Nathan Van Berlo

Stiffy_18 · Nov 23, 2004

Wayne's-World said:
We know that Meesen was stoked to be picked up, maybe he's press shy in a new city(ne town, ne suburb ).

Maric - don't know.

I reckon Maric came across as more nervous with all the cameras in his face.

One this is for sure we got some BIG lads in this draft. Even Knight and Van Berlo are nice size midfielders. Van Berlo was a star at the early morning running session. He even smashed some of the more experienced team mates.

Meesen gave Maric a huge wrap saying he is a very good player and the toughest opponent he faced in the TAC Cup this year.

WaynesWorld19 · Nov 23, 2004

Stiffy_18 said:
I reckon Maric came across as more nervous with all the cameras in his face.

One this is for sure we got some BIG lads in this draft. Even Knight and Van Berlo are nice size midfielders. Van Berlo was a star at the early morning run this morning. He even smashed some of the more experienced team mates.

Meesen gave Maric a hige wrap saying he is a very good player and the toughest opponent he faced in the TAC Cup this year.

macca23 · Nov 23, 2004

Stiffy_18 said:
To be honest Maric and Meesen either came accros as not particulatly stoked or they are very ordinary with the media. With Van Berlo, Knight and Gibson, they couldn't wipe the smile of their faces while with the 2 ruckman it was all poker faces and no smiles

The 2 big fellas from Vic were a lot more nervous than their smaller counterparts IMO. Meesen has stated several times that he is delighted about coming to Adelaide - he just gets a bit nervy in front of the camera.

Maric is more the strong silent type. He did state that he was just happy to be picked up at all, so I reckon he'll be happy enough to be here. The fact that we have 2 former sparring partners in these 2 ruckmen will help reinforce each other.

They'll be our #1 ruck combo in 3 to 4 years time.

Stiffy_18 · Nov 23, 2004

macca23 said:
They'll be our #1 ruck combo in 3 to 4 years time.

I most cerainly hope so. What I find interesting is that they are both different types of ruckman and I think if they do develop as expected then we will have a lot of flexibility with these 2 and you can play them depending on the opposition. Another plus is that you don't have to take them off the ground for a breather, just rest them in the FP because both can take a mark and kick a goal.

-VC- · Nov 23, 2004

I think Meesen seemed a bit camera shy. He wasn't speaking particularly fluently and repeated a few words here and there. That's no issue though. But I'm sure given the company at the airport they are all quite happy with the Crows at this stage.

tinman · Nov 23, 2004

Fudd said:
I think he was pretty well known in the relevant circles, an i think he is a steal at 24. Someone else mentioned Brisbane was considering him at 18 and only changed their minds because Wood was still available. I think he was tipped to go late first round to second round in the phantom drafts, so really i dont think his selection was out of left too much.

That is correct, Brisbane's plan was to draft Van Berlo at 18 but they couldn't pass up on Wood, who they never expected to be there (like us and Meesen). WCE also wanted him but he was gone by their pick

, so they went for LeCras who is also a West Perth lad. I believe both are good mates.

Van Berlo was the star of the draft camp but he can certainly play footy. I think he is most likely to debut before any of the rest of this year's draftees.

He is a great pick up.

Damien_R1 · Nov 23, 2004

Stiffy_18 said:
The kids were blown away because the club got the likes of Roo, Goody, Edwards and McLeod to wait for them at the airport. They couldn't take a smile of their faces.

I think you will find that the club has took extra steps this year to make sure we keep draftees happy and get them to settle in ASAP. I think the emphasis is to try to improve our retention rate.

This seems to be a trait of Neil Craig in general. The whole image of the club must change, I remember after some of the wins last year under Craig that he had the players go round the oval and clap the crowd.

Now he is sending players to the airports to meet these guys.

Seems like morale and 'club feeling' is important and is being addressed at West Lakes.

Stiffy_18 said:
I reckon Maric came across as more nervous with all the cameras in his face.

One this is for sure we got some BIG lads in this draft. Even Knight and Van Berlo are nice size midfielders. Van Berlo was a star at the early morning running session. He even smashed some of the more experienced team mates.

Meesen gave Maric a huge wrap saying he is a very good player and the toughest opponent he faced in the TAC Cup this year.

'Smashed' is a pretty fair assessment aswell. he came in a long way ahead of some of the more experienced fellas.

As for Maric, I heard him quote last night on the news something like 'I didn't know how good I was until I started to actually play footy'. Cracked me up.

Interesting that Meesan rated Maric a better opponent than Wood.

Go Crows 2005 !

theorangeapple · Nov 23, 2004

tinman said:
That is correct, Brisbane's plan was to draft Van Berlo at 18 but they couldn't pass up on Wood, who they never expected to be there (like us and Meesen). WCE also wanted him but he was gone by their pick , so they went for LeCras who is also a West Perth lad. I believe both are good mates.

Van Berlo was the star of the draft camp but he can certainly play footy. I think he is most likely to debut before any of the rest of this year's draftees.

