Traded #32: Travis Colyer - traded to Freo for future 4th rounder

[Kong]

Welcome to Essendon, Travis Colyer.

Draft profile, thanks to Ant555:

175cm 73kg Claremont
Very quick small forward / midfielder who has some excitement about him. He is very much on the small side but that does not stop him from going hard and winning contested footy or finding the ball at stoppages.
Loves to take off with the ball and have a bounce and he does not mind beating an opponent with his side step. He has a very good leap and good gaol sense when forward.
Can play through the midfield and wins a lot of clearances on his natural instincts and reflexes. For a small skinny kid he has a very good engine and he tested well in all the running aspects at draft camp.
Apart from his size one downside is his disposal. His kicking can range from very to rather poor and he can miss targets badly. He is also prone to giving dodgy handballs to team mates under pressure.
He was an AA player this year and had a strong champ series for WA despite his poor 55% kicking efficiency. He averaged 20 disposals a game playing forward and in the midfield.
Played 3 senior games for Claremont this year but had minimal impact averaging just under 13 possessions but his form in the colts was very strong.
I am very confident he will get picked up in the top 30. Steven Hill proved that if you can play and run all day then size does not always matter. If his kicking was a bit better he would more than likely be in the mix for a mid to late first round pick for mine.

Draft profile, thanks to AFLDraftInfo.com:

Height: 173cm
Weight: 67kg
Preferred foot: Right/Dual Sided
Role: Midfield/FP
Potential: 6-8/10
Style-like: Nathan Foley

Strengths
> Extremely explosive, line-breaking pace off the mark and very good evasiveness/slipperiness too - confident, dynamic playmaker who’s first instinct is often to tuck the ball under the arm and go for a dash - loves to take everyone he possibly can on, will regularly beat them and is rarely caught at this level
> May be diminutive, but well balanced and doesn’t lose his feet often
> Very good all-round ball winning skills both inside and out of contest –can win the ball with good consistency at stoppages despite not seeming to have great positioning, he has very quick RT and reflexes, good intensity/attack on the football, as well as excellent pace off the mark (3.6Cpg at the 2009 U18 championships)
> Good intensity – very energetic and enthusiastic around the ball – buzzes in and around the contests, capable of hard running (likes to be involved in the possession chain on multiple occasions) and rarely drifts out of games – well suited to AFL given the speed he plays
> Very good vertical leap – allows him to compete better than expected aerially - took a few good contested marks over the course of the championships
> Good nous and sense around goals – regularly a goal kicker (as both a midfielder and small forward) and often in multiples (however needs to improve accuracy)
> Whilst much more offensively minded he is capable of providing and applying very good defensive pressure and impact with both perceived pressure and his run down tackle ability

Weaknesses
> Close to ‘showstopping’ height and a light build – he has surprised on occasions to show he can compete aerially with bigger opponents at this level and outmark them in a contest, but it still doesn’t alleviate concerns that some would have

Other
> Low trajectory, but mixed dual sided delivery over short-medium distances – field kicking accuracy is OK-decent, but weighting/accuracy lacks reliability on the run – lacks penetration/has a short range (typically upto 45m) – kicking for goal on the run can be very hit and miss – his accuracy and cleanness of use by hand is OK at best although he has very quick release
> OK-decent overall DM with the ball –quick reflexes, reasonable vision, but not consistent enough and sells teammates into trouble a bit too often (particularly with his hands) to call good or better – TBF he does consistently take the game on and regularly plays at a frenetic speed (sometimes gets ahead of himself/teammates), so it may improve/look better in time at the next level
> Decent hands – can pick up the ball very cleanly at times including at pace, but is also prone to fumbling at others
> Shortest and lightest at draft camp
> Played 3 WAFL League games for Claremont averaging 12.7d and 0.7g per game – some chance to play AFL next year, but most likely as a small forward only
> 2007 WA U16 squad
> Played WAFL Colts 2008 (+ Alcock Cup for Trinity)
> 2009 WA U18 squad and AA U18 I/C
> Member of the 2009 premiership winning WAFL colts team

[youtube]4UDrr9BjVWo[/youtube]
[youtube]F1F7kS2xBgM[/youtube]

 

[eth-dog]

Re: Travis Colyer

Gun. Great pickup

 

[The Dustbin]

Re: Travis Colyer

The Bombers grab their little big man

HEIGHT had always been an obstacle for pint-sized midfielder Travis Colyer, and as he sat down to watch the 2009 NAB AFL Draft with his nervous family it was an issue that reared its head again.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/87622/default.aspx

 

[DaSawx]

Re: Travis Colyer

Stick him in the forward line and let him chase until he is ready for the midfield.

 

[ant555]

Re: Travis Colyer

Pick 26 Travis Colyer 175cm 73kg Claremont

Very good pick here I believe with the club going for a quick small forward / midfielder who has some excitement about him. He is very much on the small side but that does not stop him from going hard and winning contested footy or finding the ball at stoppages.
Loves to take off with the ball and have a bounce and he does not mind beating an opponent with his side step. He has a very good leap and good goal sense when forward.
Can play through the midfield and wins a lot of clearances on his natural instincts and reflexes. For a small skinny kid he has a very good engine and he tested well in all the running aspects at draft camp with a top 10 beep test and also top 10 finishes in agility, 20 meter sprint and repeat sprints.

