Game Day 2017 National Draft

[Hagla]

What stats would those be? There have been plently of FS busts over the journey. Only 1/3 of the Cloke's had meaningful careers and 1/2 Abletts. Jaxon Barham? Tony Shaw's son (who's name I forget)? Show me these amazing stats that prove he has a greater chance of making it over other draftees because of who his Dad is please.

1/3 of Clokes and 1/2 of Abletts making it are pretty good odds when you compare it to the average family. Not sure how it stacks up against the average draftee but out of my 30 cousins on one side of the family 2 have been drafted, 1 only ever played VFL and the other played 199 games so my extended family bats at about 1/30 (on one side) and 0/36 on the other. My immediate family bats at 0/2.

 

[Apex36]

1/3 of Clokes and 1/2 of Abletts making it are pretty good odds when you compare it to the average family. Not sure how it stacks up against the average draftee but out of my 30 cousins on one side of the family 2 have been drafted, 1 only ever played VFL and the other played 199 games so my extended family bats at about 1/30 (on one side) and 0/36 on the other. My immediate family bats at 0/2.

I did specifically say vs other draftees.

The most you could say regarding genetics is that these kids would have a higher than average chance of becoming good-great players against the general population, but we’re talking about a select group of kids who have nominated for the draft here, not the general population. Just because Tyler’s dad was a star doesn’t make him statistically more likely to become one over any other kid around his draft range.

 

[Hagla]

I did specifically say vs other draftees.

The most you could say regarding genetics is that these kids would have a higher than average chance of becoming good-great players against the general population, but we’re talking about a select group of kids who have nominated for the draft here, not the general population. Just because Tyler’s dad was a star doesn’t make him statistically more likely to become one over any other kid around his draft range.

Yeah that's fair enough. I sort of agree with you in that I wouldn't be taking a player based on name alone. I wouldn't be using the Clokes and Abletts as examples though, as I dare say their success rate is much higher than the average draftee (without knowing specific stats on it). Cameron played 58 games, Jason played 76, Travis played 256, Gary is on 302 and Nathan Ablett played 34, that is likely way above the average draftee on success rate.

 

[Leviathan Pie]

What stats would those be? There have been plently of FS busts over the journey. Only 1/3 of the Cloke's had meaningful careers and 1/2 Abletts. Jaxon Barham? Tony Shaw's son (who's name I forget)? Show me these amazing stats that prove he has a greater chance of making it over other draftees because of who his Dad is please.

Exactly, outrageously poor logic using 'genetics' as a reason to select a kid in the draft.

lolz.

 

[jackcass]

Gavin was no man mountain when he started and was never a huge bloke, if anything it's another indication that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

He looked a class above in the TAC Cup Grand Final from what I saw, particularly at the end of the game. Had 11 tackles. Don't mind him either, but I'm not sure I'd be happy with him at 6.

I wouldn’t complain. Reminds me of Lenny Hayes.

 

[No SPIN]

It probably becomes semantics after a point, but I'd consider it to be one. The second tear wasn't of the ACL but a graft. The devil is in the detail, unfortunately, because we don't have any (no doubt the clubs would, however).

The trauma associated with knee reconstruction is generally in the mechanism of injury itself; most ACL injuries in elite athletes are of the non-contact variety, that is to say, they occur in change of direction or landing without "taking a hit" from an opponent. In these instances it can frequently be the ACL which is ruptured in isolation, or perhaps with some meniscal damage (not always, however, see Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater who had a non-contact knee dislocation). However when the foot is planted and the athlete takes a hit from the side, you see more of the combination ACL + MCL/LCL + meniscus + articular cartilage injuries which can leave the knee very unstable, do a lot of damage and take a much longer recovery time.

