Delisted #33: Brayden "Donny" Ham - not offered another contract - 18/10

33 ham.jpg

Contract Status: Out of contract 2022
Injury Status: n/a

My Boy Draft 2022: Claim here
 
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Schnitzengruben

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Same deal as usual. Ham is pretty good with ball in hand and a great runner, but is a liability physically. He'd be good if we're playing Touch Footy but I don't think he'll ever have an AFL level rig.

Some of the tackles he attempted to lay today were broken and shrugged off with an unbelievable level of ease.
 
Oct 6, 2020
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Is utterly hopeless in one on ones, is one sided, and will never be a premiership player. Needs to be moved on.
...Who the * cares about premierships atm? We're in year one of what will probably be a three to five year rebuild. Plus we literally just re-signed Ham for another year like three or four weeks ago.
 
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westking

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Same deal as usual. Ham is pretty good with ball in hand and a great runner, but is a liability physically. He'd be good if we're playing Touch Footy but I don't think he'll ever have an AFL level rig.

Some of the tackles he attempted to lay today were broken and shrugged off with an unbelievable level of ease.

The kid has literally just turned 22. I look at a player like Isaac Smith and how late he came on. Im not saying Brayden will get to his level but I think he is definitly worth persisting with. He may not get to your perceived ideal size but Im sure tackling is a skill that can be practised and improved on.
 

Schnitzengruben

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The kid has literally just turned 22. I look at a player like Isaac Smith and how late he came on. Im not saying Brayden will get to his level but I think he is definitly worth persisting with. He may not get to your perceived ideal size but Im sure tackling is a skill that can be practised and improved on. It takes a lot of different type of payers and Brayen plays a wing. i.e. lots of running and at pace.
22 should be reasonably developed and he looks years off of it, if it ever happens.

He absolutely has the skills to be a good player but footy is nearly as much physical as it is skill. Think of how many elite basketballers out there never made it because they were <6 ft.
 

westking

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22 should be reasonably developed and he looks years off of it, if it ever happens.

He absolutely has the skills to be a good player but footy is nearly as much physical as it is skill. Think of how many elite basketballers out there never made it because they were <6 ft.

Never watched a basketball game in my life so I will assume you are right about that observation..about basketball that is.

Footy is about whats between the ears too and I think Brayden has a great attitude and will evolve.

It wasn't that long ago Brenden Goddard got dragged over the coals for his lack of and poor tackling. In hindsight I think that was unjustified criticism too.
 
Jul 16, 2013
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Needs to work on his tackling technique. Too often goes high to stop their arms but at his weight it allows them to just shrug him off and get a clean possession off.

Would much rather him go the hips, stop the player and make the handball out less effective. (This is based on the fact he is not going to stop the handball either way)
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
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Same deal as usual. Ham is pretty good with ball in hand and a great runner, but is a liability physically. He'd be good if we're playing Touch Footy but I don't think he'll ever have an AFL level rig.

Some of the tackles he attempted to lay today were broken and shrugged off with an unbelievable level of ease.
To say he'll never have an AFL rig, isn't right I don't believe. He has already put on more size than Gleeson in half the amount of time.

His size will never be a strength, but will soon be big enough for the role he'll play. He does run all day, and I have been impressed with his improvement so far this year, albeit he was poor on the weekend.
 

Schnitzengruben

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Wasn't our worst but once again, no physical aspect to his game whatsoever. The whole team needs to crack in harder to make up for what Ham can't do.

If he can't apply pressure and do the gritty stuff; you'd expect him to be nailing every disposal which he clearly isn't - going at 58% today. Close to our worst.

I get that he's a good runner with great endurance, but this isn't a track meet. Needs to lift or will get left behind.
 
Who else takes his spot? The fact is that there's a number of gaps in the list in terms of quality that will take several years to address through the draft and complaining about players now isn't going to do anything.
 
Who else takes his spot? The fact is that there's a number of gaps in the list in terms of quality that will take several years to address through the draft and complaining about players now isn't going to do anything.
At the moment not many. If we had a full list to pick from then one of the midfield rotations would take his spot. Shiel / McGrath / Merritt at various stages. Perkins playing further up the ground as he progresses . I think Guelfi could do just as much in the half forward role but the flip side of that is he does not have the running ability Ham has.
The kid can play but he is just too light to have an impact in the strongly contested games. Even today, not in it much early and then his run brings him into the game at a later stage. Come finals time his game will not stack up.
 

BombersDave

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The whole we don't have anyone to replace him is rubbish and will lead to complacency from the players if they aren't dropped for poor performances. Not being big enough vs not trying enough are two different things. Too many times he failed to bodyline the ball and GWS goaled as a result. Being not big enough means he may well get tackled or knocked off the ball in those instances, not trying enough means there's no presence at all which is what today was. Guelfi surely has to be in instead. Would even play people like Cahill etc to give Ham the message he has to work on some things before he gets a recall, if at all.
 
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Depth and nothing more, he may be a running machine but he isn't blazing quick which would make up for his other shortcomings.

Does he have a single highlight in his career?

A young player needs to show something that makes you go gee this kid could be something but so far is his just a healthy Kobe Mutch.
 

blitzer

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If he tidies up his disposal and maybe lays a few more tackles then he'd be a decent wing. Right now he's butchering it tons but we don't have real options to replace him.

His running is a real strength and he gets to some good positions so there is something to work with but he's very much in the 'needs to improve to make it long term' camp.
 
Depth and nothing more, he may be a running machine but he isn't blazing quick which would make up for his other shortcomings.

Does he have a single highlight in his career?

A young player needs to show something that makes you go gee this kid could be something but so far is his just a healthy Kobe Mutch.
Jeez, this is a very harsh assessment. A healthy Kobe Mutch? He's quicker and a far better kick. Finds more of the ball too
 
Ham’s kicking is so over stated on here.


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Agree. He is not terrible but there is nothing special about it.
 
Culter might have been considered to replace him if he didn't get injured. This might sound silly, as this guy has been moved around to many different positions... but why couldn't Ambrose play wing? He has a good tank and at least we know he can lay a tackle. Just a thought...
 

FlyingV

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he provides a lot of run. Constantly one of our top gps runners and we are not a team that runs out games well.
 

Mikevk123

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Think he’s been one of our biggest improvers this year. He’s not a star but he’s solid.
 
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