Past #33: Ed Vickers-Willis - delisted at end of 2020 season - won't be offered a new contract - 21 NM games - thanks EVW

Donkey Chop

Cancelled
Jun 27, 2013
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Cool so will this guy be our lockdown defender we've been trying to develop for years?
 

Pykie

Cancelled
10k Posts A Star Wars Fan Pokemon is Life North Melbourne - North 2007 Player Sponsor North Melbourne - 2013 Daw, Black and Gibson Player Sponsorship
Sep 17, 2006
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Melbourne Grammar lad. I hope he is not as precious as Jack Watts. Versatile defenders are what we need.

Jack Watts was Brighton Grammar.

Try Tom Hawkins was a MGS boy.
 
Sep 4, 2014
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I think it was Bryce that just called him a mid who can play back on different types.
 
Vickers Willis
Nickname has to be BIGGUS

Agree with this call. is he the first North player with a hyphen? It almost made me rip up my membership card before I realised it was plastic and I wasn't a Richmond supporter.
 
Knightmare's take:

42. Edward Vickers-Willis (VIC – Util)
Height: 190cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 28/03/1996
Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
Draft range: 15-35
Best position/role: Half back flank.
Strengths:
Disposal efficiency – Vickers-Willis is an efficient user of the ball by hand and foot using it efficiently both through the TAC Cup, but then also through the U18 Championships where he had a disposal efficiency of above 80%.
Skillset – Vickers-Willis is a clean user of the ball by hand and foot. He hits his targets and by foot has penetration out to 55m. He can occasionally both by hand and foot put a bit too much force behind his touches and slightly overkick/overhandball but otherwise his action is clean and the results typically good as someone generally has some time and space with the foot and has a good feel for who is around him. He consistently makes good decisions with ball in hand and shows good vision, at times finding good targets up the field.
Movement – Vickers-Willis has a real fluidity to his movement. He is not a freak athlete who will break the lines at pace or do anything freakish but he moves well and looks natural with ball in hand and covers the ground reasonably well and has good endurance.
Linkup ability – Vickers-Willis is a capable linkup player as someone who has good running patterns, can find some space on the outside at times and can take marks around the ground but then also uses it well by hand and foot.
Versatility – Given his well-rounded game Vickers-Willis has the versatility to play down back, through the midfield in inside or outside roles or in the front half.
Ability in the back half – Vickers-Willis in the back half is an effective rebounder as a very good intercept mark who reads it well in the back half and is a reliable mark. He provides good, reliable rebounding with his footskills to a target good. He also is capable of beating his direct opponent and limiting their influence as someone who can stay with his opponents 1v1 but also is quick enough to stay with them around the ground.
Upside – Vickers-Willis has shown strong continued improvement going from where he was at last year to continuing to improve this year, have a strong U18 Championships and close out the season well. He is also said to be a hard trainer and as a taller type who is on the improve it can reasonably be assumed that he has good scope to further improve his game.
Weaknesses:
Ability to influence matches – At this stage Vickers-Willis can sometimes have up to 25 disposals and you may not notice him once. His touches feel quiet and you do not necessarily notice any of them unless watching him closely. He just looks like another player out there and he just feels like another player participating in the game rather than someone who is actively influencing the outcome making any one game changing or meaningful play.
Scoreboard impact – To this point Vickers-Willis has not demonstrated heavy scoreboard impact, only kicking the one goal through the TAC Cup this season and no goals through the U18 Championships.
What I expect will improve:
Vickers-Willis has the ability to become a more damaging player and hit the scoreboard more frequently given his relatively long kick and as a taller type with a body that is developing well there is also the opportunity that he further improves the contested side of his game.
Who he can become?
Vickers-Willis has the scope to develop into something similar to Andy Otten as a similar quality player with similar versatility at his height.
When will he be ready to play?
Vickers-Willis may start to see game time at AFL level in season two and likely come season three will be looking to establish himself as a regular at AFL level.
How to best utilise him?
Vickers-Willis looks best utilised as a tall back flanker as someone who seems to have a good balance between defence and offense.
Interpretation of his numbers:
His disposal per game numbers are only average through the TAC Cup but trending upwards based on what he did last year and earlier in the season. He had excellent numbers through the U18 Championships and had a disposal efficiency of over 80% which is elite. He has a good balance between contested and uncontested ball winning numbers. His mark per game numbers are excellent and he is capable of both taking intercept marks and linking up. His scoreboard impact is poor and tackles per game numbers are below average.
 

The Dingrel

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 25, 2013
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Sounds like a Jmac clone.
Already been mentioned in this article, where he states he wants to do commerce-law, where they state it has "prompted some clubs to ask if there’s a chance he could prematurely retire to enter the corporate world."
a successful footy career opens doors in the corporate world to a smart well educated bloke.
 
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