Delisted Nicholas Robertson (2013-2019)

[Haso]

Drafted with pick number 34 in the 2013 National Draft

Height: 191 cms
Club: West Perth

 

[lionshine]

Welcome to the Lions Nick!

Quigley You picked it mate.

 

[Dylan12]

Draft hopeful Nick Robertson waits for his AFL dream call
17 November 2013
Kim Hagdorn

NATIONAL draft hopeful Nick Robertson is clinging to an AFL dream despite spending last season recovering from injury.

Robertson, 18, could be a surprise pick when the league's latest batch of young hopefuls are taken at the draft on the Gold Coast next Thursday. The elite running midfielder had an almost identical shoulder makeover to what Fremantle ace Nat Fyfe experienced last year. This time last year Robertson was considered by national recruiting experts in the same bracket as 17-year-old guns Jesse Hogan and Jack Martin. Hogan at Melbourne and Martin with the Gold Coast are set to crash on to the tough AFL scene next year after spending seasons at second-tier level as they were too young to play in the national competition.

Scans had been unable to identify Robertson's ligament trouble at the back of his right shoulder. He played the opening colts game of the 2013 season and collected 37 possessions as well as booting four goals from the midfield and was selected in an elite Australian Institute of Sport team for a six-week tour to Europe. My shoulder at the moment is as good as it's ever going to be and that's what has kept me motivated and switched on. If the opportunity comes, I am fit and healthy and ready to go."
Robertson appears unlikely to go inside the top 20 or 30 selections on Thursday. An elite running machine who was A standout performer at the league's annual draft camp early last month, He has grown 3cm to 191cm and added as much as 7kg to 91kg and into the almost prime size and athletic requirements of the modern midfielder.

Robertson is buoyed by attention from a number of AFL clubs, but guarded against any declaration of just where he might prefer to go. "I've had interviews with clubs, which is good personally and to know that clubs are still interested in me," he said. "Some interviews have been more positive than others.
"Getting drafted hasn't been playing so much on my mind, because that's out of my control."

Looks like a brute of a young man.

Welcome to the pride Nick.

 

[JasRulz63]

Knightmare's phantom draft

#37 Fremantle – Nicholas Robertson (WA – Mid)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 03/06/1995
Recruited from: West Perth
Style: Jordan Lewis (without the footskills)
Player comparison:
Range: 30-rookie
Profile: Robertson has elite endurance and has that ability to run all day and find plenty of the footy. He’s a hard aggressive player really attacks the ball and man viciously at every opportunity and at speed with a real hard edge to him. He’s got a strong build. Robertson also has the ability to break the lines with his pace and take on the game. He finds a good combination of inside and outside ball really winning it inside the contest through that hardness but then running and spreading effectively. He rarely ever loses a 1v1 contest with his strength. Robertson also really loves tackling and really goes at the man with aggression and hate. From a ball use perspective Robertson is only average without the penetration or hurt factor of some of the other prospects as well as some inconsistency at times. Additionally there are durability concerns with Robertson he’ll need to get over before he can really take his game somewhere.

Quigley's phantom draft

25 Brisbane

Brisbane love tall mid/flankers with elite endurance and that is exactly what they would get with Robertson. He can play through the middle of the ground or on a flank and his attack on the ball would be welcomed in the Lions team. This is in all likelihood quite a bit too high for Robertson but I would be prepared to take a chance on him around this point.

Nick Robertson
DOB 3/6/95 Ht 191 Wt 88

Do you think there will be any interest in an 191cm inside mid with furious attack on the ball who runs a 15 beep and is capable at either end of the park? Yeah when you put it like that it’s hard to see him slipping too far in a draft that drops off a cliff at about 30. Robertson missed the Champs this year and only managed 3 Colts games so he remains a guy that teams are going to have to take on faith a bit. He showed last year as a bottom aged player that he could excel at Champs level so it is probably not such a huge risk. I saw him last year but concede I have not seen him play this year so my write up is a little on faith as well.

