Player Watch #41: Jacob Konstanty

[Harveysuth]

He’s anti clutch

 

[chubbspeterson]

A lot of negativity here, and yes some of that is 100% justified with ball in hand and many goals in the offering. Let’s look at the positives for a guy that was the steak knives in the Parker deal.

1. Played every game this year and for a guy with a bad run of injuries at the Swans that says something.
2. His manic play when we don’t have the ball and it’s being exited from the F50 is something we need.
3. He is a defensive forward and claimed some good scalps this year. See game against Aish at the Giants only 2 weeks ago.
4. Barlow and the development coaches have plenty to work with over the Summer and he is only 20.
5. He has some agro and little man mongrel about him. We need these types of players who don’t take a backward step.
6. He gives Callum Mills PTSD 2 times a year when we play the Swans.

He's likely not the answer, but I'm prepared to give him 12 months to see if he can improve his offensive game.
No doubt he's more Kane Turner than your classier pressure players like Mannaugh/Miers/Stengle etc.
We still need to keep some ready made depth with small fwds and stagger the cuts to guys like JK/Payne/Banch/Harvey/RHJ across the next 12-24 months if they don't look like working out.

If someone goes ahead of him great, but you need to give any draftee we take this year or next year time to be physically ready to take on the role. There's only really two options this year (Dovaston, Byrne), one a lesser Watson and the other more your Banch height version of Joe Berry from Port, so we may not look at it this year.
2026 draft has a few more small/medium forwards if we move on a couple out of the five above by the end of 2026.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

A lot of negativity here, and yes some of that is 100% justified with ball in hand and many goals in the offering. Let’s look at the positives for a guy that was the steak knives in the Parker deal.

1. Played every game this year and for a guy with a bad run of injuries at the Swans that says something.
2. His manic play when we don’t have the ball and it’s being exited from the F50 is something we need.
3. He is a defensive forward and claimed some good scalps this year. See game against Aish at the Giants only 2 weeks ago.
4. Barlow and the development coaches have plenty to work with over the Summer and he is only 20.
5. He has some agro and little man mongrel about him. We need these types of players who don’t take a backward step.
6. He gives Callum Mills PTSD 2 times a year when we play the Swans.

Bingo.

Unfairly judged around here. Still only 20, has mongrel and throws himself at blokes like a mongrel dog that’s starving for a feed. The type of unassuming player who lifts those around him with the pressure he brings.

Have a look at Keays from the crows, he lifts everyone around him with his physicality and if you watch him closely, he is a deadset shit kick, but he makes the most of his chances in front of goal.

All Konstanty needs to do is work on his composure. Technically he isn’t a bad kick, but seems rushed every time he gets the ball. That can come from experience.

Everyone would be singing a different tune if he kicked 3 on the weekend.

 

[DuckYeah]

Now we are comparing him the Ben Keays

2

Ben Keays

Age

28

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.1

3star

K

5.8

2star

HB

7.3

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.9

5star

G

0.4

3star

D

13.7

3star

K

8.7

3star

HB

5.0

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.7

4star

G

0.3

3star

D

13.0

4star

K

4.8

2star

HB

8.2

5star

M

1.4

2star

T

4.4

5star

G

0.4

3star

..

 

[TruRoo]

Bingo.

Unfairly judged around here. Still only 20, has mongrel and throws himself at blokes like a mongrel dog that’s starving for a feed. The type of unassuming player who lifts those around him with the pressure he brings.

Have a look at Keays from the crows, he lifts everyone around him with his physicality and if you watch him closely, he is a deadset shit kick, but he makes the most of his chances in front of goal.

All Konstanty needs to do is work on his composure. Technically he isn’t a bad kick, but seems rushed every time he gets the ball. That can come from experience.

Everyone would be singing a different tune if he kicked 3 on the weekend.

If. He didn’t do this one this season though.

Keays is a terrible comparison - he’s a good 10cm and 10 kilo bigger than JK and he’s a good player. JK is a shitmen.

 

[TruRoo]

Now we are comparing him the Ben Keays..

I reckon JK is a lot like Luke Breust. Just minus the ability.

 

[Merlin007]

Bingo.

Unfairly judged around here. Still only 20, has mongrel and throws himself at blokes like a mongrel dog that’s starving for a feed. The type of unassuming player who lifts those around him with the pressure he brings.

Have a look at Keays from the crows, he lifts everyone around him with his physicality and if you watch him closely, he is a deadset shit kick, but he makes the most of his chances in front of goal.

All Konstanty needs to do is work on his composure. Technically he isn’t a bad kick, but seems rushed every time he gets the ball. That can come from experience.

Everyone would be singing a different tune if he kicked 3 on the weekend.

I'm a long way from the group, but that's my view as well.

But, he will need to improve it, or others will go past

 

[tazaa]

When we play in and lose close games like that, I make a mental note of what big moments cost us goals.