Which did Bonar have? I have no idea. Where did they take the graft from? Well, we don't know that either, but in terms of most commonly used grafts, you're looking at;
1) Hamstring tendon (semitendinosus, gracilis) "autograft"
2) Central 1/3 patellar tendon "autograft"
3) LARS graft
4) Cadaver graft "allograft"
5) Porcine graft "xenograft"

1) and to a lesser extent 2) dominate the market, 3) has reasonable results but when it does fail it's disastrous, 4) is rarely performed and has an unacceptably high failure rate, and 5) is still in the experimental stage. In all likelihood, Bonar would have had a hamstring tendon graft from the same knee as the donor site. Why did it fail? Well that could be because of a less-than-ideal graft... surgeons I work with prefer to get 10cm worth of donor tissue to make up the ACL graft, and anatomical variation from person to person means that sometimes that just isn't possible. It's also possible that he had an ideal surgery with a very viable graft, went through rehab, started training for or playing footy again and it ruptured. In the first year after surgery, generally, the operated knee is more likely to re-rupture than the good knee, but after one year the surgically repaired knee is stronger than the good knee and the good knee is actually the more likely to rupture. So assuming he was still within that first year post-surgically, the rehabbing knee was at a higher risk of re-injury when it happened.

Then we come to the question of what did they perform the second surgery with? Bonar likely has no suitable hamstring tendon on the injured side, so did they go for patellar tendon, or harvest the hamstring from the good side? And how "traumatic" was the second injury, was it simply that the graft failed early under increasing loading, or was there a traumatic event involved? Certainly a second injury increases the chance for articular cartilage damage which could cause premature arthritis, for example. Possibly they went for a LARS surgery second time around, but I wouldn't recommend that in any athlete let alone one so young.

So yeah, there's a boatload we don't know. The injured knee could be bad. The musculature around the knee could be in need of a lot of rehab, as we saw with Brent MacAffer after he did his ACL, then had ongoing hamstring problems as they were the donor site for the ACL graft. His other knee could also be affected in this way. And then you have to consider that a revision of a knee reconstruction has a higher failure rate, and he's also statistically more likely to rupture his good knee now, as he's been proven to have a predisposition to ACL injury, be it contact or non-contact.

I'd let someone else take the chance on Bonar given what I do know, while conceding there's a great deal I don't... but the clubs knowing a great deal more would be in a better position to make the risk assessment.

Great post - you also had concerns with O'Meara last year and were proven right. So passing on Bonar unless he's available at 38 is prudent, but that's highly doubtful.

 

[swoop42]

If you view 2 players at the same level of ability and one happens to be the son of a champion logic suggests you're better off taking the father son.

You don't however bypass a player for a father son prospect if the former is rated much higher by the recruiter.

 

[wednesdaywarrior]

Gavin was very stick-like as a teen playing for Marcellin and Templestowe.

He built himself up a good deal through the gym through his late teens and early twenties.

Looking at Tyler's footage he has a similar physique and seems light on his feet like his Dad. A traditional wingman's build.

Hopefully decisions on him can come from solid observation by the Club.

Hard not to be a little swayed I guess if you were a big Rowdy fan like many of us.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Great post - you also had concerns with O'Meara last year and were proven right. So passing on Bonar unless he's available at 38 is prudent, but that's highly doubtful.

Thanks mate. Jaeger was a much more solid “no” for me. Bonar I don’t have enough information on, but certainly there are flags going up.

 

[Horaceg]

On the whole genetics thing there is also the environmental aspect and having your child grow up in an environment with a different base of expectation and exposure to the elite level may also impact.

I don't think it is pure luck that arguably the two best players over two generations just happen to be father and son but why they got to the heights they got to would suggest a combination of genetics and environment.

You could also argue that the failures were due to a lack of application, evident more so in the Abblett family, Nathan could play but preferred not to put in the work, as did his father but arguably in an era where pure talent went a long way.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

I think environment has a lot to do with it. Why is it that the youngest of the Clokes, Pendleburys, Sidebottoms (I’d say Selwoods but I think Joel was 3/4) all ended up being the best players? They had to compete/keep up with their older brothers who were constantly there as a yardstick. It also appears the youngest Kelly and the youngest Daicos are the highest rated by those in the know.

