Delisted Liam Dawson (2014-2018)

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The best prospects from division two of the Under-18 Championships

Liam Dawson
Medium defender/midfielder
187cm/82kg
23/1/96
Aspley/Brisbane Lions Academy
"Because of his ability to play a number of roles, sometimes he can get played out of position. We'll play him through the midfield and forward. We know he can play down back but he's stepped up in the midfield in our past two TAC Cup games, and then we put him at full forward and showed his speed and marking ability there."
 

Dylan12

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Sep 7, 2007
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Meet the latest Lions

The Brisbane Lions welcomed three new players on Monday via the Father-Son and Academy pre-Draft bidding meeting – Liam Dawson, Harris Andrews, and Josh Clayton.

LIAM DAWSONNickname: Dawso, Daws

DOB:
23/1/96

Height:
188cm

Weight:
81kg

Recruited from:
Aspley (QLD)

Position:
Medium Midfielder / Defender

AFL summary: Strong and versatile Defender/Midfielder that can lock down opponents or play a creative role for his team. Strong overhead and athletic, uses the ball effectively by hand and foot while making smart decisions. Won the Harrison Medal in AFL Under-18s in 2013. Injured in 2014 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. NAB AFL Academy member and a member of the Lions Academy.

Liam says: “I spent a little bit of last summer doing pre-season with the Club. I obviously know some of the boys already, so I’m not going in cold. It’s a great honour and I can’t wait for the pre-season to start.”

AFL club previously followed and favourite player: Collingwood/Brisbane Lions. Collingwood favourite player – Scott Pendulbury. Brisbane Lions favourite player – Joel Patfull. Also love Dyson Heppel (Essendon), Joel Selwood (Geelong) and Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)

Current AFL player comparison:
“When I’m playing in the backline, I see myself as a bit of a mix between Josh Gibson/Joel Patfull, because I can provide run and carry like Gibson but also come across and influence the contest in the air like Patfull. In the midfield, a bit like David Mundy, because he’s a taller midfielder that has a bigger body so can just make his mark when he’s in there, but also rest at half back/half forward. Up forward probably Jimmy Bartel/Nat Fyfe because both can push into the midfield, but when they are forward they play taller than what they measure up as. Both have strong hands above the head and can kick goals.”

Dawson_Headshot-hero.jpg
 

Quigley

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Sep 23, 2006
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Liam Dawson
Ht – 189 Wt – 83

Dawson is the first of the Lions two academy picks this year. He has been an elite prospect since the under 15s and was in the AFL Academy the last two years. He suffers a bit from being someone that can be thrown all over the ground and he will do an excellent job for you. He made the All Australian side last year as a bottom ager playing in the back half but missed this year. At the Champs this year there seemed a bit of a pattern where he started down back for the first half before moving to the midfield and forward in the second half.

His work up forward was a lot better than down back and that is where I think he will start his AFL career. Dawson is an excellent mark of the ball and is an elite finisher – maybe the best in this draft. He knows where the goals are and looks very classy when he gets the chance. He is a smart footballer and reads the play well.

Through the midfield he was marked heavily at the Champs but showed some glimpses that he might end up playing a lot there as he develops. He did not attack the ball in clearance situations as I like to see and seemed to be a bit passive with his opponent got a body on him. He seems to read the where the ball is going to go really well and gets to good spots to get it but is often standing still and is tackled a lot before he can get away a clean handball. He needs to work on getting on the move more. He has nice clean hands wherever he is on the park including in the midfield. It is worth noting that his hands are massive and at 26.8 cms they are bigger than I can recall over the last couple of years. He looks like Kouta a lot with his ability to pick the ball up and wave it around.

Down back he reads the play well and seemed to be one of the backline organisers when he was there. The group tended to work off his positioning. He finds the ball most easily in the backhalf but when I saw him this year he was pretty scrappy in his use of the ball with a lot missing the target or bouncing before reaching. I think his option taking was fine, it was the execution that was the issue. He likes to run off when operating in defence and when he kicks he tends to drop the ball outside of his body. He is a right footer and what I mean is that rather than dropping it straight down over his foot he drops it 6 inches or more to the right so he swings onto it a bit more. This gives some variability in his kicking with some nice worm burners but it also causes a fair few miscues. I also have a few concerns that it is affected his feel on his kicks. Hopefully that can be sorted out.

He did not test particularly well at the Combine but I think he is a solid enough athlete who should improve a fair bit when he gets into a full time environment. His speed is around the 3 flat mark, his agility is fine in the midrange for his positions. His endurance needs to improve and that is one reason why I see him starting up forward rather than in the midfield.

Overall I rate him as a nice prospect who I have no trouble taking at this stage of the draft. He has a few things which he needs to work on and I am not expecting to see him next year but his ceiling is pretty high and he has a good chance on becoming a player.
 

Panthera

Premiership Player
Feb 15, 2008
4,219
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AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Liam Dawson
Ht – 189 Wt – 83

Dawson is the first of the Lions two academy picks this year. He has been an elite prospect since the under 15s and was in the AFL Academy the last two years. He suffers a bit from being someone that can be thrown all over the ground and he will do an excellent job for you. He made the All Australian side last year as a bottom ager playing in the back half but missed this year. At the Champs this year there seemed a bit of a pattern where he started down back for the first half before moving to the midfield and forward in the second half.

