National Draft Pick #17 - Michael Apeness

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This bloke has more contested marks in his highlight package than anyone else in the draft! The way he presents also makes a mockery of the nitwits who label him as a ruckman. Looks like a natural foward who can do some rucking to me. A Jarryd Roughead who can also hurt people ... exciting times.
 
FWIW in regards to Gumby I was having this discussion with some Essendon supporters before we traded for him and despite what has been said about him he has missed football due to injuries over the last few years.

In 2013 he only played 16 afl/vfl games
In 2012 he played 12.

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-fremantle-dockers--scott-gumbleton

http://www.sportingpulse.com/team_i...=192149976&client=1-118-10467-150677-14507916

It;s not as bad as it seems as I found out that they play less games in vfl (18 I think) so he didn't miss that many but the reference to him being injury free is actually that he hasn't missed games due to his back in the last 2 years.
 
Geez the guy is a contested marking machine!

I hope they plonk him straight at full-forward for Peel and develop him as a genuine FF from day 1.
 

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actually enjoyed the one where he smashed the pack from the side - that was Carey like the way he threw himself. The quality crumbers will love him. News tonight said he was 201cm.
 
What's exciting to me from the footage I've seen is not just his contested marking but after he takes a mark he immediately whips around and back peddles to look at the next option, looks like a very natural player despite having played a lot of rugby recently. Set shot looks effective and uncomplicated too, starting to wonder how he even got to us.
 
riteo said:
What's exciting to me from the footage I've seen is not just his contested marking but after he takes a mark he immediately whips around and back peddles to look at the next option, looks like a very natural player despite having played a lot of rugby recently. Set shot looks effective and uncomplicated too, starting to wonder how he even got to us.
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I think that all the publicity over Boyd overshadowed the other KPP in the draft. Everybody thought Boyd was THE KPP and all the rest were just slops. This, and his ACL, meant that Apeness was off the radar to a certain extent. Impossible to predict how it will all pan out but it could well be that he will outshine a few of the mids selected above him in the end. Guys who can habitually clunk big marks in the forward 50 and kick straight are very handy.
 
yakka man said:
Contested marking beast with huge upside and physically ready as a 18 year old.
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Maybe I misheard, but hearing him say "I need to lose some weight" was pretty challenging for a draftee. Especially at Freo. And for a first rounder. Simpson, Sheridan, Pitt, Hill, Palmer and then 201cm by 100 kilos...

Schopp said:
actually enjoyed the one where he smashed the pack from the side - that was Carey like the way he threw himself. The quality crumbers will love him. News tonight said he was 201cm.
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Yeah, the contested marking ability seems more developed than McCarthy. One issue is that he does seem to mark from behind a bit. I mean you can do that in U18s and at a lower level, but he'll competing against well developed key defenders at AFL level and they'll have a field day if you try marking from the back.
 
Silent Alarm said:
Maybe I misheard, but hearing him say "I need to lose some weight" was pretty challenging for a draftee. Especially at Freo. And for a first rounder. Simpson, Sheridan, Pitt, Hill, Palmer and then 201cm by 100 kilos...


Yeah, the contested marking ability seems more developed than McCarthy. One issue is that he does seem to mark from behind a bit. I mean you can do that in U18s and at a lower level, but he'll competing against well developed key defenders at AFL level and they'll have a field day if you try marking from the back.
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I think what he means is that for his switch to rugby he was asked to bulk up to 105Kg's+. To make the switch back to Footy this year has meant that he has had to trim down to 98-99Kg's. I don't see him needed to lose any weight, mainly just tone up and build more strength.
 
caterina said:
I hope so, most of the highlights on that package were really just a guy who is bigger than less well developed under 18's taking marks against smaller blokes.
I didn't see much of a leap or that he was taking the ball at it's highest point.
Anyway, the good thing is he's a big boy and we obviously have something to work with, but I didn't see many great assets besides size that in those highlights, which I agree can be misleading.
I'm looking forward to seeing him for more than 3 minutes soon!
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I would think that at +2m tall and +100kgs he is going to be bigger than plenty of mature age defenders too. Don't be surprised if he actually notches up more than just a handful of games in 2014. Aggression plus size may be just the elements that get him thrown in at the deep end.
 
He will always have 2 inches (plus reach) or more on his opponents, unless AFL teams start playing 200cm guys at full back.
 

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pokerspiv said:
He will always have 2 inches (plus reach) or more on his opponents, unless AFL teams start playing 200cm guys at full back.
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i Think that was Pearce is. To try to keep ahead of the game with all the 198cm+ fowards coming in to the game recently
 
nurries said:
i Think that was Pearce is. To try to keep ahead of the game with all the 198cm+ fowards coming in to the game recently
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I think so too. Interesting to see how that works out. As far as I know Dustin Fletcher is the tallest good key defender going around. He is 198cm. If that's the prototype then I approve.
 
pokerspiv said:
I think so too. Interesting to see how that works out. As far as I know Dustin Fletcher is the tallest good key defender going around. He is 198cm. If that's the prototype then I approve.
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Jake Carlisle is around 199 to 200cm from memory. Absolute gun.
 
Tayl0r said:
Taking the mark at his highest point. Fantastic.

How much of Boyd being pick #1 was down to publicity and his chiseled looks? Apeness seems just as effective. What am I missing?
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I think you have the half full glass today ;)

I want to see how he goes before I jump on the bandwagon. Bit early yet.
 
yakka man said:
Definitely. Apeness has the potential to be a player who people look back on in a few years and say 'why wasn't he a top 5 draft pick?'. I think that the fact that he was forced to play a lot of time in the ruck this year is the main reason why he wasn't a top 10 pick. The rugby switch probably didn't help either.

Contested marking beast with huge upside and physically ready as a 18 year old.
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Perhaps the rugby didn't help his selection but it improved his desire to tackle and ability to do so no end. He folded that guy in half at the end of his highlights package.

go_the_dockers said:
No one else has mentioned that he grew up in WA, which should mean he has some family in WA. That is a bonus, as it will probably take 2-3 years to get him ready for AFL football.
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Exciting I know
 
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