Toast The Lewis Young feel good thread

Sep 4, 2014
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Inside footy profile

Lewis Young
197.3cm, 88.2kg

“Lewis has met with about eight or nine clubs so there is a fair bit of interest in him. A 197cm tall forward who comes from a basketball background so is still learning the game and is actually a baby of the draft because he’s a late December birth. Good athletic ability but will need to improve his kicking. Out of all our guys he has the most upside and could play back if that’s what a club wanted. Played senior football at the back end of the year which was a great effort.” Sturt high performance manager Chris Trapp

Stats

SANFL U18’s
Games: 12
Kicks: 12.8
Kicking efficiency: 59.8%
Marks: 7.6
Handballs: 4.5
Disposals: 17.3
Disposal effiecincy: 64.7%
Contested possessions %: 43.0
Tackles: 1.3

SANFL Reserves
Games: 7
Kicks: 8.6
Kicking efficiency: 50.0%
Marks: 5.0
Handballs: 5.4
Disposals: 14.0
Disposal effiecincy: 60.2%
Contested possessions %: 55.6
Tackles: 1.9

U18 Nationals
Games: 1
Kicks: 6.0
Kicking efficiency: 83.3%
Marks: 3.0
Handballs: 1.0
Disposals: 7.0
Disposal effiecincy: 71.4%
Contested possessions %: 33.3
Tackles: 0

SANFL seniors
Games: 1
Kicks: 4.0
Kicking efficiency: 50.0%
Marks: 2.0
Handballs: 1.0
Disposals: 6.0
Disposal effiecincy: 66.7%
Contested possessions %: 33.3
Tackles: 1.0
 
Sep 4, 2014
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IN four hours of exhilarating power and athleticism, giant Sturt teenager Lewis Young went from draft smoky to turning heads.

Having already caught the eye of a handful of AFL clubs, the 197cm, 90kg former basketballer has been one of the most scrutinised and interviewed players in recent weeks after a standout display at the SA Draft Combine.

Young, 17 and only eligible for the draft by 11 days, blew clubs away with his 2.97 second time for the 20m run — second-best of the 17 players who tested, behind only South Adelaide’s Dylan Whimpress (2.91).

He also was a standout in the vertical jump.

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AFL draft prospect Lewis Young at the Double Blues Headquarters at Unley. Picture Sarah Reed
Young’s “wow’’ factor has seen 12 clubs interview him in the lead-up to the draft.

A late bloomer after focusing more on basketball — he played at under-16 State level — than football until last year, Young’s blistering speed and athleticism for his height has clubs excited by his potential.

“I was pleased with my combine, a lot of clubs seemed happy with my athletic work,’’ said Young, who played one league game for premier Sturt last season against North Adelaide in round 21.

“I’m pretty raw in football terms because I’ve only made football my priority in the past two seasons and have progressed from under-16s through to league footy pretty quickly.

“But clubs seem to be looking at my upside and thinking where I might be in three years.

“I still need to put on some weight but I think I’ve got the potential to improve a lot.’’

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Lewis Young at the Double Blues Headquarters at Unley. Picture Sarah Reed
Young, who made this year’s State under-18 team under the guidance of SANFL high performance manager Brenton Phillips, is modelling his game on rising Melbourne star, key forward Jesse Hogan.

“Unless I keep growing I’ll probably be too small to play as a ruckman in the AFL so I’m working on my key forward work, including my goalkicking,’’ Young said.

“I think I’m pretty versatile and could also play down back or as a high half-forward.’’

As one of this year’s draft bolters and youngest players in the pool, Young is not concerned where he might fall in the drafts, as long as he finds an AFL home.

“The number doesn’t matter,’’ he said.

“Clubs tell me that once you walk in the door the pick number is insignificant and that whether you are pick one or pick 100 all players are on an even keel.

“It’s been my dream since I was a little kid to be a professional sportsman and if I do get selected it will be the best day of my life.’’

PRIDE OF SA
Name: Lewis Young

Club: Sturt

Age: 17

Height: 197cm

Weight: 90kg

Position: Ruckman/Forward

CLUB SAYS
“Lewis has great character and is a player who has tremendous upside. He’s still raw but he’s an excellent size, has terrific speed and agility for his height and can mark the ball well. We’ve already seen a big improvement in him this year and with time he could develop into something special.’’

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...e/news-story/3c526dbd08a1eaa3420784e472ee3cce
 

Yojimbo

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Welcome Lewis Young, bit of a surprise at the third pick i had
him destined for the rookie list as a developing KPP who is
not a very good kick yet, big upside athletically.
 

stefoid

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I like this pick because he is very bottom aged, yet not a stick, and is described as being a natural mark. I dont think you get those athletic project players coming through with good marking skills so often.

