Player Watch #42: Kallan Dawson - Twomey reporting 1yr extension - Roo until end '24

[Mr Lloyd Christmas]

Now i've been able to find out a bit more about him as I don't follow lower leagues etc, really like this selection.

He seems to fit our age profile and list issue really well, so welcome Kallan!

 

[RossHenshaw]

I liked the look of Massimo but I think watching one highlight video and raging because we didn't take him is a bit psychotic.

He might become a really good player, he might not. There are a lot of kids that are small and move well that don't make it because they are small, you can get away with it more in the VFL than the AFL, your deficiencies get exposed a lot more. Perhaps he will make it and make clubs that passed on him regret it. He might not. We have about 10 half back flankers on our list and not enough KPP, we should have addressed the list balance end of last year and we could have taken a pot shot on Massimo, but we need to start fixing some of the major problems with the list balance.

We have about 10 HBF’s who none can run and carry (one of the most vital weapons to have in the modern day AFL game ) ….. or you can count on hitting a target .

 

[Le Grille]

We have about 10 HBF’s who none can run and carry (one of the most vital weapons to have in the modern day AFL game ) ….. or you can count on hitting a target .

Isn’t Goater/Bergman/Perez that type on our present list?

 

[Usayed Givashe]

Isn’t Goater/Bergman/Perez that type on our present list?

Yes we have 13 In total I think he’s saying.

 

[Le Grille]

Yes we have 13 In total I think he’s saying.

Arent they are the run/carry/disposal types we don’t have?
I would like more tho

 

[King Corey]

Gorman2Geister we have our new Geister.

 

[Gorman2Geister]

Gorman2Geister we have our new Geister.

3 games for 3 wins. The man was quality.

 

[King Corey]

3 games for 3 wins. The man was quality.

He was poured into that suit.

 

[RossHenshaw]

Isn’t Goater/Bergman/Perez that type on our present list?

Really ?

 

[RossHenshaw]

Isn’t Goater/Bergman/Perez that type on our present list?

Goater untried , Bergen tried for 1 qtr & Perez is more of a wingman ….
So to answer your question….NO

 

[Le Grille]

Goater untried , Bergen tried for 1 qtr & Perez is more of a wingman ….
So to answer your question….NO

Ok and Massimo was a proven afl player in those attributes?

Must have missed that.

I’m not convinced with Dawson largely due to the kicking, his other attributes seem fine, and I do think we should have taken a second pick but I think the Messiah Massimo stuff is a bit OTT

 

[RossHenshaw]

Ok and Massimo was a proven afl player in those attributes?

Must have missed that.

I’m not convinced with Dawson largely due to the kicking, his other attributes seem fine, and I do think we should have taken a second pick but I think the Messiah Massimo stuff is a bit OTT

Your missing my point Le
My point right now is that we are screaming and are desperate for an Aaron Hall replacement.
If we had to pick someone who remotely resembled a Hall replacement this MSD it was definitely Massimo .

 

[Ligma]

TikTok - Make Your Day

vt.tiktok.com

 

[Tas]

We have about 10 HBF’s who none can run and carry (one of the most vital weapons to have in the modern day AFL game ) ….. or you can count on hitting a target .

Yes, that is exactly the problem, and most of them can't defend very well either. It is the main reason why we are s**t when combined with a lack of KPD and a game plan that doesn't put enough pressure on the opposition ball carrier.

Current players who are defenders:

KPDs:
McKay 201cm/99kg/45games (24y5m)
Walker 197/98/133 (29y6m)
Corr 195/97/110 (28y0m)
Dawson 196/89/0 (23y10m)

Non-KPDs:
Archer 183/70/0 (18y9m)
Atu 180/83/17 (21y8m)
Bonar 188/87/26 (23y2m)
Hayden 186/87/15 (22y11m) Rookie?
Hall 185/85/149 (31y6m)
Turner 180/71/112 (26y5m)
McGuinness 192/77/0 (21y10m) Rookie
Bergman 188/65/1 (19y4m)
McDonald 189/86/148 (27y3m)
Young 189/81/32 (23y1m)
Walker P 187/76/0 (19y10m) Rookie (club says he has elite kicking and large tank on his profile)
Perez 188/85/11 (20y9m)
Goater 190/80/0 (19y0m)
Ziebell 188/89/250 (31y3m)

I was being optimistic saying we had 10 HBFs, it is 14. It should probably be 8. The only one with real defender experience that isn't a misfit from a different line is McDonald and he is an iffy defender who too often gets outmarked by players around his size or is caught ball watching which aren't great defender traits.

I mean, when you read the club's opinion on Hayden you have to wonder are we drinking the kool-aid.
"An athletic defender hailing from Western Australia"
"A powerful mover and great one-on-one defender"
"At his best, Hayden has the athleticism and ability to be a difficult match up for opposition forwards, filling a needed role in North’s backline."
"Hayden has the agility to defend smaller forwards, but he’s got the strength and power to hold his own against key position players in the contest."

Am I watching a different game?

We needed someone with Massimo's attributes but we just need proactive aggressive rebounding defenders and a midfield that runs patters on the rebound that creates room for us either use shorter kicks through the corridor or have the kicking ability to go longer if the zone or press doesn't move to cover the movement. But it is a combination of having the right type of players and having the game plan that is being executed.

