AFL Player # 2: Sam Draper - Knee surgery, 6-8 weeks - 14/5

[Dave]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 20, TheUnicorn

 

[BrunoV]

Cannot be anywhere but in the middle most of the time if we’re to do anything. The make up of the rest of the midfield is such that we need his physicality and bulk around the ball.

Agree that he has struggled with ‘jumpers’ thus far that he did last night

I'm not sure he struggles with jumpers. He handled Nic Nat last year.

I think last night Draper just didn't seem to have any energy and then spent the night trying to bully Stanley and Blicavs which didn't work. He's a few years from being able to do that. He may also just have had an off night because he wasn't able to time the little jumping he was doing.

I was surprised he won as many hit outs as he did.

The last 2 breaks have probably been a little short on the back of a long lay off and minimal match conditioning.

 

[fishardansin]

We're going to hang him?

Is this because we see him as a bad luck charm. We've lost all but 1 game he's been involved with.

 

[bomberman500]

I'm not sure he struggles with jumpers. He handled Nic Nat last year.

I think last night Draper just didn't seem to have any energy and then spent the night trying to bully Stanley and Blicavs which didn't work. He's a few years from being able to do that. He may also just have had an off night because he wasn't able to time the little jumping he was doing.

I was surprised he won as many hit outs as he did.

The last 2 breaks have probably been a little short on the back of a long lay off and minimal match conditioning.

plus a wet ground can be very heavy on the legs, especially for a guy who wasn't able to run for the better part of 2 months with an ankle injury

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Draper's future role should involve being moved to FF in place of Hooker and played in a Salmon type role (primary forward who can also play ruck).

We’ll be in deep shit if we rely on this. The few times I have seen him in VFL he hasn’t looked like a forward. Plus he’ll hopefully be too important in the ruck.

 

[ant555]

We’ll be in deep sh*t if we rely on this. The few times I have seen him in VFL he hasn’t looked like a forward. Plus he’ll hopefully be too important in the ruck.

Not totally. Going forward we will want him and Bryan doing their thing so Sam will need to play some forward and use his ability to take a mark.
He does not have much forward craft but a lot of the work asked would be to take the goal square. We have two potential star rucks at the moment.
Both will need to be developed as part time forwards.

 

[fishardansin]

Not totally. Going forward we will want him and Bryan doing their thing so Sam will need to play some forward and use his ability to take a mark.
He does not have much forward craft but a lot of the work asked would be to take the goal square. We have two potential star rucks at the moment.
Both will need to be developed as part time forwards.

Agreed. I also like a ruckman staying deep and occupying that goalkeeper defender. I also like them taking all the ruck duties inside 50 so the guy playing on the ball at that time can help set our defending the kick down the line.

Having the resting ruck as the bailout kick to the hot spot or the pocket allows a young forward like Jones to lead up at the ball more and not have to do as much of that bullocking work. Both Draper and Bryan are mobile enough for it not to cost us too much with forward pressure.

Even if you don't think it is the perfect forward line, i.e. you'd prefer Harry McKay or Josh Kennedy playing down there, you have to accept where the build of your salary cap lies and reshuffle your team to fit that in. Essendon now has a medium forward who is ranked in the top 15 players, two future star rucks, AA intercepting defenders, 200cm wingman, 2 mids who get 40+ possessions. The chance of paying them what they're worth and going out and getting a star forward is not very likely. Also, if we don't play them both one of them will leave the club for more opportunities.

I'd like to prepare for the future by giving Hooker a game off here and there and playing Phillips as ruckman with Draper now. One of them in the square, Stringer and Jones leading up at the ball, and some small forwards is my preferred set-up.

 

[TheFrenchCut]

Straight up smut.

 

[blitzer]

Watching Draper's kicking - you'd only play him forward if he could stand within 10 metres of the goals. Not sure how else he's gonna get it through the big sticks.

Hopefully he can work on the kicking because its going to make it very hard to have the option of 2 rucks if he can't perform decently as a forward.

On the flipside his raw power and athleticism is seriously impressive. He's also got natural aggression that serves him well in the ruck.

 

[bomberman500]

Straight up smut.

Bring Bryan into Ruck. Draper can now play Ruck Rover

 

[eDPS]

Bring Bryan into Ruck. Draper can now play Ruck Rover

Finding a big inside mid in the unlikeliest of places

 

[Old Campaigner]

Needs to spend pre season working on his kicking. If he can sort that out he’ll probably become one of the best rucks in the comp.

 

[BrunoV]

Struggling for gas big time.

