Player Watch #24 Sam Grlj

[59Stanley]

He is a complete player. He has speed, agility, endurance, skill, competitiveness and great character.

There will be questions etc until we see that piece of play where he shows the traits and we will all be sold.

He is hard nosed too which is great and has captained his junior teams so he receives respect from peers.

We have got this 100% correct and cannot wait to see him collect the ball cleanly and run straight past Robey and Sharp like they have lead boots.

Think Isaac Smith

7

Isaac Smith

Age

36

Ht

188cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

8.4

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

19.4

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.3

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

1.3

4star

D

19.2

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

8.6

5star

M

7.6

5star

T

2.0

4star

CL

0.6

3star

but with mongrel.

 

[Morro]

I was actually more shocked it wasn't XT on the back of Rhy's gettable interview lol.

But back to Grlj, his athletic profile is unicorn like really, when you look for other comparisons in that sense I keep landing on Max Holmes. I'm not sure if that is a high bar to set, but I see Grlj's blend of speed and endurance allowing him to torch teams relentlessly like Holmes does.

Which is going to be golden!

Then when you look more at his VFL highlights, he is right at home out there, this is a clear signal of where our footy is heading and It's going to look fantastic.

This was clearly the final tick of approval for us to take him.

 

[Muddiemoose]

Gonna wait and see what he turns out like. Cant help feel we paid way overs for him though due to us being slow as treacle. Cant believe we didnt trade back to get him as im convinced he would've still been available another 8- 10 picks later. Considering the following pick swap:
West Coast receives: Pick 17
Hawthorn receives: Pick 18 and 2026 Round 2

If a club was happy to give away a 2nd rounder (pick 19-22 range) to move up 1 measly spot 10 picks later then surely the worst trader could've got a similar deal minimum but maximum way better. We were the only team really linked to Grlj. Most mocks that had us taking Robie and Cumming had him at earliest 14 but usually 20 range, even further.

Personally i wouldn't consider a hbf in the top 10 unless they're generational talent with Leon Cameron kicking and 30+ possies who can kick goals. Pick 4 seems mental. Time will tell

Happy with Cumming selection. Peucker sounds good too....Who knows maybe Roberts Thomson and Peucker could be guns and great pickups but the fact both played for Sturt and Woodville West Torrens (Kellaways and Leys teams that our scouts were forced to watch) has a potential lazy feel to it.

.

I dunno about the trade
It’s easy to say after the fact but you also need someone willing to pay up as well

Maybe we did shop the pick but no one would bite

At the end of the day it’s all secondary anyway now, he’s on our list
Looking forward to see what he’s got

 

[Grrr]

I was actually more shocked it wasn't XT on the back of Rhy's gettable interview lol.

But back to Grlj, his athletic profile is unicorn like really, when you look for other comparisons in that sense I keep landing on Max Holmes. I'm not sure if that is a high bar to set, but I see Grlj's blend of speed and endurance allowing him to torch teams relentlessly like Holmes does.

Which is going to be golden!

Then when you look more at his VFL highlights, he is right at home out there, this is a clear signal of where our footy is heading and It's going to look fantastic.

Mightn't be as classy as Holmes, but he will be tougher. Holmes might have got it 33 times on GF day, but they were all outside when Geelong were crying out for some inside players.

Watching Grjl in the VFL you couldn't have been much more impressed. Big jump from juniors to VFL and he looked more than at home.

 

[TJTIGER]

The poor kid

The comparisons with Robey and their respective careers will be endless.

Robey may come off second best in the comparison stakes... but hopefully they both have good careers.

 

[TJTIGER]

He won’t dissapoint fans,
The best speed/ endurance athlete in this draft
Showed in his VFL games with us , he has a very good contested game.
Exactly what this list needs, just think in a very even draft this is an astute pick.

Totally agree, kid will be an aerobic beast in the mould of Cuz (going early I know) just have a strong feeling about both pics.
Nicname potential Mcgilla(da Grilla)...

