AFL Player #23: Harrison Jones - God-tier Hands

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 22, Duckworth

 

[The Donners]

Love this kid. The marking for me is a pure highlight. He gets anywhere near it and I’m expecting him to mark. Not sure we’ve had a forward so reliable in this department since… ummm… could be the best contested mark Essendon has had in the modern era.

 

[Lore]

Love this kid. The marking for me is a pure highlight. He gets anywhere near it and I’m expecting him to mark. Not sure we’ve had a forward so reliable in this department since… ummm… could be the best contested mark Essendon has had in the modern era.

Hooker and Ridley are both pretty solid contested marks...

 

[Old Campaigner]

You can't teach that. He must have a seriously solid engine.

The most impressive thing about him and the one thing you definitely can't teach is his work ethic and diligence.

 

[HalloweenJack]

Sorry for the intrusion. I have been reading the main board rising star posts and was surprised that he hadn't been nominated but more surprisingly that he didn't seem to be rated. I think he is the best young player in your team and he is my pick to win it.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Sorry for the intrusion. I have been reading the main board rising star posts and was surprised that he hadn't been nominated but more surprisingly that he didn't seem to be rated. I think he is the best young player in your team and he is my pick to win it.

His problem has been that he's shown a huge amount of potential but hasn't really racked up the stats until Sunday. Also he's had a couple of good games earlier in the season but each time was overshadowed by a better performance by an eligible player.

 

[The Donners]

Hooker and Ridley are both pretty solid contested marks...

Both of them sensational, Hooker and Ridley, but I’m backing Jones in even off a smaller sample.

You could throw Lloyd and Wellman into the mix.

 

[WindyHillWarrior]

Both of them sensational, Hooker and Ridley, but I’m backing Jones in even off a smaller sample.

You could throw Lloyd and Wellman into the mix.

Carlisle in 2013-2014.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Lookin good Harry

 

[blitzer]

Jones is incredibly exciting. I think he has the potential to be a Nick Riewoldtesque type player.

He's a really nice size, moves very well and can really clunk those marks on his day. He's also a pretty solid kick at goal from a small sample size.
I'll be curious to see what he looks like from 50m out and tight against the boundary - haven't seen him taking many of those sorts of shots yet that I can recall.

He's still quite raw but he looks to have a frame that will really fill out. I think he's going to be a fair sized unit in a few years.

 

[Lore]

Just need a RS nod for Perkins and then we're good I think. Reid should still be eligible next year.

 

[eth-dog]

Just need a RS nod for Perkins and then we're good I think. Reid should still be eligible next year.

He'd have to play every week from here plus a final so yeah

 

[the PILL]

He's got this interesting technique where he's flat footed sitting just off the pack while the others are all drawn to the tracking ball, then does a couple of little stutter steps and just recoils into a sideways glide with arms fully extended.

It's pretty smart actually because he isn't tied up wrestling and oppo defenders who risk infringement. Hard to explain but it looks or comes off like a pro defending intercept marker against a mismatch on a dump kick.

Gotta admit I didn't really expect the endurance thing to pop up so soon either without more games under his belt, this is also a quite unique trait as he will have the ability to blow up a lot of KPP defenders forcing them to do risky hand overs.

What a find!

 

[Runk]

Will be interesting to see how teams try to match up on him now. Not being a massive player yet you'd think a body on body defender would have his measure. Cannot give him any space.

 

[Sporno 4 Pyros]

He's got this interesting technique where he's flat footed sitting just off the pack while the others are all drawn to the tracking ball, then does a couple of little stutter steps and just recoils into a sideways glide with arms fully extended.

It's pretty smart actually because he isn't tied up wrestling and oppo defenders who risk infringement. Hard to explain but it looks or comes off like a pro defending intercept marker against a mismatch on a dump kick.

Gotta admit I didn't really expect the endurance thing to pop up so soon either without more games under his belt, this is also a quite unique trait as he will have the ability to blow up a lot of KPP defenders forcing them to do risky hand overs.

What a find!

With this technique he would have absolutely killed it during lunchtime kick to kick at high school

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Always in the same spot in a pack, at the very front, and often gets the mark.

 

[Hak94]

Just need a RS nod for Perkins and then we're good I think. Reid should still be eligible next year.

Perkins needs a full game of being backed in and played in the middle. I think that's how he gets a nom. He showed what he is capable of during that half on Anzac Day. With injuries to McGrath and Shiel, it's a good chance to back him in there.

 

[Blind Turn]

He's got this interesting technique where he's flat footed sitting just off the pack while the others are all drawn to the tracking ball, then does a couple of little stutter steps and just recoils into a sideways glide with arms fully extended.

It's pretty smart actually because he isn't tied up wrestling and oppo defenders who risk infringement. Hard to explain but it looks or comes off like a pro defending intercept marker against a mismatch on a dump kick.

