Toast Welcome to the SUNS Matt Conroy!

[MarcLocksCrustySock]

Welcome big sauce, hope you have a great career. Does anyone know more about him? Height, weight? Hoping he can be our own Oscar McInerheney.

 

[Mini GF]

I wanted this guy to be listed but thought the club wouldn’t so I’m thrilled

 

[Choppers]

Welcome big sauce, hope you have a great career. Does anyone know more about him? Height, weight? Hoping he can be our own Oscar McInerheney.

Matt

Conroy

DOB 11/7/00

199cm

85kg

QLD

 

[GC2015]

Awesome sauce! Bit of background knowledge on Conroy - he grew up in Townsville and originally played rugby league before picking up Aussie rules for the first time at the age of 15 with the Hermit Park Tigers. His brother James was an U20s player for the Penrith Panthers.

Matt

Conroy

DOB 11/7/00

199cm

85kg

QLD

It'd be nice if Conroy grew an extra centimetre or two over the next few years because 199cm seems just a little short for the AFL when you have a slender frame like he does. The elite ruckmen of the competition like Gawn (208cm) and Witts (208cm) have a serious advantage over someone like Conroy. Brodie Grundy (202cm) seems to be one of the few exceptions to this trend but he is physically bigger than a lot of his taller counterparts and that probably allows him to genuinely compete. I guess I'm trying to say Conroy needs to grow more, either vertically or physically to cut it at the AFL level. Having said all that, Conroy's vertical leap is reportedly impressive so that may make up for the lack of height and it may even see him enter the forward line permanently one day but I'm sure he'll serve as ruck depth for at least the first two years on our list.

 

[Iva Bigun]

Potentially a Rory Thompson replacement if he doesn’t make it as a ruckman

 

[Unders00]

https://afl.draftcentral.com.au/player/matthew-conroy/

Good writeup from draft central, over 2 metres tall now

 

[Choppers]

https://afl.draftcentral.com.au/player/matthew-conroy/

Good writeup from draft central, over 2 metres tall now

I particularly liked this part of the writeup.

Remarkably, Conroy has added 12kg to his frame since the start of the year.

 

[Ben Drever]

Potentially a Rory Thompson replacement if he doesn’t make it as a ruckman

kicks like Rory
Looks like rory

 

[Peel67skin]

Ready to replace Crossley.

 

[Big Red Machine]

Potentially a Rory Thompson replacement if he doesn’t make it as a ruckman

Why would we replace Rory, Rory is going to have a Dustin Fletcher length career and be part of like 8 flag winning teams.

I may be too close to this one...

 

[GC2015]

Why would we replace Rory, Rory is going to have a Dustin Fletcher length career and be part of like 8 flag winning teams.

I may be too close to this one...

Is it possible we'll set a new club record for most redheads playing for our senior team in one week? Rory Thompson, Peter Wright and Matt Rowell are all likely inclusions if healthy. Jesse Joyce, Jez McLennan and Josh Schoenfeld (presuming we re-rookie him) are possible inclusion if in form. Then we have Matt Conroy who would probably only get his chance next year if Wittsy gets injured and 2MP is out of form/injured as well.

So at best we could have seven redheads playing in our best 22. Would that be a club record? BRM should be all over this.

I particularly liked this part of the writeup.

Remarkably, Conroy has added 12kg to his frame since the start of the year.

Perhaps I was wrong about Conroy. It sounds like he's a very respectable size now at 201cms and 97kgs. For context, Brodie Grundy is 202cms and 100kgs so Conroy only needs to put on another 2-3kgs to be a near identical size to the physical beast that is Grundy. How exciting to have an 18 year old that size!

 

[gcsunsfc]

Not only his measureables but the testing is Amazing for a bigman

3.02-second 20m sprint,
10th place at national combine was 2.97

8.52-second agility test
10th place at national combine 8.24


77cm running vertical leap
10th place at national combine 83cm

 

[Peel67skin]

Sadly weaknesses - endurance and awareness.
Not too fuss about endurance but awareness. Hopefully not a Ruckmen shoenfield tested well in combine but football ability just does not match athletism.

 

[Iva Bigun]

Not only his measureables but the testing is Amazing for a bigman

3.02-second 20m sprint,
10th place at national combine was 2.97

8.52-second agility test
10th place at national combine 8.24


77cm running vertical leap
10th place at national combine 83cm

It there a list of placing as it’s hard to get a feel as to whether his results would place him 11th or 111th

regardless best of luck to the young fella

 

[gcsunsfc]

Sadly weaknesses - endurance and awareness.
Not too fuss about endurance but awareness. Hopefully not a Ruckmen shoenfield tested well in combine but football ability just does not match athletism.

awareness? his highlights package actually seems to show quite good awareness I thought.
Saw a few NEAFL games but he didn't get a lot of the ball so couldn't say I have a big body of work to go off.
Endurance, can imagine he would need to work on this.
I think an Esava Ratugolea type role should be his aim.
I'm definitely excited by his potential.

