From
Tazwegian in the GWS players board:
#13 - Sam Darley
Height: 183cm
Weight: 80kg
D/O/B: 15/2/1993
Position: Defender
Debut: Round 8
Recruited: Hobart, Tas.
A solid, but unspectacular, debut season for Ninja Boy
A highly touted draft prospect in his junior days in Tasmania, Darley was one of the 17 year old preselections taken by GWS in 2010. His selection came off the back of an excellent under 18s champs where he took out the Harrison-Hunter medal as the division 2's best player, and was named in the under 18s All Australian team.
Darley could feel slightly unlucky to have to wait until round eight to make his debut for the Giants. However, he went on to play nine of the last fourteen games to round out a good debut season. His debut game against Brisbane in round eight was very solid, earning him nineteen touches and five rebound fifties at an efficiency of 89%. This game typified Darley's ability as a solid defender who could use his sound foot skills to bring the ball effectively out of the Giant's defensive fifty. Darley would go on to average 3.4 rebound fifties per game in 2012, the second highest out of all players eligible for the rising star, and 14.2 possessions for the season. Darley played most of his football deep in defense for GWS this season, spending the majority of the time running out of the back pocket.
Darley could grow into a similar type of player to Hawthorn's Grant Birchall, providing run off half back and using his excellent disposal to set up play forward of the wing. A smooth mover with ball in hand, Darley always appears to have time to sum up the situation and make good decisions. However, he needs to continue to develop a stronger body to compete in contested situations and provide better assistance to his team mates in the air. His frame is still very light, so that is definitely one area he can improve on going into 2013.
2013 shapes to be an interesting year for Darley. He has managed to remain injury free in 2012, so he should benefit from another uninterrupted preseason and be looking to cement his spot in the starting line up. He will face stiff competition for his spot, as the Giants will bring in an enormous amount of talent in the national draft. However, Darley's temperament and ball use will hold him in good stead and he should be expecting to add significantly to his nine games in 2013. Look for Darley to play more off half back this season, and the occasional venture onto the wing, as he matures into his preferred role as a running defender who can spot up targets in attack.