Matthew Clarke

[AstuteTiger]

In the 2021 draft of Gibcus, brown, sonsie, banks and clarke.

How much better would our team look with these two Jake Soligo of Adelaide and Sam Durham of Essendon, both right under our noses in our VFL team. Durham and Soligo have both taken their games to another level.

JAKE SOLIGO
The Eastern Ranges/Dromana Football Club product was selected with pick No.36 at the 2021 AFL National Draft. Soligo averaged 23 touches throughout 2021 with the Eastern Ranges and powered through the final three matches with an average of 27 disposals a game. Known for his two-way work rate and quick skills around the contest, Soligo formed a lethal partnership with his teammates up forward. Soligo made his AFL debut with the Crows against Fremantle in Round One, 2022, and went on to line up in 16 matches in 2022. Soligo continued that form into 2023, playing 21 games and averaging 16.5 disposals.

SAM DURHAM
The winger has continued to flourish since being taken in 2021’s mid-season draft, appearing in 22 out of a possible 23 games last season. A hard runner with clean skills, Durham gave Bombers fans a moment to savour in round 10 with a game-winning goal in the final 10 seconds against the Tigers.

 

[Lacustrus]

In the 2021 draft of Gibcus, brown, sonsie, banks and clarke.

How much better would our team look with these two Jake Soligo of Adelaide and Sam Durham of Essendon, both right under our noses in our VFL team. Durham and Soligo have both taken their games to another level.

JAKE SOLIGO
The Eastern Ranges/Dromana Football Club product was selected with pick No.36 at the 2021 AFL National Draft. Soligo averaged 23 touches throughout 2021 with the Eastern Ranges and powered through the final three matches with an average of 27 disposals a game. Known for his two-way work rate and quick skills around the contest, Soligo formed a lethal partnership with his teammates up forward. Soligo made his AFL debut with the Crows against Fremantle in Round One, 2022, and went on to line up in 16 matches in 2022. Soligo continued that form into 2023, playing 21 games and averaging 16.5 disposals.

SAM DURHAM
The winger has continued to flourish since being taken in 2021’s mid-season draft, appearing in 22 out of a possible 23 games last season. A hard runner with clean skills, Durham gave Bombers fans a moment to savour in round 10 with a game-winning goal in the final 10 seconds against the Tigers.

How is Durham Clarkes fault ?

Essendon nabbed him after we developed him in our VFL team . I’m struggling to see where the issue is , other than Essendon doing the dirty on us.

 

[AstuteTiger]

How is Durham Charles fault ffs ?

I didn't say it was but it seems you need further explanation

Soligo was chosen at pick 36 in the ND after our 5 picks. Durham went in the 2021 MSD and Clarke was the national recruiting manager surely he would have his finger on the pulse to how some of the kids were travelling in the ressies.

 

[Tomnat Tigers]

I didn't say it was but it seems you need further explanation

Soligo was chosen at pick 36 in the ND after our 5 picks. Durham went in the 2021 MSD and Clarke was the national recruiting manager surely he would have his finger on the pulse to how some of the kids were travelling in the ressies.

Durham went one pick before we had the chance to pick him up.

Who do you think recruits the VFL players to the program?

 

[AstuteTiger]

Durham went one pick before we had the chance to pick him up.

Who do you think recruits the VFL players to the program?

Are you insinuating that we would've picked him? I doubt we would've even chosen him. We overlooked Soligo who i would have over Banks and Sonsie.
I watch the reserves, I see players like Davidson, El Nour, May to name a few. Could the club have spoken to him about going into the ND and promising to pick him considering we had 5 picks within the top 30.

If a club trully wants a player on their list they'll do their best to try and make it happen via ND, Rookie draft.
Granted not guaranteed but a show of faith from the club.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Are you insinuating that we would've picked him? I doubt we would've even chosen him. We overlooked Soligo who i would have over Banks and Sonsie.
I watch the reserves, I see players like Davidson, El Nour, May to name a few. Could the club have spoken to him about going into the ND and promising to pick him considering we had 5 picks within the top 30.

If a club trully wants a player on their list they'll do their best to try and make it happen via ND, Rookie draft.
Granted not guaranteed but a show of faith from the club.

Richmond in 2021 were in a position of having a list build for pre-existing rules and needing to adjust the list to suit the stand rule era. So the club very sensibly took the decision to focus on players they thought were fast or good runners(Clarke, Banks, Gibcus) and/or great kicks(Clarke, Banks, Gibcus, Brown, Sonsie.) The merits of those selections and that policy cannot even begin to be fairly judged at this point. All 5 have shown promise. The club has since recruited Taranto and Hopper to do the sort of job Durham or Soligo would do, only both would do it better, when fit.

Gibcus - every indication of being top class kpd or interceptor if his body allows, has done 2 season destroying injuries in 3 seasons after a hugely promising first year in 2022 when he played 18 games. Done and ACL 2024.

Brown - now playing consistently in the AFL team and building his body, tank and defensive game. We can all see the value of his ability to find great targets by foot. Looks a tremendous selection at pick 17.

Sonsie - had a brilliant debut season in 2022, with a player rating of 8.67, and 6.7 score involvements per game(well above anything Soligo or Durham look like producing), when the team was last functioning well. Has struggled in mainly unsuitable circumstances since, but it is easy to see his class ball in hand and once the key players who are currently injured return and the team starts to gel better there is every reason to expect Sonsie will be a damaging player for us.

Banks - finely framed player but good height, good runner, and great kick when in space. Another who should benefit from the return of the likes of Taranto, Hopper, Lynch, Graham and the team returning to normal function levels.