The big issue for Robertson and the thing which will cause him to drop is the injuries that seem to forever plague him. He missed significant time as an under 16 with stress fractures in the back and has missed significant time both last year and this with shoulder problems. I understand he has had a couple of surgeries on his shoulders and repeated shoulder issues is something which can affect a player's development. I have heard Robertson compared to Beau Waters and they both have a similar attack on the ball and unfortunately for Robertson a similar history of their body not being able to handle his style of playing style. This is really my only significant issue with Robertson but it is quite a big one.

As mentioned above Robertson can play all over the park. Long term I see him as an inside mid though. As a package his attack on the ball is the only really standout feature but that does tend to set him apart from the crowd. He played in the midfield in the WA trial match earlier in the year and him being ruled out of the Champs was a big blow for the Sand Gropers. He reads the taps pretty well and reacts quickly but he is not one of those players who always seems to be in the right spot. He sees where it is going and will attack it then rather than already being moving to the spot where the ruckman will tap it to. His hands are similarly pretty good but I would not say they are elite for an inside mid. He is very strong over the ball and he uses his body really well to clear space. His balance is good and he is a pretty quick decision maker.

People often think he does not have particularly good agility but I do not think that is really the case. What those people see is his tendency to straight line the ball and try and use his strength to burst through packs and tackles rather than making much of an attempt to evade contact. He is a big powerful body and he gets up to full speed quickly and that makes him very difficult to handle in junior company. His top speed may not be massively high (it is okay) but over 10 metres he is quick. Admittedly he does not have much of a step but I think his change of direction is pretty reasonable and down back he shows a good ability to stay with his man. He does not have the smallest turning circle you will see with the ball in hand but I am not seeing a particular problem.

There are some people who really rate his kicking but more who think it is a bit of a weakness. Me I am probably a little bit in the middle and if you were comparing his kicking with many inside mids you would probably say it was pretty good relatively. He is a right footer who is capable off his left if needed. He is not a particularly long kick which might be why many do not rate his kicking but I think he evaluates situations quickly, takes good options and executes well. He is not a punching kick but nor are his kicks floaters. He will flatten them out with practice in the AFL and I do like that he has good touch on his kicks across a variety of distances. By hand he is solid and I have not really noticed it being a strength or weakness.

Earlier in the year he won the AIS time trial and when you have the likes of Kelly and Hartung for competition that is a very good effort. He ended up coming second to Kelly in the 3km at Combine and given the amount of time he has been out that is a pretty good effort. Earlier this year he also went over 15 in the beep but at Combine he only went mid 14s which is still pretty good but it is an indication that he was a little below his best. In the 20m he went in the 3.0s and showed pretty decent speed over 5m and 10m. He tested above average in the agility test which would have been encouraging for those who questioned this.

I expect Robertson to probably start his career as a flanker most likely in the back half. He is quite a good one on one defender and would match up well on resting mids or medium forwards who rely on their strength and endurance. He might struggle with really clever, quick agile forwards. His midfield work sees him have more composure in contested situations than many other flanker prospects. Coming out of defense he loves a run and he will challenge the forwards the other way.

From the highlights it looks like he played a fair bit of time in the Colts this year up forward. As a forward he uses his body very well and will be a bit of a load for a small defender to handle. He protects the drop zone very well and reads the ball in the air better than most. His set shot is solid and he seems like an accurate kick for goal. He is not goal hungry and will look to give off if there is a teammate in a better position than he is.

One area where he does need to improve is his outside game. He has the endurance to excel in this but at this stage he does not really spread as he should, with him preferring to work the corridor and stay where the action is. He needs to work hard to space and this does not seem very natural for him.

As far as best case scenario goes I could see him ending up as a Mundy type big inside mid with good ball skills but realistically he is probably more likely to be a Ryan Harwood type except bigger and with a better tank. With that said I would not rule out him becoming a tagger as he has the size, attack and endurance to trouble most players and it is entirely possible that he could become a Crowley type tagger. So yeah I am guessing here. He is a very interesting package of talents and someone is going to jump earlish to take him I think.

