http://www.wafl.com.au/players/view/4972

Cripps caught my eye in the WA/SA last week, as an inside mid who looks pretty good stoppages getting the pill out with hands.

Looks to me like the exact type of player we need and hope we might be able to snare him with a late pick.

Can any of our WA demons shed anymore light on him?

Edited July 8, 201312 yr by Jerry Lundergard

http://www.wafl.com.au/players/view/4972

Cripps caught my eye in the WA/SA last week, as an inside mid who looks pretty good stoppages getting the pill out with hands.

Looks to me like the exact type of player we need and hope we might be able to snare him with a late pick.

Can any of our WA demons shed anymore light on him?

Have seen nothing of him outside of the U/18 telecast, will be interesting to see now from this week on with the U/18 championships finished these players will now start coming into their respective senior sides.

I have pencilled in 2 games for East Fremantle for the remainder of the WAFL season but not until Round 20 Aug 3rd & Round 23 Aug 24th so others may see him beforehand

http://www.wafl.com.au/players/view/4972

Cripps caught my eye in the WA/SA last week, as an inside mid who looks pretty good stoppages getting the pill out with hands.

Looks to me like the exact type of player we need and hope we might be able to snare him with a late pick.

Can any of our WA demons shed anymore light on him?

Is he a "looks like" anyone type player, from what you have seen?

How is his build?

Here is a couple of blurbs I have found from the U/18's

"Patrick Cripps (right) was my pick of the Sandgropers. He stepped up in the absence of captain Dom Sheed, and the WA Vice Captain held the ship sturdy with ease. His work at the stoppages was all class, his work rate mirrored his team high disposals of 21 17 of which were contested. Adding to this, 9 clearances, 3 tackles and 5 rebound 50′s it was a complete game from the WA product. The third cousin of West Coasts Jamie Cripps should find himself on an AFL list with ease in November." - Supercoachpaige SA v WA

"Patrick Cripps East Fremantle

A true inside midfielder in every sense of the word, and showed it again with his grit and determination to win the ball for his club across all stoppages. Finished with a team-high 21 disposals (17 contested), 9 clearances, 5 rebounds and 2 tackles in what was a very impressive game for the kid. Could fall a little lower in the draft due to his lack of speed and foot skills, as he possesses more of a conservative style of play with his lateral kicks and tendancy to bomb it long. Nonetheless, a true prospect for teams wishing to increase their inside-mid stocks and could potentially be at a true bargain pick in the draft." - Madmondayshow

"WA's vice-captain Patrick Cripps is the third cousin of current West Coast Eagle Jamie Cripps.

The East Fremantle product is a 190cm midfielder who has grown 20cm in the last two years.

"In the state 15s I was the smallest in the team so I've grown a fair bit," Cripps said.

Cripps' size and prowess as an inside midfielder has seen him likened to the reigning Brownlow medallist.

"I've been told I play like Jobe Watson, obviously not as good. But it's a complement to be compared to him," he said.- Afl.com.au

Patrick Cripps

Height: 188cm

Weight 88kg

Club: East Fremantle

Strong inside player with a physical edge who goes hard every time and wins clearances consistently. For an inside player Cripps is an above average user of the footy with his outside game above average for a strong bodied inside midfielder.

That info given to me from a work mate who I assume got it from Bigfooty.

From what I've heard elsewhere he's a likely 2nd round pick. So possibly an option if neither of Dunstan or Sheed are available by our 2nd round pick which the AFL website had both ranked going late in the top 20. Trent Dumont was another I was looking at with our 2nd round pick.

Don't know if Cripps will still be there by our 3rd round pick but you never know? Certainly one of the options for 2nd round though.

Get this kid ...

From BOUND FOR GLORY site

Patrick Cripps (East Fremantle)

Height: 188 cm
Weight: 88 kg
Position: Inside midfielder
Player comparison: Ollie Wines
Strengths: Clearance machine, size, vision
Weaknesses: Lack of speed, athleticism

In a draft littered with tall forwards and speedy outside players, quality inside midfielders are few and far between. However Patrick Cripps one of the premier inside players in the draft, second only to North Ballarat’s chief extractor Matt Crouch in most people’s eyes. At 188 cm he is one of the taller midfielders in the draft and after growing almost 20 cm in two years he is still growing into his body so you can expect a large amount of improvement from Cripps as he gets used to his extra size and builds upon his already imposing 88 kg frame.

