Player Watch Brody Mihocek

Aug 23, 2010
26,662
29,050
Information Superhighway
AFL Club
Essendon
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VFL/AFL: 12650th player to appear, 5835th most games played, 2287th most goals kicked
Collingwood: 1148th player to appear, 492nd most games played, 187th most goals kicked


Now:

AFL: 12,650th player to appear, 5,735th most games played, 2,153rd most goals kickedCollingwood: 1,148th player to appear, 488th most games played, 178th most goals kicked*

*Up to Saturday night R9 2019.
 

Markfs

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 13, 2008
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The number of players overlooked by "talent scouts" is getting a little embarrassing. Geelong has Tom Stewart and Tim Kelly who are probably in the first half dozen picked. St. Kilda are crying out for players with a bit of the spark and it's not surprising that they drafted two "mature age" indigenous guys, and these two are doing something that the rest of the list doesnt seem capable of doing - showing a bit of zip. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldnt be waiting for a mid year draft to rookie slightly older indigenous players into the team. It seems to me that the people doing the selection of players are fixated on 18 year olds. They need to get out a bit more and half a look at a few seniors games. I just remembered Marty Hore who is basically replicating his VFL form. The thing about Brody is that he is spectacularly unspectacular - he marks what he should mark and he kicks goals that he should kick. He is always engaged in helping out when a lot of other players are twiddling their thumbs. Get more old blokes in...
 
Jul 21, 2008
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Melbourne
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The number of players overlooked by "talent scouts" is getting a little embarrassing. Geelong has Tom Stewart and Tim Kelly who are probably in the first half dozen picked. St. Kilda are crying out for players with a bit of the spark and it's not surprising that they drafted two "mature age" indigenous guys, and these two are doing something that the rest of the list doesnt seem capable of doing - showing a bit of zip. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldnt be waiting for a mid year draft to rookie slightly older indigenous players into the team. It seems to me that the people doing the selection of players are fixated on 18 year olds. They need to get out a bit more and half a look at a few seniors games. I just remembered Marty Hore who is basically replicating his VFL form. The thing about Brody is that he is spectacularly unspectacular - he marks what he should mark and he kicks goals that he should kick. He is always engaged in helping out when a lot of other players are twiddling their thumbs. Get more old blokes in...
When Tom took the spectacular mark on Saturday, and his immediate reaction, the smile that burst on to his face and stayed there, with his teammate applauding him, was a great moment in football.
 
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The number of players overlooked by "talent scouts" is getting a little embarrassing. Geelong has Tom Stewart and Tim Kelly who are probably in the first half dozen picked................ It seems to me that the people doing the selection of players are fixated on 18 year olds.

I think you're being a bit harsh on the recruiters and your logic is a bit frayed. You're criticising them for not having drafted these blokes as 18 year olds and then also criticising them for being fixated on 18 year olds.

Why can't we celebrate these success stories without taking a pot shot at others. Maybe the recruiters got it right. Maybe these guys wouldn't have survived and thrived if added to an AFL environment at 18 years of age. We'll never know.
 
If we’d recruited Checkers in the Dark Ages of 2014-7, and he was doing then what he’s doing now, we’d all be drooling. But to some extent we take him for granted. An ‘embarrassment of riches’ up forward? Maybe not quite, but he is a very talented player amongst other very talented players. And he’s as tough as teak. Love him.
 

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If we’d recruited Checkers in the Dark Ages of 2014-7, and he was doing then what he’s doing now, we’d all be drooling. But to some extent we take him for granted. An ‘embarrassment of riches’ up forward? Maybe not quite, but he is a very talented player amongst other very talented players. And he’s as tough as teak. Love him.
Nicely put.

Just looks a player who has been there for years.

Amazing.
 

Horaceg

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 29, 2014
7,991
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Sydney
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Collingwood
Has exceeded, battles hard, does the basics, great pick up. Might struggle hanging onto him as he is worth more than what he is most likely earning.
 

Markfs

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I think you're being a bit harsh on the recruiters and your logic is a bit frayed. You're criticising them for not having drafted these blokes as 18 year olds and then also criticising them for being fixated on 18 year olds.

