Notice a lot of lamenting around not picking up Ludowyke or some other project tall. I'll comment on Ludowyke because I wasn't a big fan of him as a prospect.
Ludowyke is extremely slow (3.227 20m) and doesn't have another stand-out athletic trait that will help him at the next level. He two-grabs a lot of marks, doesn't chop-out in the ruck, isn't great below his knees and due to his limited athletic profile, he'd get burnt as a defender.
In many ways, he was the beneficiary of being a key forward for an excellent side with good consistent service.
I could write a similar comment for other talls. Now does this mean Ludowyke won't make it? No, and in fact, I really hope he builds a great career. But you weigh up risk vs reward - if he does make it, is he a needle mover? Or just a serviceable key position forward?
Mikunda on the other hand has an athletic profile and style that really suits the way footy is played today. If you're throwing a dart on a prospect towards the end of the draft, he makes a lot of sense, as opposed to someone like Ludowyke who has a limited upside.
Worth noting that I could write a similar type of comment I did for Ludowyke for Greeves (obviously different negatives relating to the role of a midfielder). I said I wasn't sure he'd even get drafted and he didn't. It's brutal that someone that had as many runs on the board as he did didn't get drafted, but his game is unlikely to translate favourably to AFL. This is unfortunately why Dom Brew hasn't been picked up, even though he's been the best player at VFL level for the last 3-4 years.
Ludowyke is extremely slow (3.227 20m) and doesn't have another stand-out athletic trait that will help him at the next level. He two-grabs a lot of marks, doesn't chop-out in the ruck, isn't great below his knees and due to his limited athletic profile, he'd get burnt as a defender.
In many ways, he was the beneficiary of being a key forward for an excellent side with good consistent service.
I could write a similar comment for other talls. Now does this mean Ludowyke won't make it? No, and in fact, I really hope he builds a great career. But you weigh up risk vs reward - if he does make it, is he a needle mover? Or just a serviceable key position forward?
Mikunda on the other hand has an athletic profile and style that really suits the way footy is played today. If you're throwing a dart on a prospect towards the end of the draft, he makes a lot of sense, as opposed to someone like Ludowyke who has a limited upside.
Worth noting that I could write a similar type of comment I did for Ludowyke for Greeves (obviously different negatives relating to the role of a midfielder). I said I wasn't sure he'd even get drafted and he didn't. It's brutal that someone that had as many runs on the board as he did didn't get drafted, but his game is unlikely to translate favourably to AFL. This is unfortunately why Dom Brew hasn't been picked up, even though he's been the best player at VFL level for the last 3-4 years.
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