 

[Brent24]

I think environment has a lot to do with it. Why is it that the youngest of the Clokes, Pendleburys, Sidebottoms (I’d say Selwoods but I think Joel was 3/4) all ended up being the best players? They had to compete/keep up with their older brothers who were constantly there as a yardstick. It also appears the youngest Kelly and the youngest Daicos are the highest rated by those in the know.

Scott isn't the youngest Pendlebury is he?

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Scott isn't the youngest Pendlebury is he?

Shit, yeah, there’s Ryan isn’t there?

Well the big brothers have an uphill battle, anyway.

 

[DraftBalta]

Mick Malthouse's nephew has moved up the order

DRAFT ANALYSIS: "Charlie Constable is one of the cleanest and smartest footballers in the 2017 draft pool. Put simply - he's a pure footballer."

OVERVIEW

Charlie Constable has had a strong year at all levels, playing at either end of the ground or in as an inside midfielder. Standing at 190cm, Constable is the modern prototype of midfielders – where he wins the contested ball and dishes it out to teammates by hand with ease. In games filled with fumbles and skill errors throughout the National AFL Under 18 Championships, Constable was a class above – with his clean disposal and smarts on full show. Whilst he might lack some speed and endurance that other of the top midfielders have, he is a pure midfielder who wins the football, gets to the right spots, disposes of the ball well and plays in a similar mould to Carlton’s Patrick Cripps.

STRENGTHS

• Footy IQ
• Contested ball winning
• Versatile
• Clearance work
• Marking inside 50

Constable’s footy IQ is through the roof. His smarts on the inside and across either arches allow him to read the play and know where to run to receive the ball. While he doesn’t have the athletic traits that others do from the stoppages, his smarts to find a teammate with ease under pressure is outstanding. His can collect the ball by a handball receive or pick it up off the ground – where he doesn’t fumble and gets it to a teammate, mostly by hand – but on occasions via his right foot.

While not a full-time inside midfielder just yet, Constable will mould into that type of player. His contested possession percentage of 50 per cent in the TAC Cup – where he played mostly in the centre suggest that he has the capabilities to win the one-on-one contests in the midfield battle. At 190cm, the contested ball winning will appeal to clubs inside the first round.

Constable showed his versatility in the National AFL Under 18 Championships, where he played across half-forward and through the midfield. Constable averaged 26 disposals, five marks, four tackles and three inside 50s in a different role. At school level for Haileybury College and at times for the Sandringham Dragons, Constable was often deployed across half back where he would read the play well and intercept the ball. In the final APS school round for the year, Constable collected 46 disposals in the midfield against Geelong Grammar – with plenty of AFL club recruiters watching on.

Constable’s clearance work has been very good for the Sandringham Dragons throughout the season, averaging 4.2 clearances per game. In the Dragons’ clash with the Bendigo Pioneers at Trevor Barker Oval during the school holidays, Constable was the clear best player on the ground with 29 disposals, 11 clearances and three goals. His clean skills and footy IQ make him a damaging player on the inside, winning the ball in the coalface to get the ball out to his teammates.

Constable has shown he can push forward and mark the ball well inside 50. In the same clash, Constable collected seven marks and booted multiple set shot goals from the north end of the ground. Constable has averaged over five marks in both the TAC Cup and the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships this season. The positive from this is that while he might not be right to start the season as a full-time midfielder at the next level, clubs can use Constable as a 190cm marking target up forward, or across half back where he is willing to intercept the ball.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Speed
• Endurance

Of the other midfielders set to feature in the first round on draft night, Constable’s 20m preseason sprint time of 3.052 seconds is one of the slower times set. On the inside at times you can notice that he doesn’t have the burst speed to break away from his opponents, however Constable plays within his limitations – preferring to dish the ball off by hand to his teammates that can break away from the stoppages on the outside.

