List Mgmt. Welcome Pick 28 - Luke Partington

[Play by Numbers]

From Quigley, who ranked him number 9 in his list of draftees.

9. Luke Partington

Ht - 181 Wt - 78


Partington is a bit of a nugget who I was surprised was 181cm. When I watched him play I thought he was about 175cm but at 181cm he has decent height. Partington was the primary mid in an undermanned SA midfield this year. He got a lot of attention from other teams and they ensured he was tagged throughout the games he played. As a consequence he was under pressure a lot when he got the ball and he didn’t stand out as much as he should have in his latter games.


Partington is primarily an inside mid at this stage in his development and he does need to work on his run and spread from the contest. In tight he works through packs excellently and his stop and go and change of direction is probably matched only by Lovell in this draft. He has a bit of a jitterbug style making him very difficult to tackle. He has good strength and holds his feet nicely in the contest and can brush through tackles.


He does need to tidy up his disposal skills at the next level and this was very evident in the last couple of games of the Champs. He is prone to miss a target especially with the little inside out stab which he seems to favour. There is a bit of technique work that needs to be done when he gets to a team as at the moment he closes his body a bit too early on his field kicks. He also needs to add some zip to his handballs as they are often too short or take a beat too long to get to the target. I do like it that he keeps his head up when running and seems to see the field well. If he can tidy up his disposal skills I can see him being a dangerous runner through the midfield.


Partington’s biggest strength is his clearance work. He is always on the move in clearance situations and reads the ball off hands well. Additionally when his teammates win the ball he moves to good spots to receive the clearing handball. So he is both a good clearance winner and a good receiver in the clearance situations. As mentioned above he moves through traffic very nicely and works well in the phone box. He is reasonably clean although admittedly he will bobble a few. His hands are reasonably quick but he doesn’t always find a target with his flick outs. This was probably impacted by the quality around him at the Champs.


Athletically Partington tested very well at the Champs finishing in the top 20% in most of the disciplines. His agility was very good and at 2.96 for the 20m and 14.1 for the beep he has the speed and endurance to do what he wants to do at the next level.


Personally I like Partington and think there is quite a bit to work with. There is plenty for him to work on but his inside skills give him a valuable skill with which to start his career. I loved Partington the first time I saw him this year and am happy to leave him higher than most have him.

 

[QS]

Will have a massive chest.

 

[SpaceClef]

Couldn't agree more about: the dicky inside out kicks, the occasional pissweak handballs, and the head up straight while running with the footy - I had the same three thoughts while watching his video. Reckon there's a bit to work with but it'll all depend on whether his disposal can withstand the added tempo and pressure of AFL.

 

[Play by Numbers]

From Knightmare ranking

13. Luke Partington (SA – MID/FWD)
Height: 182cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 05/03/1997
Recruited from: Port Adelaide
Reminds me of: A poor man’s Jack Steven.
Best position/role: Midfielder (outside leaning) who can rotate forward.
Strengths:
Production – Partington’s in SA in the Maccas Cup, Reserves and League levels has produced strong numbers at each level as well as through the U18 championships whereby he finds lots of the ball, uses it efficiently and also offers some scoreboard impact.
Footskills – Partington is an efficient kick of the footy over both short and long distances and consistently hits his targets by foot. He is particularly damaging in general play with his ball use with his ability to make quick decisions and hit meaningful targets up the field.
Composure – Partington has excellent composure with ball in hand and rarely feels rushed. It’s just easy for him when under pressure. He can use his pace to break away from opponents or alternatively just take his time to assess his options and execute by hand or foot without a worry in the world.
Vision and decision making ability – Partington has the vision and decision making ability to consistently find the best options whether the it is a short or long target, but then also the skill to execute the pass.
Scoreboard impact – Partington when push forward has the ability to provide some scoreboard impact and is also has shown on several occasions from around 50m from goal that he can finish.
Pace/movement – Partington overall is a very well rounded athlete with an excellent combination of pace, agility and endurance. With ball in hand Partington can use his acceleration in game to get enough space to get a clean kick away, finish on goal or to provide some run and carry. Just that run and carry given his running ability is something you’d like to see him do more often as it is something that can become a real weapon to his game.
Inside/outside balance – Partington offers an excellent inside/outside balance to his game as a good contested ball winner who also finds plenty of outside ball.
Questionmarks:
Decision making and skill execution when at full speed – Partington in generally play is consistently an excellent and composed decision maker who will execute and hit his targets. When at full speed with ball in hand though I have found on a few occasions that Partington has failed to execute, and he just needs to slow down a step before disposing of the ball to ensure he hits his desired target, and that applies by both hand and foot.
Weaknesses:
Lack of a point of different – Partington has his weapons as someone who is above average in many categories. The question with Partington is what he can be great at so as to separate himself from all the other midfielders.
Tackling and pressuring ability – Partington at this stage is not a particularly high energy tackler who applies a ton of pressure around the ball or someone who will do damage when he lays a tackle. His tackle numbers overall are below average.
Defensive running – At this stage Partington is more an offensive running player who will find the ball in bunches and do damage, without being as strong going the other way.
Summary:
Partington has the opportunity to be a 150 gamer for a club as someone who through the midfield and at times up forward can be productive and do some damage over the course of his career.

 

[Jimmy_the_Gent]

I mentioned this in the mega thread before but this really fits what we do. A high character guy who doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. It's like taking Duggan again.