Clarke - we have seen plenty enough from this guy to say he looks a good pick at pick 30. Was very small and at the young end of his draft year age range, and had his development hindered by doing an ACL prior to his draft year. Quick, skilful and good balance. Once he builds his body, if he gets a good crack at it, looks a more than decent prospect who can really hurt opponents with his speed and kicking.

From those 5 picks, if the club ends up with 3 long term quality players, that would be a terrific return from those selections. If 4 or 5 of them make the grade they will transform our team to a fast, skilful looking outfit in a way the Durhams and Soligos of the planet were never going to do. We have other players to fulfil the types of roles they play in their teams. Sadly, they seem to keep getting injured. They(Durham & Soligo) are good players who are doing well, but those type of selections were never going to transform our team from a low skilled, high pressure, hard running team to a great kicking perfectly stand era adapted team.

Our 2021 draft class has obviously had a very torrid run with injuries themselves, and all sorts of instability and malfunction within the team as the team has come under a different coaching structure at a time where most of the key players of the team have not had any presence or continuity. All of Lynch, Dusty, Taranto, Hopper, Balta, Prestia have missed significant periods since the 2021 draft and the one who has played the most of those, Balta, has had major role changes within the period. Durham or Soligo might have been more useful than our 2021 selections right at this point given all our difficulties, but when the team returns to any sort of normal function that could and should look very different.

Soligo wasn't what we were looking for in 2021. And Durham we were just unlucky to have won more games than Essendon when the MSD came up. No club had any idea how good he was until he started playing in our VFL team.

 

[AstuteTiger]

Richmond in 2021 were in a position of having a list build for pre-existing rules and needing to adjust the list to suit the stand rule era. So the club very sensibly took the decision to focus on players they thought were fast or good runners(Clarke, Banks, Gibcus) and/or great kicks(Clarke, Banks, Gibcus, Brown, Sonsie.) The merits of those selections and that policy cannot even begin to be fairly judged at this point. All 5 have shown promise. The club has since recruited Taranto and Hopper to do the sort of job Durham or Soligo would do, only both would do it better, when fit.

Gibcus - every indication of being top class kpd or interceptor if his body allows, has done 2 season destroying injuries in 3 seasons after a hugely promising first year in 2022 when he played 18 games. Done and ACL 2024.

Brown - now playing consistently in the AFL team and building his body, tank and defensive game. We can all see the value of his ability to find great targets by foot. Looks a tremendous selection at pick 17.

Sonsie - had a brilliant debut season in 2022, with a player rating of 8.67, and 6.7 score involvements per game(well above anything Soligo or Durham look like producing), when the team was last functioning well. Has struggled in mainly unsuitable circumstances since, but it is easy to see his class ball in hand and once the key players who are currently injured return and the team starts to gel better there is every reason to expect Sonsie will be a damaging player for us.

Banks - finely framed player but good height, good runner, and great kick when in space. Another who should benefit from the return of the likes of Taranto, Hopper, Lynch, Graham and the team returning to normal function levels.

Clarke - we have seen plenty enough from this guy to say he looks a good pick at pick 30. Was very small and at the young end of his draft year age range, and had his development hindered by doing an ACL prior to his draft year. Quick, skilful and good balance. Once he builds his body, if he gets a good crack at it, looks a more than decent prospect who can really hurt opponents with his speed and kicking.

From those 5 picks, if the club ends up with 3 long term quality players, that would be a terrific return from those selections. If 4 or 5 of them make the grade they will transform our team to a fast, skilful looking outfit in a way the Durhams and Soligos of the planet were never going to do. We have other players to fulfil the types of roles they play in their teams. Sadly, they seem to keep getting injured. They(Durham & Soligo) are good players who are doing well, but those type of selections were never going to transform our team from a low skilled, high pressure, hard running team to a great kicking perfectly stand era adapted team.

Our 2021 draft class has obviously had a very torrid run with injuries themselves, and all sorts of instability and malfunction within the team as the team has come under a different coaching structure at a time where most of the key players of the team have not had any presence or continuity. All of Lynch, Dusty, Taranto, Hopper, Balta, Prestia have missed significant periods since the 2021 draft and the one who has played the most of those, Balta, has had major role changes within the period. Durham or Soligo might have been more useful than our 2021 selections right at this point given all our difficulties, but when the team returns to any sort of normal function that could and should look very different.

Soligo wasn't what we were looking for in 2021. And Durham we were just unlucky to have won more games than Essendon when the MSD came up. No club had any idea how good he was until he started playing in our VFL team.

No need for a synopsis on each player chosen in the 2021 draft. I attend all games and also watch reserves. Get to some U18's games when I can.

Durham showed very good signs in the ressies. That's the job of the recruiters (Clarke and co) to watch these guys carefully like us supporters do when we put our two bobs worth on certain players.

Come on Taranto and hooper are different types of players and cannot do what Durham does because he is freakin fast and is a high run and carry player. He started playing wing now on ball.

Sorry I have hawks mates who said sonsie is soft in the contest and doesnt run hard enough, plays the game almost laconic. Hence why they didn't pick him up when they had the chance..

On Soligo what young mids did we have coming through the system? He was exactly what we needed for the next batch of mids to coem through..

Agree if 3 out of 5 make it thumbs up. I hope Banks and Sonsie make it but I have doubts more so on these two. Gibcus, Brown and Clarke I am happy with and think they all will be long term players.

All I was saying and I think it was pretty self explanatory how much better would we look if he had soligo and durham in our side.