Constable has battled a few injuries over the last two seasons, missing a large chunk of 2016 with injury and battling a groin injury in the latter part of the Sandringham Dragons’ finals campaign. This has affected his endurance at times, and while he has the ability to run out games – it possibly was a factor why Constable was left out of the Vic Metro trip to Western Australia, due to the bigger dimensions of Domain Stadium. In TAC Cup preseason testing, Constable ran a 12.9 beep test – a number that most other midfielders reach into the 13-14 mark.

While both Constable’s speed and endurance are lower than other midfielders – a perfect comparison is Carlton midfielder Patrick Cripps who ran a 3.23 second 20m sprint time and a 13.2 beep score at the 2013 National AFL Combine.

DRAFT PROJECTION: 7-20

SUMMARY

Whilst Constable might lack the athletic traits, he’s a pure midfielder who gives his all with every game he plays. He has the football smarts and clean skills to get out of traffic and dispose of the ball under pressure, winning the clearances and the contested ball. Throughout the National AFL Under 18 Championships, he showed he could be versatile playing as a 6th forward or defender, but his best position long-term should be as an inside midfielder. If he can improve his tank and work hard during the preseason, there’s no reason that Constable couldn’t be running out during the early part of season 2018 for his new club.

 

[Dozer04]

Boo!!!!! I want him. Hunches, Mystery and Excitement, that's where it's at. Stuff all this logical assessment malarkey. Good thing that I didn't understand most of that, therefore my excitement, if we get him, won't be dampened.

Admittedly, I was gutted that we didn't get Beau Muston, would have loved Dylan Gartlett too. Has Chris Yarran nominated for the draft? Wouldn't mind re-rooking Abbott.

It probably becomes semantics after a point, but I'd consider it to be one. The second tear wasn't of the ACL but a graft. The devil is in the detail, unfortunately, because we don't have any (no doubt the clubs would, however).

The trauma associated with knee reconstruction is generally in the mechanism of injury itself; most ACL injuries in elite athletes are of the non-contact variety, that is to say, they occur in change of direction or landing without "taking a hit" from an opponent. In these instances it can frequently be the ACL which is ruptured in isolation, or perhaps with some meniscal damage (not always, however, see Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater who had a non-contact knee dislocation). However when the foot is planted and the athlete takes a hit from the side, you see more of the combination ACL + MCL/LCL + meniscus + articular cartilage injuries which can leave the knee very unstable, do a lot of damage and take a much longer recovery time.

Which did Bonar have? I have no idea. Where did they take the graft from? Well, we don't know that either, but in terms of most commonly used grafts, you're looking at;
1) Hamstring tendon (semitendinosus, gracilis) "autograft"
2) Central 1/3 patellar tendon "autograft"
3) LARS graft
4) Cadaver graft "allograft"
5) Porcine graft "xenograft"

1) and to a lesser extent 2) dominate the market, 3) has reasonable results but when it does fail it's disastrous, 4) is rarely performed and has an unacceptably high failure rate, and 5) is still in the experimental stage. In all likelihood, Bonar would have had a hamstring tendon graft from the same knee as the donor site. Why did it fail? Well that could be because of a less-than-ideal graft... surgeons I work with prefer to get 10cm worth of donor tissue to make up the ACL graft, and anatomical variation from person to person means that sometimes that just isn't possible. It's also possible that he had an ideal surgery with a very viable graft, went through rehab, started training for or playing footy again and it ruptured. In the first year after surgery, generally, the operated knee is more likely to re-rupture than the good knee, but after one year the surgically repaired knee is stronger than the good knee and the good knee is actually the more likely to rupture. So assuming he was still within that first year post-surgically, the rehabbing knee was at a higher risk of re-injury when it happened.

Then we come to the question of what did they perform the second surgery with? Bonar likely has no suitable hamstring tendon on the injured side, so did they go for patellar tendon, or harvest the hamstring from the good side? And how "traumatic" was the second injury, was it simply that the graft failed early under increasing loading, or was there a traumatic event involved? Certainly a second injury increases the chance for articular cartilage damage which could cause premature arthritis, for example. Possibly they went for a LARS surgery second time around, but I wouldn't recommend that in any athlete let alone one so young.

