2012 Draft Discussion

[PattyKwasagun]

There's been a bit of talk around of late that Grundy may slip past Port at pick 7. I actually came here to ask for the reason behind that - all year he's been pegged as a pick 1-3 without much doubt at all. For him to not only be missed there but also not taken by Melbourne, the Dogs and Port would be shocking.

I can see why the second of those two may not be interested with their wealth of young ruck prospects, but I would've thought the Dees and specifically Port with him being a SA boy would be all over him.

 

[Bert Man]

There's been a bit of talk around of late that Grundy may slip past Port at pick 7. I actually came here to ask for the reason behind that - all year he's been pegged as a pick 1-3 without much doubt at all. For him to not only be missed there but also not taken by Melbourne, the Dogs and Port would be shocking.

I can see why the second of those two may not be interested with their wealth of young ruck prospects, but I would've thought the Dees and specifically Port with him being a SA boy would be all over him.

I can't give you an answer, but ruckman seem to slide every year

 

[PattyKwasagun]

I can't give you an answer, but ruckman seem to slide every year

Occasionally, but usually on draft day, not 2 weeks beforehand in media and general public opinion for no reason.

 

[Bert Man]

Occasionally, but usually on draft day, not 2 weeks beforehand in media and general public opinion for no reason.

I was thinking that as well, but this is my only reasonable explanation.

 

[dlanod]

Knightmare thinking GWS will pass on Grundy...interesting...

As a GWS follower, that's my expectation given they re-signed Brogan who's been as useful as a 2m tall carbon rod.

 

[Offsider]

I think clubs are wary of drafting ruckman with early picks, preferring to get mids, which are considered more of a sure thing. GWS seem to be of the opinion that they will be able to just trade in a very good ruck when they are in their premiership window. They won't be able to, firstly cap room will be tight with all their young players getting pay rises by then, secondly clubs rarely trade good ruckman unless forced too, thirdly not many decent players have gone to GWS and I can't see a good ruck leaving for anything but really good money which won't be available. GWS would be much better off picking up a young ruck and developing him with their list.

If he was there at 8 I would seriously consider taking him and turning him into a full forward, he has the potential to do that. I would probably also look at trading out Longer for a first rounder if we took him as well. But Melbourne should pick him if GWS don't imo.

 

[Karnezis_13]

Interestingly as of about 2 hours ago when I looked, the AFL fan-powered (lol! Maybe should rephrase that - supporter-powered) draft machine had Scott Clouston going to the Saints second round!? With him being an ex-Lion we should be the ones over-rating him not the general AFL community!

 

[JasRulz63]

Might have something to do with his name being first in the list if you choose; forward, tall, marking in the search.

 

[Milk Steak]

Haven't seen anything of Grundy and I'm sure he's very talented,but if we picked up another ruckman with a top 10 pick,I would lose my shit and there would be some serious face palm action happening in my vicinity

 

[Harris Specter]

Haven't seen anything of Grundy and I'm sure he's very talented,but if we picked up another ruckman with a top 10 pick,I would lose my shit and there would be some serious face palm action happening in my vicinity

Especially when we are screaming out for a forward.

 

[Milk Steak]

Especially when we are screaming out for a forward.

Exactly. I would rather risk using pick 8 on a potentially decent long term forward,regardless of whether they're probably worth a selection more in the mid teens

 

[captainrich]

gws may back themselves to claim him at 12 if the mail is true that melbourne, port and wb overlook him, lions will surely due to picking up a ruck year before, richmond would also due to maric, essendon committed to daniher, and carlton have invested heavily in kreuzer,pretty big risk to take though just to get one extra elite mid

 

[Bert Man]

Well we will have to check with UTG if Longer is homesick yet. That would clear things up.

 

[Offsider]

But what if Grundy could play as a forward ....

 

[Karnezis_13]

Well we will have to check with UTG if Longer is homesick yet. That would clear things up.

Why don't you Post it on his profile?

 

[captainrich]

But what if Grundy could play as a forward ....

yeahhh i wonder if he could just become a gorilla full forward that we want, would be awesome then

 

[Bert Man]

But what if Grundy could play as a forward ....

From what I've seen of him he seems a bit rough around the edges. He would take time like every other forward, but could pay dividends. I haven't seen a whole lot of him to form a proper opinion but I know he could be turned into a weapon up forward.

 

[Bert Man]

Why don't you Post it on his profile?

I'm going to wait until he makes a Post on Exodus watch. Whenever we are talking about Richmond their is some Post that seems to be going around

 

[whatboutbob]

But what if Grundy could play as a forward ....

A late convert from basketball becoming a monster full forward? Would never happen...

We should go after Tippett instead...

