Draft Profile Early reports on new draftees...

2006_Eagles

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Ely Smith cracked the barest of smiles, then headbutted and ate the camera after promising to bury every draftee that went before him.

Both Tom Berry and Tom Joyce were seen throwing up as Ely ate the camera.
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Aug 14, 2011
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This is what Lindsay Gilbee was quoted as saying in response to a question on Coffield and Clark in a recent podcast on the St Kilda website:

"Super excited. I've been in footy a fair while and these two kids are as special as I've seen. Hunter's ability to get the ball to his team mates, and really think for his team mates, by putting the ball in the position where they need to receive it. He's very good left and right foot. Really slows the game down for everyone. He's quite special. And Nick, you can't split them, I believe, on how good they can be. They obviously got to have the want and the drive and the will and the work ethic to get to where they want to get to. But Nick's special. He's got some real take off pace. Uses the ball well. I like him, in that he backs his ability, takes the game on, and uses the ball really well."

Fair sort of wrap, given all the talent he would have seen over the journey. Armitage also described Clark's hands in close as being "Bont-like" during the telecast of one of our X games the other night.

Selected at random from this time last year, & it underlines the reality that very few kids make a mark in year #1, not a slight on Gilbee or the OP.
 
#1 Sam Walsh: Simply wonderful potential. Drills like a senior pro and just glides across the ground. never stops moving and can take heavy knocks.
#19 Liam Stocker: No shortage of self-confidence here. Had a couple of stand out moments but we'll just have to see him in more stoppage drills.
#66 Finbar O'Dwyer: Much too early for Finbar just yet and no standout traits to date.
#70 Ben Silvagni: Super confident kid and clocks up his rating every week. Has the presence of someone who's been around for years.
 
Jan 7, 2011
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Selected at random from this time last year, & it underlines the reality that very few kids make a mark in year #1, not a slight on Gilbee or the OP.
He didn't say anything about them killing it in year one though.

They were both expected to take a little while, given how thin they both were, and with neither having strong endurance at that point.

Could see Hunter really step it up this year though, given he was stuck in the forward line for most of his games last season (an area he reckons he'd hardly ever played before- and it showed!), but he performed dramatically better any time they moved him up into the midfield or HB.

In the recent post-Christmas time trial he reportedly blew his previous PB out of the water and comfortably beat the time Richo set him to reach (so that he'd be able to get more midfield minutes this year), so I expect we'll see him spend a lot more time in those roles he's much better at than he did last year, and start having much more influence.

Coffield played some very promising footy in the first half of last season, before running out of puff, and is likewise a very good chance of being much better for another preseason.
 
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Warhorse

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No real standouts at geelong at this stage. Brownless has got a mention but that was due to happen due to his professionalism rather than his talent
 

Heaps of fun

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Bailey Scott has looked a natural wingman in match simulation. Just finds the ball so easily, fast and runs hard.

Tarryn Thomas brings plenty of aggression with his tackling and looks composed up forward.

Mature ager Tom Wilkinson has apparently been getting into some pretty physical clashes with Kayne Turner, healthy amounts of competition for that pressure forward spot.
 

6yearsold

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He didn't say anything about them killing it in year one though.

They were both expected to take a little while, given how thin they both were, and with neither having strong endurance at that point.

Could see Hunter really step it up this year though, given he was stuck in the forward line for most of his games last season (an area he reckons he'd hardly ever played before- and it showed!), but he performed dramatically better any time they moved him up into the midfield or HB.

In the recent post-Christmas time trial he reportedly blew his previous PB out of the water and comfortably beat the time Richo set him to reach (so that he'd be able to get more midfield minutes this year), so I expect we'll see him spend a lot more time in those roles he's much better at than he did last year, and start having much more influence.

Coffield played some very promising footy in the first half of last season, before running out of puff, and is likewise a very good chance of being much better for another preseason.

so which one is it, does the game slow down for him as he appears to have so much time or does he get holding the ball a lot like every game I saw him play last season?
 
Jan 7, 2011
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so which one is it, does the game slow down for him as he appears to have so much time or does he get holding the ball a lot like every game I saw him play last season?
There was one game last year where he got pinged for HTB about 3 times (from memory he kept being given the ball when there were about 3 guys ready to pounce on him), but outside of that I don't remember it being an issue.
 

briztoon

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Brisbane face a serious injury crisis after the most recent intra club practice match where a Probables team made up of most of last years best 22 along with recent trade targets, Lachie Neale, Lincoln McCarthy, Jarryd Lyons and Marcus Adams faced off against a Possibles team. 21 players from the Probables team now find themselves in the rehab group, joining four of our recent draftees already in the rehab group. Tom Berry (knee), Tom Joyce (hip) and Connor McFadyen (foot) are all on modified programs having arrived at the club after recovering from season ending surgeries in their draft year last year, while Noah Answerth has come down with Glandular fever.

Ely Smith, our only fit and healthy draftee, lined up for the Possibles team, and set about systematically grinding each player from the Probables team in to the turf. The only Probable to escape Ely's wrath and extended time on the side lines, was Lachie Neale, who had earlier run in to Stef Martins left quad, and was substituted early to the interchange bench under concussion protocols.

Martin suffered some minor back spasming from the collision, which has seen him resume preseason training on the stationary exercise bike, while Neale was cleared of any potential concussion.


With most of last years best 22 and our recent recruits all facing extended time on the sidelines, further intra club matches have had to be abandoned in favour of a preseason trial match against the Gold Coast Suns. Lachie Neale looks set to co-captain the new look baby Lions, along side rookie co-captain, Ely Smith.
 
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