I think I had him on 3 or 4 in the first half alone and then lost count.

LDU wasn’t any better. As was Logue and Stephens and Pink, etc.

But he had yips reminiscent of Lindsay Thomas in 2011 by the last quarter.

Defended him all season but that was garbage.
Odds on he starts in the VFL round 1 2026.

 

[DuckYeah]

Odds on he starts in the VFL round 1 2026.

Unlikely. If it didn’t happen this year, he played E V E R Y W E E K .. shocked, im stunned I tells ya

 

[Themanbun]

When we play in and lose close games like that, I make a mental note of what big moments cost us goals.

I think I had him on 3 or 4 in the first half alone and then lost count.

LDU wasn’t any better. As was Logue and Stephens and Pink, etc.

But he had yips reminiscent of Lindsay Thomas in 2011 by the last quarter.

Defended him all season but that was garbage.
Odds on he starts in the VFL round 1 2026.

Good to see someone else do the count!

Yep, 4 it was at half time for him and LDU. It's a shame because he had a chance to have a phenomenal small forwards game.

 

[Dinkers]

Yeah well as much as he is annoying at times. 11 goals 13 behinds for the year.
You would like 20 goals from a small fwd, so he's had enough shots.

Probably we've been a little harsh on him, but yes he is frustrating. And if he becomes one of our worst, things are looking up.

 

[Themanbun]

Yeah well as much as he is annoying at times. 11 goals 13 behinds for the year.
You would like 20 goals from a small fwd, so he's had enough shots.

Probably we've been a little harsh on him, but yes he is frustrating. And if he becomes one of our worst, things are looking up.

If he learns to hit front and centre he'll get another 20 shots a year AND another 2 tackles a game.

 

[Dinkers]

If he learns to hit front and centre he'll get another 20 shots a year AND another 2 tackles a game.

Soccer background I do believe. So yeah he's not a major concern for me. We've all seen plenty worse than Jacob over the last five or so years.

 

[Harvey Manfrenjensenden]

Spend all summer practicing goal kicking.

 

[DuckYeah]

Yeah well as much as he is annoying at times. 11 goals 13 behinds for the year.
You would like 20 goals from a small fwd, so he's had enough shots.

Probably we've been a little harsh on him, but yes he is frustrating. And if he becomes one of our worst, things are looking up.

Well this is from left of field

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Now we are comparing him the Ben Keays..

If. He didn’t do this one this season though.

Keays is a terrible comparison - he’s a good 10cm and 10 kilo bigger than JK and he’s a good player. JK is a shitmen.

Wasn’t a direct comparison to Keays the player more a comparison of the role Keays plays.

High half forward, who brings energy, pressure and physicality. Makes those around him play better because of the defensive roles he plays too.

Plenty of people forget that Keays really only established himself as a genuine role player over the last 3 years, before that he was hardly contributing at AFl level.

 

[Gasometer]

I know a good kicker of the ball that could help

Boomer

Spend all summer with Boomer

 

[RooStu15]

Bingo.

Unfairly judged around here. Still only 20, has mongrel and throws himself at blokes like a mongrel dog that’s starving for a feed. The type of unassuming player who lifts those around him with the pressure he brings.

Have a look at Keays from the crows, he lifts everyone around him with his physicality and if you watch him closely, he is a deadset shit kick, but he makes the most of his chances in front of goal.

All Konstanty needs to do is work on his composure. Technically he isn’t a bad kick, but seems rushed every time he gets the ball. That can come from experience.

Everyone would be singing a different tune if he kicked 3 on the weekend.

His kicking, especially his set shot goal kicking is poor, but his hands are pretty good. He's had some very good goal assists with handballs to set others up. Needs to get more of it and use it better.
Love his pressure and he has done jobs on other teams attacking half backs, which is a plus.

 

[kanga kanga kanga]

have him and cooper spend all summer together.

cooper never misses but can’t tackle

jk always tackles but can’t kick

 

[DuckYeah]

I know a good kicker of the ball that could help

Boomer

Spend all summer with Boomer

You cant teach that. Thats established during your formative years. There isnt enough time, we should draft Boomer

 

[Tas]

have him and cooper spend all summer together.

cooper never misses but can’t tackle

jk always tackles but can’t kick

We will end up with two players that can't tackle or kick.

 

[Gasometer]

You cant teach that. Thats established during your formative years. There isnt enough time, we should draft Boomer

Turn it up.

 

[DuckYeah]

Turn it up.

Boomer could spend the whole year with him and he’ll still be a shit kick

 

[My Left Foote]

He’s anti clutch

Sounds like something John Laws would advertise for Mobil.

 

[ferball]

If. He didn’t do this one this season though.

Keays is a terrible comparison - he’s a good 10cm and 10 kilo bigger than JK and he’s a good player. JK is a shitmen.

(Altho I personally think he could improve significantly.)