So yeah, there's a boatload we don't know. The injured knee could be bad. The musculature around the knee could be in need of a lot of rehab, as we saw with Brent MacAffer after he did his ACL, then had ongoing hamstring problems as they were the donor site for the ACL graft. His other knee could also be affected in this way. And then you have to consider that a revision of a knee reconstruction has a higher failure rate, and he's also statistically more likely to rupture his good knee now, as he's been proven to have a predisposition to ACL injury, be it contact or non-contact.

I'd let someone else take the chance on Bonar given what I do know, while conceding there's a great deal I don't... but the clubs knowing a great deal more would be in a better position to make the risk assessment.

The initial graft was from the hamstring and didn’t take properly. The second “tear” was just the first surgery that failed to hold. The surgeon that performed the 2nd time round was Julian Feller - AFL surgeon and knee specialist. It was a central patellar tendon autograph. At the combine he was assessed by almost every clubs doctor. His knee was pulled and yanked every which way and passed with flying colours by all doctors.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Mick Malthouse's nephew has moved up the order

DRAFT ANALYSIS: "Charlie Constable is one of the cleanest and smartest footballers in the 2017 draft pool. Put simply - he's a pure footballer."

OVERVIEW

Charlie Constable has had a strong year at all levels, playing at either end of the ground or in as an inside midfielder. Standing at 190cm, Constable is the modern prototype of midfielders – where he wins the contested ball and dishes it out to teammates by hand with ease. In games filled with fumbles and skill errors throughout the National AFL Under 18 Championships, Constable was a class above – with his clean disposal and smarts on full show. Whilst he might lack some speed and endurance that other of the top midfielders have, he is a pure midfielder who wins the football, gets to the right spots, disposes of the ball well and plays in a similar mould to Carlton’s Patrick Cripps.

STRENGTHS

• Footy IQ
• Contested ball winning
• Versatile
• Clearance work
• Marking inside 50

Constable’s footy IQ is through the roof. His smarts on the inside and across either arches allow him to read the play and know where to run to receive the ball. While he doesn’t have the athletic traits that others do from the stoppages, his smarts to find a teammate with ease under pressure is outstanding. His can collect the ball by a handball receive or pick it up off the ground – where he doesn’t fumble and gets it to a teammate, mostly by hand – but on occasions via his right foot.

While not a full-time inside midfielder just yet, Constable will mould into that type of player. His contested possession percentage of 50 per cent in the TAC Cup – where he played mostly in the centre suggest that he has the capabilities to win the one-on-one contests in the midfield battle. At 190cm, the contested ball winning will appeal to clubs inside the first round.

Constable showed his versatility in the National AFL Under 18 Championships, where he played across half-forward and through the midfield. Constable averaged 26 disposals, five marks, four tackles and three inside 50s in a different role. At school level for Haileybury College and at times for the Sandringham Dragons, Constable was often deployed across half back where he would read the play well and intercept the ball. In the final APS school round for the year, Constable collected 46 disposals in the midfield against Geelong Grammar – with plenty of AFL club recruiters watching on.

Constable’s clearance work has been very good for the Sandringham Dragons throughout the season, averaging 4.2 clearances per game. In the Dragons’ clash with the Bendigo Pioneers at Trevor Barker Oval during the school holidays, Constable was the clear best player on the ground with 29 disposals, 11 clearances and three goals. His clean skills and footy IQ make him a damaging player on the inside, winning the ball in the coalface to get the ball out to his teammates.

Constable has shown he can push forward and mark the ball well inside 50. In the same clash, Constable collected seven marks and booted multiple set shot goals from the north end of the ground. Constable has averaged over five marks in both the TAC Cup and the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships this season. The positive from this is that while he might not be right to start the season as a full-time midfielder at the next level, clubs can use Constable as a 190cm marking target up forward, or across half back where he is willing to intercept the ball.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Speed
• Endurance

Of the other midfielders set to feature in the first round on draft night, Constable’s 20m preseason sprint time of 3.052 seconds is one of the slower times set. On the inside at times you can notice that he doesn’t have the burst speed to break away from his opponents, however Constable plays within his limitations – preferring to dish the ball off by hand to his teammates that can break away from the stoppages on the outside.