 

[Mr Magic]

Yeah kinda goes against your own argument.. you’re all over the shop

how so?

If Richo was playing with Dusty, Dusty forward, Richo on the wing, how many premierships?

 

[We are back baby!]

Seems an obvious choice to me. It was a toss up between he and Robey with our second pick, and I'm sure we all would have been happy with Robey, but there isn't much separating them, but we would have loved Grijl's speed. We all get like kids in a lolly shop on draft night, I'll have one of those and one of those.
.

Well there is about 50 seconds separating them over 2km

 

[Grrr]

Well there is about 50 seconds separating them over 2km

Yes, but we could squeeze Robey, even if he is 50 seconds behind.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Maaaate. JJ is an outside, unaccountable, accumulating half-back. Can't have watched The Sizzler if you think they're similar.

Still, he did play some outstanding games...

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

He is a complete player. He has speed, agility, endurance, skill, competitiveness and great character.There will be questions etc until we see that piece of play where he shows the traits and we will all be sold.He is hard nosed too which is great and has captained his junior teams so he receives respect from peers.We have got this 100% correct and cannot wait to see him collect the ball cleanly and run straight past Robey and Sharp like they have lead boots.
Think Isaac Smith but with mongrel.

A yappy chihuahua with bulldog teeth and labrador sized feet for scratch kicking the footy...

 

[Hydatina Physis]

Mick Ablett saying Grlj is a Vlastuin/Broad replacement.

Righto.

 

[TheOptimum18]

Mick Ablett saying Grlj is a Vlastuin/Broad replacement.

Righto.

A Vlastuin/Broad/Jordan Clark type player, to be accurate.

Will love to see Grjl play on a 195cm key fwd and absolutely dominate based on this now.

 

[RJK Tiger]

There was a lot of shock for the first couple of minutes cause like most supporters we all have different selections in our heads. Don’t think that’s exclusive to just us 4.

Then after you take a deep breath and process it, we all universally agreed it was the best pick for us and the kid is going to light it up on the G.

Everyone is right behind this kid.

But like allot of others we just got initially swept up in what we all thought was going to happen, we are real people too!

I understand it’s fun to try frame a reaction a certain way but if you look past the first minute of shock it’s clear we all understood and agreed with the selection.

100% correct. Your reactions mirrored the reality, most people were shocked &/or disappointed that we went in that direction. The team needed some speed, but most felt a 182cm HBF was not the top of our biggest problems. I think most people want to see pillars being added that give us a clear group to build around - Cotchin, Jack, Dusty, Rance - we can look at all the other bits that went into a flag, but for the players, they were "Chapter 1" of that story. I actually had no reaction to Grlj being drafted as i have been really transparent i did no homework - it was only once i watched your feed and checked this board i realised - ohhhh this is probably the most unpopular pick we have made since JON. That's unfortunate for the player, but i think everyone will want him to do very well & think he can do very well, but a player with his build & on-field position, your ceiling is not as high as others. Off the top of your head, name the last speed-based HBF Brownlow medalist. It's a position that, commonly, elite options can be found in the arse end of the draft (Short, Baker, Houli), or a player who plays further up the field can develop into fairly quickly (Dan Rioli).

With reading the reactions & reports with the draft done and dusted, Robey sounds like the type of guy we wanted, & you did too from memory. Us recruiting Grlj doesn't change that. Supporter are allowed to be vocal, disagree, argue, be disappointed etc & as the players, the ones who can deal with that best tend to end up the best.


It sucks for the kid he has to come in and immediately have the "Fiora/Tambling" ghost hanging around him, but it is the reality of being a professional sportsperson. Porzingas had to cop it in New York, and he made them eat his ass. Its why you can eventually earn $2,000,000 a year doing what you love - comes down to handling the pressure.

