Welcome 2022 ND - Pick 16 (bid matched) - Harry Rowston

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Nov 23, 2015
11,849
17,540
AFL Club
GWS
Welcome, Harry. A grunt midfielder who can also go forward and kick a goal. Likely able to play next year, and a reasonable replacement for the skillset/role vacated by Tim Taranto.

Harry Rowston.png

Height: 182cm
Weight: 81kg
D.O.B: 12-08-2004
Teams: Allies, NSW-ACT Rams, GWS Giants Academy, Calder Cannons

Snapshot: “A hardened inside midfielder who can roll forward to clunk overhead marks and kick crucial goals.”

STRENGTHS:
  • Competitiveness
  • Contested work
  • Inside game
  • Overhead marking
  • Scoreboard impact
  • Work rate
IMPROVEMENTS:
  • Kicking
  • Versatility
It has been quite the year for Rowston, who earned both individual and team success en route to securing a National Combine invite. After solid performances for the Giants Academy and NSW-ACT Rams, the 18-year-old was called up to the Allies squad and proved a reliable figure there to collect Most Valuable Player honours.

It didn’t take long for him to settle into the Calder setup having helped Assumption College take out the AGSV title, quickly becoming the Cannons’ most impactful player in midfield. His side defied the odds to secure a finals berth, and Rowston’s top-age campaign was capped by recent All Australian selection.

There are many boxes Rowston ticks, proving a reliable performer throughout the year and hardly putting a foot wrong. The crux of his game lies at the contest, where the tough 18-year-old's competitiveness and clean stoppage craft shine. A real gutsy goer, Rowston stood up against stiff opposition this season to impose himself on the contest. While his Allies MVP feats were impressive, one of his standout efforts came against a Sandringham Dragons midfield trio of Will Ashcroft, Cam Mackenzie and Olli Hotton, whom Rowston collect 26 disposals against in a finals loss.

The level of competitiveness required to play a game like Rowston's is high. He worked hard on his endurance base to become a more viable midfield option, and offers the same standards on-field. At the National Championships, his average 23 disposals and five clearances were evidence of his powerful ball winning ability. While he won 47 per cent of his possessions in a contest, Rowston's improved running capacity became a strength away from stoppage. Busting a gut on the spread, he snuck forward for three goals in his opening Allies outing, and has the capacity to hit the scoreboard as a midfielder or resting forward.

Though he could further enhance that sense of versatility, Rowston's overhead marking ability is something which defies his size. His clean hands translate from a ground ball sense to the aerial realm, with Rowston not afraid to put his body on the line and clunk grabs at full stretch. In terms of improvement, Rowston does many things powerfully and that extends to his kicking. That helps in the way of penetration, but the onballer's flat delivery is hit and miss at times, especially when blazing away from stoppages. With a touch more polish by foot, his inside-outside balance will even out and his hurt factor will only heighten.
 
What National Recruiting Manager Adrian Caruso says:

We are always keen to add in GIANTS Academy talent and with Harry we believe we have brought in someone with some flexibility to play multiple roles in areas of need. He has shown capability to impact through the midfield and forward, and his strong footy brain mixed with competitive edge gives him a chance to develop into a key member of our team in years to come.

 

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  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #9
That's a good chat, seems a switched on but relaxed character.

He stated that when Adrian and Emma came to see him after the AFL Draft Combine they said that GWS would select him, and even if the bid came early, they would still take him. So, puts to bed any comments about the club being "surprised" by the early bid - they were aware and had planned a month out simply to match the bid and move on. Not really much that they could have done except from trading out of the 3 early picks, which would have been self-defeating.
 

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