Past Michael "Grassy" Knoll - delisted 2020

sQFtvuIQ.jpg

Michael Knoll

Player Profile

Michael Knoll stamped a stunning rise from US college basketball to Australian rules football when the Sydney Swans snapped him up at the 2019 mid-season draft. The 205-centimetre, 103-kilogram ruckman played his first game of footy with the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL in 2017, before playing with Vermont’s reserves in the Eastern Football League in 2019. He then made the switch to the Swans from the South Adelaide Panthers in the SANFL. Knoll made solid progress in the NEAFL under the expert eye of Sydney assistant coach Dean Cox in 2019, and he’s on a mission to make his AFL debut in 2020.

Michael Knoll

DOB: 27 February 1993
DRAFT: 2018
RECRUITED FROM: Box Hill Hawks (VFL)/Vermont (Vic)/South Adelaide (SANFL)

 
Last edited:
Michael KNOLL (South Adelaide)
2019 SANFL

Totals

  • 7 games
  • 0 goals
  • 1 behinds
  • 3 times in best players list

Averages
  • 5.3 kicks
  • 7.0 handballs
  • 12.3 disposals
  • 4.9 marks
  • 4.6 tackles
  • 1.3 frees for
  • 1.6 frees against
  • 1.4 inside 50s
  • 0.0 rebound 50s
  • 88.00 AFL Fantasy points

Michael KNOLL (Box Hill Hawks)
2018 VFL

Totals

  • 3 games
  • 0 goals
  • 1 behinds
  • 1 times in best players list

Averages
  • 2.7 kicks
  • 4.3 handballs
  • 7.0 disposals
  • 1.3 marks
  • 11.0 tackles
  • 1.3 frees for
  • 1.3 frees against
  • 1.0 inside 50s
  • 0.7 rebound 50s
  • 97.33 AFL Fantasy points
 

MC Bad Genius

No, not THAT MC Bad Genius. The other one.
Apr 15, 2008
16,609
28,447
Sydney
AFL Club
Sydney
Michael KNOLL (South Adelaide)
2019 SANFL


Totals
  • 7 games
  • 0 goals
  • 1 behinds
  • 3 times in best players list

Averages
  • 5.3 kicks
  • 7.0 handballs
  • 12.3 disposals
  • 4.9 marks
  • 4.6 tackles
  • 1.3 frees for
  • 1.6 frees against
  • 1.4 inside 50s
  • 0.0 rebound 50s
  • 88.00 AFL Fantasy points

Michael KNOLL (Box Hill Hawks)
2018 VFL


Totals
  • 3 games
  • 0 goals
  • 1 behinds
  • 1 times in best players list

Averages
  • 2.7 kicks
  • 4.3 handballs
  • 7.0 disposals
  • 1.3 marks
  • 11.0 tackles
  • 1.3 frees for
  • 1.3 frees against
  • 1.0 inside 50s
  • 0.7 rebound 50s
  • 97.33 AFL Fantasy points
Pretty useless not to have Hit Outs as a stat for a ruckman...
 
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #81
Last edited:
So to put in perspective he has played just 10 games of high level footy in his entire life.

Probably needs 12 months to adapt.
Pyke only played 3 AFL Canberra games and a handful of preseason games before his senior debut.
 

Tedeski

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 2, 2006
21,806
26,870
Melbourne
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
Mava Fan Cooler
Sinclair lost the hitouts by around 40 to Grundy the other night. We can't give that advantage to our opposition every week & against the Pies, being down two of our best inside mids for the second half, we would have perhaps won that game well had we evened up the hit outs gaining more to advantage.
That's the difference it can make so this fellow will definitely play very soon as soon as he learns our game plan IMO.
He can just take the number one ruck spot in an instant if he keeps up with his development.
 

mikey_san

Cancelled
Mar 17, 2012
5,711
6,621
AFL Club
Sydney
So to put in perspective he has played just 10 games of high level footy in his entire life.

Probably needs 12 months to adapt.

