Who is the best first year player?

[hawkfan5]

These are my top 4

1. David Spriggs
2. Paul Hasleby
3. Josh Fraser
4. Damian Adkins

Who do you think are the best first year players?

 

[gocatsgo]

I posted this exact same question on 27/4/00

I fully agree, David Spriggs is the best first year player currently in the AFL. He just has to learn to kick when under pressure and he will be a champion.

A lot of people have likened him to Shane Crawford, but I think he is more like Ben Cousins. By this I mean that he goes in for the hard ball like Cousins, while Crawford ususally skirts the packs waiting for it to come out.

Don't get wrong, Shane Crawford is a champion and fully deserved the Brownlow last year, but he is not a hard at it type like Cousins.

I also think Paul Hasleby of the dockers is pretty good for a first year player and I have been impresses with both Brad Green and Cameron Bruce from Melbourne

 

[servo]

Watched Rhett Bigglands from the Crows today. This guy will be a star.

 

[Joel]

Your probably just about spot on Hawksfan5. There is someone very genuine first year talent this year.

 

[eagles_rule]

Sorry have to disagree with you there. I feel Paul Hasleby has been the best first year player so far, he plasyed last week and was very quiet I thought, but I looked at his stats and he had 20 odd possesions.

Leigh Brown and Pavlich are also going to be champion players for the Dockers.

Darren Glass will become a very good key position player and Chad Fletcher and important midfielder for the Eagles.

I have seen Spriggs play a couple of games and he looks very good also. Him and Hasleby are different sorts of Midfielders. Hasleby go in and gets the ball, which makes him much less flashy. Spriggs just hangs around the packs and waits for the ball to be fed to him and then uses his pace to get away from his opponents. The job Hasleby does is much more important that what Spriggs does. The ability of Hasleby to get a ball in a pack is quite amazing.

And has anyone noticed the amount of former East Fremantle midfielders in the Competition. Ben Cousins, Simon Black, Paul Hasleby, Shaun McManus, Brad Dodd (though i don't really rate him), i think Shane Woewodin, Craig Treleven, Daniel Chick.

Another one will be added this year or next, and that is Kasey Green who is on the Eagles rookie list, could be promoted now because of the Chris Lewis departure. Anyway I got a little of topic there.

Other good first year players include Josh Fraser of Collingwood, a couple of the melb players which have already been mentioned and Fitzgerald from Sydney

 

[gocatsgo]

Eagles rule, you have obviuosly seen a lot of games if you think that David Spriggs hangs around the packs waiting for it to come out. NOT

David Spriggs is a genuine terrior at the packs similar to Garry Hocking, with one difference, he's got pace.

In my opinion he is more like Ben Cousins that Shane Crawford because he is a getter not a receiver.

 

[Grendel]

If you blokes think that Crawford is a reciver then you dont look to close at the game. Note that he has laid the most tackles for the Hawks for the last 3 seasons and dont worry about his courage. How many guys his size could stand James Hird (dons supporters will back me on this) like he did a few seasons back and beat him.
Crawf is a tough little nut forget all the model BS he aint afraid to put the body in.

 

[Barney]

Hasleby easily he is the Y2K version of Greg Williams..great hands, Fraser is overated ,Spriggs is flashy but could turn out similar to Ben Cousins..maybe.
Pavlich also looks useful.

From a biased point of view..Adam Lange and Troy Makepeace..future Kangaroo stars.

 

[Jaffa]

Fraser overrated. What the hell are you talking about?

He's 18 years old and played 7 games of football.

He's the most highly skilled ruckman I've ever seen in my life.

He's also the best performed rookie ruckman of recent times. He might be getting beaten in the ruck contests but his body is still developing. Look at Ottens at Richmond now. Fraser is perfroming better than he was in his first year.

Overrated. I don't know what you expect of first year ruckman. Over the next 10 years he will fully justify the No.1 pick.

 

[Barney]

Ok Jaffa dont get excited Fraser is ok and will improve but Hasleby is better.Best ruckman you have ever seen? Big call that one.. he needs to fill out and improve his athletic ability.Ottens is a ruckman/forward type player similar to McKernan..Fraser is more your genuine tap ruckman so I think your comparison is a bit unfair.
With the exception of Drew Banfield how many
NO 1 draft picks have lived up to the title..

 

[Shinboners]

I've seen the Cats live three times this year and each time, Spriggs has caught the eye. The kid just WANTS the ball, he has the pace, and he delivers. Josh Fraser has held the No. 1 ruck position for the Pies pretty well this season, and Melbourne have had a few kids cause some problems for opposition defenders. As Barney pointed out, at North we've taken a liking to Troy Makepeace (who seems to have his own personal cheersquad to boot).

As for Crawford, I'm with Grendel here. He goes for the ball. Players like Knights and Daffy are receivers (I noticed yesterday that when Daffy and a Geelong player went after the same ball, Daffy did not win it...does anyone remember the last time he got a "hard ball get"?), but by the same token, they can deliver too. Especially Knights. But I've seen Crawford get into the packs as hard as anyone else, but he has the advantage of having the pace to get out of it as well. Players like Bell and Stevens at North don't have the same pace and so, when they get the ball in a pack, they tend to deliver the ball as soon as they get it.

