U18 Champs Round 2 - SA vs Allies

[Hutchy Jnr]

2nd Quarter: Allies looked on top and well and truly won that quarter. Hardness at the contest definitely increased. Should make for an interesting last half of footy.

Allies:
Dixon- Up foward looks very promising. Really rate him. Been strong in front of the sticks too.
Bailey- An SA lad but in the Allies. Really liking him so far, hard at it midfielder. Got some touches.

SA:
Hately- 18 touches. Has found a fair bit of off the half back. Playing wing but looks more defensive today.
Rankine- Not much a can really say, guys a freak. Agility is klass. His run down tackle on the outer wing on Bell (who is a sub 3 second 20m) was great to watch. Real Deal for next year.
McCarthy- Playing down back for SA. Another well built player in SA stocks. Like the look of him, his kick but has been caught holding it a bit today. Still none the less playing well.
Barry: First game today and showing some promising signs. A swingman obviously playing forward for school and down back for SA and SANFL. His close down speed is at a high level, and i dont mind his hands.

 

[Thunderstruck]

Half time SA 6.5 (41) Allies 6.4 (40)

Indifferent sort of game. Both sides have brief periods of dominance then it switches again. Allies probably look better entering their F50 though.

Player wise:

SA

Lukosius seems a class above his opponents. Reads the ball in the air so well and is clean when so many others fumble the first touch. Can't wait till next year.

Crowden not terribly productive but is gradually getting a few touches. No damage.

Giro has been lively reading play well but mixed kicking.

McCarthy the man child has looked good in defence

Fogarty shown glimpses of strength and running but caught a few times

Hately been good on the wing driving ball forward

CCJ winning ruck mostly and some strong moments but kicking horrid

Edwards strong over the ball

Zerk-Thatcher is not strong enough one out under the high ball

Rankine not much of it but all class

Allies:

Bell been quite dangerous at times

Powell very strong over the ball

Richards nice overhead work

Scott playing well

Brander not heaps of it but strong when he does

Ballenden not that flash but couple of strong efforts late

 

[legendstatus]

Gee not much talent out of these two teams, scouts right this years draft is weak.


Sent from my warped mind

 

[giantroo]

Anyone able to upload this to youtube? Or can it be watch free on the afl app?

I'll upload it when I get a chance tonight.

 

[Hutchy Jnr]

Gee not much talent out of these two teams, scouts right this years draft is weak.


Sent from my warped mind

Is this directed at top agers? CCJ, Fogarty, Edwards, Not enough for you?

SA has three potential top 10 picks for next year as well in - Rankine, Rozee and Lukosius

 

[Burtman]

I know it's a different style of game, but gee the umpiring is way better at this level. Just letting things go and paying the really obvious ones. That's the way it should be

 

[Hutchy Jnr]

Left halfway through 3rd quarter, to get to some school games this afternoon.

General Overview of the game between SA and Allies

SA: CCJ lead from the front i thought from what I saw, won majority of ruck contests and was very clean at ground level. Obviously his kicking needs improving but it can be done. Fogarty again quite? not sure if the hype is getting to him or the role he is playing but he was hot in the first and bits in the second, didn't see him in the 3rd. My word he is a massive boy and I do like him. Will only get better.
Midfield clan - Edwards, Crowden, Martini didn't think they impacted a lot? which was disappointing to see. Thoughts those three would of impacted a bit more than they did. None the less they still found it in patches and should what their capable of. Brad McCarthy I liked and will monitor more. Hatley wouldn't be surprised if he gets best for SA today, a break through game for him and a name now in scouts books. Giro, a lot like Hatley in the fact a name now in scouts books, he is small but he finds it and a lot of it. Don't mind his use of the ball too, doesn't waste it often. Didn't mind Barry, strong first game and potential there, needs another game at this level for me to really get more from him in terms of draft-able or un-draftable
Bottom agers: WOW have SA got some prospects for next year in Rankine, Rozee and Lukosius super excited to watch these guys over the next 12 months.

