Player Watch #1: Lachy Dovaston - selected with R1(#16) in the ND - Welcome to North Melbourne Lachy

[Shinboner1]

Harvey doesn’t play like a small forward and Hansen Jnr is used higher up the ground. No need to be extra overdramatic.

Yeah that's right, they'll both be delisted by the end of 2026 anyway

 

[Val Keating]

My god the Hawthorn jumper must be the ugliest jumper in sport.

 

[the big lebowski]

Souup may I ask what his 20m and yoyo were?

He certainly doesn’t have a turn of speed. But when he’s in motion he does so at a good clip.

His physicality is very impressive and he seems to genuinely love to tackle. Also looks like a team first player. Whilst he likes to kick goals he naturally gives it off to teammates who can then kick for goal. Little taps, pressure acts, dinky 15m kicks out of contests all combine into a natural forward that can bring teammates into the game.

That said his kicking is very inconsistent. People bemoan konstanty, I’m not sure you can then laud Lachy. He missed a goal against w.a from the goal square on the run under no pressure. And earlier in the game he had no idea how to kick his first couple of set shots. General passing wasn’t much different. He will burn plenty of goal scoring opportunities like JK.

Like how he naturally knows how to get the footy up the ground. Potentially a point of difference over konstanty, Banch and Harvey.

He kicked a high % of his goals from
Free kicks. He’ll learn you don’t get many of those at afl level, and particularly at north

I’d have his one and only vfl game as his best game of the season.

 

[speedy]

My god the Hawthorn jumper must be the ugliest jumper in sport.

That north jumper looks more Josh Lindsay size.

 

[itchyscratch]

My god the Hawthorn jumper must be the ugliest jumper in sport.

That kid in the Richmond jumper is the one still sobbing though.

Glad to have someone on board that can irritate the crap out of the opposition. Even better if he has great form and kicks a heap of goals. Hope we don’t have to wait long to see him play.

 

[Harvey Manfrenjensenden]

Can't wait until Kangalotto gets hold of him.

 

[shazzabee]

He might be a flog but he’s our flog now! All aboard!

 

[RooInNorthLondon]

He might instantly be our #1 attraction to broadcast media as he is never a dull interview. It will be interesting to see if the club try to shield him or instead just lean into it and try to use his cockiness to raise our profile.

 

[Gasometer]

Souup may I ask what his 20m and yoyo were?

He certainly doesn’t have a turn of speed. But when he’s in motion he does so at a good clip.

His physicality is very impressive and he seems to genuinely love to tackle. Also looks like a team first player. Whilst he likes to kick goals he naturally gives it off to teammates who can then kick for goal. Little taps, pressure acts, dinky 15m kicks out of contests all combine into a natural forward that can bring teammates into the game.

That said his kicking is very inconsistent. People bemoan konstanty, I’m not sure you can then laud Lachy. He missed a goal against w.a from the goal square on the run under no pressure. And earlier in the game he had no idea how to kick his first couple of set shots. General passing wasn’t much different. He will burn plenty of goal scoring opportunities like JK.

Like how he naturally knows how to get the footy up the ground. Potentially a point of difference over konstanty, Banch and Harvey.

He kicked a high % of his goals from
Free kicks. He’ll learn you don’t get many of those at afl level, and particularly at north

I’d have his one and only vfl game as his best game of the season.

Goals from frees is a worry

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Souup may I ask what his 20m and yoyo were?

He certainly doesn’t have a turn of speed. But when he’s in motion he does so at a good clip.

His physicality is very impressive and he seems to genuinely love to tackle. Also looks like a team first player. Whilst he likes to kick goals he naturally gives it off to teammates who can then kick for goal. Little taps, pressure acts, dinky 15m kicks out of contests all combine into a natural forward that can bring teammates into the game.

That said his kicking is very inconsistent. People bemoan konstanty, I’m not sure you can then laud Lachy. He missed a goal against w.a from the goal square on the run under no pressure. And earlier in the game he had no idea how to kick his first couple of set shots. General passing wasn’t much different. He will burn plenty of goal scoring opportunities like JK.

Like how he naturally knows how to get the footy up the ground. Potentially a point of difference over konstanty, Banch and Harvey.

He kicked a high % of his goals from
Free kicks. He’ll learn you don’t get many of those at afl level, and particularly at north

I’d have his one and only vfl game as his best game of the season.

