- Joined
- Mar 2, 2002
- Posts
- 6,680
- Reaction score
- 1,117
- Location
- Perth
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Other Teams
- Eagles
Just found this predraft article about Beau Waters and Cooney which was in the Adelaide Advertiser on friday.
Lots of nice things to say about Waters, including the part that some people rate him higher than Cooney long term!! (just for once, I'm going to be talking up South Australian's footy nous on this one
) The other thing I really liked is even pre draft, he actually says that he loves Perth and would be happy to go there.
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/footy03/story_page/0,8747,7927851%5E25397,00.html
Mates to join the elite
By ANDREW CAPEL
21nov03
BEAU Waters describes his talented West Adelaide team-mate and great friend Adam Cooney as "freaky".
He says he has been chasing the brilliant utility's coat-tails since they were eight.
"It feels like I've always been chasing him," Waters said of the player tipped to be the No. 1 pick at tomorrow's AFL national draft.
"I've played with and against him and he's always been a little bit better than me.
"He's in a class of his own. But I'm not going to give up. It's a challenge to try to catch him."
Waters won't catch Cooney tomorrow. Unless the Western Bulldogs, who own the No. 1 selection, have a late, dramatic change of heart, Cooney will be headed to the Whitten Oval.
"I'd love to be taken at No. 1," a coy Cooney, the hottest teenage prospect in Australia, said. "But I'll wait and see what happens."
The Bulldogs already are understood to have told Cooney, 18, they will select him, making him the first South Australian to be chosen at No. 1 since Clive Waterhouse went to Fremantle in 1995.
Dogs captain Chris Grant let the cat out of the bag this week when he said: "He (Cooney) is an enormously exciting young player who we believe is going to be a player for us for 10 to 15 years".
Waters, who lives five minutes away from Cooney at Aberfoyle Park, knows he is not in contention to be the first overall pick.
But the robust 17-year-old should be taken in the first round with several AFL coaches and a host of talent scouts excited at what he brings to the table – toughness, fearlessness and an insatiable appetite to get the football.
Some astute judges have gone as far as to suggest Waters, a good size at 187cm and 87kg, might be a better long-term bet than Cooney.
If you are after a hard-nut, Waters certainly would be at the top of the pile.
"I'd take him, without a doubt," West general manager Doug Thomas, who has overseen Waters' development, said. "He's a special kid who I have never seen take a backward step. At the moment he's a boy in a man's body who only ever has one thing on his mind – winning the ball. He's as hard as they come but he's also got the skills to match his strength.
"He'll play AFL, don't worry about that."
Adelaide and Port Adelaide, whose first selections are at numbers 14 and 15 respectively, have no shot at claiming Cooney.
But they are in the running for Waters, with a tall, aggressive defender in the Dean Solomon mould suiting both clubs needs.
"Beau's got some attributes that are standout quality," Crows recruiting manager James Fantasia said, revealing Waters spent a week training with the Adelaide team in January as part of the AIS-AFL Academy squad.
"He's got great physical presence, a strong attack on the ball and terrific leadership qualities."
Waters, who also can play in the midfield, surprisingly would prefer a move away from South Australia.
While most young draftees hope to remain and play in their home state, Waters says getting away from Adelaide excites him and would allow him to focus totally on his football.
"I love Perth so going to Fremantle or West Coast would be awesome," he said. "But the bottom line is it doesn't really bother me, as long as I'm picked up."
Waters starred with the AIS/AFL Academy squad against Ireland and for SA at this year's under-18 national championships, making All-Australian selection. He also played three league games for the Bloods from rounds 17 to 19 before having his season ended prematurely by a stray knee from team-mate Domenic Cassisi.
"Dom's knee hit me in a marking contest and broke my jaw," Waters said. "People say toughness is my best attribute and they're probably right. But it does have a downside because I'm always getting knocked out." Asked where his ferociousness came from, Waters replied: "My competitive nature".
"Ever since I was little I've been really competitive," he said.
"If I can't be the best I want to be one of the best so rather than wait for someone to give me the ball I make sure I go and get it."
Being drafted together would be a "dream" for the Bloods' duo who are both still coming to terms with the loss of former U17 team-mates Ben Mitchell and Glenn Knott, who died in a car accident last year.