Cripps was an All-Australian this year after his performances in the Under 18s Championships and its easy to see why. During the champs he averaged 19 disposals with a majority of them being contested possessions, six clearances and three tackles a game. That is in addition to the 25 disposals, 4.5 marks and three tackles for his club East Fremantle. Cripps used his huge body to crash through packs and win clearance after clearance for his team, also benefiting from the sublime tap work of his ruckman Darcy Cameron.

Cripps is an above average ball user for an inside player. He is not the typical inside mid who wins a hard ball and throws it straight onto the boot, not caring where it goes and often bringing rain down from the sky. Cripps takes a couple of steadying steps and delivers to his teammates more often than not or realises his limitations and handpasses to a teammate with better skills. He also has excellent vision which gives him that extra split second to concentrate on hitting his target rather than spending valuable time trying to find someone to give it off to. Cripps isn’t the type of player to hurt you with his disposal, but there are very few inside midfielders who do. Think of him more as an Ollie Wines who you often don’t notice but find out that he has accumulated 20 possessions in a game and has set up many attacking raids with a sneaky handball out of a pack.

The most glaring weakness in Pat Cripps’ game is his lack of athleticism. Cripps is not slow but he isn’t very fast either. What he has to compensate for this is a very quick first three steps, and when you take into account his size, he is about as easy to tackle as a small truck when he gets going. Fortunately for opponents Cripps isn’t one to go out and run, preferring to make others look good by doing the hard work for them and giving it to them in space.
Cripps is not only an inside player. He has shown an ability to accumulate on the outside as well. He is a smart footballer and knows where the ball is going to go next so he can get some cheap kicks out in the open.

Cripps is quite a consistent player and rarely has a poor game. His worst performance this year is a 16-possession and five-tackle game, and he has only had fewer than 20 disposals twice all year. Cripps is also a willing tackler and chips in with at least one tackle each week. One thing that can be counted on is that Cripps makes his tackles stick and his opponent will be spitting out dirt and teeth for the next week or so.

For teams needing an inside extractor, but don’t have a pick high enough to take Matt Crouch, then Cripps is their man. He will do all of the little things to help his team and is the kind of glue guy that all teams need.

What pick range is he likely to go?

'Spirit', this is good reading but it tells me we should have a serious look at Matt Crouch. I'm sure we are.

Yes Matt Crouch is a top 10 pick IMO. Great ballwinner.

Cripps is likely at 18-30 so highly likely for our 2nd round choice at 21-22. Ready to go & EXACTLY what MFC needs as an inside mid

We should take it easy with the slower clearance kings in this draft. Yes we lack a couple of mids who can win a lot of clearances at the stoppages but we are also severely lacking in outside pace and good disposal, so a balance is definitely needed.

Trade Watts for pick 9, 10 or 11. Take Crouch with that pick.

Out: skilled tall fwd that doesn't perform under pressure and is hedging his bets.

In: hard inside mid who many rate higher than his older bro.

Crouch is suggested to go top 5 atm

Patrick Cripps is like Ollie Wines rebadged. We passed on Wines ... don't make another mistake and pass Cripps if he is available.

Edited August 25, 201312 yr by spirit of norm smith

I think Cripps is a 2nd rounder.

I did quite like him when I saw him at the champs.

Got a lot of it in the backline.

Hard at it, decent size, moved well.

Would be pretty happy to score him with our early 3rd rounder.

Got a few good options at pick 21

Durmont, Dunstan Cripps, Hartung, Acres, freeman

some might go earlier but it looks as though we are going to get some good talent with that pick, might well be cripps

Got a few good options at pick 21 Durmont, Dunstan Cripps, Hartung, Acres, freeman some might go earlier but it looks as though we are going to get some good talent with that pick, might well be cripps

Agree with Acres, Cripps, Hartung and Dumont as possible at pick 20 range. Freeman & DunStan will be gone.