As ready to play as anyone.
Has got the height, weight and agression (tackles) to hold his own. Gameplan shmameplan.

"Win some taps - smash a few blokes in the tackle". Gameplan :heavycheck:

Chuck him in the deep end. This weekend.
 

Mick Oxlong

Cancelled
10k Posts
Oct 27, 2007
11,471
13,227
AFL Club
Sydney
As ready to play as anyone.
Has got the height, weight and agression (tackles) to hold his own. Gameplan shmameplan.

"Win some taps - smash a few blokes in the tackle". Gameplan :heavycheck:

Chuck him in the deep end. This weekend.

Yeah why not, Essendon would’ve!
 
Jul 20, 2001
23,300
28,503
Sydney
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
Sydney Swans
As ready to play as anyone.
Has got the height, weight and agression (tackles) to hold his own. Gameplan shmameplan.

"Win some taps - smash a few blokes in the tackle". Gameplan :heavycheck:

Chuck him in the deep end. This weekend.
I think it would be wise for him to understand our stoppage setups and the players he will be playing with for at least a couple of weeks ideally!
 
I think it would be wise for him to understand our stoppage setups and the players he will be playing with for at least a couple of weeks ideally!

It seems like Sinclair doesn't understand any of that stuff, so I'm not sure what harm could come from going with the unknown entity.

But do we even know if Knoll and Hirst have even made it up to Sydney yet? Heard nothing from the club about them which leads me to believe they're not actually at the club yet. That certainly rules Knoll out for this week, and maybe even in the NEAFL too.
 

Mick Oxlong

Cancelled
10k Posts
Oct 27, 2007
11,471
13,227
AFL Club
Sydney
It seems like Sinclair doesn't understand any of that stuff, so I'm not sure what harm could come from going with the unknown entity.

But do we even know if Knoll and Hirst have even made it up to Sydney yet? Heard nothing from the club about them which leads me to believe they're not actually at the club yet. That certainly rules Knoll out for this week, and maybe even in the NEAFL too.
He (Knoll) arrived in Sydney yesterday, you’d expect Hirst would’ve done the same considering the club books the flights!
 

Mick Oxlong

Cancelled
10k Posts
Oct 27, 2007
11,471
13,227
AFL Club
Sydney
Hirst is a project player, maybe he doesn't need to come up to Sydney til 2021
I don’t say LOL, but LOL! He’s a rookie draftee on at least $50,000 until the end of the season, do you really think they’re going to pay him for nothing?
 
I don’t say LOL, but LOL! He’s a rookie draftee on at least $50,000 until the end of the season, do you really think they’re going to pay him for nothing?

My name is Kurt Tippett and I'd like to say hello.
 
Jul 20, 2001
23,300
28,503
Sydney
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
Sydney Swans
It seems like Sinclair doesn't understand any of that stuff, so I'm not sure what harm could come from going with the unknown entity.

You might believe that it “seems” like he doesn’t understand ‘any of that stuff’ but that is clearly a pretty ludicrous assertion.

Plenty of harm can be done by dropping a guy into the team less than a week from moving from state league straight into the AFL without spending time with his team mates, understanding expectations or the gameplan. It’s pretty silly and actually would be completely unfair on him.

Pyke played fairly early on, but he also got to spend a preseason with the club and his team mates.

Let him play a few games of NEAFL and give a little bit of time to settle in....
 

mikey_san

Cancelled
Mar 17, 2012
5,711
6,621
AFL Club
Sydney
You might believe that it “seems” like he doesn’t understand ‘any of that stuff’ but that is clearly a pretty ludicrous assertion.

Plenty of harm can be done by dropping a guy into the team less than a week from moving from state league straight into the AFL without spending time with his team mates, understanding expectations or the gameplan. It’s pretty silly and actually would be completely unfair on him.

Pyke played fairly early on, but he also got to spend a preseason with the club and his team mates.

Let him play a few games of NEAFL and give a little bit of time to settle in....

Logic is boring.

