Delisted Nick O'Kearney

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Another Stephen Powell, great ball winner, good kick up to 35m, but couldnt run out of sight in the dark slow!

IMO will struggle with pace of current game...
 
Jan 7, 2011
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O'Kearney will need to pile on about 15kg to get to the 87kg that Powell is listed as having played at! :D :p

Started to watch one of the Vic Metro games that I taped earlier in the year now that I know who to watch really closely and they had some close-up's of Nick and there really was nothing of him, just bones and not a lot else, so he's going to need to spend the next couple of years eating big meals and pumping iron, while also looking to build an AFL tank.

Looks to be someone who is ideally suited to the rookie list.
 
O'Kearney will need to pile on about 15kg to get to the 87kg that Powell is listed as having played at! :D :p

Started to watch one of the Vic Metro games that I taped earlier in the year now that I know who to watch really closely and they had some close-up's of Nick and there really was nothing of him, just bones and not a lot else, so he's going to need to spend the next couple of years eating big meals and pumping iron, while also looking to build an AFL tank.

Looks to be someone who is ideally suited to the rookie list.

I reckon he sounds like Geary type, heaps of determination but scrawny and a bit messy with his kicking. Paul Kelly from the Swans back in the old days didn't let it hold him back.
 
Would Brent Stanton be a fair comparison?

Runs all day, at the one pace. Neat on both sides but not that damaging. Gets a lot of the ball without being "noticable".

???
 
His highlight package suggests that he is a really quick decision maker in close. Again, looks like a footballer first, and (from all reports) a dedicated professional second. I think being in an AFL club and around people like Roo and TC will allow him to develop athletically.

My tip is he will be an instant hit at Sandy and his AFL ceiling will be determined by his ability to beef up while improving his running capacity.
 

SK_MD_#7

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Probably been mentioned somewhere..

But just heard his press conference, sounds like a little NZ accent, unless it's just me..
 
my man was ranked 16th by Quigley overall


http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/quigleys-draft-rankings-2015.1117830/

16. Nick O’Kearney

Ht – 180 Wt – 71


I find it interesting how low O’Kearney is rated by most. He might lack some class and athletic ability but this is a kid who works his arse off and will continue to work on his game. I back him to start out being a solid midfield option and to develop into a very valuable contributor in a good team before he is finished. Recruiters will often value glimpses of flash ahead of hard grind and I think that is a mistake. If you are building a team you need guys like O’Kearney to do the heavy lifting and whilst he might not win games off his own bat too often he is going to give his all to the team and he will keep his team in a lot of games when the flashy guys are nowhere to be seen. If I was asked for a comparison I would probably say that at his best O’Kearney could turn out to be a Rockliff type player. Rockliff it is worth remembering was similarly athletically challenged and slipped all the way through to the PSD. I don’t see O’Kearney slipping that far but I do think he is going to be a bargain for someone.


O’Kearney is a very good accumulator of the ball. He covers a lot of territory and works to space to present as an option for his teammates to use. He does not always get to the most dangerous spot and often seems to be working to accumulate the cheap ball. O’Kearney is a bit one paced but he keeps going and will work hard both ways. For someone who tested as badly as he did in the beep test I found his work on the park is surprisingly good. It is worth noting that he tested quite a bit better in the 3km than he did in the beep test.


It is fair to say that O’Kearney is a poor athlete. He was last in the repeat sprint, ran a 13.4 in the beep and was in the bottom 15% of the jumps. He was also close to the absolute bottom in the 20m. The only saving grace for him was in the agility where he returned a very solid 8.31. Whilst he might improve with some work, O’Kearney is always going to be more of a footballer than an athlete.


With the ball in hand he lacks a bit of adventure, preferring mostly to take the short safe options. When he does go longer some of his decision making can be a bit questionable and he is prone to turning it over. With that said there is not a lot wrong with his kicking style and he does seem quite composed with the ball. He is a reasonable kick off either foot and as he develops and puts more time into his game I see no reason why his hurt factor will not improve.


In my notes on O’Kearney I will often have conflicting comments on the same attribute. For example I have a couple of notes saying that he showed good awareness and another couple saying that he has poor awareness. I think this is a bit endemic of his game. He is a bit inconsistent at the moment and is not a finished product. He is improving various aspects of his game but he is not there yet and he can look pretty average at times.


He and Balic seemed to switch around for Metro and rarely were both performing well in the midfield together. Balic I thought showed a bit more class but O’Kearney seemed to work harder for the team and help his teammates out when they needed it.


O’Kearney has a reputation as a student of the game who loves his footy and will study carefully how other mids go about it and then work to incorporate those learnings into his own game. It is all about forward momentum with him and steady improvement. This is not a kid who thinks he knows it all. He is capable of identifying things in his game that needs improvement and he keeps working on those things. That kind of attitude is great in a prospect provided they have the requisite level of self confidence. It is also good to have in a playing group as he sets a bar for others to work toward.
 
Probably been mentioned somewhere..

But just heard his press conference, sounds like a little NZ accent, unless it's just me..
Weird isn't it? But then again, I've got a mate from Adelaide you'd swear was a Kiwi...

Says 'I thunk so' for example...
 

Munga

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Weird isn't it? But then again, I've got a mate from Adelaide you'd swear was a Kiwi...

Says 'I thunk so' for example...

Kiwi accent is more a Sydney thing IMO, there's a lot of them over there.
Take the word "hills". Adelaideans pronounce it "hules". Kiwis pronounce it "hulls".
 

austinnn

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Nov 7, 2012
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II hope Quigley is not a great judge of a player. He rated Jade Gresham at 37 and his words on him added up to GOP. Didn't even see Brandon White on the list.
 

Axcellence

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II hope Quigley is not a great judge of a player. He rated Jade Gresham at 37 and his words on him added up to GOP. Didn't even see Brandon White on the list.

He also had Mathieson at 15.
 

holllywood

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Watched the first half of Meteo v Country (while all Gresham, Rice and White were not playing) and O'Kearney was impressive.

Has the ability to find the ball, is very neat by hand and was pretty good by foot. You wouldn't say he is a player that can win you a game but many times he gave his team first use or ran hard to give his teammates a good option. A very handy player.
 

lewdogs

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Jeez he speaks well in that interview. Seems a really bright young man; I get a really good vibe about him. Hope he turns out to be a gun.
 

felsty

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Sorry I'm his advocate but life has been pretty hectic atm.. I'm hoping to have something up in here end of NAB / start of Round 1, hopefully with some upgrade news... ;)
 
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