AFL Player 15: Dyson Sharp - 187cm midfielder & SA Captain, Welcome to Essendon!

[ant555]

Thought he did pretty well given he had limited midfield time. Couple of missed targets early but all good after that. Showed he can contribute as a forward with his pressure and creative hands. Liked the fact that when he got into the centre bounce, he won a clearance straight up. Was good in the short space of time he was in there.

 

[Blind Turn]

You play this guy round 1 regardless of next week’s game. He’s a day 1 competitor and you don’t leave them in the reserves. Back him in.

 

[Keystone agony]

Yesterday is the first time I’ve watched Sharp play.

Is a fair expectation that he’ll be a workmanlike player? Good at the clearance, will block, tackle, chase.

But he’s never going to be Nathan Buckley on the outside.

Could have a good AFL career. But much more steak than sizzle.

His kicking is his major weakness which you wouldve seen and then his ability to run is his 2nd weakness, more so cover the ground (hes a good endurance guy that keeps going, but doesnt have the gears - these 2 are often mistaken by the avg joe footy fan watcher)

So hes not a half fwd, where you need deft kicks from guys like Stengle, Miers, Zac Bailey, M.Reid, Sheezel types hes only an onballer

But the 3rd quarter when played as an onballer as we rested Durham he was impressive and more in his game. Where his kick isnt magnified as being ordinary as much. He also has a penetrating leg for a poor kick, so he can atleast take distance which is more favourable in the inside mid role aswell

The challenge for him will be the same as another pick 13. Can you force the hand enough of the coaches die to you banging the door down to shift a Caldwell, Durham or Zerrett elsewhere to allow mid clock. Hobbs couldnt do this, can Sharp? It was probably a non issue at the time of the pick because we thought Zerrett would be shifted to a new club in the next 12-24 months

 

[Vindicater]

His kicking is his major weakness which you wouldve seen and then his ability to run is his 2nd weakness, more so cover the ground (hes a good endurance guy that keeps going, but doesnt have the gears - these 2 are often mistaken by the avg joe footy fan watcher)

So hes not a half fwd, where you need deft kicks from guys like Stengle, Miers, Zac Bailey, M.Reid, Sheezel types hes only an onballer

But the 3rd quarter when played as an onballer as we rested Durham he was impressive and more in his game. Where his kick isnt magnified as being ordinary as much. He also has a penetrating leg for a poor kick, so he can atleast take distance which is more favourable in the inside mid role aswell

The challenge for him will be the same as another pick 13. Can you force the hand enough of the coaches die to you banging the door down to shift a Caldwell, Durham or Zerrett elsewhere to allow mid clock. Hobbs couldnt do this, can Sharp? It was probably a non issue at the time of the pick because we thought Zerrett would be shifted to a new club in the next 12-24 months

The lazy comparison to Hobbs once again raises its head.

Hobbs problem was his size and footy IQ.

Sharp is already much bigger than Hobbs ever got and one of his strengths is his footy IQ.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Absolute man-child.

 

[brownezaka]

David Mundy

16

David Mundy

Age

40

Ht

192cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.1

5star

K

11.2

4star

HB

11.8

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

4.3

5star

CL

5.1

5star

D

15.7

4star

K

6.7

3star

HB

9.0

4star

M

2.3

2star

T

2.7

4star

CL

3.7

5star

D

27.8

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

12.4

5star

M

5.8

5star

T

6.2

5star

CL

7.2

5star

 

[ant555]

Would not say his kicking is a major weakness. Like 90% of players who are more inside he simply is an average to above average kick. As for his pace, no he does not have gears, but it is not as slow as some presume it to be. He has three or four times on Friday where he chased from the forward half in an effort to keep some pressure on and he did not lose ground.
To say he is not a half forward is a little lazy. No, he is not a half forward in the sense that he will play their full time and be expected to kick 30 goals and have the silky skills of those types. What he did on Friday at half forward was fine. Pressure. Made a few tackles. Good hands in the contested situations. Did not simply chase the footy. He knew when to go and when to be defensive.
His one wood is midfield, but he has enough tools and footy IQ to play an upgraded role in the forward half compared to the likes of Hobbs and also play his preferred midfield role.
So yes, he is not a classy half forward. His role as a forward is the second string to the bow and his ability to do the basics there and be an improvement on what we have been doing makes the team better.
A note on the first two average kicks. At that stage of the game 80% of our guys were all over the place disposal wise. Once we got going it was not really an issue for him either.