He is a great pick up.

i wouldnt be so sure that we were super keen on him. he has amazing athletic ability, just not a natural footy brain. im not saying he is trent croad Mk 2, he is a smart bloke but struggles to find alot of the footy for an 'elite junior'. he has improved since last year when he was overlooked because of that reason.

oh and on the beau waters 'master plan'. the only trade u can hope for will be starting at a first round pick. if u dont give it up, port will.

RooDog · Nov 23, 2004

Damien_R1 said:
As for Maric, I heard him quote last night on the news something like 'I didn't know how good I was until I started to actually play footy'. Cracked me up.

haha that was funny

but he ddint mean it to sound arrogant like reads and i reckon that made it even funnier.

Stiffy_18 · Nov 23, 2004

Damien_R1 said:
As for Maric, I heard him quote last night on the news something like 'I didn't know how good I was until I started to actually play footy'. Cracked me up.

That was funny not because he said it but it was the way he said it. The quote itself sounds arrobant but the way Ivan said it was innocent

Stiffy_18 · Nov 23, 2004

theorangeapple said:
i wouldnt be so sure that we were super keen on him. he has amazing athletic ability, just not a natural footy brain. im not saying he is trent croad Mk 2, he is a smart bloke but struggles to find alot of the footy for an 'elite junior'. he has improved since last year when he was overlooked because of that reason.

oh and on the beau waters 'master plan'. the only trade u can hope for will be starting at a first round pick. if u dont give it up, port will.

I am going to pick you up on this one again as I did on the draft board. I don't understand where you got the impression that he doesn't fine the footy. 22 possesions per game in colts, 16 possesions per game in the reserves and 13 possesions per game in the seniors would suggest otherwise. What are you basing your view on?????? Was it his average carnival where he didn't get enough of the footy?????

This thing that he doesn't find enough footy is an urban myth.

Mong · Nov 23, 2004

Could this guy be introduced in his first few seasons as a tagging type player? Good runner, reasonable height. It seems like the perfect way to learn.

****

Stiffy_18 · Nov 23, 2004

**** said:
Could this guy be introduced in his first few seasons as a tagging type player? Good runner, reasonable height. It seems like the perfect way to learn.

****

I was just about to start a thread on this. You read my mind

He does need to put on some muscle but with a pre-season in the gym he could put on about 5 kgs. which would bring him to about 80 kgs. With his endurance and pace he would have to be looked at. I don't know what his concentration levels are like but I would certainly look at giving him a tagging job or 2 along the way.

It would be the best way to learn his footy.

theorangeapple · Nov 23, 2004

Stiffy_18 said:
I am going to pick you up on this one again as I did on the draft board. I don't understand where you got the impression that he doesn't fine the footy. 22 possesions per game in colts, 16 possesions per game in the reserves and 13 possesions per game in the seniors would suggest otherwise. What are you basing your view on?????? Was it his average carnival where he didn't get enough of the footy?????

This thing that he doesn't find enough footy is an urban myth.

im not saying he's running around not getting any of the ball, he gets a good amount of it, but those figures are not outstanding for a guy who has been drafted. pleanty of young blokes easily average 22 possesions a game in the colts, beau wilkes from CHF (didnt get drafted) averaged 21possesions in the colts.

nathan will probly prove me wrong and will become a star for u guys, but for a guy with that athleticism (mainly that outstanding endurance ability) he should be averaging close to 30 possesions a game in the colts. a guy thats drafted should be a cut above, and from what i have seen of him on the footy field you wouldnt no he had that athleticism. hopefully he will learn to use it better. as i said before, he is certainly not a trent croad.
for comarisions sack our Sam Butler, born 5 months earliers than van berlo would have averaged close to 24 possesions in the seniors in the WAFL. getting over 30 on occasions in his 10 or so games in the Perth side. to be honest Sam isnt a overly gifted athelete, hes adequate but certainly not overly quick over short or long distances. certainly no where near Van Berlo's endurance. sam just finds the footy.

Crowked · Nov 23, 2004

theorangeapple said:
im not saying he's running around not getting any of the ball, he gets a good amount of it, but those figures are not outstanding for a guy who has been drafted. pleanty of young blokes easily average 22 possesions a game in the colts, beau wilkes from CHF (didnt get drafted) averaged 21possesions in the colts.

nathan will probly prove me wrong and will become a star for u guys, but for a guy with that athleticism (mainly that outstanding endurance ability) he should be averaging close to 30 possesions a game in the colts. a guy thats drafted should be a cut above, and from what i have seen of him on the footy field you wouldnt no he had that athleticism. hopefully he will learn to use it better. as i said before, he is certainly not a trent croad.
for comarisions sack our Sam Butler, born 5 months earliers than van berlo would have averaged close to 24 possesions in the seniors in the WAFL. getting over 30 on occasions in his 10 or so games in the Perth side. to be honest Sam isnt a overly gifted athelete, hes adequate but certainly not overly quick over short or long distances. certainly no where near Van Berlo's endurance. sam just finds the footy.

