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If that ain't an attack then I don't know what is ......
National Draft
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If that ain't an attack then I don't know what is ......
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Any criticism surrounding our drafting is certainly not directed at the players. Like you say, they are now Essendon players, all of them sounded like they are very happy to be at the club, so they deserve our support. Any criticism is directed towards the recruiting staff, and while they are certainly in the best position to pick the appropriate player, they are also not above being the object of the supporters' critical opinions.
I'm definitely not filthy on the club for picking Bradley and Stanton when they did, but I do think there were more sensible selections to be made. Of course, I do understand their reasons, for Bradley in particular: he's a one of a kind, whereas players of the ilk of Tenance and Dunn come around every year.
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I don't think he's as big a risk as you think. Even if attempts to mould him into a KPP or ruckman aren't all that successful, he should become a good 6'6" ruck rover. He'll be a monster at the stoppages.
As for our other projects: Davies didn't have experience where it mattered, Bradley has experience in WAFL seniors; Bolton is an athlete and is still trying to become a footballer, Bradley is definitely a footballer.
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Lol we will see. Bradley will be a star tall blokes who got as many possessions as him in Underage/ Seniors are gold. Will take time but he moves every bit as good as Adam Goodes or Fletcher and is 198cm.
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Bradley won the Larke medal - was that in the same comp. as Tenace and co ? Even if it wasn't it sure means that the kid can play. He's not the bolton 'project' player that people seem to want to cast him as.
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The Larke Medal is something to do with the Teal Cup (best player of the competition), so it's likely he was up against the Tenace's, Cooney's etc
The LArke medal is awarded to the best player in the National Under-18 Championships...Bradley was part of the WA team, up against Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia etc, teams which featured the likes of Cooney, Tenace, Sylvia etc yet he was awarded the medal for being the best during that comp...surely that counts for something.
I have to admit I was cynical about him at first, but I'm starting to think otherwise. Yes it's more of a risk than taking someone like Tenace, who was available...Personally I wanted Tenace...but Bradley will do nicely. And a lot of people have brought up the fact that we have midfield talent to burn as well, and Bradley will be addressing one of our areas of weaknesses in a few years.
I have to admit I was cynical about him at first, but I'm starting to think otherwise. Yes it's more of a risk than taking someone like Tenace, who was available...Personally I wanted Tenace...but Bradley will do nicely. And a lot of people have brought up the fact that we have midfield talent to burn as well, and Bradley will be addressing one of our areas of weaknesses in a few years.
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Thought you guys might be interested in this.
The draft profiles by Colin Wiseby:
Kepler Bradley (West Perth)
198/86 mid age right foot giant all-rounder.
Skinny, gangly athletic 198cm with a fantastic motor and work rate. Still growing into his body as a late developer. Reads like a coach's dream on paper but I'm not as sold as others are, despite his scope for further improvement.
I anticipate ridicule over my assessment as every man and his dog is barking his name with enormous enthusiasm. However, I call it as I see it and have not made the assessment without a lot of thought and double-checking. Not saying I'm infallible by any means. It's just that I started the year as a very big fan from '02 but began to notice some aspects that worry me somewhat.
Bottom line: I rank him at 23 among the players I assess (my list is almost exclusively just mainstream U18s), which in itself still reflects a healthy opinion of him. However, he will go very much earlier than I rate him. Is touted as being almost plug 'n play and perhaps he will play some games in year 1 but I think year 2 is more likely.
*STYLE LIKE: D Bandy / D Fletcher. Physically (especially posture), he reminds me of Spider Burton. From the day I first saw him last year, I instinctively referred to him in my notes as "Spider".
*TRADEMARK:
- Run hard into space downfield to present an option, then mark, sprint off immediately with head down, look for a free team mate, hunched toe-poke pass, then immediately sprint off again to present an option for the team mate he just kicked it to and continue the cycle. If it doesn't come to him, sprint to the next play ... and the next ... and the next.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
- I expect him to have an AFL career but he is likely to take more time to be regularly productive and have more serious deficiencies to overcome than people are acknowledging amidst all the current hype.
- Biggest assets are heart, motor and height. All are giant.
- He is extremely mobile and athletic, knows where to run, runs hard to present, cover an enormous amount of ground running contest to contest and into space to present. And he ALWAYS strives to get to and give a contest - competes hard at every opportunity, pushes the ball out or taps it towards a team mate. Fantastic ethic. He is desperate and quite courageous. Does the team and 1%er things. Chase, tackles, blocks, shields, presents himself as an option, 2nd 3rd and 4th efforts.
- Always tries to make things happen. Never gives up.
- Gets a lot of possessions, many through running hard into space to present an option but also many hard ball gets.
- Has a good leap (much better than his DC test result suggests) and can take a big grab (especially if he gets a ride).
- Clever, creative (eg tap ons).
That's much of the good stuff. Now for my concerns. Some bells keep ringing in my ears:-
1. One thing about Bradley is that you can throw him around anywhere. The problem is that I'm not sure where you will land him when you want to put him down.
2. Another thing about Bradley is that he and others can throw him around anywhere. The problem is that he's not sure where he will land when he puts himself down.
I'll explain these later.
- He can take a huge grab on occasions against anyone. Anyone. "On occasions". And he will usually murder a flanker in the air. However I'm not convinced he has KPP-quality overhead reliability.