Constable has battled a few injuries over the last two seasons, missing a large chunk of 2016 with injury and battling a groin injury in the latter part of the Sandringham Dragons’ finals campaign. This has affected his endurance at times, and while he has the ability to run out games – it possibly was a factor why Constable was left out of the Vic Metro trip to Western Australia, due to the bigger dimensions of Domain Stadium. In TAC Cup preseason testing, Constable ran a 12.9 beep test – a number that most other midfielders reach into the 13-14 mark.

While both Constable’s speed and endurance are lower than other midfielders – a perfect comparison is Carlton midfielder Patrick Cripps who ran a 3.23 second 20m sprint time and a 13.2 beep score at the 2013 National AFL Combine.

DRAFT PROJECTION: 7-20

SUMMARY

Whilst Constable might lack the athletic traits, he’s a pure midfielder who gives his all with every game he plays. He has the football smarts and clean skills to get out of traffic and dispose of the ball under pressure, winning the clearances and the contested ball. Throughout the National AFL Under 18 Championships, he showed he could be versatile playing as a 6th forward or defender, but his best position long-term should be as an inside midfielder. If he can improve his tank and work hard during the preseason, there’s no reason that Constable couldn’t be running out during the early part of season 2018 for his new club.

If you wanna pop that puppies can you don't gotta grease him so hard.

 

[35Daicos]

Scott isn't the youngest Pendlebury is he?

Shit, yeah, there’s Ryan isn’t there?

Well the big brothers have an uphill battle, anyway.

Ryan is the much younger brother at 25. Kris (31) is the oldest, Scott 29 (30 in January). Kris and Ryan have played for the Collingwood VFL side (but never been on an AFL list).

http://australianfootball.com/players/player/scott+pendlebury/14797

 

[unplugged]

Mick Malthouse's nephew has moved up the order

DRAFT ANALYSIS: "Charlie Constable is one of the cleanest and smartest footballers in the 2017 draft pool. Put simply - he's a pure footballer."

OVERVIEW

Charlie Constable has had a strong year at all levels, playing at either end of the ground or in as an inside midfielder. Standing at 190cm, Constable is the modern prototype of midfielders – where he wins the contested ball and dishes it out to teammates by hand with ease. In games filled with fumbles and skill errors throughout the National AFL Under 18 Championships, Constable was a class above – with his clean disposal and smarts on full show. Whilst he might lack some speed and endurance that other of the top midfielders have, he is a pure midfielder who wins the football, gets to the right spots, disposes of the ball well and plays in a similar mould to Carlton’s Patrick Cripps.

STRENGTHS

• Footy IQ
• Contested ball winning
• Versatile
• Clearance work
• Marking inside 50

Constable’s footy IQ is through the roof. His smarts on the inside and across either arches allow him to read the play and know where to run to receive the ball. While he doesn’t have the athletic traits that others do from the stoppages, his smarts to find a teammate with ease under pressure is outstanding. His can collect the ball by a handball receive or pick it up off the ground – where he doesn’t fumble and gets it to a teammate, mostly by hand – but on occasions via his right foot.

While not a full-time inside midfielder just yet, Constable will mould into that type of player. His contested possession percentage of 50 per cent in the TAC Cup – where he played mostly in the centre suggest that he has the capabilities to win the one-on-one contests in the midfield battle. At 190cm, the contested ball winning will appeal to clubs inside the first round.

Constable showed his versatility in the National AFL Under 18 Championships, where he played across half-forward and through the midfield. Constable averaged 26 disposals, five marks, four tackles and three inside 50s in a different role. At school level for Haileybury College and at times for the Sandringham Dragons, Constable was often deployed across half back where he would read the play well and intercept the ball. In the final APS school round for the year, Constable collected 46 disposals in the midfield against Geelong Grammar – with plenty of AFL club recruiters watching on.

