Couldn't find much info on Howe and Dale. Howe a 191cm defender compared to Tom Langdon and Dale a medium sized forward.
Knightmare has a good write up on Daniel Howe
44. Daniel Howe (VIC – Util)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 04/12/1995
Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Draft range: 25-55
Best position/role: Rotational midfielders/half back flanker.
Strengths:
Athleticism and movement – Howe is a very good athlete by position; he has some excellent leaping ability and has taken some impressive species and aerial marks this season. He also has good acceleration whereby he can at times take on the game with ball in hand off a back flank over short distances before moving it onto the next target. His endurance is very good. He also has very good agility and can at times use a nice evasive step or ball fake to avoid tackles. He also has the ability when tackled to release the handball and will often wait for the last moment, draw the opponent and then get the good handball off to a target. He also keeps his feet well, rarely going to ground and having a good natural balance to him.
Intercept marking ability – Howe is an excellent intercept mark in the back half and shows a willingness to leave his direct opponent and back himself to read the flight of the ball for the intercept mark. He has strong hands overhead and he uses his body well in the contest to protect the drop of the ball well and is excellent in the air just launching at the footy and generally taking it cleanly. He also shows the courage when required in the marking contested to back, back into the contest and get crunched, often backing back into packs or spaces where he could really get hit hard for marks.
Versatility – Howe has shown that not only can he play a number of different types of roles in the back half playing on talls and smalls but he is also capable as required through the midfield which we may see more of in the future or in the front half.
Tackling ability – Howe is a strong tackler and really buries guys into the turf with aggression with some of his tackles when the opportunity is there.
Skillset – Howe is a relatively reliable user of the ball by hand and foot and his disposal efficiency is overall high. He knows his limitations as a mostly safe and efficient ball user but he is not someone who will look to do damage or generate meaningful drive off his own boot often. By hand Howe is typically more willing to take risks and look to draw opponents before delivering it to a meaningful target by hand.
Contested ball winning ability – A high proportion of the ball Howe wins is contested ball. He is very much a see ball, win ball guy and someone who wins the contested ball around the ground, seemingly moving quicker towards the footy whenever it is in his vicinity. His work at ground level is very good and someone who is very clean with his pickups off the deck.
Weaknesses:
Hurt factor – Howe can generate some drive out of the back half and moves it on quickly which I like but he is not an overly penetrating kick or a linebreaker who will run and bounce it the length of the field.
Ability to find easy uncontested ball – Howe finds relatively limited uncontested ball numbers and does not find much easy ball around the ground at this stage.
What I expect will improve:
It is a speculative call but I expect Howe to improve his midfield game and become more a midfielder as while he has not spend much time though there the glimpse I have seen of it has intrigued me and at his height and with contested ball winning ability, skillset and particularly his work by hand, tackling ability and movement he has the right mix of traits to play through there.
Who he can become?
I see Howe following a similar developmental path to Jack Crisp. I see Howe starting out more as a back or forward and eventually working his way into someone who can play more through the midfield. Howe is not as explosive with his running or the same level tackler but is probably a more skilled version, but as a tallish type I see some similarities and an overall fairly similar quality player.
When will he be ready to play?
Howe may play as early as season one but more likely it will be season two that he looks to establish himself as a part of a best team.
How to best utilise him?
Howe at the moment is best utilised on a back flank but I like his midfield potential and I like his scope to develop into a rotational midfielder/back flanker.
Interpretation of his numbers:
Strong production through the U18 Championships and an overall very good disposal efficiency. Through the TAC Cup his production was overall very good by position with his disposal efficiency, mark per game and tackle per game numbers all very good. Based on the strength of his numbers and on field performance it is not out of the question for Howe to receive senior AFL opportunities from season one.
Sounds like a replacement for someone on the HBF...
