Player Watch Ben Keays

Crows will see him as a handy role-player. A couple/few teams will see how well he’s performed and offer him more than the Crows are willing to pay. He’ll join the list of Lever, McGovern, Cameron, Keath, Greenwood, and end up in a more substantial role on good money. Hawks, Freo, North maybe Saints or Sydney. Bookmark it.
No, i reckon he will deservedly on our main list next season.
 

chazwazza

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 15, 2012
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Can’t attest to watching much AFL this season but from what I’ve seen of this kid he is promising, also good to see a player with some grit and hardness to his game.
 
Crows will see him as a handy role-player. A couple/few teams will see how well he’s performed and offer him more than the Crows are willing to pay. He’ll join the list of Lever, McGovern, Cameron, Keath, Greenwood, and end up in a more substantial role on good money. Hawks, Freo, North maybe Saints or Sydney. Bookmark it.

If any club is willing to pay good money to get a player with Keays history (seeing he's been delisted and saved his career with one good season here), they're welcome to him.

He's a handy role player and not a thing more at the moment. Assess in two years if he's worth a good payday.
 
May 17, 2009
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He certainly stood out early because he was busting his ass in a team with a bunch of guys who seemingly weren't matching his level, but he's managed to continue to contribute while the rest of the team has slowly caught up to the effort and intensity he was providing.

I still think he's got a bit of improvement left in him too, another year in the system will do him wonders, don't think he's going to be a top-line player, but certainly can provide more than the likes of Knight did and he was a solid best 22 guy for 3 odd years before the injuries took him out.
 
Mar 23, 2007
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Crows will see him as a handy role-player. A couple/few teams will see how well he’s performed and offer him more than the Crows are willing to pay. He’ll join the list of Lever, McGovern, Cameron, Keath, Greenwood, and end up in a more substantial role on good money. Hawks, Freo, North maybe Saints or Sydney. Bookmark it.
Why would we not see him as such a player and give him the money?
 
He certainly stood out early because he was busting his ass in a team with a bunch of guys who seemingly weren't matching his level, but he's managed to continue to contribute while the rest of the team has slowly caught up to the effort and intensity he was providing.

I still think he's got a bit of improvement left in him too, another year in the system will do him wonders, don't think he's going to be a top-line player, but certainly can provide more than the likes of Knight did and he was a solid best 22 guy for 3 odd years before the injuries took him out.

My worry is the next step. You'd think inevitably Keays is going to end up a half-forward, with some stints in the midfield (i.e. think Douglas in terms of role) as the midfield gets more powerful, and that has been a real graveyard for us. Not only that, but he struggled there at Brisbane.

There is a definitely a valuable, long term role player in Keays though.
 
Mar 23, 2007
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My worry is the next step. You'd think inevitably Keays is going to end up a half-forward, with some stints in the midfield (i.e. think Douglas in terms of role) as the midfield gets more powerful, and that has been a real graveyard for us. Not only that, but he struggled there at Brisbane.

There is a definitely a valuable, long term role player in Keays though.
What's wrong with him continuing to do what he does now? Tag and run off an opposition mid?
 
What's wrong with him continuing to do what he does now? Tag and run off an opposition mid?

I do both hope and expect that the kids we bring into the club will overtake Keays in the next couple of years with midfield minutes.

He could still find a niche there though. It's certainly nice to have.
 
Mar 28, 2011
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What's wrong with him continuing to do what he does now? Tag and run off an opposition mid?
Exactly. We've been missing his type of player for a number of years now. We tried to make Knight that guy, but he couldn't hack it. Unlike Riley, Keays can consistently win a lot of his own ball, too

He'll be a mainstay for a few years, at least, IMO
 
He's not that old, he might get better and better as well. He's pretty gunny right now.

I'm hesitant to say gunny just yet. I'm certainly looking forward to a proper season from Keays next year though to see how he backs this one up as it'll give a clearer picture of what to expect going forward.

At the moment, I'm firmly in the camp that I expect him to be able to get a 7-9 year career here, but the last half of it will end up in a half-forward/midfielder hybrid, with maybe some shutdown roles every now and then when needed.
 
Exactly. We've been missing his type of player for a number of years now. We tried to make Knight that guy, but he couldn't hack it. Unlike Riley, Keays can consistently win a lot of his own ball, too

He'll be a mainstay for a few years, at least, IMO
Its not often you get a free hit of quality in the rookie draft but we did.
 
Mar 28, 2011
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Its not often you get a free hit of quality in the rookie draft but we did.
When was the last time a side struck gold with a player previously delisted by another AFL club in the rookie draft?

Could it be McKernan to Essendon, ironically enough?
 
When was the last time a side struck gold with a player previously delisted by another AFL club in the rookie draft?

Could it be McKernan to Essendon, ironically enough?

I had a quick flick through, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in recent time who have given as much value as McKernan with this method. Even then, McKernan still got delisted and re-taken in the rookie draft a couple of years after.

Keays is truly a unicorn at the moment in this league.
 
When was the last time a side struck gold with a player previously delisted by another AFL club in the rookie draft?

Could it be McKernan to Essendon, ironically enough?

Probably McKernan if talking specifically the rookie draft.

If you're also taking into consideration all delistings, I'd have (since McKernan):

- Jarryd Lyons (from GC to Brisbane)
- Trent McKenzie (from GC to Port)
- Ricky Henderson (from Adelaide to Hawthorn)
- Matthew Wright (from Adelaide to Carlton)
- Tim Membrey (from Sydney to St Kilda)
- Joel Hamling (from Geelong to Western Bulldogs)
- Mitch Robinson (from Carlton to Brisbane)
 
When was the last time a side struck gold with a player previously delisted by another AFL club in the rookie draft?

Could it be McKernan to Essendon, ironically enough?

Ed Curnow has had a pretty good career with Carlton.
 
Mar 26, 2015
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As an immediate family member I can assure you you’ve just drafted a guy who will give 110% every training session, treat every fan and staff member with respect and will be a huge addition to the locker room.

Not blessed with top end talent but has made the very most of what he has. Played some very good junior footy too and showed plenty of improvement at AFL level the last 2 years but couldn’t get a good run at it. Looking forward to jumping on board



A fair chance that he might have gratitude to the club that gave him another crack too. From a distance he seems like that sort of guy.

Seeing the above quote early on by BlackGun1 , I think we've all seen he was bang on the money. Hoping he's enjoying his footy here and can grow with the team.
 
When was the last time a side struck gold with a player previously delisted by another AFL club in the rookie draft?

Could it be McKernan to Essendon, ironically enough?
He filled a void but wouldn't call it striking gold but doing well in an average side.
 
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Bay62

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Apr 28, 2014
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Exactly. We've been missing his type of player for a number of years now. We tried to make Knight that guy, but he couldn't hack it. Unlike Riley, Keays can consistently win a lot of his own ball, too

He'll be a mainstay for a few years, at least, IMO

And, he’s a left footer. Which for some reason really appeals to me
 
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