Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn: Ollie Greeves

[Dewyyyyy]

It’s the opposite. He slid because of his tank.

And if you read above there is exhibit A. I spoke to a player manager months before the draft who raised the issue with his tank so clubs were all over it.

Husswaite slid due to his speed.

Worpel slid due to his speed and kicking.

It happens. And the timing of the new last possession rule exacerbated the concern with Greeves.

And do you think we would have sought to list him as an academy player if he was a flog?

Footballing ability is still separate to his tank. He’s a footballers footballer. Physical things are a lot easier to fix, usually.

The off-field stuff is still an issue however, and that’s further separated.

Just speaking from what I know first hand, not that he is a “flog”. Everyone has their own opinions and that’s no different.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

You arew comparing seaoned players to a kid who has just started. Harely Reid had the same problems and most before him had. There are the odd atheltic freaks who can just run but most have to build a tank and it takes time. In his case he had not committed to the AFL training regime until this year.

I’m also comparing him to the other first, 2nd and 3rd year players, who he was well behind.

You said he doesn’t have an issue with running, but on today’s form he’s coming from a long way back, so he has work to do.

 

[The Chad and I]

Sigh, his running is not an issue. He was also as elite basketballer, last year he was a member of the Victorian U18 side that won the national title. As such he has only dedicated himself to AFL fitness in the last 12 months, so he has a few more years requried to build the tank.

And due to basketball he is used to goipng up against big units

Seems many of you missed this bit of important context on greeves.
If true, it's a huge positive.

Many u18 players have been in the system for 2-4 years with dedicated pre-season programs, and also pre-pre season training they do to prepare on their own. If Greeves has missed out on this stuff because of his commitment to other sports, that makes him an even better prospect.

He dominated u18 with less preparation than his peers.
I only see upside tbh.

 

[cyrilicious]

Lol 10 pages for a rookie looking more deserving of a top 10 pick

 

[marklar]

He's on our list, we have to give him some respect for earning that opportunity. One day of pre-season just tells the coaches and performance staff where he is at.

There's a lot of people here that just need to calm the F down and wait a little bit.

 

[kazzooka]

On the building a tank, we've seen with Cam Mackenzie who was a top 10 pick that it takes time to get up to AFL level and remain involved deep into games.

Ollie has work in this area, but besides Dalton, i'd say all our Draftees have a lot of work to do get AFL level fitness. Be it strength, endurance, speed, agility etc..

They work on this full time and nearly always improve. Unlike DGB, there are some quick and easy gains that Ollie can make by reducing his skin folds and losing fat. DGB had the challenge of needing to build his running capacity, whilst also needing to bulk up to play as a key defender. He didn't have the body fat to drop, and needed to add extra weight to his body at the same time.

I suspect with Ollie diet will be big get his body fat percentage down and work on his running. At his size he will not have an issue with Strength at AFL level.

 

[eldorado]

.

There's a lot of people here that just need to calm the F down and wait a little bit.

Who here has shown any need to 'calm the F down'?

 

[Billyc]

Clubs baulked based on concern he couldn’t physically transition his game to AFL where his large size will not separate him and where his fitness is lacking. He has good skills though so the challenge is his to prove those doubters wrong

 

[triangulation_squared]

Steel of the draft 100%. At least for Box Hill it was. Ned Reeves, Ollie Greeves and Beast from the East will be box office viewing.

191cm, guessing over 100kg. Elite hands and awareness from dishing off dimes on a basketball court.

Drops 10kg and will pick up the speed.

Michael Tuck played 50 reserves games and Dipper 99. I'd expect him to be cooking with gas come mid way thru year 2.

Certainly a fan fave in the making with Hok ball written all over him.

 

[Jimmy the Ghost]

Well look at Ollies school and you might see a Hawthorn connection, head of coaching and performance is I believe Jason Burt. I assume he still has contacts at the Hawks.

Anyway I ave said enough. Good luck (much as I hate to say it).

Thanks heaps for your inside info.

I know you indicated elsewhere that the kids who were overlooked were devastated. Can I ask if you know how was Ollie when he got the rookie listing ? ( Happy i'm sure, just keen to learn a bit about him ).

 

[Bugs1977]

I'd like to see his body shape get a bit leaner and more athletic over the next two preseasons...

