the ability to get the ball in traffic in the back half and clear it from congestion and find an open teamate. Doesn’t seem to panic and throw the ball on the boot.
Weaknesses:
Can’t play key defence anymore. Sean can be exploited by guys who like to play body on body. Sean can play CHB well enough as that position is more based on hard running than a battle of strength. But get Sean closer to goal and he becomes a liability. Many times his opponent has taken marks without Sean even trying to get a fist to it, just seems all at sea at full back.
Prediction for 2004:
With Fletcher hopefully having a suspension free year and Lucas and Hunt taking the other two key tall spots that would release Wellman to do what he does best. He seems to be in great shape and at 29 with no major injury concerns there is no reason why he shouldn’t have a super year. If we can free Wellman up as much as possible it will go along way to ensuring that we get plenty of drive off half back. If we have to play Wellman in a KP post then we are in trouble. Hoping for a big year for the Vice-Captain.
Player #7
Dean Solomon 188cms 95kgs
Strengths:
Ferocious attack on the football. As much as he is known as a player who likes to attack the opposition bodies he is first and foremost a ballplayer. Desperation plus is Dean will dive for loose balls and throw his body around like his life depended on it. Solomon has great physical strength. In terms of lifing weights or more to the point on the bench press, Solly is the strongest by a street at the club. Uses that strength to good effect on the field as his tackles rarely get broken. Loves to fly the flag for his teamates and provides a physical presence. Seems to intimidate some players just ask Matthew Pavlich. Moves very well for somebody nearly 100kgs. Has terrific pace and endurance. Unfortunately he seemed to have lost a little pace last year but they can be attributed to a couple of things. One is that he had bad case of ostietis last year which needed surgery by years end. And secondly he had just come off a knee reco. And as Joel Smith has showed it takes a year or two to get that pace back to where it was. Solomon is also a very good mark overhead.
Weaknesses:
Kicking skills at times are atrocious. Now I’m prepared to cut him some slack based on the injuries he carried last year. But even before the groin problems and knee op he was a turnover merchant. Solomon needs to steady up when he kicks. Has a great burst of speed so he doesn’t need to run flat out when he kicks. If he settled up before he kicked then that would cut down half of his turnovers. The other half is due to just poor decision making. Solomon also isn’t accountable enough. Solomon seems to have lost the balance of his game in when to attack and when to stay back and man up your opponent. He used to be very good at minding an opponent. Had a very good record against Aaron Hamill when Hamill was red hot for Carlton so he can play accountable footy when he wants to. It must be just a mindset thing for solly. Can be very undisciplined in his footy. He gives away too many free kicks and this needs to be addressed. Although he is not alone in this department.
Prediction for 2004:
Two years on from the knee reco and surgery to fix his groin problem Solomon is definitely in better shape physically than he was last year. Which is great news for bomber fans as Solly had a pretty good year last year. Without having to carry these injuries I’d expect an even better year for the bomber strongman. The question is where to play him. If his kicking improves then a 6”2, 95kg wingman would cause some teams some problems. I’m not sure he would make much of a forward as his goal kicking is not good. He probably would be most comfortable down back. And that may be the go pushing somebody like McPhee up the ground. It will be good to see Solly at his dashing and bone crushing best this year.
Player #8
Jason Winderlich 184cms 79kgs
Strengths:
Super quick. Has a great burst of speed and plenty of gears to go with it. He starred at the Rye gift last week until he injured himself after he won his heat. Jason has terrific foot skills on either side of his body. Seems to have a lot of time out on the field a sign of a class footballer. Loves to do the little things that coaches love eg Chase , tackle , smother , Shepard. Is very good overhead for somebody just on or over 6 feet.
Weaknesses:
Lacks the body strength right now. Is still light but the weight will come with time as he is still a kid. Seems to be very injury prone. Suffered from shin splints as a junior and has been on a modified program this pre-season to make sure of no re-occurrence.
Prediction for 2004:
I’d expect Winderlich to play the majority of the year in the seniors. His pace and ability to carry and use the ball is exactly what we need. He is a lot stronger than last year. And although he is still a little way off being where he needs to be in terms of size, I think he can cope quite easily with the physical pressure of AFL footy. Exciting times ahead watching this kid tear it up in the coming years.
Player #9
Adam Ramanauskas 182cms 80kgs
Strengths:
Terrific balance. Almost cat like in the way he keeps his feet. Tremendous speed and ability to burst away from an opponent. Not super fast off the line but his ability to go up a gear is impressive. Has tremendous top end speed that few can match. Beautiful user of the football. His field kicking is a delight to watch, uses the ball very well off half-back and wing. Huge vertical leap. To this day it is second behind only Jared Brennen in vertical leaps at the draft camp. Very quick thinker. Uses his basketball background to good effect as his reflexes and vision are very good
Weaknesses:
Currently Rama is going through a traumatic time with the growth in his neck. It has no doubt interrupted a very promising football career. He seems to be getting over the worst of it. Here’s hoping it’s the last time he has to face this nasty problem. Ramanuaskas kicks the ball great up the ground but he does struggle in front of goals. Seems to kick a lot of floaters which may be due to the fact he is trying to kick it too hard. Does struggle in a defensive role mainly as a back pocket. I don’t see why Sheeds played him for so long down there. He has too much ability to be wasted down there considering we have a lack of pace in midfield. Luckily last year when Rama did play it was in the middle where he should be.
Prediction for 2004:
Just to see Rama get back on the field in full health would satisfy all bomber fans. I think he will have a decent year although I’m not expecting too much. I think he will get better as the year goes on with a huge 2005 waiting for him. Who knows he may star this year and if he does we may go a lot further in the finals than we did this year.
Player #10
Mark McVeigh 182cms 78kgs
Strengths:
Mark is very quick and explosive. Uses this speed to be a second skin to the opposing team’s best small forward. Very good endurance. Has been in the front pack of all the time trials so far this pre-season. Mark has a new found hard edge to his game, he loves to tackle, chase, smother and generally annoy the sh*t out of the opposition. Has Mick Martyn like distain for giving away goals to his opponents which is fantastic to see from a guy whose job it is to shut down the most dangerous small goal kicker for the opposition. McVeigh also has a huge leap. He has attempted many hangers during his career although I am yet to see him hold one. As a rule McVeigh is a good user of the football although he is prone to turning it over as with most players.
Weaknesses:
No right foot from what I’ve seen. Although in saying that he always finds space and room to get onto his left. Doesn’t find enough of the footy when left in an attacking role. I can’t see him becoming a midfielder as I think he may have found his home down back. If he can shut down his man and rebound the ball a few times then his job is done. He doesn’t get enough of the ball in the midfield or forward to hurt many teams. Sometimes tries to be too pretty with his kicks by kicking too short when the longer option was called for.
Prediction for 2004:
Last year was a very good year for McVeigh he not only cemented himself as the number one small defender in the side but he also became one of the better defenders in the league. This kid has won me over by changing his whole outlook and game around. Mark should go on from here and become not just a very good negating player but add a little more attack to his game to make him even more of a good footballer. He has the pace and skills to hurt opposition teams out of defence. I think McVeigh by seasons end should be right in the hunt for an All-Australian back pocket position. He has made himself a permanent member of the side. It’s time for him to take it to the next level.