Bonus that he's a Redlegs player.

 

[Play by Numbers]

Couldn't agree more about: the dicky inside out kicks, the occasional pissweak handballs, and the head up straight while running with the footy - I had the same three thoughts while watching his video. Reckon there's a bit to work with but it'll all depend on whether his disposal can withstand the added tempo and pressure of AFL.

I think this is an exageration. He has pretty good efficiency by foot especially in the ressies. What I like is, like Sheed n Duggs he tries to pick the right option.

 

[Play by Numbers]

From Snoop Dog

# 28 West Coast - Luke Partington (Norwood / 181cm / 72kg)


I think this kid is probably the one when we look back maybe just wasn’t rated as highly as he should have been. He isn’t that far behind Parish in my view and cant think of any major areas where he is weaker. The reports on him are that he is a fantastic kid that interviews really well. He has clean hands, speed, lateral movement, wonderful decision making and elite foot skills. His work in the stoppages is very good and he can handpass off either hand. He also has an ability to break from the stoppage at great speed, bounce and then use his vision to find the best option or kick a goal. An elite ball user by hand and foot and very happy to hurt you in open space if he gets it.



Why: Not an easy one as think Rioli, Fiorini, Cole could all be sorts around here along with Cunningham.

 

[Play by Numbers]

I mentioned this in the mega thread before but this really fits what we do. A high character guy who doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. It's like taking Duggan again.

Bonus that he's a Redlegs player.

He is pretty strong across the board and I am surprised he went to us.

 

[SpaceClef]

I think this is an exageration. He has pretty good efficiency by foot especially in the ressies. What I like is, like Sheed n Duggs he tries to pick the right option.

I'm not saying the inside out kicks and poor handballs are constant - from what i've seen his disposal is mostly good. It's more whether he falls into those habits when under pressure, similar to the bang on the boot around the corner trick of Selwood.

 

[Monocle]

Very happy with his selection.
Very good footballer and plays both inside and out.

Bonus is that he is a terrific kid and has both high work ethics and good character.

Well done Vozzo & Co.

 

[Play by Numbers]

I'm not saying the inside out kicks and poor handballs are constant - from what i've seen his disposal is mostly good. It's more whether he falls into those habits when under pressure, similar to the bang on the boot around the corner trick of Selwood.

Oh nah. I see him as a regularly good user. But most of all he thinks through things the right way. His quality for mine is his ability to turn an inside ball into a fast clearance and attack. There are Shuey similarities, though his tendency to pick solid options is Sheed like.

 

[Bender_]

Partington already our best player.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Doesn't bode well for poor Alec.


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Play by Numbers]

Partington already our best player.

Hahaha he is defs underrated here, same as Sheed and Duggs.

The way I would describe him is quick on his feet at stoppages, always in motion, so he gets nice quick clearances. This, his shape and athleticism are Shuey like, or Stevens like, though he doesn't have the bulk or power yet.

On the outside he moves well. He takes time to think about the right option and makes good decisions. This quality reminds me of Sheed.

His short kicking is neat and efficient. Occasionally he rushes from a stoppage or tries to do too much, but this will be worked on.

Also has goal kicking ability, which is nice.

Probably the nippiest mover in congestion sans Lovell available.

Honestly I thought he would be picked earlier. A strong athletic base, normal height and just solid footy ability. These types seem undervalued

 

[ChampRevesby]

Use the force Luke.

 

[Play by Numbers]

Doesn't bode well for poor Alec.


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

I though similar.

Not as powerful as Alec, nor as good a kick, but a more athletic type in a similar role.

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

Another highlights video...

 

[WCEagles_Fan]

Rapt he got to our pick and stoked we got him in the end! Welcome to the best club in the land Luke!

 

[SpaceClef]

Another highlights video...

His disposal against Vic Metro in this clip is what concerns me. Hopefully it was just an off game though.

 

[footballfreak]

Too short, not much pace or acceleration, not much of a ball carrier, he reminds me of masto when he was drafted. Disposal also looks iffy. I don't think he will have much of an impact next year, Will take a couple of years to settle in.

 

[Bender_]

Too short, not much pace or acceleration, not much of a ball carrier, he reminds me of masto when he was drafted. Disposal also looks iffy. I don't think he will have much of an impact next year, Will take a couple of years to settle in.

* waiting that long, let's just delist him now.

 

[archiemoses]

The comparisons to Jack Steven is spot on. Plays exactly like him

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

His disposal against Vic Metro in this clip is what concerns me. Hopefully it was just an off game though.

That's why I much preferred Clarke to him, but Knightmare's profile posted on the 1st page suggested that he needs to slow down a bit before he disposes of the ball. His game vs WA was a lot better though.

Decision making and skill execution when at full speed – Partington in generally play is consistently an excellent and composed decision maker who will execute and hit his targets. When at full speed with ball in hand though I have found on a few occasions that Partington has failed to execute, and he just needs to slow down a step before disposing of the ball to ensure he hits his desired target, and that applies by both hand and foot.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Can someone please change their name to LukePartingtonNo1 in honor of everyone's favorite Sydney poster? Cheers.

 

[FatPizza]

On the Eagles website there's an interview with the Eagles recruiting manager, and one of the highlights they showed for Partington has him doing an awesome sidestep around a player and slotting a goal from near the boundary.