Delisted Michael Close (2012-2017)

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Haso

Haso

Isn't this where we came in?
Veteran Lions Board Service Medal 10k Posts Ex-Moderator
Nov 4, 2011
15,479
22,088
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Drafted to Brisbane with pick #32 in the 2012 National Draft

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Michael Close breaking the pack with a "don't argue" in a Wk1 TAC Final - 2012
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[a freddie foto]
 

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Strong of mind
17 Oct, 2012
Harry Thring

NORTH Ballarat Rebel Michael Close is an imposing physical specimen.

At 196cm and 84kg, the 18-year-old is a strong marking tall forward who represented Vic Country at this year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.But while his physical attributes are exciting, they're hardly rare for young footballers yearning to be drafted.

However, his mental strength and determination set him apart from the pack.

With injury sidelining him from all but two games at the championships and rendering him unable to do any physical testing at the NAB AFL Draft Combine, Close needed to impress AFL clubs.

So he travelled almost 2000km to test at Adelaide's state combine last Saturday, having attended his grandmother's funeral on the Friday.

To test the day after saying goodbye to his "Nan", let alone combat the logistical nightmare of travelling from Ballarat to Hamilton, to Melbourne, to Adelaide, back to Melbourne and finally back to Ballarat in less than 48 hours, showcased the hunger needed to make it in the AFL.
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He'll be very good for bad, puns-based humor on this board as well.
 
Lions add three at draft

Lions National Talent Manager, Rob Kerr, said that the trio would be valuable additions to the Lions list.

“We’ve recruited with a view that we need to develop our next generation forward line - that’s where the overriding philosophy came from,” Kerr said.

… and Michael Close is a centre half forward who is really competitive.”
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Close playing at CHB on James Stewart - Nth Ballarat vs Sandringham TAC
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Knightmare said:
#40 St Kilda (Via West Coast) – Michael Close (VIC – KPD/KPF)
Height: 195cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 30/07/1994
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Style:
Player comparison:
Range: 25-65
Profile: Mobile key position player with elite endurance for a key position player. Can play forward or back but is probably more suited to playing down back. Reasonable mark overhead but as a key forward probably not dominant enough for my liking. Good user of the footy for someone at his height. Has had his injury issues this year but still looks a strong chance to get drafted.
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Quigley said:
Michael Close
DOB: 30/7/94 Ht: 196 Wt: 85

I watched Close in both his Champs games and he is one guy I had was fairly unsure of. I liked his height and the way he got around the ground but I thought he did not have the impact on the game that he should have given the advantage his midfield had over the NSW and Qld teams. He is likely to be in demand I think largely because of his ability to play as a key position and second ruck. He suffered an ankle injury which restricted him to only two matches at the Champs and affected him on the run home. He had a strong start to the year but his injury did not allow him to build on that through the year and I think he falls down a bit as a result.


Close looked to have trimmed down a bit going into the Champs and looked much the better for it. I thought he lumbered a bit in some of the earlier footage I saw of him but at the Champs I thought his agility was much improved. He tested better than I thought he might for agility and I think this could have been a pleasant surprise for teams looking at him. He measured but did not test because of injury at the Combine but unlike others he went to SA to do the State Screening so that he could show what he could do. This came just a few days after his grandmother's funeral and I thought showed very good dedication. I think the move paid off for him as he scored higher than I expected for both pace and agility. He is never going to be in the elite in either of those categories but I think he showed that those are not the liabilities that they might have been considered had he not tested.


One area where he was unquestioningly elite was in endurance. He did a 15.5 in the beep at the beginning of the season and whilst he only managed 14.1 at the State testing his ability to run when fully fit is not subject to dispute. What clubs will need to decide is how best to use that ability to outrun virtually any KP he is likely to match up on. It's a shame he is not quite ruck size as that running ability would be very handy in that role. In the ruck he is a solid option and with a little development he should be able to hold his own against most KP / rucks. He is not a real jumper though and might need to adjust his physical style for the new ruck rules. When he gets his hands on the ball he controls his taps pretty well.

Close sees himself as a forward first up but to me I probably prefer him down back probably as a CHB where he can use his running ability. He is good in body on body situations and if the ball comes in on his head he is strong in the contest. He is likely to be tested by quick agile forwards but he should be able to compete well against the pure strength or pure endurance athletes.

Up forward I am not sure his game will be effective at AFL level. He is not a leader for the ball but rather relies on out-marking his opponent when the ball comes in on his head. He does not protect the drop zone particularly well and takes the ball most often directly above his head rather than out in front of his eyes. He is also prone to mistiming his jumps and too often spills marks he should take. He does have large hands and when he spills marks he still has a reasonable ability to control where the ball is going. Above all that though the main reason why I do not see him as a forward is quite simply that he does not score enough goals at any level. If you cannot score goals consistently at junior level I think it is a bit much to expect him to suddenly do that against AFL quality big defenders.


Around the ground he shows some pretty good skills particularly by foot. I would think he would be up there with the better kicks amongst the key positions. He makes pretty good decisions and has reasonable feel. Close also does a few nice team things around the ground that are often absent from the games of key positions. He will shepherd and provide blocks to spring his teammates and do other little things like that.

Overall I probably take him and see what I can do with him but my confidence level is not particularly high.
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Chris25 said:
There is probably no other player in the draft that I change my mind on more than Michael Close. Depending on how I feel, I could have him in the second round down to the fourth round. And I don't really know what changes. I think he is every bit as good as Jackson Paine from last year (if not better) and he was consistently talked up as a first round prospect. But Close hasn't been getting the same treatment - no doubt due to the fact that he has been hampered by injuries this year. Close started the season well, playing around CHF and as the backup ruckman. And he had a very good match for Vic Country too against Queensland, but unfortunately he injured his ankle and didn't play again during the Championships. A full Championships would have done wonders for him, and he'd be talked about much more in my opinion. Close still has some filling out to do, but he is a really strong mark and has near elite endurance for someone of his height. He just needs to find some more consistency in his game, because he doesn't always impact the scoreboard in each game he plays. AFL Comparison: Sam Reid.
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The moment I became glad we drafted this guy was the 2:18 mark of that highlights video above.

You don't see a lot of 196cm forwards who apply that kind of defensive pressure. Let's hope we come to see that as a feature of his game at AFL level.
 
How the Lions fared
22 November 2012
Michael Whiting

Pick 32: Michael Close, North Ballarat
Kerr says: "He had a couple of super games early in the season in the TAC Cup. He got injured and fell away a bit so we're probably picking him on his early season form. The thing we like is he's very competitive young man, got a bit of aggression. He's got very good endurance and he's not a bad kick. When he's on-song he looks like a powerful mark. Got a good leap too."
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Looks the perfect project player, similar to Merrett but with more footy instincts.
 
Big tank, near elite field kicking... if we can turn him into a goal threat too he should be good value. Work on bulking him up and the endurance will keep on top of itself with those sorts of beep test numbers.
 
Kerr - "He's going to have a really big frame when he finishes growing".

The Marco Paparone article described him as Brown's replacement, but 86 seems to be the one being groomed for that gorilla forward position.
 
Grimreepah said:
Kerr - "He's going to have a really big frame when he finishes growing".

The Marco Paparone article described him as Brown's replacement, but 86 seems to be the one being groomed for that gorilla forward position.
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I'm willing to work with you help propagate this nickname.
 
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