I almost fell off my chair when I saw that he had 17 hit-outs to ROB's 40 but then I thought about it and his time on ball seemed very limited. Draper took ROB apart in the first half (before he ran out of gas) and I suspect a large portion of ROB's hit outs came against Wright and a tired Draper in the second half.

His kicking is frustrating. His action is very similar to a young Gawn, though I don't remember Gawn being quite as all over the place, so Draper should be able to tighten it up but, then again, it's the AFL and kicking sometimes seems to be the last thing players actually work on.

 

[Lore]

Struggling for gas big time.

I almost fell off my chair when I saw that he had 17 hit-outs to ROB's 40 but then I thought about it and his time on ball seemed very limited. Draper took ROB apart in the first half (before he ran out of gas) and I suspect a large portion of ROB's hit outs came against Wright and a tired Draper in the second half.

His kicking is frustrating. His action is very similar to a young Gawn, though I don't remember Gawn being quite as all over the place, so Draper should be able to tighten it up but, then again, it's the AFL and kicking sometimes seems to be the last thing players actually work on.

You can get quarter by quarter player stats in the AFL app

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Watching Draper's kicking - you'd only play him forward if he could stand within 10 metres of the goals. Not sure how else he's gonna get it through the big sticks.

Hopefully he can work on the kicking because its going to make it very hard to have the option of 2 rucks if he can't perform decently as a forward.

On the flipside his raw power and athleticism is seriously impressive. He's also got natural aggression that serves him well in the ruck.

Surely T-Bell as ruck coach can teach him how to kick (Belly was a good field kick and shot on goal)?

 

[Lore]

Surely T-Bell as ruck coach can teach him how to kick (Belly was a good field kick and shot on goal)?

I suspect leg injuries have been a big part of the problem… hard to build up aerobic fitness when you can’t run, or practice your kicking while you’re in a moon boot. I’d expect it to improve if he gets a decent shot at a preseason.

 

[Vander18]

Thought he was much better last night. Looked springy and athletic again, especially early. My eyes tell me he was matching O’Brien pretty well for hitouts and was more influential around the ground.

Will get better and better as his tank continues to build.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

He’s fun to watch.

I’d like to nominate a new nickname for Sam: Superboot.

 

[Sporno 4 Pyros]

Hanging out with &High 5’ing the mascot Skeeta post match, getting excited singing the song...this is the kind of team mate that every club needs. You’d end up doing some weird shit on an end of season trip with him.

 

[Old Campaigner]

You’d end up doing some weird sh*t on an end of season trip with him.

Maybe he should’ve gone to the saints after all, been a while since they’ve had any offseason shenanigans

 

[Vindicater]

Hanging out with &High 5’ing the mascot Skeeta post match, getting excited singing the song...this is the kind of team mate that every club needs. You’d end up doing some weird sh*t on an end of season trip with him.

He is the guy who mysteriously disapears for 3 hours before returning with merchandise from the local zoo and a monkey hidden in his shirt.

 

[Bombermania]

Oddly enough I'm not that worried about his kicking because his aggression like we saw in that run down the wing offsets his kicking.

 

[carnthedons]

Straight up smut.

Seriously, how many AFL rucks could do that? Naitanui maybe but I can’t think of many others.

It’s almost like those under 8’s rugby videos with the one islander kid who goes full Jonah Lomu on the kids half his size.

 

[Stopher]

He is the guy who mysteriously disapears for 3 hours before returning with merchandise from the local zoo and a monkey hidden in his shirt.

You speak from experience?

 

[ant555]

Struggling for gas big time.

I almost fell off my chair when I saw that he had 17 hit-outs to ROB's 40 but then I thought about it and his time on ball seemed very limited. Draper took ROB apart in the first half (before he ran out of gas) and I suspect a large portion of ROB's hit outs came against Wright and a tired Draper in the second half.

His kicking is frustrating. His action is very similar to a young Gawn, though I don't remember Gawn being quite as all over the place, so Draper should be able to tighten it up but, then again, it's the AFL and kicking sometimes seems to be the last thing players actually work on.

ROB had 24 hit outs in the first half. Sam had 11 and and 2MP had 4.
Sam got his pants pulled down but a mark and a bit of a dash and a bounce seem to blind a lot of people.

 

[YEMOC NAYR]

ROB had 24 hit outs in the first half. Sam had 11 and and 2MP had 4.
Sam got his pants pulled down but a mark and a bit of a dash and a bounce seem to blind a lot of people.

How many to advantage? Because the eye test had draper holding his own.