This draft for me, it will either make Hartley a legend, or closer to Greg Miller. People forget Greg won some flags too before he was a Tiger & some of the rookies he recruited did end up coming Premiership Tigers too, but Miller/Wallace years were also a fumbling. This draft they took some wild swings with Grlj & especially Zane. More than likely this draft either ends a few careers, or they are with us for the next decade. It's hard & normal to be skeptical. If Grlj & Kane were there targets, then they likely could have packaged 4 & 38 up to be worth future / more assets. Watching the draft live, i felt like the next 6-7 picks would have been the same, even if Grlj was still on the board, the players they picked were very definitive to what they needed. I think the real pressure is not on Samuel, but now on Hartley. He & his team chose to zag when the rest of us wanted to zig. His the boss, but its always only "for now". The big swing on Samuel & Kane was strategically handled very poorly. We all celebrated when 38 turned into 30, just to watch us take the 94th rated top prospect. The reaction is normal all things considered

 

[RJK Tiger]

I was actually more shocked it wasn't XT on the back of Rhy's gettable interview lol.

But back to Grlj, his athletic profile is unicorn like really, when you look for other comparisons in that sense I keep landing on Max Holmes. I'm not sure if that is a high bar to set, but I see Grlj's blend of speed and endurance allowing him to torch teams relentlessly like Holmes does.

Which is going to be golden!

Then when you look more at his VFL highlights, he is right at home out there, this is a clear signal of where our footy is heading and It's going to look fantastic.

Sorry, but unless we are playing soccer, Unicorn's defenders don't come in 182cm sizes. Athletically he is fast & has good agility, evasiveness - but he is short, slight & not strong. The 2 scouting reports i read he sounded like Dan Rioli tbh.

The parts i read about him stating "Speed, agility, Evasiveness" are traits I love to see, but not in a defender. This report really does concern me tho, i hope its not too accurate

"Impressively, Grlj was largely able to translate his free-wheeling, high-meters gained style to senior football. He did most of his work by foot, finishing with 16 kicks out of his 18 disposals, and was unafraid to take the game on despite possessing a lighter frame than the majority of his opponents.

VFL Player Focus: Sam Grlj (Richmond)

Oakleigh Chargers speedster impressed in his VFL debut for Richmond over the weekend, operating in the back half.

central.rookieme.com

The last thing i want to read in a defender is "free-wheeling" & "slight". That is the opposite of a Unicorn defender.

An optimist might see this as a future Dan Rioli, but a pessimist likely is old enough to remember Aaron Fiora, who is a full 4cm taller than Grlj. Most of us are not excited about seeing slight, flankers being taken in the first round

 

[We are back baby!]

100% correct. Your reactions mirrored the reality, most people were shocked &/or disappointed that we went in that direction. The team needed some speed, but most felt a 182cm HBF was not the top of our biggest problems. I think most people want to see pillars being added that give us a clear group to build around - Cotchin, Jack, Dusty, Rance - we can look at all the other bits that went into a flag, but for the players, they were "Chapter 1" of that story. I actually had no reaction to Grlj being drafted as i have been really transparent i did no homework - it was only once i watched your feed and checked this board i realised - ohhhh this is probably the most unpopular pick we have made since JON. That's unfortunate for the player, but i think everyone will want him to do very well & think he can do very well, but a player with his build & on-field position, your ceiling is not as high as others. Off the top of your head, name the last speed-based HBF Brownlow medalist. It's a position that, commonly, elite options can be found in the arse end of the draft (Short, Baker, Houli), or a player who plays further up the field can develop into fairly quickly (Dan Rioli).

With reading the reactions & reports with the draft done and dusted, Robey sounds like the type of guy we wanted, & you did too from memory. Us recruiting Grlj doesn't change that. Supporter are allowed to be vocal, disagree, argue, be disappointed etc & as the players, the ones who can deal with that best tend to end up the best.