 

[gcsunsfc]

It there a list of placing as it’s hard to get a feel as to whether his results would place him 11th or 111th

regardless best of luck to the young fella

Yes I don't know outside the top 10
A ruckman is never going to be a jet with the agility, but his straight line speed is seriously impressive. Jump is pretty reasonable.

As a comparison Will Gould - who came basically last in each testing event had the following times

speed (3.218 seconds) and agility (9.004)

 

[Jack Richards]

Is he a solid chance of making it? How durable is he?

 

[GC2015]

Is he a solid chance of making it? How durable is he?

This is our ruck depth right now: Jarrod Witts>Zac Smith>Matt Conroy>Patrick Murtagh (2MP can pinch hit but playing as a full time ruck is a stretch)

Is it likely Witts and Smith will both get injured at the same time? I don't think so but such a circumstance would probably open the door for the two 19yo rucks in Conroy and Murtagh. It's obviously way too early to call but it's possible he'll get a chance next year or the year after when Witts and Smith are entering their 30s.

 

[Mt Isa Mustang]

This is our ruck depth right now: Jarrod Witts>Zac Smith>Matt Conroy>Patrick Murtagh (2MP can pinch hit but playing as a full time ruck is a stretch)

Is it likely Witts and Smith will both get injured at the same time? I don't think so but such a circumstance would probably open the door for the two 19yo rucks in Conroy and Murtagh. It's obviously way too early to call but it's possible he'll get a chance next year or the year after when Witts and Smith are entering their 30s.

If Witts injured I'd much prefer to see Wright as a permanent ruck than Smith
If Conroy is playing at any point in the next 2 years something has gone wrong. Unless he makes massive massive strides.

 

[TheSunGod]

If Witts injured I'd much prefer to see Wright as a permanent ruck than Smith
If Conroy is playing at any point in the next 2 years something has gone wrong. Unless he makes massive massive strides.

Yeah good idea. It will give 2MP a chance to get into the game, rather than disappear in our forward line. Sam Day can also back-up.

I’m hoping (as we probably all are) Ben King comes on up forward, as well as Corbett who has a great motor and hands, but just needs to sort out the yips with his goal kicking.

 

[Mt Isa Mustang]

Yeah good idea. It will give 2MP a chance to get into the game, rather than disappear in our forward line. Sam Day can also back-up.

I’m hoping (as we probably all are) Ben King comes on up forward, as well as Corbett who has a great motor and hands, but just needs to sort out the yips with his goal kicking.

Corbett should watch everything that Tim Membrey does.

 

[GC2015]

If Witts injured I'd much prefer to see Wright as a permanent ruck than Smith
If Conroy is playing at any point in the next 2 years something has gone wrong. Unless he makes massive massive strides.

I know this isn't a fair comparison because he rarely spends a large amount of time in the ruck but 2MP has never had 10 or more hitouts in a single match for his entire career. Zac Smith is a pretty reliable 20-30 hitout ruckman so would we really be better off playing Pete in the ruck if Witts were to injure himself?

 

[Mt Isa Mustang]

I know this isn't a fair comparison because he rarely spends a large amount of time in the ruck but 2MP has never had 10 or more hitouts in a single match for his entire career. Zac Smith is a pretty reliable 20-30 hitout ruckman so would we really be better off playing Pete in the ruck if Witts were to injure himself?

Yes

 

[AuTo00Z]

I'd much rather just move Thompson to the ruck if Witts got injured, and replace him with Ballard (I'm assuming he would miss out if Thompson, Hombsch & Collins are all fit). And if Thompson is also injured, I'd give Conroy or Murtagh a go. Wright is the best key forward and would take the opposition's best key defender even if he's not in form; he's pretty much a necessity up forward. Smith can just rot in NEAFL for all I care; he's not going to be at the club for any longer than a couple years at best.

 

[Mt Isa Mustang]

I'd much rather just move Thompson to the ruck if Witts got injured, and replace him with Ballard (I'm assuming he would miss out if Thompson, Hombsch & Collins are all fit). And if Thompson is also injured, I'd give Conroy or Murtagh a go. Wright is the best key forward and would take the opposition's best key defender even if he's not in form; he's pretty much a necessity up forward. Smith can just rot in NEAFL for all I care; he's not going to be at the club for any longer than a couple years at best.

Think you assume wrong with Ballard.
We played Wright in the reserves for weeks last year so clearly coaches don't agree with your assessment.
Absolutely zero chance Thompson plays in the ruck. If not Wright we'd play Day there with Wright and King forward.