Allies: I liked Dixon, i really did. Looked strong in the contest and kicked well. Liked his work off the ball too. Bell was quite from what i saw, but i got a feeling he has the x factor and pace, will watch some more of him. Brander and Ballenden, well not a massive game for them but still when they got it, we saw what they can offer a team at the next level. Just needs to run a bit more for mine and find areas. They did play at both ends of the ground too= promising. I really like Bailey.


SA came out firing in the First but looked a bit lost or tired in the Second. Allies really came out in the second quarter and put the pressure on physically which was great to see. At half time i was thinking I might stay around and watch this, thinking it would be a tight game. Just had a look at some live footage and its 112 to 61 with 1 mintue and 30 seconds left. So looks like a blow out, which isn't great. I still love the concept of Allies in the Div 1 league like I'm a huge fan!. They played well Allies but SA far to strong.

 

[Andre the Giant]

Lukosius has the lot. He is worth tanking for...next year!

 

[Chris25]

For anyone who didn't watch it...

SA 17.10 112 def Allies 9.7 61

I'll post the stats and my thoughts soon.

 

[Cleric]

 

[Baird]

I'd like to see Fogarty play more forward next game

 

[Chris25]

Pretty sloppy game overall, but what did it was show which players are real draft chances.

For starters, 2018 looks fairly well amazing. Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and Connor Rozee all looked like top 10 picks. Jackson Hately struggled early with his disposal, but really got going in the second half. While Tarryn Thomas showed enough to suggest he'll be a first round pick.

I thought Darcy Fogarty showed enough. He's still working his way into his very best form, but today was about showing his AFL level attributes and he did that. Got caught a couple of times trying to do too much, but I think you're allowed to do that when you're one of the most talented players on the field. Jordan Houlahan was the other one who I think has firmed into top 20 calculations as a half forward. Gets more impact out of his disposals than most players.

Callum Coleman-Jones performed well in the ruck and around the ground, it was a shame he didn't get more of a chance as a one out full forward to show off his contested marking. Kicking can improve, but the main thing is his second and third efforts as a ruckman. I don't think he was ever a first round prospect like some people were saying, but I think he's doing enough to get drafted in the top 50. Jackson Edwards was the other one talked up a bit at the start of the season, I thought he was only okay, an unassuming type. I think he'll start to settle into a more realistic draft projection as the season goes on.

Some of the lesser known SA kids who impressed were Stefan Giro and Brad McCarthy. Giro has always been a ball magnet, with inconsistent foot skills. But he had a few excellent kicks today, showing what he could become. While McCarthy is a real big body, but moves well and is really clean on the ground. Has played primarily as a forward in the past, it was only the injury to McPherson that led him to move down back. Both are looking like good rookie prospects, maybe late round picks. Harry Petty also did enough to suggest he's a KPD worth putting some time into.

For the Allies, I'm leading the charge for Nicholas Shipley and I thought he looked good in the middle. He's a great size and moves well, strength to his game is his hands and he showed a clear preference for handballing today. He can kick though, his confidence will only rise during the Championships. Zac Bailey was the other midfielder to impress. Not sure how early he goes, but looks like he could play next season and always seems to be around the ball.

Jarrod Brander seemed to struggle to really get into the game, the early beating from Lukosius wouldn't have helped. But he did enough, kicking looked as good as always. I thought Hugh Dixon was easily their best KPP today, the Allies struggled all day going into forward 50 but he made the most of limited opportunities. Connor Ballenden is one player I struggle with, and based on performance I can't see how you would use a first round pick on him. Won some hitouts, but didn't have much impact and I don't know what he is at the next level. The commentators talked about scouts wanting to see a player dominate one position before showing off their versatility. And I'm not sure Ballenden does that.

Otherwise, James Bell was the only other one who really caught the eye. His first quarter was excellent, although trailed off after that. Looks a bit like Curtly Hampton, has the same measurables and running pattern. Also seems to go in and out of games. But he at least showed some AFL attributes. Jack Payne and Sam Davidson also showed some glimpses of talent.

