Couch for rookie list

[thegerman]

Unfortunate that Couch cannot get in under the father/son as we have already nominated for Hawkins.

Another club has nominated him for the AIS camp, he needs another 3 to actually attend.

Should we use up one of our rookie spots for this kid ??? I think so.

 

[Rosso]

Unfortunate that Couch cannot get in under the father/son as we have already nominated for Hawkins.

Another club has nominated him for the AIS camp, he needs another 3 to actually attend.

Should we use up one of our rookie spots for this kid ??? I think so.

Can go father son but would cost us our second round pick. Hasn't been mentioned in the top 50's so I think it would be safe to think that he would be available to be rookied.

 

[chapmanmagic35]

How has he gone this year in the TAC Cup?

 

[ablettthegun]

How has he gone this year in the TAC Cup?

Had a slow start but a very strong last 6 weeks. He will be on our rookie list. Is going to be a young tuck like prospect, a bigger marking midfielder who will take 3 years in the system. Definatley a late bloomer but shows he can find the ball.

 

[thehoff]

Had a slow start but a very strong last 6 weeks. He will be on our rookie list. Is going to be a young tuck like prospect, a bigger marking midfielder who will take 3 years in the system. Definatley a late bloomer but shows he can find the ball.

I thought he was likely to develop into a Maguire type player? By that, i assumed he was KP and a Centre Half Back.

I was getting super excited by the prospect of having a spine as follows (with callan looming on the Half Back Flank):

FB: M.Scarlett
HB: T.Couch (Callan)
C: G.Ablett
HF: T.Hawkins
FF: N.Ablett

Scary ay?

 

[Rosso]

How has he gone this year in the TAC Cup?

Thomas Couch


While Playing for Geelong Falcons in 2006 TAC Cup
Season Statistics

Matches 17
Goals 23 Behinds 16
Named in Best 4 Times
Effective Kicks 149 Ineffective Kicks 58
Effective Handballs 75 Ineffective H'balls 33 Handball Receives 105
Tackles 49
Frees for 13 Frees against 14 Hit outs 1
Contested Marks 3 Uncontested Marks 61

 

[chapmanmagic35]

Thomas Couch


While Playing for Geelong Falcons in 2006 TAC Cup
Season Statistics

Matches 17
Goals 23 Behinds 16
Named in Best 4 Times
Effective Kicks 149 Ineffective Kicks 58
Effective Handballs 75 Ineffective H'balls 33 Handball Receives 105
Tackles 49
Frees for 13 Frees against 14 Hit outs 1
Contested Marks 3 Uncontested Marks 61

Cheers Rosso!

 

[carn_the_cattas]

How much does he look like Matt Maguire?

Cats sitting on Couch
01 September 2006 Herald-Sun
Jon Anderson

GEELONG, already committed to Tom Hawkins as a father/son selection for this year's draft, will soon have to make a decision on the son of another club champion.

Thomas Couch, 18, is the late-developing son of three-time best-and-fairest winner Paul Couch, a veteran of 259 games and 203 goals for the Cats between 1985-97.

Couch has alternated this season as a wingman/half-forward for the Geelong Falcons, who are second on the TAC Cup ladder, and with St Joseph's College, which won the Herald Shield.

Unlike Hawkins, who has been well publicised since breaking into the Melbourne Grammar seniors as a Year 10 student when aged just 15, Couch has flown under the radar.

But he was recently nominated by an AFL club, believed to be interstate, for the Victorian screening for under-18 players on the Saturday after the Grand Final.

To go to the draft camp at the AIS in Canberra on October 3-6, players need to have been nominated by at least four clubs.

Geelong recruiting manager Stephen Wells has watched Couch twice in recent weeks and will continue to monitor him in September with the Geelong Falcons guaranteed of at least two weeks in the finals.

"We've been watching Thomas closely and will make a decision after he's finished playing with the Falcons," Wells said.

There are few more difficult decisions in the draft than father/son selections, a fact acknowledged by Michael Turner who was a father/son player with the Cats in 245 games before joining the Geelong Falcons as regional manager in 1995.

Turner has since seen 41 Falcons drafted, including players such as Matthew Primus, Jonathan Brown, Luke Hodge, Jimmy Bartel and father/son selections in Matthew Scarlett and Gary Ablett.

"It can work against you. We played Gary Ablett as a 16-year-old when he was very small and there were plenty of people saying, 'He's only getting a game because he's an Ablett'. Not sure where those people are today," Turner said.

"Not only is Tom Couch's dad a Brownlow medallist but he has a cousin in Matt Maguire who's a good AFL player. My attitude is we should look after the sons, not go the other way because they have famous fathers.