- I have always stated that I believe Bradley's pace is overrated. People laud Bradley's pace and Bradley's own preferred position is wing. However, we are talking AFL. Yes, Bradley has very good pace ... for his size. However the likes of Tenace, Cooney, Ray, etc would come from behind Bradley and race straight past, leaving him in their wake. OK, they are the often-named serious speedsters. I could also include Dunn, Dyson, Sylvia, Surjan, Stanton, Willoughby, Jackson. OK, they are mainly small-mid. I could also include tallish players like Walker, Clarke and Pettigrew. "But Bradley is 198cm", many would say. That's fine but he is not currently a front-line ruckman per se. He can play U18 key position but is more a super tall (U18) ruck-rover or (WAFL seniors) wingman at this stage and on that basis, although he has a huge height advantage over most of the players around him, it is those players he will often be exposed by for pace, even if they do only come up to his waist. FWIW, Brent Hall (a 95kg ruckman) is also 198cm and I believe a fit Hall would at least give Bradley a run for his money. I labour this point because, while Bradley can take a grab and does read the play well, his major touted attributes are his heart and motor (with which I agree totally) and his pace, and I disagree strongly re how fast he actually is. He is reasonable over a distance but is not quick off the mark or up to 20m. Yes, you don't find many 198cm players who have his pace. However, whenever he is being talked about for his linking and hard running, contest to contest, rather than as KPP, I can't help thinking that most people seem to be equating that to being quick. In short (pardon the pun), Bradley to me has a speed deficiency in such a role, not a speed attribute. This is critical to why I have rated him much lower than other observers and much lower than he will go. (Not that a midish 2nd round pick is low, I again point out).
- My other main concern with Spider is balance. Worries me more than any other aspect. This is what I meant by point (2) above. He has poor balance body on body. And he is easily nudged completely out of a marking contest. And he often loses his balance and goes to the ground in a run to the ball. (Purely an issue of balance. He certainly isn't soft). When I talk about him losing balance, the thing with Spider is that he doesn't just stutter a bit - he flings off like a rag doll and very often hits the turf. The balance issue really worries me as it is not just about insufficient strength. As much as I try to allow for him still growing into his body, I can't help thinking it is fundamentally lack of natural balance. He struggles for balance even when having a set kick - and that's a serious comment.
- Kicking accuracy is very mixed bag. Awkward, unbalanced kicking style.
- He is currently skinny (86kg for 198cm). Can probably get by AFL level with even just another 10kg, which doesn't sound hard relative to his height. However he was listed last year as 85kg (for 195cm) yet at Draft Camp this year his weight was recorded as being just 1kg heavier despite now being 3cm taller than listed last year. Skinnier, smaller kids than him have added 10kg so the odds are in his favour and I'm not losing sleep over this concern. However, it is yet another question mark to add to a small cluster of more significant ones that I have along side his name.
Coming back to point (1) above, I am somewhat concerned that he may be a jack of all trades, master of none. This is the crux of my rating him lower than (all?) others do. Yes, you may be able to throw him around during a game depending on match-ups and need or trying to create a mismatch, such is his range of attributes, but I struggle to pinpoint any SPECIFIC role to which he is ideally suited (even semi-permanently) at AFL level.
He has great height, mobility and good pace for a KPP but his overhead marking is arguably not reliable enough for KPP and his balance may often render him ineffective against the big, strong guys. And that's even if he can add weight.
He has fantastic height and marking strength for a wingman and a great motor and ethic. However, I believe his pace and lateral agility will be exposed against the outside runners on a wing.
He has fantastic height and marking strength for a ruck-rover midfielder and a great motor and ethic. However, his hands and decision-making in close are not that great and nor is his balance, acceleration off the mark or lateral agility (when he doesn't have the ball and is on his feet).
He is tall enough to be a ruck and can exploit the relative lack of pace and mobility of most rucks. However, his balance is likely to be a big issue, as may be his physical strength (depending on the weight factor by then).
Possibly sufficiently quick or laterally agile, or a reliable enough tackler for HBF. Maybe the same for HFF and in which role an opponent would often be able to run off him.
Perhaps his best role might be 3rd tall defender. That plays to some of his strengths and caters best for his weaknesses but robs him of his 2 biggest assets other than (/ including?) height - namely, motor and ground coverage. And he is still susceptible to some of my concerns even in that role.
When I couple all the above with being an unreliable kick, I am forced to conclude that, although he does have wide range of attributes and a lot to offer, there are quite a few other kids whose potential AFL roles I can see more clearly and about which I am more confident. Hence, my ranking of Spider still reasonably early but below such players and way below where the pundits rank him.
I love watching Spider play, as I do Adam Jordan (a lesser-name athletic strong tall, quicker, shorter and without Spider's footy smarts). I have enormous admiration for both. Both represent a mouth-watering combination of attributes not usually found in their size. However, for me the bottom line query with both is "What actual AFL role are they suited to?"
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
(See above)
- Very good decision-maker around the ground. Not quite as good a decision-maker in close. Reads the play very well, reads the ball quite well.
- Is essentially one-sided. Feeds well but somewhat one-sided even by hand. Often works hard to get onto right hand for what should more logically be a left hand feed, which is a worrying trait in traffic especially. Can squeeze a (usually ugly) non-preferred left foot kick in an emergency.
- Good depth but unreliable accuracy.
- Ugly, unbalanced, loose kicking style goes a long way to explaining his inaccuracy. Waves the ball side to side. Very stooped for set kick (especially for set shot for goal). Tilt to the right. Low take. Often (maybe 50% of the time) releases early - simply lets go of it. Hunch or big lean backwards. Right arm useless after impact, left arm goes back then just gets tucked in or just swings across chest, bent. Throws his boot at the ball in toe-poke style (Not a criticism, just an observation). Sometimes jumps. (No big deal but can sometimes indicate the player has punched the ball instead of having a fluent straight-through connect). Often finishes up being very off-balance, tilting RHS, with left leg splayed out. In short, ungainly, inefficient.
- Sometimes tries to mark when he should spoil.
*HANDS:
- Good below knee, extremely good for his height. Quite good overhead. Overall though, he is quite clean but not super clean.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- (See above). Best from behind where he can climb the pack (which he does very well) but can (and often does) take a big grab from the most unlikely positions and angles. He will feature in some Mark Of The Day highlights over his career.
