AFL Player 1: Andrew "Pidge" McGrath (vc) - The skip we didn't know we needed

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2030
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 13, Vindicater

 

[Old Stuckup]

GWS specifically wanted Toranto, which is why they traded up.

No it was reported that if we took McCluggage they would’ve taken McGrath.

 

[Xavier Menzies]

lol

Taranto is in a better system. Mcgrath will be the best player from the draft when he puts it together.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

So we’re all pretending Cogs and Whitfield weren’t injured for a big chunk of the season hey

...and Ward.

 

[windyhill]

Last centre bounce v norf. Just re-watched it. ENORMOUS.

 

[Highly Evolved]

He'll be our Hodge.

 

[faible]

Think McCluggage will end up the best player of that draft, probably not as strong on the inside as Taranto but will be an elite goal kicking midfielder.

McGrath will likely Captain the club by the time he's 25, and if he plays like he did against West Coast each week, won't be a miss for us. Taranto would be the one that suits us best at the moment though.

If that's the level he can play at, can Captain the club to success, then it's a Hodge v Judd scenario, where no one loses, if he can't, then it's a fail.

 

[threesixpio]

Should be a big year

 

[RedmanWasHere]

View attachment 807445

178-83.

Pidge shouldn't deviate from these numbers.

We'll see what sort of Pidge to expect from this season until the end of his career.

64 games and 15 goals into his career.

Solid foundations.

 

[eDPS]

32 disposals
4 clearances
5 tackles
8 inside 50s

Pretty good for a back flanker

 

[yaco55]

He is strong enough and has enough peripheral vision to play a more inside role.

 

[rumply]

Very encouraging display, in for a new look midfield this season with maybe Tippa spending more time there as well, return of Smith, Parish sliding forward more often.

 

[JayJ20]

McGrath, Merrett and Parish were fantastic. Hopefully these 3 take our midfield up to the next level.

 

[FlyingV]

McGrath, Merrett and Parish were fantastic. Hopefully these 3 take our midfield up to the next level.

Agree, surprised Clarke hasn’t had a run, on paper he would compliment the above 3 perfectly. His ability to take some of the physical toll in the middle and protect these guys.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

Great game from McGrath today. Absolute shame he hasn't been playing as much midfield time in the past. Kid is going to be an absolute jet.

 

[yaco55]

Dead set ordinary - No penetration in his play, while is kicking was country footy standard.

 

[JayJ20]

Dead set ordinary - No penetration in his play, while is kicking was country footy standard.

I sometimes wonder what game you watch.

 

[FlyingV]

Dead set ordinary - No penetration in his play, while is kicking was country footy standard.

Sometimes god doesn’t give you the tools for deep penetration... but there are other ways you can make up for that...

 

[citizen-erased]

he finds space to get kicks out of tight traffic. But it does means he's not always hitting players on the chest.
When we start to get better at first hands on the ball and he's got space, i think we'll see better kicking. Same applies to Parish, Shiel and Merrett.

A decent ruck & Heppell back should help.

 

[Cold Sober]

Sometimes god doesn’t give you the tools for deep penetration... but there are other ways you can make up for that...

My wife agrees, she thanks God every day for inventing batteries.

 

[yaco55]

I sometimes wonder what game you watch.

McGrath's kicking is below average by AFL's standards - He too often blindly kicks the ball without purpose - I'd hate to be a forward leading up to McGrth.

 

[Ambrosia]

McGrath's kicking is below average by AFL's standards - He too often blindly kicks the ball without purpose - I'd hate to be a forward leading up to McGrth.

Our whole team loves a blind kick out of the stoppage. Almost like it’s a team directive or something

 

[BrunoV]

McGrath's kicking is below average by AFL's standards - He too often blindly kicks the ball without purpose - I'd hate to be a forward leading up to McGrth.

I might not go quite this hard but I don't get the hype. The AFL industry is obsessed with possessions and I wonder whether you can really get a feel for possessions, particularly of an inside midfielder, unless you are watching the stat sheet.

During the pre-season, he wasn't getting praised by the commentary for bit of play. It was like he was called with the ball, someone looked down at the stat sheet and it would be a spark for "he's going to take the next step" however many minutes later.

I then find that Ridley, for example, has a moment when he takes a strong mark/kills a contest and then runs off with the ball to deliver a 35m to 50m bullet, degree of difficulty, 7.5 to 8, and there is no comment.

 

[eDPS]

I might not go quite this hard but I don't get the hype. The AFL industry is obsessed with possessions and I wonder whether you can really get a feel for possessions, particularly of an inside midfielder, unless you are watching the stat sheet.

During the pre-season, he wasn't getting praised by the commentary for bit of play. It was like he was called with the ball, someone looked down at the stat sheet and it would be a spark for "he's going to take the next step" however many minutes later.

I then find that Ridley, for example, has a moment when he takes a strong mark/kills a contest and then runs off with the ball to deliver a 35m to 50m bullet, degree of difficulty, 7.5 to 8, and there is no comment.

McGrath is very creative by hand more than anything and felt he showed good composure throughout the game and was nailing those forward handballs which we have been trying to execute as a team.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Sometimes god doesn’t give you the tools for deep penetration... but there are other ways you can make up for that...

Agility

And reading the play