Senior Darcy Gardiner (2013-)

Nov 4, 2011
15,479
22,088
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Drafted in the 2013 National Draft with pick number 22

293182-tlsnewsportrait.jpg


Height: 192 cms
Club: Geelong Falcons
 
May 26, 2007
12,887
17,053
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Geelong Falcon's drafting a steal for Brisbane Lions
November 21, 2013
Michael Auciello

“It’s fantastic. Obviously our key defenders are a bit old in Daniel Merrett and (Matthew) Maguire so we always wanted to fill that void and we thought Darcy was the best (defender) in the draft so we’re just pumped to have him, that was just terrific,” Leppitsch said.

Leppitsch said he hoped Gardiner might be a ready-made defender for the Lions in 2014.

“We’ll find out, but I’ve watched play a fair bit this year, Darcy, and he plays the game at an AFL level,” Leppitsch said.

“Whether he can handle the body positioning and the contact at his age, that will be the determining factor, but his smarts and ability to play the game are already there. It’s exciting for the club.”
 
May 26, 2007
12,887
17,053
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Knightmare's phantom draft
#19 St Kilda (Via Hawthorn compensation) – Darcy Gardiner (VIC – KPD)
Height: 192cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 22/09/1995
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Style: Darren Glass
Player comparison:
Range: 14-30
Profile: Gardiner is clearly the best key defender in this draft. Gardiner has a strong shutdown game and plays a really physical brand of footy. He has a very strong 1v1 game where he can get stops against bigger opposition but then also stay with them on the lead making him an effective shutdown defender. He’s a 120 minute a game player who has that hard edge and aggressiveness to him. Gardiner has at times shown promise as a rebounder. He can read it well down back and has the ability to take some intercept marks and 1v1 marks but he’s mostly reluctant and will put the fist in first and go for the stop first. For his type Gardiner is also an above average user of the footy and shows composure with ball in hand and hits his targets, even when under pressure. He’s also played as a key forward but he’s definitely better suited as a key defender. He’s also shown at times that he can push forward and be a target but ultimately he’ll be a key defender at the next level.

Quigley's phantom draft
19 St Kilda

Hmm, well I don’t really rate Gardiner this high but it would be a perfect fit for him. The Saints need to revamp their backline and they have taken a couple of likely types in Bruce and Delaney and Gardiner would be a good complement to those guys playing as a third tall. He is not a true KP I think but would work well as a support player. If Gardiner was passed on here he could easily fall into the 30s. If the Saints swing for the fences, Marsh could be a chance to be taken here.

Darcy Gardiner
DOB 22/9/95 Ht 193 Wt 86

If there were any doubt about the bias of Shifter and his mates toward the “name” players you need to look no further than Gardiner getting picked in the AA side this year. At the Champs this year he played only 3 games (1 against the short people of NT) and averaged 7 disposals per game. He was pretty reasonable defensively but nothing to write home about and yet somehow he manages to be named the AA fullback. The AA team should be about who was the best performed at the Champs in their respective positions it should not be about Shifter and his AIS mates putting in the players they like and protecting their butts. It was a disgrace to those kids who actually got out there and performed and Sheehan should be ashamed of himself. End of rant.

The lack of ability to influence a game offensively is one of the main weaknesses in Gardiner’s game even at junior level (he only managed 13 disposals per game at TAC level as well) and it is hard to see that improving at the next level. He does not get off his man often enough to provide an option going forward. That is a bit of a shame as he is actually quite good when he is up and running. He has a nice burst and a good ability to hit targets on the run. His kicking in general is good especially for a KPD and he evaluates and executes quickly and well. He has nice touch on his kicks and good vision when taking options. With the ball in hand he has a reasonable body swerve when he brings it out and with a powerful lower half he can be quite difficult to tackle.

Gardiner’s body is in transition at the moment and I think he will be a powerful unit before all is said and done. He already is quite solid through the hips and legs. His upper half is lagging behind a little but is coming along and with a year or two in the gym his strength will one is his best weapons. Height is always going to be the concern with Gardiner and his lack of jumping ability compounds the issue. Gardiner does not really get off the ground well and with the move toward really big forwards he is going to struggle and will need to adjust his game from how he plays it now.

Gardiner is not the greatest read of the ball in the air but he is a player who reacts quickly and moves to the general area where the ball will drop. He shows good judgment when to leave his man and help out. When his man is in the contest he plays behind a lot and is a big spoiler of the ball. His spoiling ability is often seen as a major strength of his but I have some concerns about it at the next level. With his lack of height and jumping ability he often struggles to get over top of the forward in front and often only just gets the fist in. At AFL level with bigger, more athletic and smarter forwards I think he is going to find himself coming up short too often unless he adjusts his game.