 

[Arch]

hey what about Ramanauskas ???? Biased here i know, but for a rookie to make his way into the current essendon side and be such an impact player so early is a great acheivement. Would also like to see Corey McGrath get a go as he would also impress alot of you im sure (anyone see him in the ansett cup???- bomber fans will back me up here).
I also really like green and bruce from melbourne they have alot of confidnce for young blokes and look really good. Haselby
(not hazzle-bee as Couch pronounced it) is also great rookie- seems like a pretty good, level headed bloke too. And yes, spriggs. After watching his effort yesterday- you;d have to say, the kid has skills.
Its good to see so many great young players this year- i also like the fact that guys are being given playing opportunies straight after being drafted.

A.

 

[Jaffa]

I didn't mean Fraser was the best ruckman I've ever seen, but was talking more about his footballing skills. I've never seen a bloke of that height with skills like he has. He's like a 200cm midfielder. He just has to learn how to ruck. They've got Neil Balme's brother down there as ruck coach, how convenient.

As for Ramanauskas, this is his 2nd season isn't it?

 

[Dave]

Grendel,
I agree with you on Crawford, though it wasn't all that clear cut that he "beat" Hird. Jimmy kicked IIRC something like 0.4 or 0.5 that day. Had he kicked straight everyone would have said the experiment failed.

[This message has been edited by Dave (edited 01 May 2000).]

 

[Arch]

in terms of norwich rising star - Rama's is still eligible, so ill classify him as a rookie. Got the rnd 4 nomination (i think.)

A.

 

[Barney]

A bit of a smokey, Scott Freeborn from Carlton, is a hardworking onballer who knows how to get the footy and has great hands like Hasleby, can't believe we had his brother at North and didnt get this guy as well. A similar player to Freeborn is Chad Fletcher from the eagles..another neat left footer.
Arch is on the money with Corey McGrath..will play senior footy and has nice skills.

 

[i_luv_westcoast]

Ok Eagle_fan i have changed my nick now, hope you are satisfied (i was eagles_rule). Jaffa did you see the skils of Clem Michael last night, he was brilliant against Collingwood. I was watching Josh Fraser, but he doesn't compare to Michael.
On another note it was great to see Mick Malthouse lose his third game in a row. That guy did his best to destry West Coast in his final year. All the speculation on whether he would leave the club or not, he should have just come out and told the truth in the beginning. I used to be indifferent to Collingwood, I now hate them, detest them. Hope you have fun up in Brisbane next week Mick, another loss i can see. Collingwood will be the geelong of last year. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Jaffa]

I think you should be more worried about your own fortunes.

You had a great coach but now have an inept fool.

 

[Eagle_Fan]

Tell me about it!

You want KJ? Free to a good home......

But I'd have to agree that Mick was next to useless in the latter half of last year. Should've announced his decision months earlier than he did.

 

[Grendel]

Shinboners,Dave thanks for the back up on Crawf, he is a big favourite of mine (naturally enough) yet I think some opposition fans feel he is still the 'nude calander' boy only and dont appreciate he is actually a damn fine footballer.

Away from that,Fraser has great skills yes but best for his size. The woods had a bloke callen Moore that would run rings around the kid, Salmon before the knee was UNBELIVABLE for a guy 206cm and White,Allan and Stafford are all comparable or better than Fraser today. Dont get me wrong im impressed by what he has shown so far yet he has a long long way to go yet. That was shown the other night by the hiding Michael from the dockers (who is maybe the most underated player going around at the minute) gave him.

ps Dave Hird still only kicked points that night though so I give the win to cindy for his 30 plus possies, I mean you won the game so let me at least have the battle haha

 

[GoEagles]

Mick was very tacky in the way he handled his departure from the eagles. How at his media conference he was pretending to cry and say "Those are still my boys out there" when he knew damn well that he was only after the money at Coilingwood and the eagles could rot for all he cared.

And oh how convenient 10 days later he was appointed the collingwood coach in a fancy looking new car. It all just makes me sick.

Collingwood can have short term success as we've seen, but lately a make over coach and a few rookies wont solve all their problems.

 

[Grendel]

Eagles_fan, dont be so quick to write of Judgey. I wasnt happy with all the backroom dealings about how he left the Hawks but credit where its due he has built most of the current Hawk side from scratch. He had ingheirited an empire in decline and knew there was no quick fix.
If you are under any illusions as to how the coasters are travelling now then I can tell you Ive been there. Your stars are falling and Malthouse didnt really do much to help rebuild. Judge cant work miracles overnight but I do reckon he will clean out your list wholesale at years end and start the same sort of job he did with the Hawks.
Trouble with champions is they dont last forever

 

[bomber0018]

Ramanauskas is really good. He creates opportunities everywhere for the Bombers. He is definitely an up-and-coming star. He should be the Norwich Rising Star for 2000. If he isn't, the there's something wrong with the system.

 

[geelong4eva]

what the hell are you talking about bomber0018 ? Have you actually sat down and compared the stats of Ramanauskas to a Hasleby or a David Spriggs ? Your bi(arse) is showing and coming from an Essendon supporter that isn't surprising. I would like to see Spriggs win the award, but I know it may not happen. Hasleby is a future champ along with Josh Fraser, but obviously you consider Ramanauskas (who has only played 1 good game so far and who really is a mediocre player at best)to be the next superstar of the afl. Gee whiz.

 

[Barney]

Ramanaskus is a good finisher but nothing better..Hasleby is a playmaker along the the lines of Greg Williams who is capable of winning a brownlow when he peaks as a footballer in years to come.