 

[Keystone agony]

The lazy comparison to Hobbs once again raises its head.

Hobbs problem was his size and footy IQ.

Sharp is already much bigger than Hobbs ever got and one of his strengths is his footy IQ.

Didnt compare the 2

Just saying weve got 3-4 good midfielders ahead of him and clearly see him outside of that, so he can only start HFF, same case with Hobbs. The coaches will shuffle Zerrett, Caldwell or Durham if they feel they need to because Sharp has banged the door down

Otherwise he rots on the fwd flank or 2s

Lets wait on the footy iq stuff aswell. Hobbs hardly a guy to compare with in that regard and be positive about it

 

[Vander18]

He’s a smart player. Watched the game closely, especially him, just now and he’s high IQ.

Good stoppage player - doesn’t ball watch, knows where his man is and makes good decisions re when to go and when to stay. Already strong and physical.

Got involved in a couple of chains - moves well enough to get involved on the outside, although clearly not his one wood. As Ant says he can contribute as a forward with his pressure and clean hands (his biggest strength I think).

I want to see him in a real game - if he can bring the ferocity we saw from him as a junior then I think he plays this year. Understandably it wasn’t there in yesterday’s match sim. Wasn’t soft at all, but like everyone else he wasn’t going flat out.

 

[Vindicater]

The challenge for him will be the same as another pick 13. Can you force the hand enough of the coaches die to you banging the door down to shift a Caldwell, Durham or Zerrett elsewhere to allow mid clock. Hobbs couldnt do this, can Sharp?

Didnt compare the 2

Just saying weve got 3-4 good midfielders ahead of him and clearly see him outside of that, so he can only start HFF, same case with Hobbs. The coaches will shuffle Zerrett, Caldwell or Durham if they feel they need to because Sharp has banged the door down

Otherwise he rots on the fwd flank or 2s

Lets wait on the footy iq stuff aswell. Hobbs hardly a guy to compare with in that regard and be positive about it

 

[doug85]

Didnt compare the 2

Just saying weve got 3-4 good midfielders ahead of him and clearly see him outside of that, so he can only start HFF, same case with Hobbs. The coaches will shuffle Zerrett, Caldwell or Durham if they feel they need to because Sharp has banged the door down

Otherwise he rots on the fwd flank or 2s

Lets wait on the footy iq stuff aswell. Hobbs hardly a guy to compare with in that regard and be positive about it

That’s exactly what you did.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

admittedly highlights are highlights, but Sharp's highlights surprised me by how good his kicking looked.

I reckon for a first outing at the level he was pretty darn good and he's going to just get better. He is such an exciting prospect

 

[jannissary]

he's got the goods

 

[Bipolar Bear]

Which is what we need. We got Robey to be the sizzle.

Sharp will be the Dunkley/Atkins/Rowbottom type who you just put his magnet up and know exactly what you will get.

Yup. And it will be the first magnet on the board for 10+ years

 

[King Patty]

His kicking is his major weakness which you wouldve seen and then his ability to run is his 2nd weakness, more so cover the ground (hes a good endurance guy that keeps going, but doesnt have the gears - these 2 are often mistaken by the avg joe footy fan watcher)

So hes not a half fwd, where you need deft kicks from guys like Stengle, Miers, Zac Bailey, M.Reid, Sheezel types hes only an onballer

But the 3rd quarter when played as an onballer as we rested Durham he was impressive and more in his game. Where his kick isnt magnified as being ordinary as much. He also has a penetrating leg for a poor kick, so he can atleast take distance which is more favourable in the inside mid role aswell

The challenge for him will be the same as another pick 13. Can you force the hand enough of the coaches die to you banging the door down to shift a Caldwell, Durham or Zerrett elsewhere to allow mid clock. Hobbs couldnt do this, can Sharp? It was probably a non issue at the time of the pick because we thought Zerrett would be shifted to a new club in the next 12-24 months

I'm thinking a guy like Michael Barlow
he had a decent career, trained with us, but we selected Kyle Hardinham.

