Draft:Pick 5 - Michael Hurley

[Crumpler83]

Happy with the pick as well.

"Defense wins championships."

 

[Hencho]

I noticed the kid wears number 18 for the Vics. He should slot nicely into Lloyd's jumper in a couple of years when he's retired and Hurley has become a permanent fixture down at fullback. Although it will be odd seeing the number 18 down back!

 

[sikmoe]

Young defender Michael Hurley is raring to go

• TALENT is one thing every youngster in today's AFL draft has in abundance, but Michael Hurley has one other special quality.

"He's a big-occasion player," Northern Knights region manager Peter Kennedy said.


"The bigger the occasion, the better he performs."
That elusive commodity, plus excellent kicking skills and an ability to read the play, have 18-year-old Hurley pencilled in as a top-10 pick today.
The fact he is the highest-rated key defender in recent drafts doesn't hurt, either.


He appears a perfect fit for Essendon (pick five) or Carlton (six), and has already shown he has the desire to succeed.


Hurley injured his left ankle in Round 17 of the TAC Cup. He missed Round 18 and was expected to miss the next week, the final round of the home-and-away season.


Kennedy told the teenager: "You've got nothing to gain playing. You can take the week off."


But missing the match was not an option for Hurley, who lives in Rosanna and recently finished Year 12 at Viewbank College.


"I wanted to play the last round with my mates," he said this week. "It (the ankle) probably wasn't 100 per cent, but you spend two years with these guys . . . you kind of want to finish off with them."
Only three weeks before the ankle injury Hurley copped a whack to the head against the Calder Cannons.


He left the ground and was taken to hospital. The next Tuesday he was back at training.


"We had to hold him back," Kennedy said. "A lot of young boys these days wrap themselves up in cotton wool. He just wants to play."


Hurley, one of Vic Metro's three co-captains, was named the team's most valuable player during the national championships and is a dual All-Australian at under-18 level.


He finished second in the Knights' best-and-fairest, even though he played only 11 games because of state commitments.


Despite the wraps on him, the 192.5cm teen isn't feeling any pressure. Nor does the St Kilda fan have any idea where he might be going.
"They've seen me play footy," Hurley said.


"I've done as much as I can. I don't really worry too much."


But Hurley has no shortage of people to ask for advice.


He played with Matthew Kreuzer, Trent Cotchin, Patrick Veszpremi and Brett Meredith at the Knights last year. He speaks regularly to Sydney pair Veszpremi and Meredith.


"They give you insights to the training and the lifestyle of footy players," he said.


For someone who isn't in the AFL system, Hurley knows the reality.
"It seems to be a pretty hard world out there, footy," he said.


"Not many people last that long. I think that just adds to the motivation."
Hurley's goal is simply to "get the best out of myself".


"I don't know what that is or how far I can go with my footy," he said. "We'll just have to wait and see."



http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24722141-19742,00.html

 

[FandangoDingo]

OK. Badly worded. I was referring to the players we overlooked... Rich, Ziebell, Sidebottom, Yarran.

I'm not convinced we got the best value for our first 2 picks, but this is probably the wrong thread for such talk.

Hurley's a big unit & I'm happy he's a Bomber. Expect he's gonna hold down a key post for 10+ years.

It's more the "ecstatic if he's half as good as...." thing at which I was having a dig.

Welcome Michael.

 

[reincarnated]

Did Hurley give any interviews after he got picked by the Bombers? (For AFL website?)

 

[Burzum]

 

[Kong]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++^^^^
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++is that roger federer?

 

[Spikey]

No.

It's Pev

 

[Burzum]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++^^^^
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++is that roger federer?

Zaharakis.

 

[Skeeta Olly]

No.

It's Pev

No.

Its Federer. How uncanny.

 

[Smyth94]

Just on the Hurley vs Rich situation...

Has anyone actually thought that perhaps Essendon thought Hurley was the best defender not just this year but also there wouldn't be a better defender at next year's draft? That maybe there's plenty of midfield talent to be considered next year with picks #6 - #10 because lets face it, we're most likely going to be getting a pick at that range.

 

[Hencho]

Not to mention we'll have some money to throw around pretty soon with Lloyd, Lucas and Fletch soon retiring and if a gun midfielder becomes available then we can have a serious crack at him

 

[Burzum]

Like Daniel Rich in two years

 

[dapto]

OK. Badly worded. I was referring to the players we overlooked... Rich, Ziebell, Sidebottom, Yarran.

I'm not convinced we got the best value for our first 2 picks, but this is probably the wrong thread for such talk.

Hurley's a big unit & I'm happy he's a Bomber. Expect he's gonna hold down a key post for 10+ years.

It's more the "ecstatic if he's half as good as...." thing at which I was having a dig.

Welcome Michael.

Love your work. Always did. More so now

Perspective is a funny thing. I was always pro Hurley despite the need to address midfield issues. But we do have a fleet of players drafted over the last few years to to take up the responsibilities in the midfield. They do need to come through. Secondly, do you keep redrafting remedially to answer questions that maturity has not yet had a chance to provide.

"Best available" is sometimes an excuse to ignore the media. Reality is that all clubs need to fix existing problems. Hurley does that and has that cnut factor which is fabulous.

 

[dons_fan185]

there are clubs like Brisbane who think "get Rich quick"

then there are smart clubs like us who think "get Rich when it suits us"

everybody in red and black wins

 

[silk]

there are clubs like Brisbane who think "get Rich quick"

then there are smart clubs like us who think "get Rich when it suits us"

everybody in red and black wins

If the honeymooners taught us nothing else, they at least taught that get rich quick schemes don't work

Happy to have Hurley.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Not a huge fan of this pick but the Hawks and Cats have shown us that you don't have to be very quick in defence to win flags.

You have to be able to read the play, cut the angles and set it up with pin point delivery.

I'm hoping Hurley develops into a cross between Milburn and Harley as the third tall with Pears and Ryder.

 

[Burzum]

Not a huge fan of this pick but the Hawks and Cats have shown us that you don't have to be very quick in defence to win flags.

You have to be able to read the play, cut the angles and set it up with pin point delivery.

I'm hoping Hurley develops into a cross between Milburn and Harley as the third tall with Pears and Ryder.

I'd be pretty disappointed if he developed into that.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

I'd be pretty disappointed if he developed into that.

Why?

Milburn is a gun and Harley has some great attributes.

We'd be laughing if he developed into that.

 

[bomber69]

He will set up the attack from the kick-in for the next 10 years.

 

[Bezerka]

Hurley was my 3rd preference.

I think he'll do good things. Just devo we let Rich slide...

 

[Thrust]

I'd be pretty disappointed if he developed into that.

As would I, he should hold down a key post, anything less than that and this is a drafting error.

 

[Burzum]

Why?

Milburn is a gun and Harley has some great attributes.

We'd be laughing if he developed into that.

Neither are all that flash defensively.

 

[yodellinhank]

Looking at the draft package though, assuming we went with Rich then the best available key back with the next pick, What would've been a better deal; Hurley/Zaharakis or Rich/? ...

 

[horj89]

Definently the right choice here. Though it would have been nice to get Rich I think getting our defence right is the no.1 priority.

Will be good to see Ryder and Hurley team up down back.