It would only take one training and a day or two to integrate a ruck in what to do.
3 signal calls tops a. Tap to my front b. Tap to my butt c. I'll smash this forward.

CALLS
a. A NEAFL Swan's name - Small guy - small tap, Big guy - big tap
b. A Swan's staffer
c. A past Swan great

All the rest is standard big man stuff - stand just outside 50 near the boundry on kick ins - follow the other big guy around - try and take a mark or two. Not exactly rocket science.

Besides it's not like the NEAFL is better at getting him ready for AFL than the SANFL. (This week accepted as they play the league leading Brisbane and Archie Smith was supposed to be really pushing for a spot in the 1s this year.)

Actually it would probably be easier on him to play AFL against Rhys Stanley this week than NEAFL against Smith. Could be a real confidence booster.
 

Mick Oxlong

Cancelled
10k Posts
Oct 27, 2007
11,471
13,227
AFL Club
Sydney
Logic is boring.

It would only take one training and a day or two to integrate a ruck in what to do.
3 signal calls tops a. Tap to my front b. Tap to my butt c. I'll smash this forward.

CALLS
a. A NEAFL Swan's name - Small guy - small tap, Big guy - big tap
b. A Swan's staffer
c. A past Swan great

All the rest is standard big man stuff - stand just outside 50 near the boundry on kick ins - follow the other big guy around - try and take a mark or two. Not exactly rocket science.

Besides it's not like the NEAFL is better at getting him ready for AFL than the SANFL. (This week accepted as they play the league leading Brisbane and Archie Smith was supposed to be really pushing for a spot in the 1s this year.)

Actually it would probably be easier on him to play AFL against Rhys Stanley this week than NEAFL against Smith. Could be a real confidence booster.
Fair point re SANFL v NEAFL!
 
Jul 20, 2001
23,300
28,503
Sydney
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
Sydney Swans
Logic is boring.

It would only take one training and a day or two to integrate a ruck in what to do.
3 signal calls tops a. Tap to my front b. Tap to my butt c. I'll smash this forward.

CALLS
a. A NEAFL Swan's name - Small guy - small tap, Big guy - big tap
b. A Swan's staffer
c. A past Swan great

All the rest is standard big man stuff - stand just outside 50 near the boundry on kick ins - follow the other big guy around - try and take a mark or two. Not exactly rocket science.

Besides it's not like the NEAFL is better at getting him ready for AFL than the SANFL. (This week accepted as they play the league leading Brisbane and Archie Smith was supposed to be really pushing for a spot in the 1s this year.)

Actually it would probably be easier on him to play AFL against Rhys Stanley this week than NEAFL against Smith. Could be a real confidence booster.

I think you’re greatly underestimating what is required for an AFL footballer. No where near as simple as that.

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to speak to a few AFL draftees and most of them say going from local/junior footy to AFL footy is “like playing a different sport”.

If you want him to run and jump at the ball and then be a passenger for the rest of the game, then sure select him. Because I reckon that is what you would largely get.

The NEAFL is a mere practise zone for him to practice what he is being taught at training. It is merely to prepare him to play AFL football and that includes all the things I mentioned before. (The NEAFL in this instance prepares him better for AFL football because he is IS being prepared for AFL football with AFL coaches with AFL club based gameplan instructions)

We have to remember this guy has played maybe at best 40 or 50 games of Australian Football in his whole life. I don’t think throwing him straight to the wolves before he has even spent a week at the club is a great idea. Sinclair will give us more on the weekend than Knoll will at this stage, and probably significantly more. I mean Cameron came from the WAFL, has been dominant at NEAFL level but looked completely lost at AFL level during his only opportunity but we think Knoll who hasn’t even spent a week on the list and has barely played the game at any level will be an immediate upgrade? Doubt it...

Once Knoll is up to speed and he can demonstrate he will make a better contribution than Sinclair, then sure let’s give him a go. However a few seem to see a shiny new toy and think just because Sinclair is average that somehow this guy will be better. It doesn’t work like that.
 
Back