Apart from his size one downside is his disposal. His kicking can range from very good to rather poor with a few shanks and he can miss targets badly. He is also prone to giving dodgy handballs to team mates under pressure but it is generally when he is unde fierce pressure.
He was an AA player this year and had a strong champ series for WA despite his poor 55% kicking efficiency. He averaged 20 disposals a game playing forward and in the midfield.
Played 3 senior games for Claremont this year but had minimal impact averaging just under 13 possessions but his form in the colts was very strong.

I thought that this kid was a top 30 prospect and it proved to be that way. He was an outstanding school athlete and is someone who is smart enough to play as a small defender if need be as well.
Obviously the kicking will have to improve and I generally don’t like players who have kicking issues but there is just something about the way this bloke plays that keeps drawing you into him.
The pace, the side step combined with the work rate and a good defensive attitude helps you over look the kicking issues. Likely to play as a small forward if he is to play a bit at senior level next season.

 

[AxelFoley]

Re: Travis Colyer

 

[Kong]

Re: Travis Colyer

See, even he knows he's going to be a star.

Look at the sly grin.

 

[Kong]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Apparently he tore it up on our intra-club game.

Looking good to fulfil a few posters' (including mine) call that he'll be a star, and even feature this year.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Got mentioned by Knighter in the post-match presser as the first first year player (if that makes sense). I'd be shocked not to see him play at Subi.

 

[stay true]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

32TRAVIS COLYER

Born: 24 August, 1991 (18 years old)
Recruited: 2010 Draft, pick 26 from Claremont
Height: 175cm
Weight: 73kg
Prospectus Classification: Midfielder/Small Forward

Games: 0
Goals: 0
Debut: Yet to debut

2009 Under 18 Championships Statistics (Averages):
Matches: 5
Kicks: 14
Kicking Efficiency: 55.7%
Handballs: 6
Disposals: 20
Disposal Efficiency: 65.0%
Marks: 4
Contested Possessions: 7.2
Uncontested Possessions: 12.4
Clearances: 3.6
Tackles: 1.8
Goals: 0.6
Behinds: 1.2

Draft Bios:
afl.com.au: Attacking midfielder with a good turn of speed and tremendous poise in traffic. Strong performer for WA at NAB AFL U18 Championships, winning All-Australian honours. His 2.96sec for 20m and 14.5 beep test at Draft Camp highlighted his speed/endurance combination.

contestedfooty.com: Travis Colyer is a dynamic small forward who, despite his height of 175cm and slight frame of 73kg is expected to get picked up late in the 2nd round due to the importance of having a player that applies defensive pressure in the AFL nowadays. A very good showing at the draft camp where he finished in the top 10 in the 20-meter sprint (2.96 sec), Beep test (14.5) and top 5 in the agility test (8.14 sec) and repeat sprint test (24.36 sec) confirmed Travis Colyer's athletic potential.

EFC Website Preview:
A speedy, attacking midfielder, Colyer earned All-Australian honours after outstanding performances for WA at the 2009 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, finishing second overall for loose-ball gets, equal second for inside 50s and sixth for clearances. The West Australian’s stature and skill level lends weight to comparisons with North Melbourne star Brent Harvey.

Contract Status: Contracted until the end of 2011
SuperCoach: MIDFIELDER $94,200
DreamTeam: MIDFIELDER $89,500

Sources:
afl.com.au
contestedfooty.com
essendonfc.com.au
​

 

[JD11]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

To bring some speed?

 

[Mrs Mercuri]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Is in the side to make his debut on Sat night.... bit of a surprise to me but it seems as though he is replacing Davey this week.

Hope he gets a lot of decent possies and has a successful debut in the red and black!

 

[Kong]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Mark my words, this kid is special.

 

[cooper6]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Suprised to see him in, can anyone provide us with info on his form at Bendigo/ prac matches etc thus far? Thanks.

 

[gO_bOmBeRz]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

all he has to do is get more than 6 possies and 4 tackles to beat davey's performance last week...

Agree with Whomb his got something about him, gotta be the hair

 

[Slattery_20]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

His build - the couple of times I've seen him - reminds me of a bantamweight boxer rather than a footy player. Has a fair bit of agility.
I reckon he can do some nice things if his confidence is up. If he gets a good early touch, we may have some fun.

 

[AS211]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Gun.

Wants to take the game on, uses his pace well, just needs to compose himself before delivering by foot.

Love the way he's happy to win the hard ball and if given a metre, will burst into open space, dare I say it, an inside out player.

Played some great games for Claremont late last year after a solid carnival, insanely quick and agile.

Reminds me of a harder, faster, less prickish......

 

[Kaan]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

No Lovett? No problem. This guy is speedy.

Just needs to fix his kicking which will come with time.

 

[BrunoV]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Very impressive tonight.

 

[stay true]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

I liked what I saw from my boy tonight. Will keep his spot.

 

[loopy_cam]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Just needs to learn to settle before he kicks. Kicking had too much momentum with him going 300km/hr.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

how good seeing the No. 32 zipping around again!

 

[Frothies Mcveigh]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Super quick and explosive just needs to compose himself a little more before kicking.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Showed some pace & heart last night. Give him an ANZAC gig Knights.

 

[Slattery_20]

Re: 32. Travis Colyer

Dead-set terrible.

(And I actually love the kid.)