AFL Player 24: Nick Bryan

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 16, ant555

 

[astrowizzle]

Free kick Bulldogs. How dare he want to compete in a ruck contest

 

[boncer34]

Pity only 5 spots in the leadership group.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Made a bad error with a tap with about 10 minutes to go and after that was clearly the best player on the ground when fatigue kicked in for everyone else, he was running on top of the ground.

 

[eth-dog]

He was soft to 3QT for me but his last quarter was very good

 

[Howard Moon]

Maybe that's the untold bonus of the 2 ruck set up, old bristle can run around racking in the last quarter when everyone else is cooked

 

[ghostdog]

Bryan in the middle in the second coincided with the Cats mids getting on top, the ruck change being overlooked by the commentators, but I thought he gradually outworked DeKoning. Blicavs was still good, but he's like 55 this year.

 

[MiguelM]

Bryan in the middle in the second coincided with the Cats mids getting on top, the ruck change being overlooked by the commentators, but I thought he gradually outworked DeKoning. Blicavs was still good, but he's like 55 this year.

I thought he was very good around the ground. Held onto some good marks.

Maybe Draper centre ruck/forward and Bryan around the ground could work.

 

[ghostdog]

I thought he was very good around the ground. Held onto some good marks.

Maybe Draper centre ruck/forward and Bryan around the ground could work.

I'd still be inclined to make Bryan ruck his fair share in the centre. He needs as much AFL exposure against the comp's best as possible, and Draper for 2026 and beyond is no guarantee.

 

[ant555]

Thought he was okay. Liked the fact he took a few marks.

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

Really liked our set up. Drapes was magnificent at the start...and it allows Bryan to take on second string ruckman and give us an advantage during that period. Sub him off for some run late in the game and it could work.

 

[BrunoV]

I liked his game against Geelong.

All you can do against second stringers in the ruck contests is dominate, which I thought he did. A genuine ruck doesn't get credit for it, even though it drives clearance domination, so it is a thankless task, but that's the first box checked.

I started to lose patience with him as last year wore on because of his inability to impose himself physically, particularly in the air. I count 3 or 4 commanding marks - big guy well placed and smaller players not being able to get close to him. Admittedly, there was not much in the way of opposition, more good positioning and reading of the play, but the game didn't really put him in a battle to duke it out with SDK or Blicavs for a contested grab.

When the ball was at ground level my default read of him is that his positioning too passive, it seems to be too much waiting outside the contest. But I'm not going to condemn him for it because it's not always obvious that he is doing the wrong thing. There are times when he's not close enough to the ball to just charge into the contest. Given how well he can use the ball, even getting a quickly fired handball to boot to hit a target, it is entirely plausible that his role may be to hold his position because it results in a better outcome than having him charge into a contest and lose a spot in the mini-zone that sets up around a ball. His ground level play was at the quality of midfield player.

I've not followed a second of the pre-season. Kako and the big boy from WA whose name I don't know how to say aside, I couldn't tell you the name of any other player we drafted. I'm coming in cold and it may be that I haven't maintained the range against Bryan, but I don't think so.

He's a follower who is a real technician in the ruck and who, not having the capacity to be a Meek or even Draper, has a problem with the consistency of his physical application. I found him to be a very reliable presence, winning hit outs, taking intercept marks, using the ball really well. There are no moments that stand out to me as a time when he failed to exert himself (which was regular for him to this point). As I think about it a bit more, maybe this was the first time we've seen him convert his VFL performance in an AFL side. Even that would be a significant improvement given that he has generally been terrible when playing senior football.

Like Draper, but a standard below, that performance would be a great platform for him. If that's his baseline he will be a very valuable member of the team. If he's improving over the course of the year he will end up a very good player.

 

[Happyskeret]

I liked his game against Geelong.

All you can do against second stringers in the ruck contests is dominate, which I thought he did. A genuine ruck doesn't get credit for it, even though it drives clearance domination, so it is a thankless task, but that's the first box checked.

I started to lose patience with him as last year wore on because of his inability to impose himself physically, particularly in the air. I count 3 or 4 commanding marks - big guy well placed and smaller players not being able to get close to him. Admittedly, there was not much in the way of opposition, more good positioning and reading of the play, but the game didn't really put him in a battle to duke it out with SDK or Blicavs for a contested grab.

When the ball was at ground level my default read of him is that his positioning too passive, it seems to be too much waiting outside the contest. But I'm not going to condemn him for it because it's not always obvious that he is doing the wrong thing. There are times when he's not close enough to the ball to just charge into the contest. Given how well he can use the ball, even getting a quickly fired handball to boot to hit a target, it is entirely plausible that his role may be to hold his position because it results in a better outcome than having him charge into a contest and lose a spot in the mini-zone that sets up around a ball. His ground level play was at the quality of midfield player.

