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Elijah Edwards

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Suprised Vic Metro agreed to play him in the position we asked for. I didn't know they had that sort of power with NSW/ACT Rams players.
 
The Royal Sampler said:
Suprised Vic Metro agreed to play him in the position we asked for. I didn't know they had that sort of power with NSW/ACT Rams players.
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I think that sums up how seriously this whole thing should be taken. Definitely not worthy of a thread of it's own when it could have simply slotted into The Future Magpies Watch one.
 
TheNewQ said:
The smallest midget of them all. I can't see the point of committing to the smallest AFL draftee of all time. He would need to have the talent of a Gary Ablett to convince me to take him.
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what is the fixation with guys height about? AFL is not basketball!
 

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mattys123 said:
Smallest? No where near it.

He's listed as 167cm;

Here's a few that were shorter;

Libba; 163cm
Daniel Craven; 162cm
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I based my smallest player on stats from the last thread on Edwards where I recall his height at 162cm. I'm happy to be corrected if he has grown. Maybe he will be a late maturer, sprouting height from a late teenage frame. If he costs us nothing, who cares? I used to care but not anymore. In for a penny in for a pound. With so many short people, one more is hardly noticeable.
 
mattys123 said:
Smallest? No where near it.

He's listed as 167cm;

Here's a few that were shorter;

Libba; 163cm
Daniel Craven; 162cm
James Bradford 154cm:eek: (Played in the 1940's)

And some others at a similar height;

Filandia; 168cm (so about the same)
Neade; 170cm
Tony Francis; 171cm

So he's not breaking any records at 167cm.

We should list him, it doesn't cost us a rookie spot for the first year I believe and after that we'd know if he's any chance at making it all.
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Half this board would be a chance to get a game in 1940. Daniel Craven how did his AFL career go?
Libba was an exception to the rule, he was a thug.
 
His kicking is hit and miss, his contested marking ability is non existent, he struggles to get double figure disposals and he doesn't kick bags of goals.

I won't be holding my breath, wouldn't be disappointed to see him rookie listed but he is a massive long shot to make it
 
The issue is not only is he short but he is extremely light framed Libba may have been shorter but his frame was much thicker then EE.

The club may as well take him as a cat b listed player and try bulk him up somewhat and see how he goes at VFL level.
 

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Chilli Con Incarnate said:
How old is he? Is there any chance he'll grow a little more? Say 2 or three feet?
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He is turning 18 in 2 months. I had a friend in school who was always super short, even during year 12. 2 years later he has grown to above average height from no where.. so yes there is a chance of a late growth spurt.

The fact he already has a strong beard probably doesn't help him, i could be completely wrong here but in my experience the people who have beards means their puberty is pretty much finished so there is no hope of a late growth spurt, rather than the small chance of a "late bloomer" and getting the puberty growth spurt around 18-19. I am not an expert so could be completely wrong there, just my experience.
 
The site says " Edwards is only able to be selected as a priority by Collingwood, who they have committed to. Should the Pies go back on that, he will then be fair game in the draft pool, where he could be picked up by any AFL Club."

I dont speak that language. Selected as a priority? Does this mean that we have to finish with 4 wins for the season to get him?

As for him being very short, I must admit that I've made the odd comment about the number of short players that we have been drafting. The good thing about Edwards is that he is apparently "lightning fast"... although I remember Ugle got that tag and few others in recent years. Having said that, if he is playing at state level, then he must be worth a rookie position, even if he lowers the average height of the list down to 4'2".
 
blaze036 said:
He is turning 18 in 2 months. I had a friend in school who was always super short, even during year 12. 2 years later he has grown to above average height from no where.. so yes there is a chance of a late growth spurt.

The fact he already has a strong beard probably doesn't help him, i could be completely wrong here but in my experience the people who have beards means their puberty is pretty much finished so there is no hope of a late growth spurt, rather than the small chance of a "late bloomer" and getting the puberty growth spurt around 18-19. I am not an expert so could be completely wrong there, just my experience.
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I'd say it's a safe bet that he wont be playing ruck in our VFL team next year...
 
Yes he is short & that is something of a challenge to budding AFL players.
However most important, is he getting the footy & doing something with it?
If he plays good footy then draft him, if not then don't.
He should be judged on his merits like every other 18 year old in the land.
The ball is in his court.
 
MyManLynch said:
Yes he is short & that is something of a challenge to budding AFL players.
However most important, is he getting the footy & doing something with it?
If he plays good footy then draft him, if not then don't.
He should be judged on his merits like every other 18 year old in the land.
The ball is in his court.
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From what i've seen he seriously struggles to get the footy, most of the time struggles to get double figure disposals.

Generally kicks 1 goal a game on average and a couple of tackles.

Nothing really to get excited about. Not sure how he has gone for Scotch though
 
blaze036 said:
From what i've seen he seriously struggles to get the footy, most of the time struggles to get double figure disposals.

Generally kicks 1 goal a game on average and a couple of tackles.

Nothing really to get excited about. Not sure how he has gone for Scotch though
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Well apparently he got a B&F as an underage player (and Scotch has some very decent players).
 

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Mateyman said:
Well apparently he got a B&F as an underage player (and Scotch has some very decent players).
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That could be misleading though. Maybe those other good players didn't play a lot of games due to champs or TAC cup, or he was a coaches favorite.

I'm not completely writing him off, just smart to acknowledge he is a long shot. I suppose he is the type of player you the "B type" rookie list is for
 
Best & fairest when? Season 2012?
Is he still in the 'best' this year or dropped off ?
He has to perform now to be drafted.
 
Shpeshal Ed said:
Pace > Height

We are a side in dire need of pace. I don't care if the player with it fits in my pocket.
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Goldsack Young and Beams coming in over the next few weeks will help that, also keeping kennedy in.

I actually think our pace is alright at the moment with sinclair williams kennedy in
 
I'm rather bemused that so much fuss is being made over this lad, and to many it would be a tragedy if we didn't put him on our list, especially as he is basically a "free pick". Of course the fact that he's very fast and has a bit of skill counts for something, but his situation is no different to that of John Haggerty, our other remaining NSW Scholarship player.

I presume Haggerty will be let go at the end of the year, following in the footsteps of such names as Tyson Carracher, Adrian Yakimov and Jed Hillman, and if he is released I imagine hardly anyone will care less. Yet he's a capable young player we can put on our list as another "free pick". We could have had James Stewart and Jackson Starcevich in recent times as father/son recruits but didn't bother as they weren't deemed good enough. Just because they can be had for "nothing", it doesn't mean we should take them.

It's easy to say we can put Edwards on the list as a Category B Rookie, but it could mean e.g. Michael Hartley then loses his spot, without ever getting a decent crack at it due to injury. I'm sure we all would have liked Elijah to have had a blinder of a year, so that he practically demanded selection, but it just hasn't happened. He's going to want a few big games between now and the end of the year to have any chance, surely.
 
When it comes to drafting players past the 2nd or 3rd round, it becomes Attributes > Statistics

Sure, it's good to draft players who play well at state level or whatever, but this isn't the case with most of the players we draft.

We're always spewing on about "in Hine we trust", well do you think Hine is able to only pick the players who perform well? No. The ability to pick good players low low in the draft is to identify a player's attributes and the club's ability to mould and develop them.

Edwards' speed is a good starting point. If he can find ways to work around his height and improve on other areas of his game, he can certainly make it.
 

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