Matt Illman

[Mong]

Could be worth a gamble with the last pick in the draft.

For those unaware Matt Illman quit the 36ers to take a chance at the AFL. The last person to do this was Dean Brogan.

Illman is 196cm and is an athlete. As a fan of the 36ers I have seen a lot of Illman and Brogan for the Sixers and I would say he has at least the equal of Brogan in terms of athleticism and on the basketball court has better hands, better ball skills and was always a leader on the court when it came to committment and tenacity. And he was tough, liking to mix it with the big guys.

This doesn't mean a lot when it comes to football but like Brogan, Illman does have a history of football at junior levels.

To only see both as basketballers Illman would've appeared to be the more likely to succeed at football in my opinion. Such was the way he played basketball.

Brogan has proved himself and now has the runs on the board.

There is absolutley no guarantee that Illman could do anything like what Brogan has but the attibutes seem to be there.

I think he is worth a risk at some level. Whether that's drafting or rookie list. We could wait 12 months but after a year playing with West Adelaide he could well be much sought after.

Whether it's as a ruckman or a key position player he has as much athleticism as any in the AFL. And for the last spot on our list I would love to see us bite the bullet, take a risk and get him on our list. The potential upside is huge.


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[lozstar]

He'd be worth at least taking a look at/rookie listing just to see what he's capable of.. If he can turn out anything like Brogan has, it'd be great!!

 

[Blues_Girl]

I thought he was in talks with Port

Or at least that's what I thought he said about 6 weeks ago.

 

[spindoctor]

Yes please.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Port are after Illman.

I think he will be worth rookie listing but taking him in the National Draft is a bit too much of a risk.

 

[Crow-mosone]

Illman, threw a tantrum at his contract offer from the 36'ers.
threatened to walk, and was politely shown the door.

who needs another sulk.

 

[kirky]

Originally posted by Crow-mosone
Illman, threw a tantrum at his contract offer from the 36'ers.
threatened to walk, and was politely shown the door.

who needs another sulk.

Agreed, plus can't players that bleach their hair (they lose focus).

 

[MarksGirl-kbcrowgirl]

Not every basketballer is going to make a great footballer.

Rookie list at the best............but really I'd like to see him have a year at westies to see what he can really do.

k
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[spindoctor]

Originally posted by kirky
Agreed, plus can't players that bleach their hair (they lose focus).

Ricciuto didn't seem to have any dip in form when he bleached his hair. Neither did Biglands.

 

[Garth]

He didn't throw a tantrum mosone, he was stuffed around by the 6ers management for ages and finally came to the realisation he was never going to make a viable career out of basketball. Now he has decided to try football.

As a long time 6ers fan, I saw a fair bit of Matt. He is the sort of person you'd like around any sporting club. The only obstacle is whether he is any good at footy (I have no idea on this, so I won't comment).

 

[Gets!]

Matt works down at athletes foot at Westfield Marion, and from what I've spoken with him he is a good bloke.

He has nominated for the draft has he?

 

[kirky]

Originally posted by spindoctor
Ricciuto didn't seem to have any dip in form when he bleached his hair. Neither did Biglands.

Bit of difference between doing the tips and the whole head.

 

[Bockchoy67]

I find it pretty amazing that such athlete's can pick up a football and play like they've been playing for years.

This Matt Illman bloke would be great for our team, but if it's true what Stiffy says then I doubt we have a real chance to obtain him.

You never know, he could to turn out to be a dud or a great footballer...

 

[magicman]

I have a mate who has a connection with the 36ers who has told me that Illman is a pretty arrogant person. To quote him he said Illman was a d*ckhead. If this is true, I guess it's no wonder he's linked to Port then

 

[sog35]

It's safe to say Illman doesn't mind himself. It's also safe to say that the Sixers management were trying to screw him over. I have no doubts that the problems lay with the club and not Illman.

 

[Thunderstruck]

I reckon he needs to prove himself to at least SANFL reserves level to a good degree b4 he should be rookie listed. Is a good size and I have no doubt that he will make the grade one day.

 

[tribey]

Originally posted by spindoctor
Ricciuto didn't seem to have any dip in form when he bleached his hair. Neither did Biglands.

Matthew Bode on the other hand...

And who can forget Dickie's mohawk and lighting-bolt ensemble?

 

[naughty monkey]

Originally posted by Thunderstruck
I reckon he needs to prove himself to at least SANFL reserves level to a good degree b4 he should be rookie listed. Is a good size and I have no doubt that he will make the grade one day.

so why wait?
why give some other club the opportunity to pick him up before we do?

If he's going to show anything, you'll see it next year. We should have him on the RL this year.

 

[Crow-mosone]

He was an average player with an attitude, who signed his own ticket out of the powerhouse, not who we need.

Regardless he was a low end player who wanted too much money, and had his bluff called.

What would he be like on a rookie contract? besides he now needs a job, how comitted does that make him.

 

[MaccasNeighbour]

Originally posted by magicman
I have a mate who has a connection with the 36ers who has told me that Illman is a pretty arrogant person. To quote him he said Illman was a d*ckhead. If this is true, I guess it's no wonder he's linked to Port then

A lot of people think Akermanis is a *****head but I wouldn't mind him playing for Adelaide.

 

[Thunderstruck]

Id wait because there are better options out there to rookie list besides matt Illman. He will prolly make the grade, but nowhere near as good as Brogan.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Could be worth a spot on the rookie list, but we should explore all other possible rucking options too.

 

[Mong]

I apologise if anyone objects to me recalling this old thread but I noticed Illman made his SANFL debut for West on the weekend. Kicked a couple of goals.

I still reckon we should seriously look at him. Probably should've rookie listed him last year. We've got plenty of dead wood and delisting a couple of extra guys than normal so that we can take a chance on someone like this is hardly going to set our club back. There's guys on our list that won't amount to anything. Get rid of them and give Illman a go.

That is unless every AFL club is now keen and he is in demand.

Anyone see him on the weekend?


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[Macca19]

Hes 23 so he may be too old for rookie listing (but im not sure of the age limit).

If he showed good signs then i thought Port would have picked him up last year.

 

[Mong]

Originally posted by Macca19
Hes 23 so he may be too old for rookie listing (but im not sure of the age limit).

Good point. Forgot about that.

If he showed good signs then i thought Port would have picked him up last year.

But last year he only played a few games at the end of the season as he didn't leave the 36ers until July. Difficult to start your career towards the end of the football season. This year was his first preseason and first full year in SANFL. This was always going to be the year where he would really show if he's up to it.


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