Chris25
Premium Platinum
- Oct 30, 2007
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Lachie Weller
Height: 181cm
Weight: 71kg
From: Broadbeach, Queensland
Position: Midfield
Height: 181cm
Weight: 71kg
From: Broadbeach, Queensland
Position: Midfield
For all the talk of the Academies, it could well be that the best player from Division 2 is free for all takers come draft day - and that player is of course Queenslander (and former Tasmanian) Lachie Weller. Just at the top, he is a member of the Gold Coast Academy but hasn't lived in Queensland long enough to qualify for them to take him on draft day. So now we get a player who has the benefit of training in such an environment, but one who is entering the draft just like anyone else. And while Isaac Heeney is widely regarded as the best Division 2 player, I still think Weller could be the best midfielder in the entire draft.
He just reminds me so much of James Aish, who I also rated as the best midfielder in his draft class. He plays a similar game, and has a lot of the same strengths. And without trying to go too over the top, I just don't think there is anything he can't do. And Weller has proven that by performing at every level - from the U16s and U18s, to the AFL/AIS Academy and even playing in the seniors in the NEAFL. Again, much like Aish did. In his three TAC Cup games for Queensland, Weller proved that he is at a whole different level to his opposition. He was BOG against Gippsland, finishing with extraordinary figures of 35 disposals, 21 handball receives, 5 marks, 11 tackles, 1 goal and 2 behinds. And in his three games at the U18 Championships this year, Weller was a consistent ball winner and just did things with ease. And as I said before, he has performed well against men too being a consistent performer in the NEAFL and finished with a 4 goal haul in one game.
I feel like I'm repeating myself with some of these profiles, but Weller is another who doesn't have many big weaknesses to his game. One of the knocks on Aish was his contested game, with many thinking he couldn't do it. But as I said last year, it's just that he was so valuable on the outside that he didn't get a big chance to show off that other side to his game. And Weller is similar. He hasn't gotten to really show it off, but he can play in close. The only other thing he needs to do is build up his body, which will obviously come with age.
But when it comes to his strengths, there are a whole heap. Firstly, he is such a smart player. Sometimes it seem as though he is two steps ahead of everyone else out on the ground. He can step through traffic with ease, knows exactly where the ball will drop and is one of those players who will direct players with his kicking - he kicks it where he wants them to be, not straight to them. And as a result, less of his kicks are chopped off or spoiled by opponents. The other thing that he does so well is to hit the ball at full speed. When he does become that bit stronger, that ability will make him so valuable in the centre square and at throw ups around the ground. He has already shown flashes of this, and being able to collect the ball at speed and kick goals as a result is something that will turn games. He's just clean with everything he does. And those strengths are just when he has ball in hand, I haven't even touched on his athletics past.
At the start of the year, I rated Lachie Weller as the best midfielder in the draft. And to be honest, not much has changed since then. The form of Petracca has perhaps seen him drop down one, and some taller midfielders could be preferred depending on what teams are after. But, Weller is one of the standout midfielders and looks to be a pretty safe option at the top of the draft - and I'd have him firmly inside the top 10.
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