 

[faible]

admittedly highlights are highlights, but Sharp's highlights surprised me by how good his kicking looked.

I reckon for a first outing at the level he was pretty darn good and he's going to just get better. He is such an exciting prospect

His kicking was never as bad as some people try to say. It’s fine; he’s not an actively bad kick nor does he have a mechanical issue that makes it difficult or impossible to be an AFL standard kick under pressure.

He’s got good footy IQ and is an exceptional competitor, who by all accounts has elevated his game at every level and every time he’s been asked to add more.

If Robey and Farrow add the class, Sharp is the dependable one.

 

[jctrout]

well at least 80% of the guys playing on both sides took a quarter to blow the cobwebs out, just so happened that Sharp came on after most had already settled into their work. He will be ok and yes, get him into the CBAs and use him where we get the most to gain from it. Personality, I think Merrett has started to diminish from his peak any way, although still very competent. I’d be taking 50% of his CBA time away and giving it to sharp.

 

[Call Me Cake]

You get the feeling that he's the type that's baseline at the beginning but shows his strengths as time goes on.

 

[Milanista28]

David Mundy

Mundy was one of the best inside 50 kicks the game has seen, hope Sharp can get half as good.

 

[katana]

You get the feeling that he's the type that's baseline at the beginning but shows his strengths as time goes on.

you what?

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Personally a little worried about pace. It’s borderline too slow. He was just getting to contests against a bottom 4 team. His iq is amazing which really helps and his skills were good, was also excellently accountable around stoppage. Just that one part that has me concerned.

 

[King Patty]

Personally a little worried about pace. It’s borderline too slow. He was just getting to contests against a bottom 4 team. His iq is amazing which really helps and his skills were good, was also excellently accountable around stoppage. Just that one part that has me concerned.

Pace is a little overrated.

Some of the best players in the game don't have elite pace
- Pendlebury, Bontempelli

Mark Fraser had it in spades, so too did Andrew Lovett.

Sharp just needs to play a Dyson Peverill role for mine. Tag the oppositions best mid, get brought to the footy.
Rest at HFF and try and kick a goal. Given average pace, needs to have a good aerobic capacity.

He is a contested beast. Thats his bread and butter. Its also something we have lacked in the guts.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

I am always mystified by the player that people want when they're looking for an elite inside midfielder.
Couldn't give a **** if they are an average kick, or don't have pace.

The things I want are (in order)

Contested ball winning ability
Elite vision and reading of the play in tight spaces
Well timed, fast handballing ability
Strength to fight through tackles
Great tackling technique and timing
Agile lateral movement
Can rest forward and kick goals

People are always looking for these unicorns like Dangerfield and Chris Judd, when in reality Simon Black, Jobe Watson or Robert Harvey is what you should be aiming for.

Hell, Darcy Parish

3

Darcy Parish

Age

28

Ht

180cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.4

5star

K

9.2

4star

HB

11.2

5star

M

3.2

3star

T

3.3

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

16.6

4star

K

7.4

3star

HB

9.1

5star

M

1.4

2star

T

2.0

3star

CL

3.1

4star

D

22.2

5star

K

7.6

3star

HB

14.6

5star

M

3.2

4star

T

4.4

5star

CL

3.6

5star

ticks some of those boxes (close to the best handball in the comp).

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

 

[Lance Uppercut]

I am always mystified by the player that people want when they're looking for an elite inside midfielder.
Couldn't give a **** if they are an average kick, or don't have pace.

The things I want are (in order)

Contested ball winning ability
Elite vision and reading of the play in tight spaces
Well timed, fast handballing ability
Strength to fight through tackles
Great tackling technique and timing
Agile lateral movement
Can rest forward and kick goals

People are always looking for these unicorns like Dangerfield and Chris Judd, when in reality Simon Black, Jobe Watson or Robert Harvey is what you should be aiming for.

Hell, Darcy Parish ticks some of those boxes (close to the best handball in the comp).

I would suggest that, above all of those, you want competitiveness. And he has it in spades