Player Watch #41: Blake Drury - 17d/2 goals vs Geelong - keeps his spot vs Hawthorn

[The Nostradamus]

178cm from memory Patch....was also vic metro captain from memory.

Yeah very similar players

Drury a touch more flexible in terms of playing in defence also

 

[apollo_creed]

There is nothing similar about them at all. Hair colour and size doesn't make them similar.
Adams was better at pretty much everything measurable.

Comparing him to Adams and implying that Drury is better/more versatile is inaccurate.

I wish him well and hope he makes it, but I'd say there's a 75% chance Drury won't be on an AFL list in 2025.

 

[The Nostradamus]

There is nothing similar about them at all. Hair colour and size doesn't make them similar.
Adams was better at pretty much everything measurable.

Comparing him to Adams and implying that Drury is better/more versatile is inaccurate.

I wish him well and hope he makes it, but I'd say there's a 75% chance Drury won't be on an AFL list in 2025.

Similar traits and type of player

Who knows who will be better but at the same age they are comparable

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Like any player of his height/frame, he has to get rid of the fumbles otherwise he’s toast.

 

[BlueandWhiteinmyBlood]

There is nothing similar about them at all. Hair colour and size doesn't make them similar.
Adams was better at pretty much everything measurable.

Comparing him to Adams and implying that Drury is better/more versatile is inaccurate.

I wish him well and hope he makes it, but I'd say there's a 75% chance Drury won't be on an AFL list in 2025.

Were they both vic metro captain too?

 

[Arthur Cloke]

I'm not sold on Drury. I'm happy to take bets that he ain't on an AFL list in 2025. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel. I place him in the same box as players like Mahony, Turner, Spicer, Tyson......would love to know what the recruiters saw/see in him. It has my blood burning.

 

[The Nostradamus]

I'm not sold on Drury. I'm happy to take bets that he ain't on an AFL list in 2025. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel. I place him in the same box as players like Mahony, Turner, Spicer, Tyson......would love to know what the recruiters saw/see in him. It has my blood burning.

He can stay on the rookie list for another year post next year

So as long as he shows some progress he should be there 2025 for what will be the make or break year

 

[ferball]

I'm not sold on Drury. I'm happy to take bets that he ain't on an AFL list in 2025. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel. I place him in the same box as players like Mahony, Turner, Spicer, Tyson......would love to know what the recruiters saw/see in him. It has my blood burning.

He's exactly the sort of player you can spend rookie picks on, as was Turner.

 

[BlueandWhiteinmyBlood]

I'm not sold on Drury. I'm happy to take bets that he ain't on an AFL list in 2025. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel. I place him in the same box as players like Mahony, Turner, Spicer, Tyson......would love to know what the recruiters saw/see in him. It has my blood burning.

Can’t believe you aren’t sold on a speculative rookie pick!!

 

[davefromjerra]

I'm not sold on Drury. I'm happy to take bets that he ain't on an AFL list in 2025. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel. I place him in the same box as players like Mahony, Turner, Spicer, Tyson......would love to know what the recruiters saw/see in him. It has my blood burning.

He can kick a footy 50 metres, probably his main point of difference.

 

[berniemccarthy]

He can kick a footy 50 metres, probably his main point of difference.

Remember being at the first training session and watched him kick goal post high from outside 50 on both feet. Ive got some patience with him

 

[WesternRoo]

There is nothing similar about them at all. Hair colour and size doesn't make them similar.
Adams was better at pretty much everything measurable.

Comparing him to Adams and implying that Drury is better/more versatile is inaccurate.

I wish him well and hope he makes it, but I'd say there's a 75% chance Drury won't be on an AFL list in 2025.

Agree with this. Patch would really crack in too and had a long kick.

Drury in the games he played looked a bit apprehensive of the contest and was fumbly. Not saying he is soft necessarily but looked a bit overawed. He has no penetration with his kicking either. Mahoney showed a lot more.

With the sort of talent on or coming onto the list, I see his only chance of making it with us as a lockdown small defender with neat skills.

 

[apollo_creed]

Adams played like a big bodied player and looked tough. Hard to knock off the ball, pretty versatile, mostly reliable by foot and like you say he had length in his kicking. From memory he held his own pretty well in the marking contest as well.