Constable’s clearance work has been very good for the Sandringham Dragons throughout the season, averaging 4.2 clearances per game. In the Dragons’ clash with the Bendigo Pioneers at Trevor Barker Oval during the school holidays, Constable was the clear best player on the ground with 29 disposals, 11 clearances and three goals. His clean skills and footy IQ make him a damaging player on the inside, winning the ball in the coalface to get the ball out to his teammates.

Constable has shown he can push forward and mark the ball well inside 50. In the same clash, Constable collected seven marks and booted multiple set shot goals from the north end of the ground. Constable has averaged over five marks in both the TAC Cup and the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships this season. The positive from this is that while he might not be right to start the season as a full-time midfielder at the next level, clubs can use Constable as a 190cm marking target up forward, or across half back where he is willing to intercept the ball.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Speed
• Endurance

Of the other midfielders set to feature in the first round on draft night, Constable’s 20m preseason sprint time of 3.052 seconds is one of the slower times set. On the inside at times you can notice that he doesn’t have the burst speed to break away from his opponents, however Constable plays within his limitations – preferring to dish the ball off by hand to his teammates that can break away from the stoppages on the outside.

Constable has battled a few injuries over the last two seasons, missing a large chunk of 2016 with injury and battling a groin injury in the latter part of the Sandringham Dragons’ finals campaign. This has affected his endurance at times, and while he has the ability to run out games – it possibly was a factor why Constable was left out of the Vic Metro trip to Western Australia, due to the bigger dimensions of Domain Stadium. In TAC Cup preseason testing, Constable ran a 12.9 beep test – a number that most other midfielders reach into the 13-14 mark.

While both Constable’s speed and endurance are lower than other midfielders – a perfect comparison is Carlton midfielder Patrick Cripps who ran a 3.23 second 20m sprint time and a 13.2 beep score at the 2013 National AFL Combine.

DRAFT PROJECTION: 7-20

SUMMARY

Whilst Constable might lack the athletic traits, he’s a pure midfielder who gives his all with every game he plays. He has the football smarts and clean skills to get out of traffic and dispose of the ball under pressure, winning the clearances and the contested ball. Throughout the National AFL Under 18 Championships, he showed he could be versatile playing as a 6th forward or defender, but his best position long-term should be as an inside midfielder. If he can improve his tank and work hard during the preseason, there’s no reason that Constable couldn’t be running out during the early part of season 2018 for his new club.

Constable of a player. Don't like what I've seen. Constable of a kick IIRC

 

[DraftBalta]

Constable of a player. Don't like what I've seen. Constable of a kick IIRC

Officer please

 

[unplugged]

This is who we need on a wing instead of Phillips...

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-26/tomorrows-heroes-lochie-obrien-wingman-with-weapons

 

[Obese Arachnid]

Constable of a player. Don't like what I've seen. Constable of a kick IIRC

I haven't had **** all day Drinkstable.

 

[Dynamics]

This is who we need on a wing instead of Phillips...

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-26/tomorrows-heroes-lochie-obrien-wingman-with-weapons

You had me at excellent kick.

 

[DraftBalta]

This is who we need on a wing instead of Phillips...

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-26/tomorrows-heroes-lochie-obrien-wingman-with-weapons

There was a massive whisper we were into him before all the Coffield stuff started... and just on Phillips I've been surprised that a few people have told me he will turn out elite, not sure what they are seeing but you can't reason with them they are so sure

 

[DraftBalta]

I was only kidding about drafting a replacement for Blair... I swear

It was fitting that Higgins was awarded the TAC Cup’s highest accolade by close friend and Collingwood midfielder/forward Tom Phillips. Higgins said Phillips’ father had been the biggest influence on his own personal career.

“Probably Anthony Phillips (biggest influence),” he said. “Tom and Ed’s Dad who have helped me through the season and going through vision and that sort of stuff and doing individual skills.”