As a whole, of the 38 (I think) draft eligible players I had about 10-12 as national draft prospects based on today.

 

[Procrastinator35]

I'd like to see Fogarty play more forward next game

Be nice to see Fogarty get out of first gear & pull his finger out.....No top 10 picks for the South Aussie sides this year.....Hmmmm.

 

[briztoon]

Be nice to see Fogarty get out of first gear & pull his finger out.....No top 10 picks for the South Aussie sides this year.....Hmmmm.

He's "tanking" as he obviously doesn't want to be drafted by the Lions at pick #1. Should just suck it up as we're going to draft South Australians in back to back years in Fogarty and Rankine.

 

[giantroo]

 

[Cleric]

Thanks muchly.

 

[Thunderstruck]

Finally footy has finished for the day so now can do some player reviews of today's game. I'll note that the wings were blocked off to general public so forced to sit in pocket ( which I hate) so didn't quite catch much of play down the N end of the ground, despite the bino's best efforts.

SA

Giro

Thought he was very good as expected, kid dominates SANFL ressies week in week out with big numbers and did so in similar fashion today. Just works so damn hard from contest to contest, everytime the ball hits the deck you can be sure he's within 1 or 2 handballs of getting it or gets it himself. Frequently presented front and centre for the crumb, worked off his opponent into space and got lots of quick release handballs and plenty of kicks down the wing. Did burn his kicks early but thought as the game wore on he was very good. Very much the best midfielder on the ground.

Coleman-Jones

Must say I was staggered at his stats (28 touches) felt like he only had about 15 touches from viewing at the ground but he must have got a lot down the other end and in close as he spent virtually the entire game in the ruck and not up forward. Only one nice big contested mark from memory which is his trademark, but thought he was strong in the ruck, and as he always does, works very well around the ground for possessions. Ballanden beat him in the ruck duels moreso in the second half but CCJ certainly won the day in the end. Just would like to see him have a big game up forward but given the efforts of the SA forwards today, he wasn't needed at all. Very solid overall.

Hately

Thought he was excellent today, many driving balls down the wing and lots of sidestepping and poise amongst his disposals. Few burns early like a lot of the SA players but really worked hard to the wings to get into space I thought and marked nicely overhead as well. Think he's spent most of his time at Trinity as only the 1 Under 18 game in SANFL so far....he's well above that level on today's game.

McCarthy

The man-child of the SA side, he pretty much played the Pascoe role to perfection with many rebounds out of defensive 50, too good one on one for his opponents and pushed them off easily and accelerated quickly with good long kicks out of defensive 50 mostly hitting targets. Not afraid to wheel and deal, enjoyed his ambition with his creative nous. Very good game and one of the best for SA.

Edwards

Fairly solid in tight, good contested ball numbers, was bashed around a bit but he loves it in there. Not the most clean game I've seen from him but got the clearances as expected and pretty good numbers. Definitely a nice size and moves a little like his old man.

Rowe

Nippy as expected, was quite good out of the middle, noted quite a few centre clearances from him today and repeat efforts burrowing in getting the ball so that was good to see. Has certainly put up large numbers for the Eagles in Under 18's earlier in the year from the middle so good to see him do that on the big stage here. His quick release hands and mind was a feature, definitely one of the better thinkers out there.

Crowden

'Quiet' by his ball winning standards, especially early on. Thought he worked into the game well in the second half and had a lot of strong contested ball and used his left leg fairly creatively with some good F50 entries. Also displayed strength overhead for a man of his height. Sure is a nugget though, was on the bottom of a lot of packs as expected. Ok game but not great.

Ballard

Looked very good early I thought, worked to space well, marked overhead well and showed a lot of drive with the ball but felt he faded as the game wore on, got caught a few times trying to much and looked a bit indecisive at times. You can see there is an AFL talent at times though, nice and tall and willing to run.

Carroll

No nonsense game from Carroll, gave some good drive into the F50 and a bit off half back at times. Pretty clean with the ball for the best part although not terribly damaging.