Also at junior level he tends to often be a bit of a finesse spoiler if there is such a thing. He just gets his fist in and tries to get the ball to ground rather than punching through the ball. That has worked reasonably well to date but I don’t think he gets enough on the ball at the moment and strong handed forwards should be able to mark the ball with the brush he often gives it. At AFL level with his deficiencies in height and spring I think he needs to punch through the ball and clear the area whenever he has the opportunity.

Gardiner though is a very smart and competitive defender and I back him to adjust his game to remain effective. He has the pace to go with most forwards and I think will end up having the strength to overpower most as well. So I think a bit more engaging the body and going shoulder to shoulder will be the order of the day for him. His defensive instincts are good and he is good at working in a defensive unit.

As well as playing in defense Gardiner is a capable forward who leads strongly and is a decent mark of the ball. I doubt he will ever be a full time forward but if a team needs to swing someone forward he is capable of being effective. He started this year up forward in the TAC and picked up 6 goals in the first few games including one bag of 3. Overhead he is reasonable but he not great with the ball on the ground. He will bustle in and make a contest but he is not the cleanest below the knees. His set shot is solid and when he gets the chance he usually converts.

Gardiner did not test at the Champs but in game situations he seems to have good pace and reasonable agility for a big guy. I think his endurance needs to improve and his jumping ability is quite poor. Other than his pace there is nothing about Gardiner that I would consider above average athletically.

Gardiner does have a bit of a presence about him on the ground and his teammates seem to be more confident with him around. He knows what he is doing and is a competitive beast that requires similar of his teammates. I think he will develop into a Ben Rutten type player and he has the football smarts like Rutten to work out how to deal with a slight deficiency on height and ability to get off the ground.

Chris25's phantom draft
28. Brisbane - Darcy Gardiner (192cm, 84kg defender - Geelong)

The general thoughts with Darcy Gardiner are that he is the best key defender in the draft, but that there isn't much competition behind him. So given that, is he really a first round pick? Or is his value inflated because of a lack of other options? Well, I'm of the opinion that he deserves to be talked about as an early pick on the back of his performances alone. Tomlinson from the Giants has had an excellent debut season, but I would have Gardiner slightly ahead in terms of their draft years. He has proven himself to be the best key defender in the TAC Cup, and was named the All Australian full back in the U18 Championships. Not the most attacking player, but he has gradually improved as the season has gone on and he isn't a liability with ball in hand. Ted Richards is probably the best comparison in my opinion as a defender. But Gardiner has also gone forward this season, taking some strong marks and kicking a few goals. So maybe that will be an option in a few years, but he'll play down back at first.

Footy Tragic's power rankings
#39 – DARCY GARDINER
Height: 193cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 22/9/1995
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons

‘The best key defender is this year’s draft’. Really? Has no one seen Cameron Giles? There is some serious Victorian bias going around and most of it comes from Kevin ‘left-footer so must be a Nick Dal Santo clone’ Sheehan. That’s just my opinion anyway, but I don’t think there’s any contest between Gardiner and Giles.

Now this has nothing to with ‘195cm key defender’ perception, but I like Gardiner more as a third tall and I think that will be his role in the AFL if he makes it. I don’t buy into the fact about him lacking a couple of centimetres, I don’t really care, but it’s just his style of play that makes me think he’s more suited to being a floater in the Josh Gibson mould but nowhere near as attacking.

Gardiner reads the play pretty well and is very good at intercepting. He moves to right spots and is a good judge of where the ball is going to go. He uses this to his advantage and gets to the contest that way rather than being lead there. I have to say though, apart from Tom Boyd, not many key forwards in this draft have great football IQ’s and once he plays on smarter forwards being kicked to by smarter midfielders, he’ll need to figure out new plans of attack (or defence).

In a one on one situation Gardiner does alright but again he wasn’t playing against much. One thing that annoys me about him is that he isn’t really aggressive. His spoils aren’t authoritative and if he gets his fist on the ball it tends to just loop up in the air instead of killing a contest. He also prefers to play from behind and this is where his slight of height won’t do him any good. I’d like to see him develop some mongrel in the contest.

Because of that, I worry about him being that gorilla defender that you can trust against Travis Cloke one on one in the goal square but he does have the body to develop into a decent size. Athletically I wouldn’t say he is great and he is not a defender that will use athleticism to defend. He does not have the leap on him to get that extra stretch so it’s whether he improves his one on one game or he’ll have a tough time of it.

He didn’t test at the Combine, but I’d say his endurance and speed would just be around average; that is just from the eye. I can’t see him moving too far away from the defensive 50, and against the more agile, longer forwards, I think he’ll struggle. He’s definitely designed to stay at home and I think that’s where he’s most comfortable.