His work up forward was a lot better than down back and that is where I think he will start his AFL career. Dawson is an excellent mark of the ball and is an elite finisher – maybe the best in this draft. He knows where the goals are and looks very classy when he gets the chance. He is a smart footballer and reads the play well.

Through the midfield he was marked heavily at the Champs but showed some glimpses that he might end up playing a lot there as he develops. He did not attack the ball in clearance situations as I like to see and seemed to be a bit passive with his opponent got a body on him. He seems to read the where the ball is going to go really well and gets to good spots to get it but is often standing still and is tackled a lot before he can get away a clean handball. He needs to work on getting on the move more. He has nice clean hands wherever he is on the park including in the midfield. It is worth noting that his hands are massive and at 26.8 cms they are bigger than I can recall over the last couple of years. He looks like Kouta a lot with his ability to pick the ball up and wave it around.

Down back he reads the play well and seemed to be one of the backline organisers when he was there. The group tended to work off his positioning. He finds the ball most easily in the backhalf but when I saw him this year he was pretty scrappy in his use of the ball with a lot missing the target or bouncing before reaching. I think his option taking was fine, it was the execution that was the issue. He likes to run off when operating in defence and when he kicks he tends to drop the ball outside of his body. He is a right footer and what I mean is that rather than dropping it straight down over his foot he drops it 6 inches or more to the right so he swings onto it a bit more. This gives some variability in his kicking with some nice worm burners but it also causes a fair few miscues. I also have a few concerns that it is affected his feel on his kicks. Hopefully that can be sorted out.

He did not test particularly well at the Combine but I think he is a solid enough athlete who should improve a fair bit when he gets into a full time environment. His speed is around the 3 flat mark, his agility is fine in the midrange for his positions. His endurance needs to improve and that is one reason why I see him starting up forward rather than in the midfield.

Overall I rate him as a nice prospect who I have no trouble taking at this stage of the draft. He has a few things which he needs to work on and I am not expecting to see him next year but his ceiling is pretty high and he has a good chance on becoming a player.

No pressure kid :D

Are we talking a Goddard type F50 type player?
 

Billy Puller

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Sep 5, 2013
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automatically one of my favourites after playing at the same junior club. Taught him a few tricks and is very a coachable, down to earth bloke that will give 100%.
Played against him a number of times through juniors. Always a one man team he carried you guys week in week out
 
Sep 14, 2012
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Played against him a number of times through juniors. Always a one man team he carried you guys week in week out
He was a good prospect but I am a few years older than him so never actually played with him. When he went over to Aspley his development was fast tracked as Redcliffe was a shithole when I played. Not sure what it is like now but probably still is... that club had a few promising players (Both Rutledges come to mind and a few others) but the U14-18s were sad state of affairs for development. Most kids who wanted to try to make it left to Sandgate/Aspley clubs.
 

Billy Puller

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He was a good prospect but I am a few years older than him so never actually played with him. When he went over to Aspley his development was fast tracked as Redcliffe was a shithole when I played. Not sure what it is like now but probably still is... that club had a few promising players (Both Rutledges come to mind and a few others) but the U14-18s were sad state of affairs for development. Most kids who wanted to try to make it left to Sandgate/Aspley clubs.
Yeah the last time I played Redcliffe was the last year he played. Literaly dragged that team up a whole division was pretty crazy.
 

Billy Puller

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With your original reply I thought you were part of the clique but then I noticed you had no likes and realised you were just an attention seeker trying to nab some cheap likes;) Don't be ashamed about it:thumbsu:
You seem awfully upset over a comment made on a footy forum..... What I was trying to say by my original comment was we shouldn't all get worked up over this kid as he could end up being a spud. But whatever helps you sleep at night mate!!!
 
Jan 9, 2009
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You seem awfully upset over a comment made on a footy forum..... What I was trying to say by my original comment was we shouldn't all get worked up over this kid as he could end up being a spud. But whatever helps you sleep at night mate!!!
Sorry if it came across that way. I deliberately made use of the "wink face and "thumbs up" in order to remove that confusion but that obviously failed. Have a fun night!

P.S. Not sure how I was getting all worked up over Dawson by stating: "He looks like a nice prospect" but anyway if that's the way you saw it that's the way you saw it I guess:confused:
 
Aug 15, 2009
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^^^ And here's confirmation of that in her top 30 rankings:

24 Liam Dawson (Aspley, 23/1/96, 189cm, 83kg)

Midfield utility

Dawson is inventive, a player who can create a bit of havoc wherever he's put. Running out of defence or through the middle he's willing to move with the ball, assessing options as he goes; playing forward he can bamboozle opponents, get into good spots, take marks and kick goals. Has speed, versatility and doesn't wait around for things to happen.
 

pauldrc

Cancelled
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Aug 17, 2009
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Good get at pick 41....:)
 
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