Player Watch Welcome to Hawthorn, Denver Grainger-Barras

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Even Will Phillips hasn’t done much.

Will's been dealing with a bout of glandular fever this year.

 

[Sixpence]

For all the talk of DGB needing size, Dustin Fletcher

Dustin Fletcher

Age

48

Ht

198cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.0

4star

K

12.3

5star

HB

3.7

3star

M

4.7

4star

T

1.2

3star

MG

301.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

14.2

4star

K

11.4

4star

HB

2.8

3star

M

4.8

5star

T

1.4

4star

made a pretty good career out of being the footy equivalent of slenderman.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Praying he one day becomes an elite defender, very raw and happy he's getting game time.

 

[SJT76]

Wouldn’t worry about his confidence just yet. Reckon he’s got a little bit to spare

 

[Flukey!]

For all the talk of DGB needing size, Dustin Fletcher made a pretty good career out of being the footy equivalent of slenderman.

Yep.
Fletcher was apparently 198cm and 92kg.
So DGB is just 7 kegs off his playing weight. Another season or two will fix that.

If he becomes anything like Fletcher, we have a gun.

 

[cryptor]

Yep.
Fletcher was apparently 198cm and 92kg.
So DGB is just 7 kegs off his playing weight. Another season or two will fix that.

If he becomes anything like Fletcher, we have a gun.

Would love to see him kicking 80m torpedos from full back.

 

[toomanysquibs]

Yep.
Fletcher was apparently 198cm and 92kg.
So DGB is just 7 kegs off his playing weight. Another season or two will fix that.

If he becomes anything like Fletcher, we have a gun.

I've got a feeling Fletcher was a bit heavier than he looked, he was rangy and wiry, but he could go toe to toe with the strongest key forwards in the league even as a school kid. He wasn't exactly small by the end of his career either.

But to your point DGB will need to be at least 7 kegs heavier, but then that is no small amount of size if you're talking functional strength.

What's apparent right now is that DGB's best and worst are a long way apart. By the time that gap narrows, he'll be 7 kilograms heavier, and ready to own the full back line.

He can read the ball in flight like Lake could when he is on. Looking forward to the player he is going to be, and enjoying the glimpses he's showing now as he builds towards that

 

[The Chad and I]

Fletcher started as a mere skeleton.

DGB will be fine.
Give him 3-4 years.

 

[Davo-27]

he is 19, give him a bit of a break until he is 21, he is still a work in progress, its like expecting 100 goals from Buddy in his first full year or something.

 

[Flukey!]

he is 19, give him a bit of a break until he is 21, he is still a work in progress, its like expecting 100 goals from Buddy in his first full year or something.

I don't think anyone is knocking him, just there is a perception he is too skinny.
But there is plenty of evidence that key defenders don't need to be gorillas to be guns.

 

[Turly]

I don't think anyone is knocking him, just there is a perception he is too skinny.
But there is plenty of evidence that key defenders don't need to be gorillas to be guns.

He has put on plenty of size since he walked through the doors. Don't thinkthis will as big an issue as some suspect.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

he is 19, give him a bit of a break until he is 21, he is still a work in progress, its like expecting 100 goals from Buddy in his first full year or something.

But he's played 13 games now?!


WHY ISN'T HE THE FINISHED PRODUCT TEARING GAMES APART1!!1

 

[CHUBBSS]

But he's played 13 games now?!


WHY ISN'T HE THE FINISHED PRODUCT TEARING GAMES APART1!!1

 

[PenAndPaper]

I don't think anyone is knocking him, just there is a perception he is too skinny.
But there is plenty of evidence that key defenders don't need to be gorillas to be guns.

He's 19, give me another 19yo KPD that is a gorilla.

 

[Flukey!]

He's 19, give me another 19yo KPD that is a gorilla.

Don't know.
That wasn't the point at all.

 

[PenAndPaper]

Don't know.
That wasn't the point at all.

My point is that every 19yo KPD is going to be skinny so the perception around him being too skinny is a moot point.

 

[chopflop]

I think the criticisms are generally not about his body but his body positioning in one-on-ones. He is playing a lockdown role very different to what he has probably played before. He often gets caught out because he watches the man and then checks the flight of the ball and then it's too late and good smart players like riewoldt exploit this. I think more than his body, he needs to learn the tricks good AFL forwards will use on him and then counteract them. If we asked him to play loose in the backline and go third up all day, he would probably win the rising star. But this period of rounding out his game has growing pains. There are enough moments where it all comes together and you think, yep there is a good player there

 

[Brishawk]

I think the criticisms are generally not about his body but his body positioning in one-on-ones. He is playing a lockdown role very different to what he has probably played before. He often gets caught out because he watches the man and then checks the flight of the ball and then it's too late and good smart players like riewoldt exploit this. I think more than his body, he needs to learn the tricks good AFL forwards will use on him and then counteract them. If we asked him to play loose in the backline and go third up all day, he would probably win the rising star. But this period of rounding out his game has growing pains. There are enough moments where it all comes together and you think, yep there is a good player there

People literally are making comments about his body in this thread.

 

[chopflop]

People literally are making comments about his body in this thread.

Sorry I meant. The criticisms should be about his body positioning. His body is his body and will take years

 

[Hawkboy62]

How do Hawks fans think Denver is going compared to Gibcus, or Sam De Koning? A draft year older than Gibcus, who has been spelled for a few games too. Certainly going better than pick 6, Fischer McCasey who can't get an AFL game with the Crows, despite 10 in his first year, 2020.

Personally I think he is tracking okay as part of Sam's plan of fast tracking the youngsters with the possible loss of some winnable games. With experience and more strength I think he can hold down full back in the future.

 

[theiaofseed]

How do Hawks fans think Denver is going compared to Gibcus, or Sam De Koning? A draft year older than Gibcus, who has been spelled for a few games too. Certainly going better than pick 6, Fischer McCasey who can't get an AFL game with the Crows, despite 10 in his first year, 2020.

Personally I think he is tracking okay as part of Sam's plan of fast tracking the youngsters with the possible loss of some winnable games. With experience and more strength I think he can hold down full back in the future.

Pointless comparing to Gibcus, Gibcus is playing along premiership defenders with significant less ball coming in. DBG was always going to take a few years to develop his body/endurance Gibcus never had that issue and is already more mature.

 

[MrPremiership]

How do Hawks fans think Denver is going compared to Gibcus, or Sam De Koning? A draft year older than Gibcus, who has been spelled for a few games too. Certainly going better than pick 6, Fischer McCasey who can't get an AFL game with the Crows, despite 10 in his first year, 2020.

Personally I think he is tracking okay as part of Sam's plan of fast tracking the youngsters with the possible loss of some winnable games. With experience and more strength I think he can hold down full back in the future.

Can't compare to either.

Gibcus looks good, but he's playing in a strong backline, within a strong team. Makes life as a defender so easy

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

It would be nice if we can find a gun no.1 defender so Sic can play higher up the ground as an interceptor and Denver as a more mature defender can outpoint the 2nd tall and not be on the no.1 fwd.

We have a blank spot there.

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

 

[Agent Smith]

But he's played 13 games now?!


WHY ISN'T HE THE FINISHED PRODUCT TEARING GAMES APART1!!1

Seriously though, I'm still unable to compare him to Chris Mew.

Delist.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Hopefully in time he becomes Weitering.