Offensively, I wouldn’t expect much and I don’t think it will change. It depends what role he plays at the top level. If he were to play that third tall role I mentioned he might get the ball more but I wouldn’t expect anything dramatic as it’s just not his natural game. His kicking is just average. Not great, not terrible, but that’s OK.

He surprised me with his ability up forward. He could be a handy swingman as his marking ability isn’t too bad and as I said he seems to read the play well, but I wouldn’t be banking on it as a permanent move. It could just be used as a surprise tactic or a Hail Mary in the final minutes.

What you’re getting is a defender that I think still has a lot to prove but also has some improvement left in him. With extra time in the gym he should develop into a pretty solid guy and hopefully with that brings some extra confidence to really crash the packs and give his opponent a tough time. I still have my doubts but we’ll have to see.

Snoop Dog's phantom draft
# 28 Brisbane
Darcy Gardiner – Geelong Falcons / 192cm / 84kg / ‘95
Highly rated key defender from the production factory at the Falcons and is very highly rated by the AIS folks. Did a really good job on Boyd early in the year and it has really got people looking at him very closely notwithstanding he is a bit undersized. Height aside he has a terrific vertical leap and elite agility. He is almost that Silvagni type FB / CHB who just gets into the contest every time. Also knows how to run off and create an avenue out of defence so he offers a lot of value and will likely be a high pick. Huge wraps on the kid insomuch as seen as a kid who clubs will want in the programme. Like Silvagni he has shown scope as a fwd but he will start as a back.

Why and who else: If not him then Giles would be the one as hard to split but I just think Gardiner has some big scalps and I have a bit higher as a result.

Offsider's phantom draft
Pick 22: Brisbane Lions – Darcy Gardiner
Height: 193cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 01/04/1995
Club: Geelong Falcons (Vic Country)

Darcy is next on my list and suits Brisbane’s need for a key defender. He lacks a bit of size and may struggle to match up on the taller types which is a concern and why he drops a bit, but he measured in at 193cm so he should be able to play on those forwards around 195cm. He is the best key defender in the draft imo, and has the best defensive ability, personally I don’t rate Cameron Giles defensive ability at all really after reviewing him and he won’t be in my top 30. Darcy has a lot of intangible qualities like competitiveness, leadership and a never say dies attitude that should hold him in good stead in the AFL. He will want to play a similar role to Darren Glass does currently at West Coast (more a third or second KPD), he has a similar skill set but maybe just lacks the all round game and agility that Glass has but he should be aiming for that type of position. He had a reasonable champs in what was a pretty average year for talls, he dominated Darcy Hourigan who is the type of player he will match up well on. I think he has a fair bit of development left as do all talls but he is capable of making an immediate impact, also he is a risky prospect imo as he is a chance at being a bust.

Strengths
  • Defensive game – Darcy has probably the best defensive game in the entire draft imo and is excellent at shutting down forwards. He is very good overhead in marking contests, he is strong through the core and he gets a fist in more often than not. He is also quick enough to stay with most forwards on the lead, although he can be burnt by fast leading forwards. He does all the little things very well as a defender, the one percenters.
  • Competitive nature – Darcy hates to be beaten and is a really competitive person. He has that typical stingy defensive mindset and this drives him to beat opponents regularly.
  • Footy Smarts – Gardiner looks to have very good footy smarts as a defender and is great at nullifying kicks coming into the forward line. He reads the ball really well in the air, and positions himself very well in contests to make the spoil.
  • Kicking – Generally when he has time and space Darcy Gardiner is a very good kick. He has the ability to hit targets nicely and he weights his passes well. He also has a good long kick on him and could do with using this more.
  • Versatility – Gardiner has a bit of versatility in that he can move forward and present a dangerous marking option who is capable of kicking multiple goals. He could play as a bit of a swingman at AFL level, or potential even if developed right he could be a KPF, although I prefer him as a defender.

Weaknesses/Areas of Improvement
  • Size – At 192cm Gardiner is not the ideal height to be a key defender, nor does he have the long limbs to spoil effectively bigger bodied key forwards. Recently dominant key forwards have tended to be closer to 200cm rather than 192cm he will struggle to defend these types of players. At the U18 champs he played on Hourigan who is 191cm rather than the taller Harvey, which perhaps indicates that he will play not as a no. 1 key defender but rather as a secondary or third tall type defender. This is why he drops a bit lower as I see him more as a second or third tall defender, and I am unsure if his skill set is adequate for this.
  • Rebounding/Offensive game – Not a real weakness but an area that Gardiner could improve a fair bit in, especially if he does become a third tall defender. He can find the ball ok, but is not a high possession winner and he could do with using the ball better as well. It is a work in progress but he is improving in this area.
  • Athleticism – Darcy is not an elite athlete imo but rather just an above average one. His speed is above average although he can be burnt by faster players, he is also not the most agile player and has a sizeable turning circle. Endurance also needs to be improved a bit.
  • Decision making with ball in hand – Under pressure Gardiner can struggle to hit targets especially by foot. He tends to get flustered and just looks to kick it as far as possible.
  • Ground level ability – Darcy is not the best key defender when the ball hits the ground and he struggles against smaller more agile forwards imo. He really needs to fix this area as it will catch him out at AFL level, especially if he becomes more of a third tall defender.
 
