Analysis Does Venables remind anyone else of Judd?

[archiemoses]

As some may be aware from other threads, I've long considered Venables to be comparable to Dangerfield at a similar age since before he was drafted.

Comparing anyone to Judd is unrealistic and unfair as he is a once in a generation player.

Let's not forget also he was about as close as it gets for guaranteed success from draft picks:

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2010-06-29/top-marks-for-class-of-01

The player who cast the greatest shadow over the 2001 carnival was Vic Metro captain Chris Judd, who as a junior footballer had a national reputation as a midfielder with a strong will and feet like twin jets.

For his team’s first game against WA at the MCG Judd lined up in the uncustomary position of centre half-back.

Vic Metro coach David Dickson said the idea was that his captain would damage WA’s morale by running off its gun key forward, Graham Polak.

Judd streamed forward twice in the opening quarter, only to miss both shots from 20m out. Vic Metro won easily. When the team went back to its digs at Melbourne Grammar, Judd asked Dickson if he could go on to the oval to practise goal-kicking.

“I’d never had that before, a player wanting to practice after playing a game,” Dickson said.

In 2000, when Judd was a bottom-age player at under-18 level, he popped a shoulder and had an operation to tighten it up. In the first quarter of Vic Metro’s second game in 2001 against South Australia at Shell Stadium in Geelong, he went to ground in what seemed innocuous fashion and popped his other shoulder.

Dickson said Judd was held in such high esteem by his teammates that the sight of him in agonising pain at half time silenced the room.

After the match, Vic Metro players were delighted when Judd returned from a Geelong hospital to join them on the bus back to Melbourne. He didn’t play again for the season.​

The only reason he didn't go #1 was due to having major surgeries on both shoulders before turning 18, in combination with a draft that displayed competing elite talent in Hodge and Ball. Those top 3 picks of the 2001 draft played in a cumulative 10 grand finals and 6 premierships between them.

As for Judd, he infamously played a solitary match for East Perth and was onto greater things. He remains without question the most talented 18 year old player that I have ever seen. His highlights from that WAFL match still make my hair stand on end today.

• In his first season he kicked 21 goals and won the AFLPA Best First Year Player Award.
• In his second season he kicked 29 goals, averaged 18 disposals, polled 12 Brownlow votes and finished runner-up for the Club Champion Award [now John Worsfold Medal].
• In his third season he polled 30 votes, winning the Brownlow medal at 21. He won the Club Champion Award that year also and remains the youngest player to have won it.
• By his 5th season, at the age of 23 he became the youngest player to have won both Brownlow and Norm Smith medals and be a premiership captain.

I think people forget just how ridiculously good Judd was.


Now Venables, granted, has one over Judd in becoming a premiership player at 19; however he would need to win the Brownlow next season to keep up with Judd's heroics.

This is where Dangerfield is a far more conducive point of comparison.

• Both were picked outside of the outstanding midfield prospects for their respective drafts [#10 and #13].
• Both missed their first seasons of AFL. Dangerfield controversially remained in Victoria studying during his first year on Adelaide's list (only playing two games) and Venables suffered recurrent foot injuries.
• Both played as specialist forwards when they broke into the team, not gaining much in the way of possession.
• Each display a ferocious approach to tackling in combination with being able to accelerate away from packs.

Compare the two players' second years (2009 and 2018) against each other:
View attachment 583933

Indeed it is not for a further three seasons (his 5th in 2012) that Dangerfield starts to average over 20 disposals per game. It is at that point he emerges as a future star of the competition and gains his first All-Australian selection.

I feel Venables will take a similar development path. He will remain a low-disposal forward specialist until he gains the aerobic capacity to be able to contest more stoppages. Once that happens, it will appear to rest of the competition as if he has arrived overnight from out of nowhere, having a massive impact.

He may take his time to develop, but Venables is very much a serious talent that will be key to our further success in seasons to come.

Great read. Appreciate the effort

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[Candiru]

 

[Forward Press]

Happy 20th birthday to DV - our youngest player from the premiership 22.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

Looks strange with hair as seen on the instagrams

 

[Woobla Stainz]

Think we will see a big improvement from Venom next year, follow him on Insta and he has been working hard all off-season with PTs don't think he went away on holiday just training hard. Looks to have put on some size also.

