AFL Player #15: Jayden Laverde

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Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 7, Nuggs Bunny
 
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Teflon Dons

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Was so dirty with himself after missing that goal after the siren he told Heppell to '**** off mate' as he tried to console him. I saw Heppell grab him by the head and bring him in although I'm not sure what happened after that as the camera cut away. He still looked shat off at the start of the last term. I reckon he could be about to have a break out game.

I saw that from behind wondered what he said, nothing happened after that Dys walked away. He looks like he's about to explode think he stays in
 
From Cal Twomey pre-draft

"For a start, Laverde is versatile. He can be used in almost any role given his size (189cm, 82kg) and athleticism.

At times through the season he was played off half-back, on the wing, as a half-forward or true midfielder, but Laverde's strength is being able to do all of that within a single game.

Being a big-bodied midfielder seems to be his go at the next level given he has the pace, agility and strength around the ball and the breakaway qualities to find space.

Around the ground Laverde has shown his ability to cut off the play from half-back and he reads the play well to take overhead, intercept marks and then get moving.

Powerful, quick and with excellent lateral movement, Laverde has some genuine game-turning traits to his game. He kicked 15 goals from 10 games for the Jets, showing his attacking mindset."
Haha I looked that up the other day but couldn't be bothered with posting it. I remember when he was drafted. I remember how good he was when he got a chance in 2015 and the start of '16 (before he did that AC joint injury). I'm hoping the ankle injury hasn't robbed him of some of those foot skills, because he definitely had them, but I think maybe he's a bit rusty and the muscles are probably still rehabbing from being in a moonboot for three months or whatever. (Come to think of it, it's probably way more than that. He got injured at the end of pre-season didn't he, and then only returned to the VFL after the mid-season bye?)

I still think he can be an excellent player as a mid/forward, same as Langford. He's just a bit further back in his apprenticeship because of the injuries. He was originally ahead of Langford for games played but Langford overtook him while he was injured. In fact, in his Draft Trumps interview he was asked for a player comparison (as all draftees are), and like Langford, he said Fyfe - a mid that can go forward and kick goals. They're different styles of player, but I think ultimately they play very similar roles for the team and should both be in there, inside, outside and forward.
 
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It's not just his kicking for goal but also his passes that have not been quite there.

Also yesterday he got into some good positions but received poor service. Look at the pass where he had jump early (but poorly) and also McKenna missed him completely in a pocket.

Frankly though I don't see how a guy like Langford can't do any better up forward. Even he shows more effort which may well be because of lack of fitness. But against the Swans that lack of second effort will hurt us


I was basically right behind that kick which lead him to jump early and I didn't have an issue with it although it might have been better had it been aimed more out the front for him to lead onto it because he had a clear path to take a leading chest mark but I felt he jumped early because there were two defenders closing.
 

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Am not too worried about where our prized 21 year old, 3rd year fwd/mid is at. With so many interrupted pre seasons/seasons, he is essentially a 2nd year player. Just getting continuity into his footy is what should be the clubs focus.
now we all know this is NOT the place for that kind of rational response to the situation
 
Am not too worried about where our prized 21 year old, 3rd year fwd/mid is at. With so many interrupted pre seasons/seasons, he is essentially a 2nd year player. Just getting continuity into his footy is what should be the clubs focus.

Two things concern me.
1. Like Myers he has had at least two injuries per season so far.
2.The lack of second efforts.

Myers will never be the player he could have been because of the run of injury he had. Laverde is heading down the same path. His lack of real form is no super concern but the total lack of second efforts and the concrete hands do worry me. He simply has to have a good run with injury for the next 12 months. It is vital for us that he does.
 

resurrector

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Guile will be very good if he can get his body right.
Was starting to show some nice sharpness/evasiveness in his last few games of the season.
Let's hope he gets in a ripper pre-season and becomes that midfield beast we all know he's capable of.
 

calyam

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I'd love for him to take on the Myers role in the midfield. That big body that throws his weight around a bit, protects our smaller mids - Merrett, Parish and McGrath - and then drifts forward to kick goals.
 
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The reality of it is he's come in and got half a dozen AFL games under his belt when it looked at one stage like this year was going to be a complete washout for him.

Take it for what it is, a big win for us going forward.

I don't think it's a big win but rather a big loss - It was clear watching him in the VFL, that he didn't have the match conditioning to fulfill a role in the AFL - he should have played out the season in the VFL - A big fail by the coaches.
 
Lacks agility? Wtf. Zero idea how you could get that impression. He has an awesome sidestep, that's probably the best attribute he's consistently shown this season.

He's not a forward, he's never in the right position. He should be able to out leap and out muscle his opponents but he's always just standing there when the ball comes to him.

He could be a really good midfielder. I really don't understand how what anyone's seen of him this year could dispel that notion. He hasn't shown the aerial ability I thought he had but he still looks excellent with ball in hand.

Disagree - KM is spot on with his post - Laverde struggles with the ball beneath his knees, especially so in confined spaces - Never seenanything to show he could be a full time mid.
 
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I don't think it's a big win but rather a big loss - It was clear watching him in the VFL, that he didn't have the match conditioning to fulfill a role in the AFL - he should have played out the season in the VFL - A big fail by the coaches.
They threw him into the deep end to try and get as many senior games as possible into him. FWIW, we still made the finals, so it's definitely not a big fail. That said I know what you're saying and agree to some extent - he didn't look quite ready. Hopefully he can have an uninterrupted preseason and kick start 2018 with some form *fingers crossed*
 

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BrunoV

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I don't think it's a big win but rather a big loss - It was clear watching him in the VFL, that he didn't have the match conditioning to fulfill a role in the AFL - he should have played out the season in the VFL - A big fail by the coaches.


They threw him into the deep end to try and get as many senior games as possible into him. FWIW, we still made the finals, so it's definitely not a big fail. That said I know what you're saying and agree to some extent - he didn't look quite ready. Hopefully he can have an uninterrupted preseason and kick start 2018 with some form *fingers crossed*



Six of one half a dozen of the other. There were advantages to keeping him in the VFL which were significantly lessened by the VFL side being bundled out of the finals. It cannot hurt to have exposed Laverde to the pace of AFL for the five or six games that he played (the alternative would be a gap of about 20 months between senior AFL footy played between August 2016 and March 2018). It was definitely a positive that his body held up.

That's the problem with the way Langford has been handled, while he definitely made gains as a midfielder none of that has been tested in the heat of AFL. It's dealing with the tempo of AFL that will present the biggest challenge for Langford early next year (thought it's not necessarily going to be that big of a problem - everything could just click into place with maturity).
 
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Towno78

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Disagree - KM is spot on with his post - Laverde struggles with the ball beneath his knees, especially so in confined spaces - Never seenanything to show he could be a full time mid.
I'm going to chuck this one in the Yaco files, alongside Daniher will not be an elite key forward and Fantasia is not clean enough to be a small forward.
 
Disagree - KM is spot on with his post - Laverde struggles with the ball beneath his knees, especially so in confined spaces - Never seenanything to show he could be a full time mid.

Yes! Guys, Laverde breaks out to be a full-time mid next year. Elite below his knees especially in confined space.
 

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