Some of the smaller defenders we have there aren't the greatest of kicks so they probably aren't going to make it, I don't think any of our KPDs are elite kicks, but generally they aren't streaming out of the defensive 50 and hitting up high difficulty kicks.

If we think Goater and Perez is going to make it, we have McDonald for probably 5 more years and maybe Hall for a year or two then every smaller defender who can't kick should be let go and I think we should be looking at more prospects who have elite kicking plus speed/endurance and instead of just shoving a whole bunch of mediocre prospects there and hope something happens just go with fewer higher probability prospects with more KPD on the list and space to have a look at the odd prospect player.

Massimo would have been a great prospect to have a look at as he fits the bill, that type of player is hard to find, the only question mark is his ability to survive at AFL level. Dawson is 24, if his stats on the north page are accurate he has grown 2cm and put on 10kg recently, it can take 3-5 years to get a KPD and have them mature physically. With our early focus more on the midfield, we can't really wait for future drafts and hope for 5 year prospects.

I just don't know why we didn't take Blanck as well, or go with Derksen with pick 2 who is only 21 but is 195cm/90kg can play back or forward and has a really nice kick that can easily kick 50m and is strong overhead. I know we want to dump a whole bunch of players with no forward instincts up forward but I think our forward structure is worse than our defensive structure atm. We have McKay and Corr, we just can't cover them if they get hurt. Up forward we just have Larkey and it is unfair on him to have to compete against so many key defenders on his own.

I think if we took Derksen then Carlton would have taken Dawson and we could have taken Blanck who is about the same size as Dawson and has some good attributes, ran the sprint in under 3sec and his 5m sprint in the combine was 1.001sec. He is also 21 and if he wasn't around then Durdin would have been.

I think Massimo would have been a great prospect to look at but we really need to address the lack of KPP, it is not just bad structure for our AFL side, our structure is horrible in the VFL with zero prospects there and I am not sure how much our VFL players get other than match fitness from playing at that level with the side we run with.

 

[domiroo]

If Noble doesn’t get booted after that then we are doomed.

 

[Mr north man]

There is no way you're the full quid

Not full quid wake up mate look at how many players that club has picked either thru the drafts that have had injuries coming to North .
I’m only stating the obvious pal we are going backwards mate at a rate of knots if you can’t see that then your a fool.
Thank Christ Covid hasn’t gone thru North .

 

[Shinboner1]

Glad we got a KPD mid year. Hopefully he can get fit soon and push for a spot.
Mckay in trouble and we need all the help we can get.

 

[tazaa]

Will get a game next week. Debutant incoming

 

[Shinboner1]

Will get a game next week. Debutant incoming

Is he recovered from the moon boot?

 

[tazaa]

Is he recovered from the moon boot?

I fully expected to draft him with his foot amputated, so if it’s in a moonboot should be right to play next week

 

[RossHenshaw]

Is he recovered from the moon boot?

He said on SEN radio that he will be right to play after the bye .

 

[BlueandWhiteinmyBlood]

He said on SEN radio that he will be right to play after the bye .

We may need to fast track that if we can

 

[giantroo]

New Roo set for immediate impact, no timeline on Cunnington return

Dawson tipped to debut after bye, bolstering the Roos' depleted backline stocks

www.afl.com.au

New Roo set for immediate impact, no timeline on Cunnington return​

Riley Beveridge

---

NORTH Melbourne has backed mid-season draftee Kallan Dawson to make an immediate impact in the senior side, with the club hopeful its rookie recruit can bolster a heavily depleted backline group.

The Kangaroos selected Dawson with pick No.2 in last week's NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft having made a considered attempt to target mature-aged talent, with the 23-year-old viewed as one of the best defensive options in the state league competitions.

The 194cm rebounding half-back had shot onto the radar of AFL clubs after taking 12 marks against a high-flying Casey Demons side in the VFL back in April, before finishing with 19 disposals and nine marks against Werribee the following week.

A minor foot injury will keep the Williamstown product sidelined for at least his first fortnight at Arden Street, ensuring he won't play before the senior team's bye next week, but the club is confident in his ability to eventually play AFL football.


Speaking from the team's hotel in Darwin prior to last weekend's defeat to Gold Coast, North Melbourne footy boss Dan McPherson even suggested that could come at some stage in the back-half of this season.

"We would've thought so," McPherson told AFL.com.au.

"He's obviously been in really good form with Williamstown. He's got a bit of a foot problem at the moment, so he won't play for a couple of weeks, but we expect – based on our medical guys having a look at him over the last few days – that he'll be pretty close.

"We reckon he'll play straight after the bye. Then he'll be the same as everyone else. If he plays well in the VFL, he'll put his name up and he'll be in contention."

 

[Duck the GOAT]

KD=Key defender
he was born for it

 

[The acurate one]

Yes immediate impact, I like it a lot. Well later in the year if he's got good form in the VFL and over his injuries that have him currently side lined.

But immediate nonetheless

I like the new meaning of the word 'immediate'. Yes dear I'll do it immediately, onto it boss yep immediately.