- Is inclined to gets too under the ball when in front at a marking contest and have to stretch backwards.
- Very occasionally, instinctively ducks his head a bit when in front.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
(See above)
- Huge leap when he gets a ride. And he is very good at using the pack as a step ladder. Also much better leap from a running jump than his poor DC result suggest. Very good as 3rd man up at a throw-in.
- Fantastic endurance. Runs hard all day, all over.
- Magnificent ethic, intensity, work rate. Extraordinary desperation for someone so tall. Desperate chaser. Flings himself at man and ball, in the air of on the ground. Disposes then immediately runs on hard to present an option (even an immediate one to the guy he just gave it to by foot, not just by hand, so far and flat-chat does he run). Pushes himself, pushes himself, pushes himself. Heart as big as Phar Lap. Good pain threshold - able to push himself through an injury during the game.
- Pace is very good for his size but I have concerns (see above). Unusual, stooped running action, as if he has concrete tied to his legs - is all arms, legs, leans forward, back hunched as if his limbs are tied together. (Perhaps he could squeeze out an extra bit of pace if he addressed this). Not very quick off the mark. His pace is best when on a run over some distance rather than the first 10-20m.
- My major concern, and a seriously major concern, is his balance. (See above).
- Straight-line agility and agility when he is on the ground contesting or lunging is very good but his lateral recovery agility on the run is not. Good sidestep, on the run or stationary. In general, agility when he has the ball or in straight-line is good but is not good one on one when the opponent has the ball.
- Quick reflexes. Quick recovery (other than laterally on the run).
- Is a determined tackler but not a reliably effective one. (Lack of lateral agility factors into this as he is easily wrong-footed). An excellent spoiler though, especially from behind at a marking contest.
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Plenty of scope. Is a late developer who is still growing into his body.
- Because he is pretty skinny he theoretically will improve heaps (including in the number of roles he would be strong enough to play) once he adds another 10 or so kg. I say theoretically because he doesn't seem to have added weight in the past year so maybe there is a small question mark over his ability to add weight (even though 10kg is not much relatively).
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- See above. In short, I am unsure of a role he specifically suits.
*QUERY:
- Balance
- Kicking style and accuracy.
- Ability to add weight???
*SOME STATS:
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 19 disposals and 6.0 marks in 3 U18 Rep games.
Kicks vs feeds: tends to somewhat favour kicking. Stats vs VM misleading as he injured leg Q1 & only kicked twice but did 11 feeds.
Gets own ball?: yes. only 11/57TD were HR. 9 hbg.
Kicks long vs short: mixed.
Kicking accuracy: poor. 11/30 ineff/clang incl 2 clang.
Handball accuracy: 5/27 ineff incl 2 clang.
Marking: 18m but only 4 were contested.
Tackles: 5 (4 in game 2)
Clearances: 7 incl 2 cb
HO: 18 incl 4cb. (8 incl 3cb) were against VM (mainly Boyd). was only very part-time in ruck.
*OTHER STUFF:
- All Aust TY.
- WAFL Colts B&F '02.
- WAFL Seniors debut 23/8/03, after working his way from Colts to Reserves to seniors through '03, and hit the ground running. Terrific seniors finals series, especially Prelim.
- Right forearm very heavily strapped during '03 U18 Champs. No obvious sign of inconvenience.
- Leg injury Q1 of game 3 in '03 U18 Champs affected his effectiveness (although he still did quite well when carrying the injury).
The draft profiles by Colin Wiseby:
Kepler Bradley (West Perth)
198/86 mid age right foot giant all-rounder.
Skinny, gangly athletic 198cm with a fantastic motor and work rate. Still growing into his body as a late developer. Reads like a coach's dream on paper but I'm not as sold as others are, despite his scope for further improvement.
I anticipate ridicule over my assessment as every man and his dog is barking his name with enormous enthusiasm. However, I call it as I see it and have not made the assessment without a lot of thought and double-checking. Not saying I'm infallible by any means. It's just that I started the year as a very big fan from '02 but began to notice some aspects that worry me somewhat.
Bottom line: I rank him at 23 among the players I assess (my list is almost exclusively just mainstream U18s), which in itself still reflects a healthy opinion of him. However, he will go very much earlier than I rate him. Is touted as being almost plug 'n play and perhaps he will play some games in year 1 but I think year 2 is more likely.
*STYLE LIKE: D Bandy / D Fletcher. Physically (especially posture), he reminds me of Spider Burton. From the day I first saw him last year, I instinctively referred to him in my notes as "Spider".
*TRADEMARK:
- Run hard into space downfield to present an option, then mark, sprint off immediately with head down, look for a free team mate, hunched toe-poke pass, then immediately sprint off again to present an option for the team mate he just kicked it to and continue the cycle. If it doesn't come to him, sprint to the next play ... and the next ... and the next.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
- I expect him to have an AFL career but he is likely to take more time to be regularly productive and have more serious deficiencies to overcome than people are acknowledging amidst all the current hype.
- Biggest assets are heart, motor and height. All are giant.
- He is extremely mobile and athletic, knows where to run, runs hard to present, cover an enormous amount of ground running contest to contest and into space to present. And he ALWAYS strives to get to and give a contest - competes hard at every opportunity, pushes the ball out or taps it towards a team mate. Fantastic ethic. He is desperate and quite courageous. Does the team and 1%er things. Chase, tackles, blocks, shields, presents himself as an option, 2nd 3rd and 4th efforts.
- Always tries to make things happen. Never gives up.
- Gets a lot of possessions, many through running hard into space to present an option but also many hard ball gets.
- Has a good leap (much better than his DC test result suggests) and can take a big grab (especially if he gets a ride).
- Clever, creative (eg tap ons).
That's much of the good stuff. Now for my concerns. Some bells keep ringing in my ears:-
1. One thing about Bradley is that you can throw him around anywhere. The problem is that I'm not sure where you will land him when you want to put him down.