Chris25's phantom draft

29. GWS - Nick Robertson (188cm, 83kg midfielder - West Perth)

I've been a big fan of Nick Robertson, largely since his game against South Australia in the U18 Championships last year. I thought he was arguably best on ground, and for an underaged kid he had a real impact on the stoppages. Thought he used his body really well, and seemed to get to the right spots at the right time. If I remember correctly however, he went off injured and unfortunately that has been a common theme with Robertson since. And he underwent shoulder surgery just prior to the Championships this season, with the aim of returning to the WAFL towards the end of the season. But all that aside, I'd still be happy to pick him up early. He reminds me a bit of Jack Ziebell, except with much better endurance. In the midfield, he is hard to shift when he is going for the ball and has decent foot skills on both sides of his body. Also tackles hard, and can play across half back with his defensive side. Sometimes he can go missing a bit outside of the stoppages, but I think that's just because he prefers the tough stuff. Because his workrate and endurance can't be questioned.

Footy Tragic's power rankings

#27 – NICK ROBERTSON
Height: 191cm, Weight: 88kg, DOB: 3/6/1995
Recruited from: West Perth

Nick Robertson is one of those guys that will become a fan favourite pretty quickly. He is a kamikaze type of player that has no care at all for his own body in the contest and it has already affected him with multiple shoulder injuries and stress fractures in his back from his U/16’s days.
He has missed so much footy that it is hard to assess him but he is one of the more talented inside midfielders in this draft when up and going. Those times are rare at the moment which is terribly unfortunate but I still think he’s put enough runs on the board.

Robertson is a beast of an endurance athlete. Despite missing almost the whole season he still dominated the 3km time trial, running a time of 9:46, coming only second to Josh Kelly. He ran a 14.8 beep test but he has a 15+ beep test under his belt earlier in the year. Speed wise he’s got a good step in the first 10m, running in the top 30% at the Combine, and I still think he was a little underdone so there could be a bit of improvement left there.

He is a bit of a man-child but I don’t see that as something that lessens the scope for his improvement. There is so much we haven’t seen of him due to injury.

Robertson is a bull at the gates when it comes to the contest. He just cracks in and wins it. We all thought it’d be his season when he won 36 disposals in round one for West Perth in the Colts but he broke down straight away and his absence from the WA squad in the National Champs was a big blow.

There have been critics about his kicking but I actually think it’s pretty good. He doesn’t get any great distance or penetration but for the role he plays he takes his time to assess his options and generally hits the mark with the short to medium pass. He doesn’t mind going on the left foot either and seems pretty comfortable with it.

Unlike some other inside midfielders in this draft, Robertson does have that little burst of speed to get him away. He’s not quick but it’s enough and his strength makes him hard to tackle anyway.
He’s also pretty versatile. He’s played a lot of footy in the backline and his courage can really be a factor down there, much in the Beau Waters mould.

There really isn’t much else to say about Robertson. He’s had such little exposure due to injury that it’s hard to really put an estimation on him, but personally despite all that and the fact this draft is so poor, he’s worth the gamble. I definitely think he has the talent to become the best inside midfielder in this draft, but there are just major question marks on his body.

Snoop Dog's phantom draft

#37 Fremantle
Nicholas Robertson - West Perth / 188cm / 83kg / ’95
Been very highly regarded for a long time but struggled this year with shoulder injuries and hasn’t played much so might end up being a ‘little nuggett’ a bit later in the draft. Part of the AIS programme and represented WA last 2 years at carnival and very highly regarded by those closely associate. Great size and offers a lot of positional scope. His big asset is that he is an elite runner which along with his ball skills will make him an ideal HB / Wing candidate albeit has probably spent as much time fwd as back. You wont miss him on the field with his Dean Kemp like appearance. May slide a bit because of injuries but he is very talented.

