The 10th Letter
Senior List
2011 Season Review: Kirk Ugle
15 VFL Games
12 Goals (Game High: 3 Goals)
Named In Best 8 Times
Yet another pint sized addition to the Magpie playing list, the 172cm West Australian came to the club at the end of the 2010 season, shaping us a zippy opportunistic forward with a potentially deadly left boot.
The early stages of the VFL season provided a steep learning curve for Ugle, with the team as a whole struggling to remain competitive against larger and more experienced opposition. Whilst he wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard, Ugle was giving a good account of himself in the defensive stakes and would have been prominent in the less glorious, but all-important desire indicators.
As the season progressed, Ugle was given more opportunity within the midfield where his pressure was called upon to nullify the opposition at stoppages. Despite having the attributes to become a potential 70 metre player, the line-breaking facet to Ugle’s game is still in development. His ability by foot was on show at times, but he opted to defer to others by hand more often than not -- a ratio the club would be looking to tilt in the other direction.
Towards the home stretch of the VFL season, there were obvious signs that he was rounding out his game and becoming more of an offensive option, resulting in Ugle getting named amongst the bests in the final six rounds. As his confidence increased, he began carrying the ball further distances whilst taking ownership when heading toward goal.
Despite his height, he’s got a stocky build combined with very good tackling technique, resulting in a terrier that is not easily shaken off. More of a predator around packs rather than an instigator, his work around stoppages consists mostly of wrapping up opposition players attempting to escape with the ball, or awaiting the handball receive.
As an outside player, he can comfortably cover 50-60 metres by foot but there can be some disparity between the quality of his disposal. His best efforts result in goals on the run from distance and on tight angles, on the flip side he could settle a lot better in set-shot situations.
After one year at the club, there is certainly something to work with in young Ugle. The defensive side of his game has already been established - no doubt an attribute that made him a draft target in the first place - making life easier for our coaches, given that instilling a defensive mindset into opportunistic forwards has been a historically difficult task.
His possible ascension to AFL football will come via the forward line, in a role similar if not identical to the one that has been filled by Jarryd Blair. That’s not to say that Ugle should be pigeon holed, as he’ll very likely be given further midfield time at VFL level heading forward and could also provide some line-breaking from a wing.
Ugle will be looking to return higher disposal numbers in 2012 whilst hitting the scoreboard on a more regular basis. A respectable first year for the young man, laying a solid foundation to build upon. He’ll be looking to push for AFL selection this season, providing some healthy competition for spots.
15 VFL Games
12 Goals (Game High: 3 Goals)
Named In Best 8 Times
Yet another pint sized addition to the Magpie playing list, the 172cm West Australian came to the club at the end of the 2010 season, shaping us a zippy opportunistic forward with a potentially deadly left boot.
The early stages of the VFL season provided a steep learning curve for Ugle, with the team as a whole struggling to remain competitive against larger and more experienced opposition. Whilst he wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard, Ugle was giving a good account of himself in the defensive stakes and would have been prominent in the less glorious, but all-important desire indicators.
As the season progressed, Ugle was given more opportunity within the midfield where his pressure was called upon to nullify the opposition at stoppages. Despite having the attributes to become a potential 70 metre player, the line-breaking facet to Ugle’s game is still in development. His ability by foot was on show at times, but he opted to defer to others by hand more often than not -- a ratio the club would be looking to tilt in the other direction.
Towards the home stretch of the VFL season, there were obvious signs that he was rounding out his game and becoming more of an offensive option, resulting in Ugle getting named amongst the bests in the final six rounds. As his confidence increased, he began carrying the ball further distances whilst taking ownership when heading toward goal.
Despite his height, he’s got a stocky build combined with very good tackling technique, resulting in a terrier that is not easily shaken off. More of a predator around packs rather than an instigator, his work around stoppages consists mostly of wrapping up opposition players attempting to escape with the ball, or awaiting the handball receive.
As an outside player, he can comfortably cover 50-60 metres by foot but there can be some disparity between the quality of his disposal. His best efforts result in goals on the run from distance and on tight angles, on the flip side he could settle a lot better in set-shot situations.
After one year at the club, there is certainly something to work with in young Ugle. The defensive side of his game has already been established - no doubt an attribute that made him a draft target in the first place - making life easier for our coaches, given that instilling a defensive mindset into opportunistic forwards has been a historically difficult task.
His possible ascension to AFL football will come via the forward line, in a role similar if not identical to the one that has been filled by Jarryd Blair. That’s not to say that Ugle should be pigeon holed, as he’ll very likely be given further midfield time at VFL level heading forward and could also provide some line-breaking from a wing.
Ugle will be looking to return higher disposal numbers in 2012 whilst hitting the scoreboard on a more regular basis. A respectable first year for the young man, laying a solid foundation to build upon. He’ll be looking to push for AFL selection this season, providing some healthy competition for spots.