 

[Milenko]

Just needs more arrogance, then he'll be right

 

[mehow2g]

His size, posture looks alot like Judd than it does Shuey.

However it doesn't make him Judd.

 

[getgaff]

Tried to find the game thread to post in their but couldn’t sift through all the pages so I thought I’d chuck it here.

Love the benefit of hindsight on his GF performance.

If you look at what he did wrong than yep he got in Kennedy’s way in the opening quarter and cost us what looked like a gimme goal when we needed one.

His stats weren’t big by any means but I feel his impact was greater than stats alone.

Just viewed again his deft involvement in the Rioli/ Cripps goal from the 3rd where his tap on and pressure kept the ball deep inside 50.

Another instance in the second where he competed and held his ground in an outnumbered contest where 2 Pies went to ground and Maynard stuffed his shoulder. Stood up in the tackle and got a handball away with momentum that hit us forward.

Hit Darling up with a neat kick to get Darling going in the third as well.

Yes he was one of the lesser players on the day but his importance couldn’t be viewed by his disposal count. Not a passenger like I thought he was.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

If he can increase his output to 25 possessions per game he will win a brownlow.

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[getgaff]

If he can increase his output to 25 possessions per game he will win a brownlow.

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I hope he does yep. I’m a fan of how he goes about it.

Without great inside knowledge of his game style hopefully we have a similar player in O’Niell also.

 

[Priddis Is Done]

The kid will deliver. I've always thought that.

And he still reminds me of someone.

 

[Tom_Thumb]

He reminds me more of Tom Swift.

 

[Cuzz09]

Gun.


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[kranky al]

Just reminds me of a young shuey - if he develops core strength so he can break tackles like shuey does watch out


Which brings me to shueys tackle breaking - dayam hes a slippery fish - almost untacklable unless you catch him unaware

 

[Turboman1994]

Venners look supreme against geelong if he develops well he will be a very handy player for us

 

[Cuzz09]

Just reminds me of a young shuey - if he develops core strength so he can break tackles like shuey does watch out


Which brings me to shueys tackle breaking - dayam hes a slippery fish - almost untacklable unless you catch him unaware

Or you get crap umpiring like the GF

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[kranky al]

Or you get crap umpiring like the GF

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Thought the gf umpiring was on point myself

 

[Astro7]

apart from looking similar to Shuey, reckon he plays more like Shuey than Judd, still early days, might mutate into a Judd, or just be a Venables? - but reckon he'll be a good one soon!

 

[boondy]

apart from looking similar to Shuey, reckon he plays more like Shuey than Judd, still early days, might mutate into a Judd, or just be a Venables? - but reckon he'll be a good one soon!

Saw a bit of Yeo in him

 

[Mickey Rae]

Saw a bit of Yeo in him

Could have a field day with that!

 

[avishka5]

He's better than Shuey overhead. Which is a plus.

Looks to have added a bit of size. watched the game on my phone and i thought it was Yeo a couple times.

 

[BeornJ]

Going to be quite brilliant I believe. Can definitely see the comparisons to Shuey and Dangerfield. Glad we took him over SPP. Way higher ceiling.

Venners, Brander and Allen are the future of the club.

Exciting times, not only reigning premiers but such brilliant youth developing.

 

[wcesam]

Just reminds me of a young shuey - if he develops core strength so he can break tackles like shuey does watch out


Which brings me to shueys tackle breaking - dayam hes a slippery fish - almost untacklable unless you catch him unaware

Kind of. Except to be fair young Shuey was still light years ahead of current Venables.

 

[avishka5]

Kind of. Except to be fair young Shuey was still light years ahead of current Venables.

You sure about that?
Shuey really broke out in his third season. He only managed 6 games in his prior two seasons due to personal tragedy and injuries.
DV is coming up to his third year this season.

Statistically speaking Boots is better in his 6 games in 2010 than DV's 15 games last year. However, Boots played in a woodenspoon side , while DV played a role in a premiership side.

 

[kerr87]

The way Venners jumped and marked the ball looked so much like Yeo.

He plays and moves in traffic so much like Shuey, but I reckon he has a little bit of the Judd-like explosiveness.

Will break out over the next year or two. Just another talented young gun on our list.

Can't wait to see O'Neil develop in a very similar manner as he has very similar qualities to Shuey, Venners etc.