Petty

Really impressed me actually with his willingness to drift back and take marks without knowing what was coming. Good reader of the ball in flight and zoned off his opponent quite well with good rebounding. One of the best I thought for SA.

Hewson

Good game, did his job and played his role but didn't dominate by any stretch so perhaps a little down on his normal output. Showed some very nice kicking at times with good penetration but did notice a few fluffed kicks. Good body strength over the ball though, he will be a pretty good player.

Lukosius

Thought he was outstanding at times, especially early and again late. Murdered Brander in the air, read the ball so well pulling down marks like it was going out of fashion. Big football brain, kicked 3 goals and a clear presence up forward. Pretty much BOG, only Giro could argue. He's gunna be something special next year iff he's playing like this now. Should be playing league SANFL.

Rankine

Took a while to get into it but man, you can see why he's easily the most talented player in the SA squad and by some margin at that. Oozes class, toys with opponents and does the freaky things many times a game. Ran down Bell from memory, tackled very well defensively and weaved and ducked around opponents with ease. Kicked a couple and could have had 3 or 4. Not a dominant display by any stretch but you can see the talent. Show cased his huge vertical leap at times as well trying to take screamers. God he's gunna be hard to top for #1 pick next year.

Davis

Didn't notice him much until the second half when I thought he played quite well with a lot of drive and rebound from half back and down the wing.

Fogarty

Started at Full Forward and got the first goal of the game. Played a bit on ball and a bit leading out from the pocket. Didn't seem terribly interested tbh and continued his run of poor form which extends well back from before the champs. Got caught a few times trying too much. Big body, thumping kick and clearly a talented individual but really didn't do a great deal outside his 2 goals. If he had the workrate of Giro wow.....

Zerk-Thatcher

Poor lad got monstered a few times one on one in front of goal by Dixon and Richards IIRC. Has the height but not the frame to go body on body just yet. Did run off and create very well though so credit to him there for that.

Martini

Was ok but not real great. Lots of ball in congestion with someone hanging off him. Made a few blues by hand and foot as well. Put a lot of good pressure on though when defending so that was good to see.

Schmusch

Not a bad game, took a few nice marks at times, spoilt well and rebounded fairly well. Not a bad height either, but unsure if he is going to have the strength to take on the big forwards. Lot of filling out to be had.

Rozee

Hardly saw him until the second half and played very well then, quite a bit of zip and drive, hit the packs with speed and tore away with the pill and set up a lot of forward forays for SA. Tackled like a demon as well, didn't let much get past him. Talented player!

Houlahan

Very good first half, kicked 4 goals overall and always seemed to slip out the back or take a nice mark. Natural footballer, just know what to do and when. Not heaps of not but always big value per possession. A juicy prospect, has the Jack Silvagni's about him. Quietened down after half time.

Denton

Another who probably came on after half time, got a bit of it but nothing outstanding.

Denham

Took a few nice strong grabs and competed well in the ruck but doesn't have the height to play there. Looks better as a leading forward.

Barry

Thought he was decent with a couple of nice grabs and goals until he sadly got injured just before the final siren. Hope it isn't too serious

ALLIES

Bailey

The SA lad was everywhere, excellent workmate like Giro to get the ball but wouldn't say he was overly damaging with it but still one of the best for the Allies.

Shipley

I must confess I hardly knew he was playing, just did not notice him much at all and was staggered at his stats. Given they were almost all handballs that probably explains it with a lot of in tight quick hands and not a lot of spread and run. Looks like a decent game going on the stats at least but unfortunately cannot comment much more from a personal view! Annoyed as he was one I was keen to see.

Highmore

Decent game, ran around a lot and marked a lot of uncontested ball in link play.

Brander

Given a bath by Lukosius early, took a few kickouts and rebounded well but nothing special at all. Swung forward later and kicked a nice goal.

Powell

Thought he was decent, had a go in the midfield and set up a lot of forward attacks with good decision making and clearance work.