Why can't we celebrate these success stories without taking a pot shot at others. Maybe the recruiters got it right. Maybe these guys wouldn't have survived and thrived if added to an AFL environment at 18 years of age. We'll never know.

No I'm not saying that. I mightnt have explained myself clearly. I think they are overlooking 25 year olds in the draft in order to draft 18 year olds. Mihocek might have been just an ordinary kid at 18. For some reason I think of Ben Crocker as an example. However, Mihocek proved in the VFL that he could match it with AFL listed players. He also demonstrated a commitment to self improvement and just rocking up season after season. You dont get any of that proof from an 18 year old. I would have preferred for Ben not to be drafted at 18 and see if he has the same commitment to self development and just plain old commitment to footy, and specifically allow himself to develop a game style and smarts which would allow him to match it with AFL players. In the end, there's a strong chance that he will be delisted at some stage and will never get another chance. You only have to look at Jye Bolton. He was considered good enough to be drafted as a kid, but didnt have a clue another than his footy skills. After 2 Sandover medals, you would think he would have been a certainty for something in the last couple of drafts. Look at Tim Kelly. No doubt that his personal life impacted on recruiters but I cant believe west coast or fremantle didnt put him a rookie list. Is he going to poison the whole club if he doesnt turn up at training?

I think recruiters dont look enough outside the under 18 system.
 

OniAu

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 4, 2007
8,488
10,922
Bendigo
AFL Club
Collingwood
Has exceeded, battles hard, does the basics, great pick up. Might struggle hanging onto him as he is worth more than what he is most likely earning.

If we can put a reasonable offer to him , I would think he would stay rather than not. Hard to see a mature ager being given a chance by a club and then moving on in a couple of years (unless other factors come into it)
 
No I'm not saying that. I mightnt have explained myself clearly. I think they are overlooking 25 year olds in the draft in order to draft 18 year olds. Mihocek might have been just an ordinary kid at 18. For some reason I think of Ben Crocker as an example. However, Mihocek proved in the VFL that he could match it with AFL listed players. He also demonstrated a commitment to self improvement and just rocking up season after season. You dont get any of that proof from an 18 year old. I would have preferred for Ben not to be drafted at 18 and see if he has the same commitment to self development and just plain old commitment to footy, and specifically allow himself to develop a game style and smarts which would allow him to match it with AFL players. In the end, there's a strong chance that he will be delisted at some stage and will never get another chance. You only have to look at Jye Bolton. He was considered good enough to be drafted as a kid, but didnt have a clue another than his footy skills. After 2 Sandover medals, you would think he would have been a certainty for something in the last couple of drafts. Look at Tim Kelly. No doubt that his personal life impacted on recruiters but I cant believe west coast or fremantle didnt put him a rookie list. Is he going to poison the whole club if he doesnt turn up at training?

I think recruiters dont look enough outside the under 18 system.

I think they should change drafting rules regarding age. We churn through kids way too quickly before they are close to being physically or emotionally developed. I'd like to see a situation where clubs can take 1 18 year old (only so we don't miss out on any years of freakshow kids like Stephenson), 1 19 year old and anyone else must be 20+.
 

Markfs

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I think they should change drafting rules regarding age. We churn through kids way too quickly before they are close to being physically or emotionally developed. I'd like to see a situation where clubs can take 1 18 year old (only so we don't miss out on any years of freakshow kids like Stephenson), 1 19 year old and anyone else must be 20+.

The problem with having a minimum for drafting at 20 is that we dont have a university based system like the USA has. The other problem is the competition between sports for athletes. Also, some players are ready at 18 but others take longer to get it together. It just seems to me that when a player misses being drafted there is an unofficial decision that he isnt good enough at thats the end of it.