2. Another thing about Bradley is that he and others can throw him around anywhere. The problem is that he's not sure where he will land when he puts himself down.
I'll explain these later.
- He can take a huge grab on occasions against anyone. Anyone. "On occasions". And he will usually murder a flanker in the air. However I'm not convinced he has KPP-quality overhead reliability.
- I have always stated that I believe Bradley's pace is overrated. People laud Bradley's pace and Bradley's own preferred position is wing. However, we are talking AFL. Yes, Bradley has very good pace ... for his size. However the likes of Tenace, Cooney, Ray, etc would come from behind Bradley and race straight past, leaving him in their wake. OK, they are the often-named serious speedsters. I could also include Dunn, Dyson, Sylvia, Surjan, Stanton, Willoughby, Jackson. OK, they are mainly small-mid. I could also include tallish players like Walker, Clarke and Pettigrew. "But Bradley is 198cm", many would say. That's fine but he is not currently a front-line ruckman per se. He can play U18 key position but is more a super tall (U18) ruck-rover or (WAFL seniors) wingman at this stage and on that basis, although he has a huge height advantage over most of the players around him, it is those players he will often be exposed by for pace, even if they do only come up to his waist. FWIW, Brent Hall (a 95kg ruckman) is also 198cm and I believe a fit Hall would at least give Bradley a run for his money. I labour this point because, while Bradley can take a grab and does read the play well, his major touted attributes are his heart and motor (with which I agree totally) and his pace, and I disagree strongly re how fast he actually is. He is reasonable over a distance but is not quick off the mark or up to 20m. Yes, you don't find many 198cm players who have his pace. However, whenever he is being talked about for his linking and hard running, contest to contest, rather than as KPP, I can't help thinking that most people seem to be equating that to being quick. In short (pardon the pun), Bradley to me has a speed deficiency in such a role, not a speed attribute. This is critical to why I have rated him much lower than other observers and much lower than he will go. (Not that a midish 2nd round pick is low, I again point out).
- My other main concern with Spider is balance. Worries me more than any other aspect. This is what I meant by point (2) above. He has poor balance body on body. And he is easily nudged completely out of a marking contest. And he often loses his balance and goes to the ground in a run to the ball. (Purely an issue of balance. He certainly isn't soft). When I talk about him losing balance, the thing with Spider is that he doesn't just stutter a bit - he flings off like a rag doll and very often hits the turf. The balance issue really worries me as it is not just about insufficient strength. As much as I try to allow for him still growing into his body, I can't help thinking it is fundamentally lack of natural balance. He struggles for balance even when having a set kick - and that's a serious comment.
- Kicking accuracy is very mixed bag. Awkward, unbalanced kicking style.
- He is currently skinny (86kg for 198cm). Can probably get by AFL level with even just another 10kg, which doesn't sound hard relative to his height. However he was listed last year as 85kg (for 195cm) yet at Draft Camp this year his weight was recorded as being just 1kg heavier despite now being 3cm taller than listed last year. Skinnier, smaller kids than him have added 10kg so the odds are in his favour and I'm not losing sleep over this concern. However, it is yet another question mark to add to a small cluster of more significant ones that I have along side his name.
Coming back to point (1) above, I am somewhat concerned that he may be a jack of all trades, master of none. This is the crux of my rating him lower than (all?) others do. Yes, you may be able to throw him around during a game depending on match-ups and need or trying to create a mismatch, such is his range of attributes, but I struggle to pinpoint any SPECIFIC role to which he is ideally suited (even semi-permanently) at AFL level.
He has great height, mobility and good pace for a KPP but his overhead marking is arguably not reliable enough for KPP and his balance may often render him ineffective against the big, strong guys. And that's even if he can add weight.
He has fantastic height and marking strength for a wingman and a great motor and ethic. However, I believe his pace and lateral agility will be exposed against the outside runners on a wing.
He has fantastic height and marking strength for a ruck-rover midfielder and a great motor and ethic. However, his hands and decision-making in close are not that great and nor is his balance, acceleration off the mark or lateral agility (when he doesn't have the ball and is on his feet).
He is tall enough to be a ruck and can exploit the relative lack of pace and mobility of most rucks. However, his balance is likely to be a big issue, as may be his physical strength (depending on the weight factor by then).
Possibly sufficiently quick or laterally agile, or a reliable enough tackler for HBF. Maybe the same for HFF and in which role an opponent would often be able to run off him.
Perhaps his best role might be 3rd tall defender. That plays to some of his strengths and caters best for his weaknesses but robs him of his 2 biggest assets other than (/ including?) height - namely, motor and ground coverage. And he is still susceptible to some of my concerns even in that role.
When I couple all the above with being an unreliable kick, I am forced to conclude that, although he does have wide range of attributes and a lot to offer, there are quite a few other kids whose potential AFL roles I can see more clearly and about which I am more confident. Hence, my ranking of Spider still reasonably early but below such players and way below where the pundits rank him.
I love watching Spider play, as I do Adam Jordan (a lesser-name athletic strong tall, quicker, shorter and without Spider's footy smarts). I have enormous admiration for both. Both represent a mouth-watering combination of attributes not usually found in their size. However, for me the bottom line query with both is "What actual AFL role are they suited to?"
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
(See above)
- Very good decision-maker around the ground. Not quite as good a decision-maker in close. Reads the play very well, reads the ball quite well.
- Is essentially one-sided. Feeds well but somewhat one-sided even by hand. Often works hard to get onto right hand for what should more logically be a left hand feed, which is a worrying trait in traffic especially. Can squeeze a (usually ugly) non-preferred left foot kick in an emergency.
- Good depth but unreliable accuracy.