 

[pupstar]

Adams played like a big bodied player and looked tough. Hard to knock off the ball, pretty versatile, mostly reliable by foot and like you say he had length in his kicking. From memory he held his own pretty well in the marking contest as well.

Not in his 1st 2 years he didn't.

 

[apollo_creed]

Not in his 1st 2 years he didn't.

This is the interesting aspect of our supporter base, the same people who are surprised we are anchored to the bottom. They take players like Drury and convince themselves that they’re AFL quality, unrealised gems who inevitably turn out to be below the standard required.

Linking him to Adams is just comical and purely based on appearance. They are nothing alike as footballers.

It’s fairly easy to determine a players capacity and what they can potentially offer within their abilities (regardless of output). Drury is nowhere near it. It’s not about development, it’s ability and capacity.

 

[koshari]

He can kick a footy 50 metres, probably his main point of difference.

better sprinter to the interchange as well.

seriously though, whilst he may not be the 2nd coming of carey iam not seeing a lot of other rookies from that draft exactly kicking the door down either, 18 teams with lists of 40 odd sure thins out the talent pool. he is exactly the definition of a speculative rookie, its the blokes we took with 2nd rounders where we have really cut failed to identify of recent years. Marns is one of the more recent examples, likely would have been looked on as a success if he was taken in the rookie draft and got 40 games, but for where he went was a bust.

 

[pupstar]

This is the interesting aspect of our supporter base, the same people who are surprised we are anchored to the bottom. They take players like Drury and convince themselves that they’re AFL quality, unrealised gems who inevitably turn out to be below the standard required.

Linking him to Adams is just comical and purely based on appearance. They are nothing alike as footballers.

It’s fairly easy to determine a players capacity and what they can potentially offer within their abilities (regardless of output). Drury is nowhere near it. It’s not about development, it’s ability and capacity.

So if he is no were near it who made the decision to keep him and why. Does that make them incompetent. Should we be addressing who ever made that decision. I'm sure Clarko and company would have had some say. My opinion the bloke has only been on our list for 5 minutes give him some slack.

 

[apollo_creed]

So if he is no were near it who made the decision to keep him and why. Does that make them incompetent. Should we be addressing who ever made that decision. I'm sure Clarko and company would have had some say. My opinion the bloke has only been on our list for 5 minutes give him some slack.

good on them for giving him a chance. No issue with that. For the record every club makes poor judgment calls and I reckon Drury based on his in game effort has a fantastic attitude and commitment so that would’ve definitely been a key factor as to why he was given another year.

 

[Gumble Frankieton]

Remember being at the first training session and watched him kick goal post high from outside 50 on both feet. Ive got some patience with him

Kicking from 50 on both feet? In a weird way that almost seems a bit old school. The number of players that are horribly one-sided is strange given the full-time professional nature of the league these days.

 

[shinboner magic]

Should look at trying to nail a backline position as that’s his best chance.
Good reader of play and vision

 

[spurs]

Similar traits and type of player

Who knows who will be better but at the same age they are comparable

No

 

[DunderHead]

He was good in the pre-season. He showed something at training that wasn’t replicated during the season.

Can he translate his form into AFL footy? Not sure. But he might.

We definitely saw the worst of him this year when playing seniors. Never played with any confidence. Just seemed to make mistakes. Don’t judge him on this output. He has some good attributes - good kick, good runner great attitude, has a bit of go in him to. There’s potential there I reckon.

 

[Psicosis]

Difficult first year given he’s already been thrown around so much. Spent the whole preseason and majority of the first half of VFL season at half back, before being moved forward. Not everyone is Harry Sheezel and can be thrown around and adapt.

Hopefully the club lets him have a full preseason in the position he’s most likely to play at AFL level.

 

[King Corey]

No

If this lad is Leigh Adams II we might as well compare Callum Coleman-Jones to Corey McKernan.

 

[Lomas]

He was good in the pre-season. He showed something at training that wasn’t replicated during the season.

Can he translate his form into AFL footy? Not sure. But he might.

We definitely saw the worst of him this year when playing seniors. Never played with any confidence. Just seemed to make mistakes. Don’t judge him on this output. He has some good attributes - good kick, good runner great attitude, has a bit of go in him to. There’s potential there I reckon.

When you pick a kid like this you give them a couple of years. Happy to have him in the list.