The people who are hardest hit are indigenous players. Someone like Liam Ryan is 22 and came from Geraldton which is about 500k north of Perth. I've been there a number of times years ago. Large indigenous community. Liam might have been surrounded by indigenous kids when he was a kid at school. He didnt move to Perth to play reserves until 2016 so he was 19 - after his first eligible draft. Talent people would have been nervous about drafting a indig kid from the bush...especially Vic clubs. He kicked 70 odd goals in the seniors 2017 and was drafted by the Beagles. You could say that clubs missed two opportunities of drafting him - at the end of 2015 when he was age qualified and the following year after he played waft reserves. However, there are indigenous kids all over the place who can make footys talk and it's a real lottery picking them at 18. But as we've seen in the last few years, it's a lot easier to pick them when they have a few years in the system under their belt and they've experienced looking around inside the changeroom and seeing a sea of white faces, and the change from living in a country town like Geraldton to moving to Perth.

I think it's a lot easier for recruiters to go to an under 18 footy carnival and drafting a kid from a good family. I think Matt Rendell might have had a similar view.
 
Aug 29, 2005
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I think they should change drafting rules regarding age. We churn through kids way too quickly before they are close to being physically or emotionally developed. I'd like to see a situation where clubs can take 1 18 year old (only so we don't miss out on any years of freakshow kids like Stephenson), 1 19 year old and anyone else must be 20+.

To do that they would have to set up a genuine u21 system with pay or too many kids would fall by the way side. Our culture is much more different then US college system.
 

wicksy

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Feb 23, 2007
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Best value recruit of his type just about ever
Shame we can't pay him more. Already had a better career than Tom Boyd

Is that comparison really warranted at this point in time?
Just a s@#$ snipe if you ask me.
 
To do that they would have to set up a genuine u21 system with pay or too many kids would fall by the way side. Our culture is much more different then US college system.
Make it under 19 comp and not under 18. Afterwards kids can play in local and state leagues. I reckon football in general right across the senior leagues would benefit. Without seeing any data, I suspect that the drop off rate is really high for under 18 kids who don't get drafted. If you went with my suggestion, you'd get less kids dropping off because they'd still have a decent shot at getting drafted if they improved. Thus better local and state leagues. Those who got drafted later would be better prepared physically, mentally and emotionally. Thus I wouldn't be surprised if it also resulted in better mental health outcomes. You'd still probably have 36 teenagers selected every year. Its just that the other 30 draftees would be in their 20s and better prepared.
 

wicksy

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The number of players overlooked by "talent scouts" is getting a little embarrassing.

Or do some of these players get a kick in the arse or the added motivation by not getting drafted?
Could it be that some players just don't mature into players until they mature as people?
 

mike123

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Make it under 19 comp and not under 18. Afterwards kids can play in local and state leagues. I reckon football in general right across the senior leagues would benefit. Without seeing any data, I suspect that the drop off rate is really high for under 18 kids who don't get drafted. If you went with my suggestion, you'd get less kids dropping off because they'd still have a decent shot at getting drafted if they improved. Thus better local and state leagues. Those who got drafted later would be better prepared physically, mentally and emotionally. Thus I wouldn't be surprised if it also resulted in better mental health outcomes. You'd still probably have 36 teenagers selected every year. Its just that the other 30 draftees would be in their 20s and better prepared.
Isn’t it already and under 19s comp?
 

jackcass

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I think they should change drafting rules regarding age. We churn through kids way too quickly before they are close to being physically or emotionally developed. I'd like to see a situation where clubs can take 1 18 year old (only so we don't miss out on any years of freakshow kids like Stephenson), 1 19 year old and anyone else must be 20+.

It would end up in the courts with class action restraint of trade case against the AFL and destroy the fragile peace we currently have on drafting and trading. I'd rather see some allowance made for clubs to rookie 1 or 2 mature age players in much the same way they can list Cat B rookies.
 
It would end up in the courts with class action restraint of trade case against the AFL and destroy the fragile peace we currently have on drafting and trading. I'd rather see some allowance made for clubs to rookie 1 or 2 mature age players in much the same way they can list Cat B rookies.
Why? We used to have the same sort of rule, with only one 17 year old. We diidn't see any legal action then. We didn't see this occur when we stopped drafting 16 or 17 year olds at all.
 
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