Why and who else: If they haven’t gone tall at first pick and taken a Hewett etc then I could see any number of KPF or KPDs here. Conlon could be a go but might be a reach. Cutler would have to be in the mix for them as well.

 

[Haso]

This time last year Robertson was considered by national recruiting experts in the same bracket as 17-year-old guns Jesse Hogan and Jack Martin.

VERY interesting.

 

[dlanod]

VERY interesting.

I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. At the time the discussion was around Hogan, Martin and Kelly by and large. I don't think any club would've nominated Robertson over any of those three.

 

[Haso]

I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. At the time the discussion was around Hogan, Martin and Kelly by and large. I don't think any club would've nominated Robertson over any of those three.

I suppose, but I guess the point that I'm making is that the implication is that he was worth maybe more than pick 34 if he hadn't have spent the year injured. A touch of the Golbys maybe.

 

[dlanod]

I suppose, but I guess the point that I'm making is that the implication is that he was worth maybe more than pick 34 if he hadn't have spent the year injured. A touch of the Golbys maybe.

I agree on that. We've done that a fair bit recently, with Golby but also with Close.

 

[Reardo]

I think I love him.

 

[JasRulz63]

I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. At the time the discussion was around Hogan, Martin and Kelly by and large. I don't think any club would've nominated Robertson over any of those three.

Not to mention Robertson has a June birthday, which means he wouldn't have qualified for the mini draft.

Guess they were talking more about his overall rating amongst all draftees.

 

[Haso]

Pick 34: Nick Robertson

Player comparisonBrendon Goddard (ESS)

What they say"It's definitely been a tough year in terms of not playing footy. I've had to watch a lot of games because of my injury, but that's all out of my control. What I can control is my rehabilitation and I have been. My shoulder at the moment is as good as it's ever going to be and that's what has kept me motivated and switched on. If the opportunity comes, I am fit and healthy and ready to go." – Nick Robertson

 

[JasRulz63]

New Lion roars with delight
November 22, 2013
Nick Rynne

When Brisbane read out Nick Robertson's name at pick No.34 in yesterday's national draft, the usually poised midfielder couldn't control himself.

"The whole family came over and it was just a big roar, it knocked me off my chair," he said. "I fell on the floor crying, mate."

"That was obviously a huge worry of mine with the shoulder and not playing any footy," he said.
"To see the name on the screen is just huge for me.

"I've always said any opportunity is an opportunity and I can't wait to start my footy career at the Brisbane Lions. I'm lost for words, I'm that excited."

Another one with a girlfriend :/

 

[Reardo]

New Lion roars with delight
November 22, 2013
Nick Rynne



Another one with a girlfriend :/

She comes too, I'll pay for her flights/accommodation myself.

 

[lionshine]

The Lions colours suit young Nick.

 

[Grimreepah]

She comes too, I'll pay for her flights/accommodation myself.

I'm really hoping his footy talents are as good as his taste in women.

 

[Harris Specter]

Not gonna lie, I'm going to personally love watching Tineka come to the Gabba.

 

[luthor]

I'm really hoping his footy talents are as good as his taste in women.

Some serious potential there.

Apart from that, Robbo looks like a useful footballer.

Bonus.

 

[weevil]

Young Nick batting several divisions out of his league.

 

[irel]

Young Nick batting several divisions out of his league.

Naah, he's an AFL footballer now and she's just been drafted as a manbag WAG.

 

[Bucking Beads]

New Lion roars with delight
November 22, 2013
Nick Rynne



Another one with a girlfriend :/

she looks a ripper though.

 

[mpal6]

Welcome to the pride Tineka.. err.... you can come along too Nick, don't be shy.

 

[Ceebee]

Our boys like the brunettes.
Good taste
She is not unlike our Blackies lovely wife.

 

[Mayestro]

Video highlights.

 

[ALX22]

Could be a surprise packet.

 

[iBeng]

So is he 191cm and 88kg or 188cm and 83kg or some other combination of the two?

Seems to vary depending on the Mock Draft...