I've not followed a second of the pre-season. Kako and the big boy from WA whose name I don't know how to say aside, I couldn't tell you the name of any other player we drafted. I'm coming in cold and it may be that I haven't maintained the range against Bryan, but I don't think so.

He's a follower who is a real technician in the ruck and who, not having the capacity to be a Meek or even Draper, has a problem with the consistency of his physical application. I found him to be a very reliable presence, winning hit outs, taking intercept marks, using the ball really well. There are no moments that stand out to me as a time when he failed to exert himself (which was regular for him to this point). As I think about it a bit more, maybe this was the first time we've seen him convert his VFL performance in an AFL side. Even that would be a significant improvement given that he has generally been terrible when playing senior football.

Like Draper, but a standard below, that performance would be a great platform for him. If that's his baseline he will be a very valuable member of the team. If he's improving over the course of the year he will end up a very good player.

I really liked his last quarter. He started to show he could mark and assert himself around the ground. The big upside for me if he gets stronger and can hold himself in body contest work that he is basically an extra midfielder for us. He is very good at picking the ball off the deck which is no mean feat when you are +200cm. Seems to have a quick mind so he doesn’t hesitate to move the ball when the opportunity presents itself.

 

[BrunoV]

Was at the game so the finer points of ruck work are a bit harder to pick up but I thought he was a positive v Adelaide.

I think we've seen pretty significant improvement in Bryan this season. He's holding his own to the extent required to allow the coaches to use Draper to plug holes. Draper still has more impact when he goes into the middle but Bryan is playing at a high enough standard to justify his selection on merit.

I still love the idea of the Draper-Bryan combo because they compliment each other so well. I was worried because Bryan was not previously performing and Draper was being left with the very difficult task of low volume, high impact minutes on ball and playing forward.

 

[BomberManU]

Given how bad we were, across the board, I thought Bryan was fine. Certainly has more general skill, than Draper. I think (hope) it will all come together for him.

 

[cAsEy_18]

Given how bad we were, across the board, I thought Bryan was fine. Certainly has more general skill, than Draper. I think (hope) it will all come together for him.

Probably true, but probably also unnecessary.

As out of fashion as 2 genuine ruckmen are in the modern game, their skillsets genuinely do have the ability to complement one another. Draper as a genuine target to kick to, and someone who can at least bring the ball to ground in a contest, is something our forward line does desperately lack.
Bryan lacks the same sort of presence and physicality around the ground - but he is an above average field kick for a ruckman in general play.
Ideally Bryan would get his fitness and ruck work to the point where he could ruck 65-70% of a game.

 

[dank420_]

Just need to keep playing him. His game against Geelong in the preseason was extremely promising and if he makes that his average output i'll be rapt.

 

[DapperDon]

Just need to keep playing him. His game against Geelong in the preseason was extremely promising and if he makes that his average output i'll be rapt.

Yep let him compete. No point dropping him to a sub level when this season is all about building players.

 

[Pweter]

Was that his best senior game? Worked hard all night and had quite a few good moments

 

[eth-dog]

Was that his best senior game? Worked hard all night and had quite a few good moments

Yes

 

[tperks]

Thought he was good last week. ROB didn’t do much. Was even better tonight. Would like to see him put on a few more kgs of muscle assuming it doesn’t affect his endurance

 

[jannissary]

played the last very well, very important stuff

 

[doug85]

Best game he’s played.

Looks like a settled senior AFL ruck now

 

[boncer34]

Even threw the body around a little.

 

[yodellinhank]

Probably true, but probably also unnecessary.

As out of fashion as 2 genuine ruckmen are in the modern game, their skillsets genuinely do have the ability to complement one another. Draper as a genuine target to kick to, and someone who can at least bring the ball to ground in a contest, is something our forward line does desperately lack.
Bryan lacks the same sort of presence and physicality around the ground - but he is an above average field kick for a ruckman in general play.
Ideally Bryan would get his fitness and ruck work to the point where he could ruck 65-70% of a game.

Why is it unnecessary? If he has more skill then maybe he gets picked ahead of Draper. If Draper has more go in him then maybe Draper gets picked ahead of Bryan. Or we could delist both - no point in having no presence in the ruck for 65% of the game and no skill for the remaining 35%.

 

[Yoda_]

any update? few reporting kneee but we talking ACL knee or knock and be fine in two weeks knee?