Thats fair enough but Sam Butler was drafted last year, he was on the Eagles list, doing the training and so on. When he was in Adelaide playing for Centrals before he was drafted he couldnt get a gig in the seniors. I would be thinking if Van Berlo plays in the SANFL next season he will probably get those sort of possesion levels too. Also I think being exposed to AFL footy holds you in good stead when returning to SANFl or WAFL level which is a pretty big step down.

Markthirtytwo · Nov 23, 2004

Damien_R1 said:
As for Maric, I heard him quote last night on the news something like 'I didn't know how good I was until I started to actually play footy'. Cracked me up.QUOTE]

His voice reminded me of Lurch. "You Rang"

theorangeapple · Nov 23, 2004

Crowked said:
Thats fair enough but Sam Butler was drafted last year, he was on the Eagles list, doing the training and so on. When he was in Adelaide playing for Centrals before he was drafted he couldnt get a gig in the seniors. I would be thinking if Van Berlo plays in the SANFL next season he will probably get those sort of possesion levels too. Also I think being exposed to AFL footy holds you in good stead when returning to SANFl or WAFL level which is a pretty big step down.

yeh i can see what u mean but first year draftees, especially 17 year olds (like sam) dont start training until very late in pre season they minimal work pre season also sam never returned to wafl after playing with the senior side. he did all this before getting a game in the afl.

Thunderstruck · Nov 23, 2004

Yer Van berlo is a human machine, I said he will prolly develop the quickest out of all our picks and push for selection next year. With further AFL pre-season work, SANFL gametime and more Kg's, he will be an awesome awesome player for us I have no doubt. He excites me the most out of our pics really, apart from the potential of what Gibson might do hehehe..

Crow-mosone · Nov 23, 2004

theorangeapple said:
im not saying he's running around not getting any of the ball, he gets a good amount of it, but those figures are not outstanding for a guy who has been drafted. pleanty of young blokes easily average 22 possesions a game in the colts, beau wilkes from CHF (didnt get drafted) averaged 21possesions in the colts.

nathan will probly prove me wrong and will become a star for u guys, but for a guy with that athleticism (mainly that outstanding endurance ability) he should be averaging close to 30 possesions a game in the colts. a guy thats drafted should be a cut above, and from what i have seen of him on the footy field you wouldnt no he had that athleticism. hopefully he will learn to use it better. as i said before, he is certainly not a trent croad.
for comarisions sack our Sam Butler, born 5 months earliers than van berlo would have averaged close to 24 possesions in the seniors in the WAFL. getting over 30 on occasions in his 10 or so games in the Perth side. to be honest Sam isnt a overly gifted athelete, hes adequate but certainly not overly quick over short or long distances. certainly no where near Van Berlo's endurance. sam just finds the footy.

it's not all about stats and possessions, it's what you get, where you get them, how you got them, and what you did with them.

crowsarethebest · Nov 23, 2004

What about this? Meeson rucking in the centre. Gibson plays in the backline and rucks there and Maric in the forwardline rucking there?

Mouthwatering stuff

macca23 · Nov 23, 2004

theorangeapple said:
nathan will probly prove me wrong and will become a star for u guys

Every chance. The good judges are saying that this kid will really make it.

theorangeapple · Nov 23, 2004

Crow-mosone said:
it's not all about stats and possessions, it's what you get, where you get them, how you got them, and what you did with them.

i agree, but butler is very efficient with the footy.

jack did it · Nov 23, 2004

theorangeapple said:
i agree, but butler is very efficient with the footy.

nah i like the look of waters, we'll take him first

theorangeapple · Nov 23, 2004

jack did it said:
nah i like the look of waters, we'll take him first

personally, i prefer butler. and im not just saying that.

jack did it · Nov 23, 2004

theorangeapple said:
personally, i prefer butler. and im not just saying that.

thats good i hope the eagles feel that way too

maybe when butler fills out we can compare, but at the moment butler is a skinny kid and waters is a man, so its hard to compare. waters does appear a little rough around the edges, but hes got a that hardness about him i like

Log In or Create New Account

World Cup game 51 Super Eights: Zimbabwe v South Africa - Game 52: India v West Indies

NRL Tipping Competition 2026! - Open Now - Win a badge and a Platinum!

Nathan Van Berlo

Hall of Famer

Finding Rhythm

Brownlow Medallist

Hall of Famer

Norm Smith Medallist

Club Legend

Senior List

Norm Smith Medallist

Premiership Player

Hall of Famer

Hall of Famer

Premiership Player

Hall of Famer

Norm Smith Medallist

Norm Smith Medallist

Norm Smith Medallist

Norm Smith Medallist

Premiership Player

Norm Smith Medallist

Norm Smith Medallist

Brownlow Medallist

Norm Smith Medallist

Senior List

Norm Smith Medallist

Senior List