Foster

Not a bad game, especially late with a lot of running ball. Good pressure at the contest.

Scott

Really stood out in the second half, got free into space numerous times and kicked a couple of goals and could have been 3. Looked dangerous when he began to dictate the play, one to watch.

Davidson

Not too bad, found it and used it fairly well but no huge impact other than his goal.

Richards

Big man and thought he rucked well against CCJ and drifted forward well and took a nice big mark and kicked a good goal. Not quick though...

Carr

Didn't really notice him to be honest

Thomas

Kid can play, terrier at tackling and looked good when had the ball in hand going inside 50.

Skrivanic

Didn't notice him a lot, few good possession in link play that did catch the eye but otherwise not much.

Clayton

Got back a lot and helped out his defence but nothing terribly great.

Boakye

Ran hard and tried to shimmy a few but aside from that was a fairly average game and faded late.

Bell

Terrific in the first term, lots of run and carry and weaving, looked like a dangerous player. Ran down players and put heaps of pressure on causing turnovers. Went very quiet after half time though. But there is quite a good player in there if he can put a full game together.

Green

Reasonable early but faded as the game wore on

Payne

Got a bit of the pill coming out of defence but nothing that flash

Hardman

Nippy and slippery at times but largely ineffective. Can see how he could be dangerous though with his turn of speed and goal sense.

Mundy

Can't say I noticed him other than a couple of touches and tackles.

Ballenden

Probably out tapped CCJ in the ruck but did virtually nothing in the first half. Worked harder in the second half with some good marks and kicks but is a real dinosaur type. If he's only 95kg I'll eat my hat.

Myers

Not much, few little touches but barely remember him

Dixon

Not big numbers but very strong overhead when he got the ball, quite a few contested from memory.

Blakey

Good early with few touches but faded after that

 

[cammo6556]

with Fogarty, is he simply used to beating up in smaller, less skilled opponents and maybe finding the standard a little surprising?

 

[getgaff]

Great review Thunderstruck.

Echo your thoughts on Barry and wish him well. Didn't look to good but I'm sure we'll hear during the week what the outcome was.

Sour note to the Champs so far is the season ending injury to Robertson from the Allies (Game 1) and now the likelihood that Barry at best will miss the rest of the Champs.

Anyone know if he is actually a SA boy or could be a relative of ex Demon Dom from the NT?

 

[Cleric]

with Fogarty, is he simply used to beating up in smaller, less skilled opponents and maybe finding the standard a little surprising?

He knows the standard. He played last year as well.
He comes across as a bit cocky and maybe knows he is going to get drafted so isnt as hungry as some others.

 

[cammo6556]

He knows the standard. He played last year as well.
He comes across as a bit cocky and maybe knows he is going to get drafted so isnt as hungry as some others.

Is it possible he's tanking to stay in SA? That's need to be a decent old tanking mind you...

 

[Bishop]

For me, Fogarty is slipping. Can't see him being an inside mid like we'd all hoped. Yeah he's not the worst bloke who will crack in on the inside, but is he going to be that big strong midfield with superb endurance - No.

 

[jjami15]

For me, Fogarty is slipping. Can't see him being an inside mid like we'd all hoped. Yeah he's not the worst bloke who will crack in on the inside, but is he going to be that big strong midfield with superb endurance - No.

Getting that vibe too. Heard on a podcast (I think) that he would like to grow a couple more and be more a KP height. Can see the Stringer comparisons as well from yesterday's game.

 

[eDPS]

For me, Fogarty is slipping. Can't see him being an inside mid like we'd all hoped. Yeah he's not the worst bloke who will crack in on the inside, but is he going to be that big strong midfield with superb endurance - No.

I don't think he is 100%. Still did some very good things yesterday

 

[GoGrows]

I don't think he is 100%. Still did some very good things yesterday

if he's not 100%, or close to it, he should not be playing. he is doing his draft value harm by playing if he's underdone. he would know this.

"did some good things" is not sufficient for a guy who is being talked up as a possible top 3 pick