He's a bit lunkish...

Agreed. I think young Ollie is going to hate the sight of Peter Burge by the end of the preseason

 

[lethalselbow]

Love the selection of Ollie Greeves. Outstanding skills. Going to be a player.

Will be down to watch him train.

Reckon there will be 17 other clubs kicking themselves they didn't pick him up.

 

[Alite]

This discussion reminds me of Petracca's first training session

Christian Petracca on that first session

Demons draftee discusses his first training session

www.afl.com.au

 

[Mitch75]

Petracca was fat when he started. Greeves is a big unit for his age, but definitely not fat. Anyone who thinks he’s fat is blind. He’d be around the 92-95 kg mark, and timed 6.47 over 2km, only 15 secs slower than Nick Daicos when he won the Pies 2km time trial in his first pre-season. Lots of AFL midfielders run it around that mark. The kid got 26 touches against Richmond’s VFL side early this year, going head to head with Smillie for a lot of the game. He can play.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

This discussion reminds me of Petracca's first training session

Christian Petracca on that first session

Demons draftee discusses his first training session

www.afl.com.au

Petracca was pick 2, so that’s a really odd comparison. I also don’t think he was last in the running on his first day that you reference.

Can people please apply some logic here?
Ollie slid massively for a reason.

If his lack of a tank was as easily fixed or understood as “he focused on basketball, he’s got massive upside” he simply wouldn’t have been overlooked by all 18 clubs in the national draft numerous times. Someone would have taken him in the top 15.

Roger Rogerson who is a long time poster here with good connections has told us that the big query and why he slid so far was over his ability to build a tank.

No one is saying he won’t make it, or that he can’t, so we don’t need to make excuses for Ollie, we just need to watch and see if he can build that tank that is so pivotal for an AFL midfielder.

And lastly I’ll add, although he didn’t have a great first session in the run, he still did some really nice things with ball in hand, and was seen inside after the main training, working with Dalton doing some extras, so I’m hopeful he’s going to take the bull by the horns and prove the doubters wrong.

 

[Atch]

Bring back the players weights.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

He seems to have that lackadaisical bballer plod that Tracca has as well.

I really hope he can get it right over summer.

 

[CobberRodgers]

Free swing. 12 months to get him in, get him progressing, and we go from there.

I’m certainly not going to hang on every single second of his pre season and stress. Let the kid get Hawthornalised.

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

Took Trac years to build his tank. It was only when he had an off season of extras did he breakout. Now, Greeves does not possess the speed or burst of Trac, but it shows it can be done with hard work.

 

[SSSSSS]

Took Trac years to build his tank. It was only when he had an off season of extras did he breakout. Now, Greeves does not possess the speed or burst of Trac, but it shows it can be done with hard work.

Trac was a fast twitch athlete with incredible explosiveness. You could excuse him for not having a tank when he first came into the system.

Greeves is slow. There's no place in modern footy to lack pace and endurance. If he can improve his aerobic capacity he will make it as a professional footballer.

 

[MrPremiership]

Young players have deficiencies.

This is not one that Ollie can't improve in the years to come. And with Burge, he's got no better chance than with us

 

[HawthornHawk]

He looks like Jaxson Dart

 

[Agent Smith]

And lastly I’ll add, although he didn’t have a great first session in the run, he still did some really nice things with ball in hand, and was seen inside after the main training, working with Dalton doing some extras, so I’m hopeful he’s going to take the bull by the horns and prove the doubters wrong.

No surprise that Dalton was hanging back doing extras. Hopefully, he can be a positive influence on the other newbies, particularly Greeves, in getting them to push themselves as hard as they can from day 1.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

He looks like Jaxson Dart

 

[Ka Norkers]

agree above, it s a free swing. Nothing to lose for the club. I was relieved they didn't use a draft pick on him.

if his "highlights" package are indeed his highlights, then I'd say he should have gone around number 10 in the rookie draft.

wish the kid all the best, but I for one won't be the least bit surprised if he goes the way of Scaife and Phillips, both of whom attracted unwarranted and, to be honest, ridiculous enthusiasm from people on this Board.

the fact is, at this stage, he doesn't look like he's much of a player. Hope I'm completely wrong.