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Traded Blake Acres

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Blake's father, Barry, is one of Australia's best ever 800m runners (PB of 1.45.7). Only half a dozen or so oz athletes have beaten that time in the last 25 years, so Blake's athletics pedigree is absolutely top of the range. Blake ran a 15.2 beep test at the state combine despite having a serious shoulder injury that would have held back his training for a couple of months mid season, so he already has a naturally good tank. Interesting comments from some of the phantom drafters who had him as a potential top five pick... with his all round footy skills and his elite athletic genes the sky is the limit. With our great pick-ups in the off season we should have a very different (and way more competitive) unit ready to go in round one of 2014. Hopefully Acres is in from the outset.

Go Saints!
 
Not sure if it's been posted - if it has, oh well I'm post it again!

KM does not say a bad word about this kid.

#16 Geelong – Blake Acres (WA – Mid/Util)Height: 188cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 07/10/1995
Recruited from: West Perth
Style: David Mundy
Player comparison:
Range: 7-30
Profile: Acres is tall, high production, classy user of the footy with extra time and space than the next guy with that evasive sidestep of his as well as versatility with his ability to play through the midfield or on a forward or back flank. He has the ability to win his own footy inside the contest, tackle strongly and take a strong mark overhead. At the next level despite his versatility I see him as someone who will become a midfielder going by what he showed through the midfield this year even while carrying a shoulder injury. Acres is all class and is not only excellent by foot on both sides hitting his targets consistently but he also has more time and space than the next guy and combine that with his sidestep and he’s hard to catch. He’s got a complete game as someone who is very capable of winning his own ball inside the contest but then can also find the footy outside. He can hit the scoreboard as a midfielder. He can push forward and take a mark or play on a back flank and be an effective rebounder. He’s also an effective tackler. Acres is one of the rare few taller types with a relatively immediate game as well as a complete game. Add that to his strong sporting pedigree with his parents both strong athletes and his continued rapid improvement and the combination of ability to win his own footy and skill level at his size and he’ll be one of the best players to come out of this draft and one of the few I feel has the ability to develop into a star talent from this draft. Many will sleep on Acres because we haven’t seen the best of him this year but I’m exceedingly confident he’ll deliver the goods and deliver it quicker than many predict.
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After Dunstan at pick 18, I was sitting on the couch readying myself for pick 19 by saying "Please be Acres, please be Acres, please be Acres".... Then came the fist-pump/dance around the lounge room (with the wife & dog looking on with a vacant 'he's gone mad' expression on their faces)
 
Ian Dunross said:
Are GWS stocking up on talls to on trade them in a few years time?

Don't understand picking up McCarthy.
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i'd say they just took best available and it ended up tall. i'm with everyone else, they are overloading in areas to use them as trade bait, like they did with the mids in the initial drafts
 
Pick 19 – Blake Acres
"We were very surprised he got through. We anticipated one of the West Australian clubs would select Blake. He has had an injured shoulder this year and didn't play all the games in the championships but we think he's the prototype of the modern-day AFL footballer. Blake is 190cm, he's got both speed and endurance and so for us to have a player who can come in and play a number of positions – in a similar mould to Brendon Goddard – I think complemented our three selections nicely. Ideally, we'll have him play between half-back and half-forward, through the midfield." - Chris Pelchen

http://afl.com.au/news/2013-11-21/st-kildas-draft-haul-recruiters-verdict
 
Rors said:
After Dunstan at pick 18, I was sitting on the couch readying myself for pick 19 by saying "Please be Acres, please be Acres, please be Acres".... Then came the fist-pump/dance around the lounge room (with the wife & dog looking on with a vacant 'he's gone mad' expression on their faces)
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Ha, that is classic Rors, must have been something in the Sydney air last night. I heard the announcement - had to do a double take because was sure he was gone - and jumped up out of my chair and yelled something obscene. I then gave the empty room the Black Power(self-referential) fist raise. The kids came running to see what the problem was.

I said, "Acres.The Draft."

They wandered off shaking their heads.

Seriously, for those of you old enough to remember, Acres reminds me of a young Paul Roos.

I cannot be happier with the way we worked this off-season. Yes there was some blood spilled -and we lost a life member in Dal - but the gain outweighs the pain today.

Trout and the gang, well done, bloody well done.

Thomas and
Jack and Luke
and Blake.

Beautiful.
 
Armitage2Riewoldt said:
Well we clearly don't fear it taking a South Aussie and West Aussie with our 2nd and 3rd picks.

Clearly gone best available with no worries of players leaving.
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Reality #1 - If we don't drab the best talent at every possible opportunity we can never expect to be the best team in the competition.
Reality #2 - If we can't become the best team in the competition then we can't expect to win Premierships.
Reality #3 - Not all great players are born and raised in Victoria.

We simply need to ignore any possible "go home" issues and recruit the absolute best possible players we can.

Well done Saints :thumbsu:
 
Fact is if you go best available, if they do want to go home you know that clubs will want to give up a bit more for them
 

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I'm not concerned by these so called flight risks. Over the last couple of years we've recruited a Qld'er (Hickey) from a Qld club and a player from Canberra (Bruce) from a NSW club. Then we've lost a host of Vic's (Lynch, Dal Santo, McEvoy and Goddard) while keeping just about all our interstate players (Gilbert, Armo, Roo, Lenny, Ray etc.) Cripps the exception but that came with exceptional circumstances.
 
AFLOnline said:
sounds genuinely excited to be picked up by us! calling it early, but no go home factor here boys, we can breathe easy.
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it's like Lenny with Sydney


the hometown clubs passed up their opportunity and can now GAGF
 

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joop said:
I thought acres lived away from home at a boarding school for the last few years that's why clubs thoight the go home factor didn't apply to him...I could be wrong, maybe it was cripps?
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Flogging my Display picture.... :p
 
joop said:
I thought acres lived away from home at a boarding school for the last few years that's why clubs thoight the go home factor didn't apply to him...I could be wrong, maybe it was cripps?
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if he played for edgewater football club that'd be weird indeed. cant think of a boarding school that far north of the river in perth
 
That was Cripps that went to boarding school. Pretty sure Acres is a high school dropout that worked for his family business.
 
I was torn at pick 19, on one hand I really liked the sound of Acres, on the other picking Dumont would've meant I nailed the Saints Twitter sweep. Ah well
 
goodie23 said:
I was torn at pick 19, on one hand I really liked the sound of Acres, on the other picking Dumont would've meant I nailed the Saints Twitter sweep. Ah well
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There's not many players I had ahead of Acres on my 'wish list.' I was stunned he was still available and TBH I thought it was unrealistic to have him in equations for picks 18/19. What a bargain.
 

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