Can we say a 197cm version of Easton Wood? :D
 
I wanted Todd Marshall, I got Lewis Young

The strangest pick of the draft. Seems an odd choice to draft a key forward this late, and especially one who nobody has heard of.

But if anyone's earned my faith it's Dal. Which makes him picking this guy actually really exciting. Can't wait to see how he goes.
 

Charlie Bucket

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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he could become a similar player to Tom Lynch ( GC ). Has very similar attributes. Great strong mark, same build at draft age and his highlights are eerily similar.

I like the way he's able to turn quickly after taking possession and is quick off the mark.

Could be the pick of the bunch.
 
Jul 23, 2011
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Far more comfortable with this kid than had we ended up with Marshall. Shares a birthday with me so is my pick of this bunch by default. Looks like he is a super clean one grab mark and covers the ground pretty well (good disposal numbers in 18's and reserves). Kicking is very raw but looks like there hasn't been a heap of time put into it as of yet so hopefully it gets cleaned up early on in his career. Won't be judging him for another year and a half but he has a heap of talent so it'll be interesting where we see him playing.
 

TempleKelvington

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Ok, well firstly, most importantly, the kid can mark the footy. Big tick. Clearly he's a great athlete, can run and can jump. Tick. Nice size, 197 and 90 and will only become stronger and bigger. Big tick. He's newish to footy and still 17, so the parts of his game that see him picked late in a draft should improve but how much who knows. kicking looks a bit dodgy from small sample.

Seems to me to be exactly what we needed to draft in terms of type of player. I felt we needed to draft a ruck we could bring through and KP player, prob more defender and we got both.
 

giblj

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http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...s/news-story/21766ea3475aa780f09b8770f18195f4

Lewis Young excited to move to AFL premier Western Bulldogs

STURT forward Lewis Young only scraped into the national draft by 11 days and now he’s suddenly joining the AFL’s reigning premier the Western Bulldogs.

Young was one of only six SANFL players drafted on Friday night when the Bulldogs took him with pick No.49.

The 17-year-old doesn’t turn 18 until December 20 meaning he was one of the youngest players in this year’s draft pool but that didn’t deter the Dogs.

The athletic 197cm forward/ruckman spent Saturday saying goodbye to his grandparents at Goolwa before preparing to fly to Melbourne to start pre-season training.

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Young played under-18s, reserves and made one league appearance for Sturt this season and impressed with his test results at the draft screening.

“I’m stoked, I couldn’t think of a better club than the Bulldogs,” he said.

“The reigning premier and they have a good young core so I’m really excited to get started.

“I just wanted to get into the AFL and when I heard the Bulldogs at pick 49 (I was hopeful) because they were a club I’d been talking to a bit.”

SANFL talent manager Brenton Phillips said Young had a lot of potential which the Bulldogs clearly liked.


“He played one national (championships) game against Vic Country and he’s a developing young man,” Phillips said.

“In terms of his football maturity and development he’s still what we classify as a baby so he’s got a fair bit of upside to him.

“He tested athletically really well at the combine so that’s what the Bulldogs saw in him, so it was a really good story, they’re the ones you like to see get across the line.”
 

class78

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Don't want to be too rough. But he's s**t. Played against him and he missed a goal from the goal square. How he went at pick 49 with literally no output shows how silly the draft can be.
 
Don't want to be too rough. But he's s**t. Played against him and he missed a goal from the goal square. How he went at pick 49 with literally no output shows how silly the draft can be.

Interesting to hear others opinions. Thanks but obviously we all hope you are wrong. Time will tell.
 

bobby2

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Don't want to be too rough. But he's s**t.
... No need to sugar coat it

Don't want to be too rough. But he's s**t. Played against him and he missed a goal from the goal square. How he went at pick 49 with literally no output shows how silly the draft can be.
Players are selected for projected future output, not past output. His athletic traits and limited time in the game could allow him to have a strong future output. I'm sure our recruiters couldn't care less that he missed an easy shot at goal one time in the kids' leagues.
 

class78

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Yeah.. Galluci might be a bit rubbish, especially for a first rounder.

c'mon mate, I'm just being honest. I didn't say one thing about the Bulldogs, I have nothing against them. Lewis Young just isn't good.
... No need to sugar coat it


Players are selected for projected future output, not past output. His athletic traits and limited time in the game could allow him to have a strong future output. I'm sure our recruiters couldn't care less that he missed an easy shot at goal one time in the kids' leagues.

Yeah fair enough. Are bulldogs fans frustrated he was picked up reasonably early when he probably could've been nabbed in the rookie draft?
 
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