- Ugly, unbalanced, loose kicking style goes a long way to explaining his inaccuracy. Waves the ball side to side. Very stooped for set kick (especially for set shot for goal). Tilt to the right. Low take. Often (maybe 50% of the time) releases early - simply lets go of it. Hunch or big lean backwards. Right arm useless after impact, left arm goes back then just gets tucked in or just swings across chest, bent. Throws his boot at the ball in toe-poke style (Not a criticism, just an observation). Sometimes jumps. (No big deal but can sometimes indicate the player has punched the ball instead of having a fluent straight-through connect). Often finishes up being very off-balance, tilting RHS, with left leg splayed out. In short, ungainly, inefficient.
- Sometimes tries to mark when he should spoil.
*HANDS:
- Good below knee, extremely good for his height. Quite good overhead. Overall though, he is quite clean but not super clean.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- (See above). Best from behind where he can climb the pack (which he does very well) but can (and often does) take a big grab from the most unlikely positions and angles. He will feature in some Mark Of The Day highlights over his career.
- Is inclined to gets too under the ball when in front at a marking contest and have to stretch backwards.
- Very occasionally, instinctively ducks his head a bit when in front.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
(See above)
- Huge leap when he gets a ride. And he is very good at using the pack as a step ladder. Also much better leap from a running jump than his poor DC result suggest. Very good as 3rd man up at a throw-in.
- Fantastic endurance. Runs hard all day, all over.
- Magnificent ethic, intensity, work rate. Extraordinary desperation for someone so tall. Desperate chaser. Flings himself at man and ball, in the air of on the ground. Disposes then immediately runs on hard to present an option (even an immediate one to the guy he just gave it to by foot, not just by hand, so far and flat-chat does he run). Pushes himself, pushes himself, pushes himself. Heart as big as Phar Lap. Good pain threshold - able to push himself through an injury during the game.
- Pace is very good for his size but I have concerns (see above). Unusual, stooped running action, as if he has concrete tied to his legs - is all arms, legs, leans forward, back hunched as if his limbs are tied together. (Perhaps he could squeeze out an extra bit of pace if he addressed this). Not very quick off the mark. His pace is best when on a run over some distance rather than the first 10-20m.
- My major concern, and a seriously major concern, is his balance. (See above).
- Straight-line agility and agility when he is on the ground contesting or lunging is very good but his lateral recovery agility on the run is not. Good sidestep, on the run or stationary. In general, agility when he has the ball or in straight-line is good but is not good one on one when the opponent has the ball.
- Quick reflexes. Quick recovery (other than laterally on the run).
- Is a determined tackler but not a reliably effective one. (Lack of lateral agility factors into this as he is easily wrong-footed). An excellent spoiler though, especially from behind at a marking contest.
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Plenty of scope. Is a late developer who is still growing into his body.
- Because he is pretty skinny he theoretically will improve heaps (including in the number of roles he would be strong enough to play) once he adds another 10 or so kg. I say theoretically because he doesn't seem to have added weight in the past year so maybe there is a small question mark over his ability to add weight (even though 10kg is not much relatively).
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- See above. In short, I am unsure of a role he specifically suits.
*QUERY:
- Balance
- Kicking style and accuracy.
- Ability to add weight???
*SOME STATS:
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 19 disposals and 6.0 marks in 3 U18 Rep games.
Kicks vs feeds: tends to somewhat favour kicking. Stats vs VM misleading as he injured leg Q1 & only kicked twice but did 11 feeds.
Gets own ball?: yes. only 11/57TD were HR. 9 hbg.
Kicks long vs short: mixed.
Kicking accuracy: poor. 11/30 ineff/clang incl 2 clang.
Handball accuracy: 5/27 ineff incl 2 clang.
Marking: 18m but only 4 were contested.
Tackles: 5 (4 in game 2)
Clearances: 7 incl 2 cb
HO: 18 incl 4cb. (8 incl 3cb) were against VM (mainly Boyd). was only very part-time in ruck.
*OTHER STUFF:
- All Aust TY.
- WAFL Colts B&F '02.
- WAFL Seniors debut 23/8/03, after working his way from Colts to Reserves to seniors through '03, and hit the ground running. Terrific seniors finals series, especially Prelim.
- Right forearm very heavily strapped during '03 U18 Champs. No obvious sign of inconvenience.
- Leg injury Q1 of game 3 in '03 U18 Champs affected his effectiveness (although he still did quite well when carrying the injury).
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2000
- Posts
- 8,375
- Reaction score
- 36
- Location
- Gold Coast, QLD
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
- Other Teams
- Boston Red Sox (MLB)
Jay Nash (Central District)
187/79 mid-age right foot wingman.
A very appealing AFL prospect because of his pace, athleticism, lovely size and wide range of attributes generally. Is very clean. Chases and tackles. Almost certain AFL.
I rank him at 30, just because of the mix, but I'd like to have him a bit earlier. If his kicking was more reliable, I'd have him earlier. Ready year 2.
*STYLE LIKE: Camporeale?
*TRADEMARK:
- Dash past at good pace to gather or receive, then run 20 and kick downfield.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
Smart athletic linkman who works hard.
Plays somewhat, but certainly not exclusively, outside.
Good overhead and should be versatile.
He can sometimes by one of those players who is always around the play somewhere, gets good stats, but doesn't necessarily have huge impact.
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
- Generally a good decision-maker. Sometimes goes for a speccy when he should wait down.
- Plays mainly outside but is no slouch in traffic and doesn't try to avoid it.
- Rarely feeds but is OK when he does.
- Kicking is a mixed bag. I've seen kicking reliability listed as one of his strengths but that's not my observation. Nice kicking style and gets very good depth, even on the run. However, he misses targets too often, even gimme ones under no pressure on the run. Is also one-sided. Has often done kickouts and is usually good but does an occasional dumb shocker.
*HANDS:
- Very clean, even at good pace.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- Quite strong overhead.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
- Athletic. Very good pace and acceleration, moves well, big leap. Performed fairly well to good in basically all DC/SS tests.