Personally think it’s a little bit of composure, can rush trying to do too much/be too creative, which is no different to Watson and or Papley.

He played plenty of midfield minutes for Eastern this year, so his link up play up the ground is all very natural.

Small forwards still win plenty of free kicks, Watson and Zac Bailey had the 3rd most free kicks of any forward in the competition with 36 frees for.

 

[RooInNorthLondon]

The fact Dovaston doesn’t need a Park Ranger to show him where to find the posts immediately vaults him over every option we have bar Curtis in my book.

 

[hilly]

I can't find any free kick stats.

 

[giantroo]

I can't find any free kick stats.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Personally think it’s a little bit of composure, can rush trying to do too much/be too creative, which is no different to Watson and or Papley.

He played plenty of midfield minutes for Eastern this year, so his link up play up the ground is all very natural.

Small forwards still win plenty of free kicks, Watson and Zac Bailey had the 3rd most free kicks of any forward in the competition with 36 frees for.

With the new ducking interpretation, those stats will plummet so fingers crossed Doveston doesn’t get his kicks that way.

 

[RooInNorthLondon]

Discounting zero production list occupiers and Curtis who is more a mid forward what else do we really have?

We don’t really know what Banch is so anything good we get from him is a positive.

Spargo (if he can stay fit) not a classic SF as he is not much of a ground grubbing goal threat but he could significantly improve our delivery/link play into the 50.

Dovaston is immediately the best crumber and goal threat at SF. Hopefully he shows he can handle AFL pace/physicality early and flourishes.

 

[rickety]

Banch lite. A fast twitch Mahoney. Crafty.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

Dovaston - Darling - Duursma
Trembath - Larkey - Curtis
I: Zurhaar
Let’s kick some winning scores in 2026.

 

[Disco Dew]

What of Spargo?

Was a weird choice to grab him at the time, even more so now. Oh well. Gotta have players to delist each year… wait, how long did we sign him up for?

 

[Souup]

Souup may I ask what his 20m and yoyo were?

He certainly doesn’t have a turn of speed. But when he’s in motion he does so at a good clip.

His physicality is very impressive and he seems to genuinely love to tackle. Also looks like a team first player. Whilst he likes to kick goals he naturally gives it off to teammates who can then kick for goal. Little taps, pressure acts, dinky 15m kicks out of contests all combine into a natural forward that can bring teammates into the game.

That said his kicking is very inconsistent. People bemoan konstanty, I’m not sure you can then laud Lachy. He missed a goal against w.a from the goal square on the run under no pressure. And earlier in the game he had no idea how to kick his first couple of set shots. General passing wasn’t much different. He will burn plenty of goal scoring opportunities like JK.

Like how he naturally knows how to get the footy up the ground. Potentially a point of difference over konstanty, Banch and Harvey.

He kicked a high % of his goals from
Free kicks. He’ll learn you don’t get many of those at afl level, and particularly at north

I’d have his one and only vfl game as his best game of the season.

20m - 2.94
Yoyo - 760

His athletic profile is elite when you also throw in that he got an 89cm vertical and the 4th best agility score ever recorded at the combine.

 

[Flawed Genius]

Why'd he slip to #16? What's he missing that Watson has?

 

[Friday Night Lights]

20m - 2.94
Yoyo - 760

His athletic profile is elite when you also throw in that he got an 89cm vertical and the 4th best agility score ever recorded at the combine.

What was Watson’s vertical? Recall that being huge too.

 

[Makeshift Park]

What's he missing that Watson has?

He’s not an elite kick?

 

[Chadwiko]

Can't wait until Kangalotto gets hold of him.

 

[Souup]

What was Watson’s vertical? Recall that being huge too.

Didn't test at the National Combine or preseason in his draft year.

His testing numbers in his underage year (March 2022):
20m: 2.932
Vertical: 94cm
Agility: 8.103
Yoyo: 640

Watson > Dovaston over 20m by 0.1
Watson > Dovaston in Vertical by 5cm
Dovaston > Watson in Agility by .4
Dovaston > Watson in Yoyo by an extra 120m

But again, these are Watson's underage year stats vs. Dovaston's draft year. With that in mind, very rarely will you see great leaps in these numbers from underage to draft year, but worth noting anyway.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Dovaston - Darling - Duursma
Trembath - Larkey - Curtis
I: Zurhaar
Let’s kick some winning scores in 2026.

Need the darling replacement next which should be ludowyke tonight if we are smart