"Tom has progressed really well. There have been times when he's been on the borderline for selection and he's responded really well, very determined. I think he's got a bit of character. In the last few weeks he's got his hands on the ball a lot.

"At very least you would like to see him put on the rookie list by Geelong. He's going to end up a pretty big kid, more like a Maguire than a Couch."

It's out of Paul's control, but he admits the thought of his son having the chance to play with Geelong means a lot to him.

"He's always had some ability but early on he was small and then had knee problems in Year 10. But he's put on about 15kg in the past 18 months," Couch said.

"The father/son selection is up to Geelong, but naturally I'd love them to take him. It's good they have the option of a rookie list."

And the lad himself? Tom is a determined 18-year-old who is a passionate Geelong supporter, so to play with the club would mean everything.

"It would be the best. Dad has helped me with advice such as lifting my workrate, improving my kicking at times and where to position myself at stoppages," Tom said.

 

[chapmanmagic35]

Dead ringer of Matt Maguire! No wonder they are cousins!

 

[brett_go_cats]

I thought he was likely to develop into a Maguire type player? By that, i assumed he was KP and a Centre Half Back.

I was getting super excited by the prospect of having a spine as follows (with callan looming on the Half Back Flank):

FB: M.Scarlett
HB: T.Couch (Callan)
C: G.Ablett
HF: T.Hawkins
FF: N.Ablett

Scary ay?

what would be scarier is with blake in the ruck

 

[JUBJUB]

I thought he was likely to develop into a Maguire type player? By that, i assumed he was KP and a Centre Half Back.

I was getting super excited by the prospect of having a spine as follows (with callan looming on the Half Back Flank):

FB: M.Scarlett
HB: T.Couch (Callan)
C: G.Ablett
HF: T.Hawkins
FF: N.Ablett

Scary ay?

or we could have this

FBTom [Harley]
CHB Tom [Lonergan[/b]
C Thomas [Couch]
CHF Tom [Hawkins]

We just need a Tom/Thomas for FF

 

[Rosella]

or we could have this

FBTom [Harley]
CHB Tom [Lonergan[/b]
C Thomas [Couch]
CHF Tom [Hawkins]

We just need a Tom/Thomas for FF

It would make a change from Matthew

 

[Turbocat]

Can someone explain how we get excusive access to him as a Rookie.
I was under the impression that to be Rookied , he must nominate for the main National draft and then be over looked.

To my mind , we would be better of asking him to hold of on nominating and we sign him up and let him play a year as one of our top up VFL players.
He would be playing with and against the same group , just as our first year draft picks usually do eg. Prismall. We then could draft him next year Father/Son , not having to give up a 2ndRound pick for him and IF he shows he has the stuff he would be ready to go after a year in the VFL

 

[DBAH0]

Say if we traded a Gardiner or Kingsley for a 3rd rounder, we could use that 2nd 3rd rounder to draft Couch then right?

 

[Turbocat]

Say if we traded a Gardiner or Kingsley for a 3rd rounder, we could use that 2nd 3rd rounder to draft Couch then right?

NO , can only use ones own picks for FS

 

[Rosella]

Can someone explain how we get excusive access to him as a Rookie.
I was under the impression that to be Rookied , he must nominate for the main National draft and then be over looked.

To my mind , we would be better of asking him to hold of on nominating and we sign him up and let him play a year as one of our top up VFL players.
He would be playing with and against the same group , just as our first year draft picks usually do eg. Prismall. We then could draft him next year Father/Son , not having to give up a 2ndRound pick for him and IF he shows he has the stuff he would be ready to go after a year in the VFL

You're absolutely right - I don't know why people are suggesting just rookie-listing him (same as Davenport), other clubs will certainly jump the gun.

He may hold off - they refer to him as a 'late developer' and it wouldn't hurt him to wait.

 

[Turbocat]

So Tom was not picked but this quote is from the GFC website:

"Tom Couch, son of former Geelong champion and Brownlow Medallist Paul Couch, was not picked up by any club, and will be invited to play with the Cats’ VFL team in 2007.

Couch has been training with the club since the national draft, and the Cats are hopeful that he will accept the offer to be a member of Leigh Tudor’s VFL squad."

I hope he does this , it gives him the same chances as any other kid we have drafted , he will play the same comp against the same teams and most GFC draftees dont play the first year anyway.
If he plays well enough and its all legit he could be drafted FS next year with a years experience under his belt

 

[Metallica_Man]

Yeah I hope he plays for the VFL side