- Great dash, runs hard to present.
- Attacks the ball.
- Good ethic. Desperate. Chases, tackles. Runs hard to present and covers ground. Works hard. Runs all day, mainly half back and through midfield. Gives a lot of run as a linkman.
- Underweight at this stage but should fill out OK although it may take time.
- Very courageous, especially marking (incl regularly running with the flight to mark).
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Nothing special.
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- Very versatile. Known as a wingman but could play AFL anywhere down the flanks. Wing suits him but, other than wing, I think he could be a fine running HBF (or maybe BP in a pinch), even though he is currently somewhat outside. Down the track, once he is stronger, he could be a good run-with, such is his range of attributes, although he may be a bit outside for that.
*QUERY:
- Kicking accuracy.
*SOME STATS:
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 16 disposals and 6.0 marks in 3 U18 Rep games.
Kicks vs feeds: very predominantly kicks. 37-11. Add in '02 and it's 50-17
Tackles: 7
S.P. clearances: 2 incl 2 cbc (not onb much as such - mainly came in from wing).
Gets own ball?: 11/48 TD were HR. 2 HBG
Kicks long vs short: even
Kicking accuracy: poor. 11/37 were ineff/clang incl 5 clang
Handball accuracy: good 1/11 were ineff/clang incl 1 clang
Marking: 18 (incl 3 contested)
*OTHER STUFF:
- AIS
- Played SANFL Reserves '03.
187/79 mid-age right foot wingman.
A very appealing AFL prospect because of his pace, athleticism, lovely size and wide range of attributes generally. Is very clean. Chases and tackles. Almost certain AFL.
I rank him at 30, just because of the mix, but I'd like to have him a bit earlier. If his kicking was more reliable, I'd have him earlier. Ready year 2.
*STYLE LIKE: Camporeale?
*TRADEMARK:
- Dash past at good pace to gather or receive, then run 20 and kick downfield.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
Smart athletic linkman who works hard.
Plays somewhat, but certainly not exclusively, outside.
Good overhead and should be versatile.
He can sometimes by one of those players who is always around the play somewhere, gets good stats, but doesn't necessarily have huge impact.
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
- Generally a good decision-maker. Sometimes goes for a speccy when he should wait down.
- Plays mainly outside but is no slouch in traffic and doesn't try to avoid it.
- Rarely feeds but is OK when he does.
- Kicking is a mixed bag. I've seen kicking reliability listed as one of his strengths but that's not my observation. Nice kicking style and gets very good depth, even on the run. However, he misses targets too often, even gimme ones under no pressure on the run. Is also one-sided. Has often done kickouts and is usually good but does an occasional dumb shocker.
*HANDS:
- Very clean, even at good pace.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- Quite strong overhead.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
- Athletic. Very good pace and acceleration, moves well, big leap. Performed fairly well to good in basically all DC/SS tests.
- Great dash, runs hard to present.
- Attacks the ball.
- Good ethic. Desperate. Chases, tackles. Runs hard to present and covers ground. Works hard. Runs all day, mainly half back and through midfield. Gives a lot of run as a linkman.
- Underweight at this stage but should fill out OK although it may take time.
- Very courageous, especially marking (incl regularly running with the flight to mark).
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Nothing special.
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- Very versatile. Known as a wingman but could play AFL anywhere down the flanks. Wing suits him but, other than wing, I think he could be a fine running HBF (or maybe BP in a pinch), even though he is currently somewhat outside. Down the track, once he is stronger, he could be a good run-with, such is his range of attributes, although he may be a bit outside for that.
*QUERY:
- Kicking accuracy.
*SOME STATS:
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 16 disposals and 6.0 marks in 3 U18 Rep games.
Kicks vs feeds: very predominantly kicks. 37-11. Add in '02 and it's 50-17
Tackles: 7
S.P. clearances: 2 incl 2 cbc (not onb much as such - mainly came in from wing).
Gets own ball?: 11/48 TD were HR. 2 HBG
Kicks long vs short: even
Kicking accuracy: poor. 11/37 were ineff/clang incl 5 clang
Handball accuracy: good 1/11 were ineff/clang incl 1 clang
Marking: 18 (incl 3 contested)
*OTHER STUFF:
- AIS
- Played SANFL Reserves '03.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2000
- Posts
- 8,375
- Reaction score
- 36
- Location
- Gold Coast, QLD
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
- Other Teams
- Boston Red Sox (MLB)
Brent Stanton (Northern Knights)
181/78 bottom-age right foot (dual-sided) vanilla size, skilled, athletic wing / utility.
An 80-90m player. OP (and another injury) impacted on his '03 season so it's hard to assess him on that alone. However, I am very confident he will be a seriously good AFL player.
I rank him at 14 but he will go later. Subject to O.P., ready year 2.
*STYLE LIKE: Aussie Jones
*TRADEMARK:
- Dash though halfback / midfield at good pace then raking direct kick.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
Bottom-age winger. On face value he virtually has the lot. Were he 186cm instead of 181cm I'd rank him about 7, but he ain't.
Goer, dasher, quick and athletic, soft hands, strong overhead, kicks well and long.
A 80-90m line-breaker who also straightens the team up.
And he is a natural footballer, not a brainless rabbit.
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
- Generally very good decision-maker. A natural footballer. Great anticipation. Great judgement - except when he gets over-ambitious / too cocky.
- Disposal is generally good even with OP, and very good pre OP. Very much by foot and typically kicking for depth. U18 Champs disposal was mixed but that is not his norm, although I would like to see some more feeds in his norm. Genuinely dual-sided. Is a thumping kick but also a good weighter of a pass. Maybe slight query on handball power / skill?
- Loves a crack at the goals but is not that reliable. Too often kicks for glory with a low percentage snap instead of squaring it up.