 

[Milk Steak]

But what if Grundy could play as a forward ....

Like I said previously,I haven't seen Grundy play,but if forward isn't already his natural position,I hate the idea of using high draft picks on guys who we hope could possibly play to a high standard in position that is foreign to them and which isn't the position which has them so highly regarded in the first place. Hope that made sense

 

[Bert Man]

I'm not fussed who we get at 8 I know Kerr will make a good choice.

 

[Milk Steak]

I'm not fussed who we get at 8 I know Kerr will make a good choice.

I'm fussed. I hope we pick the right player,but I don't have blind faith in our recruiters. That's not a barb at anyone btw

 

[Bert Man]

I'm fussed. I hope we pick the right player,but I don't have blind faith in our recruiters. That's not a barb at anyone btw

I just have complete faith in the guy that has been very thorough in all his decisions. Don't worry he won't get a ruckman.

 

[Quigley]

Brody Grundy
DOB: 15/4/94 Ht: 202 Wt: 100

Quite simply Grundy is the best and most complete junior ruckman that I have seen. In Natanui you could see the sublime talent but it was not there yet. With Grundy it is all on show and if GWS overlook him they have rocks in their heads. This is all the more impressive because he is a late comer to the game only crossing over from basketball as a 16 year old.

Grundy was impressive last year as a bottom aged player albeit as a bit of a beanpole. That has changed a great deal in the last twelve months. He has stacked on the weight and is a powerful, mature athlete now. He will continue to develop physically but he does not need to put on nearly as much weight as most young ruck prospects. He already has a powerful lower half which he uses to great effect during games. Unlike a lot of late basketball converts Grundy seems to thrive on the physical aspects of the game and he loves getting in there and throwing his weight around. In basketball terms he is more of a Howard style player rather than a Durant type. In AFL terms I expect him to become a Mumford style power ruck.

At junior level, Grundy was simply too big and too powerful for those he came up against this year. It was a poor year for ruck prospects and the difference between he and his closest competition was vast. Last year though as a skinny 17 year old he still did very well in the ruck contest against stronger opposition. He controls his taps very well and has excellent knowledge of where his mids are around him. He had a series of moves with the SA mids and executed many of them very well. He seemed to have a great understanding with Kennedy who benefited a great deal from the dominance Grundy was able to exert in the ruck. He is a little unusual with a two armed jumping style but it is effective and he gets good height on his jumps. He is a right handed tapper but is also a fan of the two hander which he brings out a few times each game.

In addition to being excellent in the ruck itself, Grundy is also very dangerous up forward and he is a regular multiple goal kicker. He uses his strength and height to great effect and if he weren’t going to be a ruck he could be a nice FF prospect. He moves well around the forward 50 and when he establishes position he is immovable by most KPDs. Grundy recovers quickly in contested situations and is surprisingly adept with the ball on the deck and has pretty clean and quick hands for such a big guy. He is a reasonably reliable shot for goal and can finish the opportunities he is given. There is a more than reasonable chance that Grundy could become a throwback to the old style goal-kicking ruckman like Paul Salmon kicking 30 or more goals a year. He is not particularly quick on an extended lead but on short leads he is hard to contain especially when he gets a good push off.

Contested marking is a feature of Grundy’s game no matter where he is on the field. He is adept at coming up with a stretch mark up forward, drifting in from the side through the middle of the park and dropping back into the hole in front of the leading forward down back. His hands are very soft and he absorbs contact without letting it affect his marking ability. He is a good judge of the ball in the air and takes it at a point where few non-rucks can reach. He tested very well in the running leap at the Combine and this combined with his height allows him to get up above virtually anyone.

Around the ground, Grundy is improving and would be pretty good for and under 18. His endurance is solid and he gets to contests and where he is needed. He does link up pretty well and his marking allows him to be a bail out option if needed. Skills wise he is a lot better than you expect of someone with a big with as little experience as he has. He usually plays within himself with his kicks going short to medium distance most often and at this range he tends not to overhit the ball and has nice feel on the kicks. When he goes for distance his technique changes a fair bit with him having a higher, two handed ball drop and leaning back when he punches it. More often than not though, when he goes for it it gets where he wants it to go so it’s hard to complain.

Apparently Grundy is not the brightest star in the night sky but that has not prevented many from enjoying long AFL careers (and in the media for that matter). He does seem coachable though and his development over the last couple of years is a testament to that. It looks like he listens to what his coaches want from him and then works hard to achieve that. He has quickly closed holes in his game and if he continues to do that he will be a multiple AA before the end of his career.

 

[jackess]

Out of interest how would Grundy compare to Longer? If they were in the same draft who would be drafted first?