Worth a crack or too much of a risk at 18? Possible slider to 34?

Worth a crack or too much of a risk at 18? Possible slider to 34?

Have a crack at Temmel if he is still there at 18. That guy could be another buddy. Big strong and agile forward ready to play.

Have a crack at Temmel if he is still there at 18. That guy could be another buddy. Big strong and agile forward ready to play.

That guy is more likely to be another Brent Grgic.

Rookie at best.

Worth a crack or too much of a risk at 18? Possible slider to 34?

Isn't he the one who's allways injured? There's others who can play the strong tall forward role in the U-18s.

If there was ever a draft to take a punt with some higher picks it's this one. We can land three very good players with 1, 2 and 11 so why not take a risk with 18?

If there was ever a draft to take a punt with some higher picks it's this one. We can land three very good players with 1, 2 and 11 so why not take a risk with 18?

I'm all for Griffiths at 18.

Sadly my opinion<kidney bean on draft day.

Less than a month to go now...

I'm all for Griffiths at 18.

Sadly my opinion<kidney bean on draft day.

Less than a month to go now...

Yeah I'm counting down the days :D

LOL ... this thread has me in stitches ... I've heard Temel compared to Buddy :D

I like this guy, If not Butcher at 11, then Griffiths wouldn't be bad at 18. I may be completely misjudging him, but hey, thats my two cents.

I know nothing of Griffiths other than that he's absolutely huge. But if the recruiters felt he was worth a look i'd have no problem with them taking him a little earlier than they might have in other years. Same for quite a few other players. I think there is a lot of potential in this draft, but it's going to be hit and miss as to whether any of them pan out. Lots of good athletes with some real size, just not a lot of great footballers yet.

I like Griffiths, I think he will not only fill a need but also be best available if he's still there at 18. We could be getting an absolute steal here, the kid is definately good. Given that we wont be looking to rush him and can take the time to identify and manage any problems there might be as far as injury, we're well placed to take him, too.

And a little note on him being 'huge' - up close he doesn't look like a gorilla Fraser Gehrig style, it's more like someone took one of those beanpole 200cm kids and gave them a solid but athletic frame.

I leave the medicos to do thier job but if there is one thing we need to build into our list its strong durable bodies.

We cannot carry any more flimsy bodies regardless of talent level IMO.

Think I posted this in another topic which drifted onto Griffiths, seems pertinent to bring this link back up here:

http://rangesfc.matchvision.com.au/player/ben_griffiths

And a little note on him being 'huge' - up close he doesn't look like a gorilla Fraser Gehrig style, it's more like someone took one of those beanpole 200cm kids and gave them a solid but athletic frame.

I base that comment on his height and weight as listed. He's close to 100kg isn't he? For such a young guy to have that much weight already is telling us something. Compare that to the other prospects around his height and it makes him look massive.

would his build now hinder his scope for improvement? ie is he like Zomer in that at U18 he gets away with being big without actually being any good or is he like Hawkins, J. Brown etc that they're able to transfer their ability to AFL

In all honesty, he's likely to be around at Pick #34 anyway.

Clubs would be put off over his injury history.

would his build now hinder his scope for improvement? ie is he like Zomer in that at U18 he gets away with being big without actually being any good or is he like Hawkins, J. Brown etc that they're able to transfer their ability to AFL

He looks to be pretty athletic, gets around the ground nicely, good below his knees and good disposal in general play and when shooting at goal. If he hadn't had a bad run with injuries, it's likely he would be ranked well inside the top 10. I think some clubs still rate him highly, despite his injuries. Have heard that the Dees have taken a good look at him. Could be wrong, but recall Wheatley doing a bit of assistant coaching at Eastern Ranges, so he could well have done a bit of scouting in that capacity.

Pretty decent profile up on afldraftinfo:

http://www.afldraftinfo.com/2009/10/ben-gr...svic-metro.html

Zomer moved pretty well too.

It's nothing against him because I haven't seen him up close but I'm always apprehensive about guys that come into AFL from the TAC cup with a "man's" body

More draftprospect highlights up on AFL.Com.au

More draftprospect highlights up on AFL.Com.au

Have just watched this footage. This guy has an amazing set shot. Didn't show much other than goal kicking though.

For such a big kid , he is very athletic. If he has the right attitude - which is fundamental - he looks just the type we need. Surely you'd have to consider him for pick #11

would his build now hinder his scope for improvement? ie is he like Zomer in that at U18 he gets away with being big without actually being any good or is he like Hawkins, J. Brown etc that they're able to transfer their ability to AFL

hahaha, are you kidding mate or what?! I'd get a kick playing out of the square at Geelong. This bloke is a dud - big time!

How many premierships have you won again?

Pretty sure Zomer, whom I used on the other side of my argument, wouldn't get a kick playing for Geelong

Very interesting write-up posted. Seems to me that he may have issues with being too big. Trying to move that amount of weight around a footy field could account for his injury concerns. However if he can avoid hurting himself he could be very handy.