- Won't die wondering and sometimes runs into trouble and/or ignores options. Query whether he is a bit selfish, especially around goals. Certainly likes to take them on, or to go the big mark, and to dash off and equally certainly he has the physical attributes to do so.
*HANDS:
- Had the fumbles below the knee occasionally in '03, including a few over-runs, but I've seen enough of him '02 to not read much into that because he was afflicted by OP and underdone. I would rate him as clean at all levels. Any slight query would be at ground level and only occasionally at worst.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- Extremely strong overhead for his size - a real high-leaping one-grabber with excellent judgement.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
- Occasionally may have appeared to struggle a bit for pace in '03 but it was due to his OP as he is genuinely very quick, as he has shown on many other occasions and as his DC results indicate.
- His DC results tell his story accurately. Beat 89% and 94% of 168 DC/SS participants in his 5m and 20m times respectively. Beat 79% in Beep test, 91% in 3Km, 73% in Agility, 73% in best running jump. Skinfold OK, some room for tightening up, especially once he is free of OP.
- Huge leap. (Ex high jumper).
- Excellent work rate, intensity. Goer, attacks the ball. Runs hard with the play, and hard to present generally. Runs on. Covers a lot of ground. Can dispose on a HFF and bob up 2-3 plays later in the opposite BP.
- Can lay a good bump and ride a good bump.
- Courageous.
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Normal. Conquering OP will see great improvement.
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- Good. Depending on match-up could in time play onball (run-with or in his own right) or anywhere down the flanks. I think his attributes lend themselves ideally to BP, at least initially, but his range of attributes is so wide that any of the other roles would be suitable.
*QUERY:
- Nothing major (other than the dreaded OP).
*SOME STATS:
- TAC: (Note that due to OP, they were only giving him 3 qtrs a game much of the season). Averaged 18 disposals in 11 TAC games. 4.4 marks, 2.7 tackles, total 14 goals-16. 72% of disposals are kicks. 24% of his possessions are marks. At least 20 disposals in 6 games. At least 6 marks in 5 games (and a fair % of his are contested overhead).
- Mid-way trend .. % change in disposals was 0%. % change in marks was -22%. % change in tackles was 65%.
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 16 disposals and 5.0 marks in 2 U18 Rep games.
Kicks vs feeds: mixed
Gets own ball?: 11/32TD were HR. 2 HBG.
Kicks long vs short: mainly long. 12-4
Kicking accuracy: 4/20 were clangers (was suffering from OP tho)
Handball accuracy: good
Marking: 10 (2 contested)
Tackles: 1
*OTHER STUFF:
- AIS
- 8 Coachers Award votes, 1 Morrish Medal vote '03.
- Recovering from O.P. in '03. Even by round 10 they were only giving him 3 qtrs a game. Also back injury.
- Used to be high jumper (aths)
181/78 bottom-age right foot (dual-sided) vanilla size, skilled, athletic wing / utility.
An 80-90m player. OP (and another injury) impacted on his '03 season so it's hard to assess him on that alone. However, I am very confident he will be a seriously good AFL player.
I rank him at 14 but he will go later. Subject to O.P., ready year 2.
*STYLE LIKE: Aussie Jones
*TRADEMARK:
- Dash though halfback / midfield at good pace then raking direct kick.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
Bottom-age winger. On face value he virtually has the lot. Were he 186cm instead of 181cm I'd rank him about 7, but he ain't.
Goer, dasher, quick and athletic, soft hands, strong overhead, kicks well and long.
A 80-90m line-breaker who also straightens the team up.
And he is a natural footballer, not a brainless rabbit.
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
- Generally very good decision-maker. A natural footballer. Great anticipation. Great judgement - except when he gets over-ambitious / too cocky.
- Disposal is generally good even with OP, and very good pre OP. Very much by foot and typically kicking for depth. U18 Champs disposal was mixed but that is not his norm, although I would like to see some more feeds in his norm. Genuinely dual-sided. Is a thumping kick but also a good weighter of a pass. Maybe slight query on handball power / skill?
- Loves a crack at the goals but is not that reliable. Too often kicks for glory with a low percentage snap instead of squaring it up.
- Won't die wondering and sometimes runs into trouble and/or ignores options. Query whether he is a bit selfish, especially around goals. Certainly likes to take them on, or to go the big mark, and to dash off and equally certainly he has the physical attributes to do so.
*HANDS:
- Had the fumbles below the knee occasionally in '03, including a few over-runs, but I've seen enough of him '02 to not read much into that because he was afflicted by OP and underdone. I would rate him as clean at all levels. Any slight query would be at ground level and only occasionally at worst.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- Extremely strong overhead for his size - a real high-leaping one-grabber with excellent judgement.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
- Occasionally may have appeared to struggle a bit for pace in '03 but it was due to his OP as he is genuinely very quick, as he has shown on many other occasions and as his DC results indicate.
- His DC results tell his story accurately. Beat 89% and 94% of 168 DC/SS participants in his 5m and 20m times respectively. Beat 79% in Beep test, 91% in 3Km, 73% in Agility, 73% in best running jump. Skinfold OK, some room for tightening up, especially once he is free of OP.
- Huge leap. (Ex high jumper).
- Excellent work rate, intensity. Goer, attacks the ball. Runs hard with the play, and hard to present generally. Runs on. Covers a lot of ground. Can dispose on a HFF and bob up 2-3 plays later in the opposite BP.
- Can lay a good bump and ride a good bump.
- Courageous.
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Normal. Conquering OP will see great improvement.
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- Good. Depending on match-up could in time play onball (run-with or in his own right) or anywhere down the flanks. I think his attributes lend themselves ideally to BP, at least initially, but his range of attributes is so wide that any of the other roles would be suitable.
*QUERY:
- Nothing major (other than the dreaded OP).