Gotta admit I didn't really expect the endurance thing to pop up so soon either without more games under his belt, this is also a quite unique trait as he will have the ability to blow up a lot of KPP defenders forcing them to do risky hand overs.

What a find!

All the talk was about how elite and freaky Cox’s endurance was. It’s a nice bonus that both these boys cover the ground so well. Dodo has nailed the modern-day progression of tall pure footballers with abilities to move anywhere on the ground. Imagine if Harry became the player Hird became in that he had license to roam the ground as best suited to the teams needs… at his height… in conjunction with Cox…

 

[andleanback]

Interesting to here Lever on Sen saying May would want to part in chasing Jones around covering over 15km. That bodes so well for in 2-3 years time, he’ll be blowing up some KPD out there who can’t go with him. Just like Riewoldt of old.

 

[BrunoV]

Love him and happy that he has gotten the recognition for his performances. He's 13 goals from the last 7 matches which is just short of 2 goals a game. At this rate he'll kick more than 30 goals in his first year of senior footy. That would be huge.

It goes to show that goal kicking is more about routine than pure technique.

For all of the classic or fluent kicking actions that are out there I'd rank Jones probably a 5-6/10, it's not pretty at all but he gets the job done. Interesting thing for me is the depth of his kicking and whether that will improve over time.

I'm finding it difficult to project where he ends up. I don't think there was ever really a view that he would spearhead an attack but at his size and with his athletic ability, contested marking, work rate, etc I'm not really sure there would be anything holding him back.

 

[Lore]

All the talk was about how elite and freaky Cox’s endurance was. It’s a nice bonus that both these boys cover the ground so well. Dodo has nailed the modern-day progression of tall pure footballers with abilities to move anywhere on the ground. Imagine if Harry became the player Hird became in that he had license to roam the ground as best suited to the teams needs… at his height… in conjunction with Cox…

Having no footy last year really sorted the s**t from the clay I think. The kids that have the work ethic and the drive spent the year running and doing skills sessions at the local park or in the backyard, whatever they could do, they did. The ones that didn't, well there'd be reasons.

 

[Dave]

Will be interesting to see how teams try to match up on him now. Not being a massive player yet you'd think a body on body defender would have his measure. Cannot give him any space.

Most of those wont have the tank.

 

[bomberman500]

He's got this interesting technique where he's flat footed sitting just off the pack while the others are all drawn to the tracking ball, then does a couple of little stutter steps and just recoils into a sideways glide with arms fully extended.

It's pretty smart actually because he isn't tied up wrestling and oppo defenders who risk infringement. Hard to explain but it looks or comes off like a pro defending intercept marker against a mismatch on a dump kick.

Gotta admit I didn't really expect the endurance thing to pop up so soon either without more games under his belt, this is also a quite unique trait as he will have the ability to blow up a lot of KPP defenders forcing them to do risky hand overs.

What a find!

Its how I had to compete.
Learned that skill out of necessity.
18yo skinny lanky kid playing CHF against guys with 30kg on me. no chance of bodying them up so stayed out to the side and jumped into them.

In saying that I'm still a terrible contested mark

 

[Yoda_]

Love him and happy that he has gotten the recognition for his performances. He's 13 goals from the last 7 matches which is just short of 2 goals a game. At this rate he'll kick more than 30 goals in his first year of senior footy. That would be huge.

It goes to show that goal kicking is more about routine than pure technique.

For all of the classic or fluent kicking actions that are out there I'd rank Jones probably a 5-6/10, it's not pretty at all but he gets the job done. Interesting thing for me is the depth of his kicking and whether that will improve over time.

I'm finding it difficult to project where he ends up. I don't think there was ever really a view that he would spearhead an attack but at his size and with his athletic ability, contested marking, work rate, etc I'm not really sure there would be anything holding him back.

Interesting take.

Would we consider Nick Riewoldt was the spearhead of that St Kilda forward line at one stage? I mean, he was more CHF than FF.

 

[bomberman500]

Interesting take.

Would we consider Nick Riewoldt was the spearhead of that St Kilda forward line at one stage? I mean, he was more CHF than FF.

If Harrys tank is that good Id have him at CHF, have a bigger less fit forward at FF

 

[Ati Tude]

Love him and happy that he has gotten the recognition for his performances. He's 13 goals from the last 7 matches which is just short of 2 goals a game. At this rate he'll kick more than 30 goals in his first year of senior footy. That would be huge.

It goes to show that goal kicking is more about routine than pure technique.

For all of the classic or fluent kicking actions that are out there I'd rank Jones probably a 5-6/10, it's not pretty at all but he gets the job done. Interesting thing for me is the depth of his kicking and whether that will improve over time.

I'm finding it difficult to project where he ends up. I don't think there was ever really a view that he would spearhead an attack but at his size and with his athletic ability, contested marking, work rate, etc I'm not really sure there would be anything holding him back.

He's 2cm taller than Lloyd. And clearly more athletic.