"I don't want to say too much because it's a pretty touchy subject but we both feel like we're playing football for three people now – not just ourselves," Waters said.
Lots of nice things to say about Waters, including the part that some people rate him higher than Cooney long term!! (just for once, I'm going to be talking up South Australian's footy nous on this one
) The other thing I really liked is even pre draft, he actually says that he loves Perth and would be happy to go there.http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/footy03/story_page/0,8747,7927851%5E25397,00.html
Mates to join the elite
By ANDREW CAPEL
21nov03
BEAU Waters describes his talented West Adelaide team-mate and great friend Adam Cooney as "freaky".
He says he has been chasing the brilliant utility's coat-tails since they were eight.
"It feels like I've always been chasing him," Waters said of the player tipped to be the No. 1 pick at tomorrow's AFL national draft.
"I've played with and against him and he's always been a little bit better than me.
"He's in a class of his own. But I'm not going to give up. It's a challenge to try to catch him."
Waters won't catch Cooney tomorrow. Unless the Western Bulldogs, who own the No. 1 selection, have a late, dramatic change of heart, Cooney will be headed to the Whitten Oval.
"I'd love to be taken at No. 1," a coy Cooney, the hottest teenage prospect in Australia, said. "But I'll wait and see what happens."
The Bulldogs already are understood to have told Cooney, 18, they will select him, making him the first South Australian to be chosen at No. 1 since Clive Waterhouse went to Fremantle in 1995.
Dogs captain Chris Grant let the cat out of the bag this week when he said: "He (Cooney) is an enormously exciting young player who we believe is going to be a player for us for 10 to 15 years".
Waters, who lives five minutes away from Cooney at Aberfoyle Park, knows he is not in contention to be the first overall pick.
But the robust 17-year-old should be taken in the first round with several AFL coaches and a host of talent scouts excited at what he brings to the table – toughness, fearlessness and an insatiable appetite to get the football.
Some astute judges have gone as far as to suggest Waters, a good size at 187cm and 87kg, might be a better long-term bet than Cooney.
If you are after a hard-nut, Waters certainly would be at the top of the pile.
"I'd take him, without a doubt," West general manager Doug Thomas, who has overseen Waters' development, said. "He's a special kid who I have never seen take a backward step. At the moment he's a boy in a man's body who only ever has one thing on his mind – winning the ball. He's as hard as they come but he's also got the skills to match his strength.
"He'll play AFL, don't worry about that."
Adelaide and Port Adelaide, whose first selections are at numbers 14 and 15 respectively, have no shot at claiming Cooney.
But they are in the running for Waters, with a tall, aggressive defender in the Dean Solomon mould suiting both clubs needs.
"Beau's got some attributes that are standout quality," Crows recruiting manager James Fantasia said, revealing Waters spent a week training with the Adelaide team in January as part of the AIS-AFL Academy squad.
"He's got great physical presence, a strong attack on the ball and terrific leadership qualities."
Waters, who also can play in the midfield, surprisingly would prefer a move away from South Australia.
While most young draftees hope to remain and play in their home state, Waters says getting away from Adelaide excites him and would allow him to focus totally on his football.
"I love Perth so going to Fremantle or West Coast would be awesome," he said. "But the bottom line is it doesn't really bother me, as long as I'm picked up."
Waters starred with the AIS/AFL Academy squad against Ireland and for SA at this year's under-18 national championships, making All-Australian selection. He also played three league games for the Bloods from rounds 17 to 19 before having his season ended prematurely by a stray knee from team-mate Domenic Cassisi.
"Dom's knee hit me in a marking contest and broke my jaw," Waters said. "People say toughness is my best attribute and they're probably right. But it does have a downside because I'm always getting knocked out." Asked where his ferociousness came from, Waters replied: "My competitive nature".
"Ever since I was little I've been really competitive," he said.
"If I can't be the best I want to be one of the best so rather than wait for someone to give me the ball I make sure I go and get it."
Being drafted together would be a "dream" for the Bloods' duo who are both still coming to terms with the loss of former U17 team-mates Ben Mitchell and Glenn Knott, who died in a car accident last year.
"I don't want to say too much because it's a pretty touchy subject but we both feel like we're playing football for three people now – not just ourselves," Waters said.
And Cooney didn't go to training that day because he felt sick. If he had, he could have been in that accident too