*SOME STATS:
- TAC: (Note that due to OP, they were only giving him 3 qtrs a game much of the season). Averaged 18 disposals in 11 TAC games. 4.4 marks, 2.7 tackles, total 14 goals-16. 72% of disposals are kicks. 24% of his possessions are marks. At least 20 disposals in 6 games. At least 6 marks in 5 games (and a fair % of his are contested overhead).
- Mid-way trend .. % change in disposals was 0%. % change in marks was -22%. % change in tackles was 65%.
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 16 disposals and 5.0 marks in 2 U18 Rep games.
Kicks vs feeds: mixed
Gets own ball?: 11/32TD were HR. 2 HBG.
Kicks long vs short: mainly long. 12-4
Kicking accuracy: 4/20 were clangers (was suffering from OP tho)
Handball accuracy: good
Marking: 10 (2 contested)
Tackles: 1
*OTHER STUFF:
- AIS
- 8 Coachers Award votes, 1 Morrish Medal vote '03.
- Recovering from O.P. in '03. Even by round 10 they were only giving him 3 qtrs a game. Also back injury.
- Used to be high jumper (aths)
marcuz
Norm Smith Medallist
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Cheers Nick..thanks for that mate...has he posted on Dyson yet?
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No worries mate.
Nah he hasn't yet but will post it here when he does. Although he did say this about Ricky in one thread: "I ranked him in the 30s' on my scale. Somewhere in that range seems about right. I give him a decent chance."
Quite interested to see his profile as well because I was hoping we would pick him up and when listening to the radio telecast was saying "Come on! Pick up Ricky! Come on!" Oh well, no dice. Will watch his career with interest.
marcuz
Norm Smith Medallist
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Thanks nick....was just over on hotrod's bullitin board and poor Colin is being asked questions left righ and centre..poor bloke musnt know whether he is comin or going at the minute.
He said he posted it in another thread but i think he forgot. Dont blame him either as he seems quite busy
motumbo
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Did any of you guys that are criticizing Kepley Bradley actually watched him play? I watched the prelim final this year, where he played a starring role in West Perth getting into the Grand Final. He may be tall and gangly but he knows where the football is and as he is still young and his kicking will improve. How many players in the draft played in a premiership side at senior level this year?
I feel the club has made a good decision with this young kid, and other than Jamies Davies, how many duds have they picked up through the draft?
I feel the club has made a good decision with this young kid, and other than Jamies Davies, how many duds have they picked up through the draft?
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every club picks up duds.
turns out nash is an essendon supporter too, so that's a bonus.
turns out nash is an essendon supporter too, so that's a bonus.
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Can I ask a serious question of some of you:
Have any of you had a relationship with Dyson? You seem to either all be related to the guy or in love with him. What makes him the star and Bradely the dud when what have either done at AFL level - the answer - nothing - why becasue neither have had a chance.
Move over Mr Dordoro it seems everyone here is a heckin'g expert and you know nothing despite the fact it is your full time job - you can't know more than people here who seem to have the time to watch a lot of under 18 football all over the nation. Fck me, I wish I had the spare time some of you have to fly all over the country and see these kids play.
I can not believe how much negativity has been associated with our picks already. Why not give the kids a chance, and then if they turn out like Davies, criticise our recruiting, until then - get some heckin'g reality back into your life - the whole bloody system is a lottery, and anyone could become a star or dud.
Have any of you had a relationship with Dyson? You seem to either all be related to the guy or in love with him. What makes him the star and Bradely the dud when what have either done at AFL level - the answer - nothing - why becasue neither have had a chance.
Move over Mr Dordoro it seems everyone here is a heckin'g expert and you know nothing despite the fact it is your full time job - you can't know more than people here who seem to have the time to watch a lot of under 18 football all over the nation. Fck me, I wish I had the spare time some of you have to fly all over the country and see these kids play.
I can not believe how much negativity has been associated with our picks already. Why not give the kids a chance, and then if they turn out like Davies, criticise our recruiting, until then - get some heckin'g reality back into your life - the whole bloody system is a lottery, and anyone could become a star or dud.
marcuz
Norm Smith Medallist
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Seen him play a few times and he stood out from the rest. So i rate the kid so ****ing what. Everyone here is an expert and are entitiled to their opinions. If you have a problem with that then i think opinion boards may not be for you.
One can get a tad carried away with ones own opinion. My beef is the fact that people here are so quick to criticise our choices when there is no way that a fair analysis of them can be made. I have never seen a recruit of ours come under so much scrutiny and another be praised so much without either kicking a footy in our club colours.
My point is this - I hope all of them turn into stars - chances are they wont - but getting annoyed/overly critical now makes about as much sense as rookie-ing Davies.
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Could you overreact any more? No one is bagging the draftees or the recruiting staff, they are questioning them. Like I said above, just because the recruiting staff are in the best position to make the best decision does not mean they are above being the object of critical opinion.
FWIW, I thought Tenace was the more sensible option, but that was because he was the safe option. OTOH, Bradley is a more sensible option because he's got more upside and he's a rarity, whereas Tenace is not. Not to mention, I'd seen Tenace firsthand a few times, but I've never seen Bradley. No doubt, that also had some influence on my trepidation.
marcuz
Norm Smith Medallist
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Your starting to make sense pevers and its scaring me
I agree with you mate we should let these kids play b4 we judge. Bradley may turn out to be a superstar and untill he devolops we should reserve our judgement. I may have said a few rash things out of anger on sat. But thats becuase ive seen tenace play and know how good he could be. But Adrian Dodoro has seen a hell of a lot more junior footy than I so we should trust in the bloke's opinion.
Fari enough - but when people just say - Oh no we picked up Bradley here comes another Davies - it is very unfair on the kid. This is really the time we should belooking at the draft three seasons ago to determine how successful we were, as after 3 years you can really start to tell whether we were succesful or not with how many players are still on the list and what type of impact they have had.
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