It sucks for the kid he has to come in and immediately have the "Fiora/Tambling" ghost hanging around him, but it is the reality of being a professional sportsperson. Its why you can eventually earn $2,000,000 a year doing what you love - comes down to handling the pressure.

This draft for me, it will either make Hartley a legend, or closer to Greg Miller. People forget Greg won some flags too before he was a Tiger & some of the rookies he recruited did end up coming Premiership Tigers too, but Miller/Wallace years were also a fumbling. This draft they took some wild swings with Grlj & especially Zane. More than likely this draft either ends a few careers, or they are with us for the next decade. It's hard & normal to be skeptical. If Grlj & Kane were there targets, then they likely could have packaged 4 & 38 up to be worth future / more assets. Watching the draft live, i felt like the next 6-7 picks would have been the same, even if Grlj was still on the board, the players they picked were very definitive to what they needed. I think the real pressure is not on Samuel, but now on Hartley. He & his team chose to zag when the rest of us wanted to zig. His the boss, but its always only "for now". The big swing on Samuel & Kane was strategically handled very poorly. We all celebrated when 38 turned into 30, just to watch us take the 94th rated top prospect. The reaction is normal all things considered

We dodged a bullet with Glacier Robey Michaels ... let's put it his speed, or lack of it, into perspective ... Nank's time at his combine over 20m was over 0.1s faster than The Glacier

 

[Michaels]

We dodged a bullet with Glacier Robey Michaels ... let's put it his speed, or lack of it, into perspective ... Nank's time at his combine over 20m was over 0.1s faster than The Glacier

I actually thought it was going to be XT.

But Grlj speed is going to electrify the team for many many years to come which is exciting!

 

[Phar Ace]

Murphy Reid

Agree, but better in congestion. His eye for lateral movement is extraordinary. He'll get pinged a bit more at the level, but he'll get better too. Give and get merchant if ever there was. And don't teammates just love calling his name on the field!

 

[Phar Ace]

I actually thought it was going to be XT.

But Grlj speed is going to electrify the team for many many years to come which is exciting!

Felt sure it was going to be XT as well. But this kid's eye for lateral movement, and the courage to give it a crack again and again may well prove a masterstroke.

 

[Phar Ace]

I dunno about the trade
It’s easy to say after the fact but you also need someone willing to pay up as well

Maybe we did shop the pick but no one would bite

At the end of the day it’s all secondary anyway now, he’s on our list
Looking forward to see what he’s got

I saw it a bit in reverse. That we went Grlj made those other trades more motivating because of who was left on the table. Don't think history will punish us for Grlj. You don't find many players with that sort of spatial AND lateral awareness. I expect he might get found out a bit early on, as he works out what the new pace and skill level will tolerate from him - and then he'll get even better. A bit like what happened with Sheeze.

 

[Morro]

I saw it a bit in reverse. That we went Grlj made those other trades more motivating because of who was left on the table. Don't think history will punish us for Grlj. You don't find many players with that sort of spatial AND lateral awareness. I expect he might get found out a bit early on, as he works out what the new pace and skill level will tolerate from him - and then he'll get even better. A bit like what happened with Sheeze.

Reckon the club will just tell him, run and gun, every time you think you can, get caught, go again. Dont stop

 

[Michaels]

Felt sure it was going to be XT as well. But this kid's eye for lateral movement, and the courage to give it a crack again and again may well prove a masterstroke.

Yep agree. Makes movement decisions quickly and backs himself.

 

[THE_GUN]

XT had a big night at crown and got 'Washed' Apparently ( As he himself called it ) older generation call it smashed or shit faced

 

[Wrenny]

XT had a big night at crown and got 'Washed' Apparently ( As he himself called it ) older generation call it smashed or shit faced

 

[Phar Ace]

XT had a big night at crown and got 'Washed' Apparently ( As he himself called it ) older generation call it smashed or shit faced

getting "pissed" still does it for me