May 26, 2007
12,887
17,053
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Geelong Falcon Darcy Gardiner holds high AFL draft hopes
Nick Wade
November 13, 2013

Gardiner says he has only ever known one way. It's a cornerstone of how he's beaten opponents big and small.

And such are his high expectations, he takes it personally if he gets beaten.

"The main thing you do is going out there not wanting to lose," Gardiner, a Queenscliff junior, said.
"One of my top goals is beating my opponent and helping the team.

"(The competitiveness) started from a young age. It's always beenone of the key things in my game that's helped me bring intensity to the game.

"It's always been there throughout my whole time of playing footy."

With a list of scalps over the past two years that includes Jesse Hogan, Jackson Paine and boom South Australian prospect Darcy Hourigan, Gardiner, at 192cm, is up in lights as the best key defensive prospect in this year's draft, where he is expected to go top 30.

019948-draftee-geelong-falcons-darcy-gardiner.jpg
 
Does anyone else see a strong resemblance to Leuey in him? Look like they could be brothers.

Yes! I was thinking that last night, they have the same eyes and face structure. Looks like he would be his evil twin with the dark hair colourings.
 
Nov 4, 2011
15,479
22,088
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Darcy Gardiner

Player comparison
Tom Lonergan (GEEL), Ted Richards (SYD), Ben Rutten (ADEL)

What they say
“The competitive tall defender finds a way to spoil when he looks out of position, pushing, shoving and fighting in contests. Gardiner probably plays as a second or third tall at the next level as he isn't enormous, but has shown he can compete with players bigger and stronger than him. He has improved his kicking, and can hold his ground in aerial contests.” – Afl.com.au draft expert, Callum Twomey

“He's so competitive that whoever we put him on, we always felt it would be a win for us”. – Geelong Falcons Coach, Andy Allthorpe

“One of my top goals is beating my opponent and helping the team”. – Darcy Gardiner
 
May 26, 2007
12,887
17,053
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions grant giant Falcon Darcy Gardiner's wish
November 21, 2013
Meagan Rooth

GEELONG teenager Darcy Gardiner had two wishes granted tonight.

The first came when he was taken by Brisbane Lions at pick 22 in the AFL national draft.

The second came soon after when his Geelong Falcons teammate Lewis Taylor, from Terang-Mortlake, was also recruited by the Lions at pick 28.

Gardiner said he was "over the moon" he would be travelling north with one of his best friends.
"He's up from the bush but we're very close," he said.

"I was praying for his name to be read out to go to Brisbane, absolutely praying for it."

606636-falcons-darcy-gardiner.jpg
 

charles202

Club Legend
Sep 16, 2006
1,311
685
Brisbane
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
I have a feeling that Gardiner plays early next season and plays often.

Gardiner as a third tall would release Joel to play on a HBF and negate any medium forwards and held provide guidance to the rookie.

Experienced heads like Sauce and Joel around Gardiner will dramatically increase his learning curve.
 
May 26, 2007
12,887
17,053
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
New numbers for Lions
December 3, 2013
Sam Lord

#27 – Darcy Gardiner
Previous number/s
32 (for VIC Country at U18 Championships)
39 (at Geelong Falcons)

Notable #27’s at the Lions
Mickey Sharp (1934-41)
Noel Jarvis (1944-52)
Ray Slocum (1958-65)
Graeme Allan (1975-80)
Les Parish (1981-85)Clark Keating (1996-2006)
 

humbird

Debutant
Apr 20, 2008
50
8
Victoria
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Has anyone seen or have any photos or videos since Gardner arrived at the club late last week? Has been the forgotton one since he stayed in Vic a bit longer for his graduation.
 

Morgs_

Club Legend
Jun 8, 2012
1,299
1,840
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Has anyone seen or have any photos or videos since Gardner arrived at the club late last week? Has been the forgotton one since he stayed in Vic a bit longer for his graduation.

Saw him today, he is a big boy, wide in the shoulders and fairly tall. I think he'll be eased into training before the main break.
 
Back