Jimmy Toumpas 2014

[dazzledavey36 54,889]

Well obviously started slowly but got better as the year went on. Showed vast improvement and I expect him to show even more next year.

Im a big fan of Toumpas and truly believe he will be a gun player for us. He is a very dedicated and professional young player who put enormous amount of pressure on himself and thrives to becoming a very good AFL player.

I remember reading reports about him prior to the championships last year that how much he was respected as a leader by his SA peers and the standards he set around them. Make it as you want but we seriously have a gun player on our hands and also a future leader in jimmy!

He had very limited pre season due to both hips and learning to run properly and get his core strength up again from scratch is a big ask for an 18 year old. Plus he will regain his speed back aswell which will be a bonus for himself and the Melbourne Football Club.

I cannot wait for what Paul Roos and his team has installed for Jimmy for the next couple of years. I expect gradual improvement next year for jimmy and cannot wait till he hits the 70 game mark. I know we haven't developed our young players well but I am now at ease with Roos at the helm.

Dean Kent, Jack Viney, Jimmy Toumpas and even Dom Barry are all talented kids that will relish under the new Roos development and COULD form a decent midfield in years to come.

Height: 184cm

Weight: 79kg

Games: 14

Goals: 0

[Chook 15,013]

Gun in the making. Prove me wrong.

[ignition. 1,466]

Well written dazzle, it will be very interesting to see what he can produce under the likes of Roos - a coach that builds excellent rapports with his players in order to get their best, rather than one that constantly wanted to mentally challenge and break them.

As for his speed I must say I didn't see one ounce of it, although like you mentioned his surgeries on his hips and lack of core strength (along with the mental challengers he faced) were the likely culprits.

Does anyone know what he ran in the 20 m sprint last year at the draft combine? or didn't he participate?

[dazzledavey36 54,889]

Well written dazzle, it will be very interesting to see what he can produce under the likes of Roos - a coach that builds excellent rapports with his players in order to get their best, rather than one that constantly wanted to mentally challenge and break them.

As for his speed I must say I didn't see one ounce of it, although like you mentioned his surgeries on his hips and lack of core strength (along with the mental challengers he faced) were the likely culprits.

Does anyone know what he ran in the 20 m sprint last year at the draft combine? or didn't he participate?

Nar he didn't participate due to the hips.

[whatwhat say what 22,747]

We desperately need this kid to be a star.

[ignition. 1,466]

Nar he didn't participate due to the hips.

Ok thanks mate.

[rhaz 342]

Needs more swagger. Will come with improvement from the team.

[Nasher 33,615]

Said it before, he's a deep thinking, emotional kid who places a lot of pressure on himself, so will be more affected by confidence swings than most. He looked a player who felt he didn't belong for much of the season. I expect he will absolutely flourish under a coach who connects with his players as Roos does.

[binman 42,920]

I'm also really confident JT will be a gun. It's incredible really how things have changed in terms of our expectations of first year players. Of course they come to AFL more prepared now but still the footy world seems quick to make definitive judgments.

I mentioned a while back (in a thread about where roos might play watts) how important elite kicking is to Hawthorn's game plan in terms hitting up their forwards (and of course transitioning from the hb) a point Clarkson emphasized in a Hun article today and Walls also noted in the age. Think of how often the dees give the forward no chance by poor kicking into the 50 - either by not drilling low ones that hit a target or being unable to kick a high one to a forwards advantage. JT will be a crucial player for us in terms of improving our kicking to forwards.

[ignition. 1,466]

Needs more swagger. Will come with improvement from the team.

Owww dear no... needs more what? Isn't that what the Aussie cricket team claim they needed after their first ashes test?

[Bimbo 940]

Watched first quarter of the Adelaide game yesterday and thought his hand balls were flat bullets just in front of team-mate. That sort of disposal has not recently fitted into MFC practice. I think he is spectacularly suited to the modern midfield game shown by the top teams of quick short accurate use of the ball and accurate kicks to advantage.

He performed a bit better than I expected this year and I really expect exponential improvement in 2014.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

Another on the JT bandwagon here. A big fan of smiley.

Provided he has a full preseason, he will show more than gradual improvement next year. Expect a year similar to the better games he played late in the year.

[Hannibal 5,814]

Well obviously started slowly but got better as the year went on. Showed vast improvement and I expect him to show even more next year.

Im a big fan of Toumpas and truly believe he will be a gun player for us. He is a very dedicated and professional young player who put enormous amount of pressure on himself and thrives to becoming a very good AFL player.

So Toumpas is going to be a "gun", but Aish is "overrated".

I'm not sure what you base your views on.

[ILLDieADemon 804]

I think seeing how upset he got in a couple of games when he didn't played that well its quite obvious he sets very high standards for himself which indicates to be that strives to be the best footballer he can be.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

Lover, not a fighter.

Needs to lift and show more mongrel.

[Strapping Young Lad 227]

So Toumpas is going to be a "gun", but Aish is "overrated".

I'm not sure what you base your views on.

I believe it's called having an opinion. Just like you have yours, but are you that bored that you would like to spoke the thread and start another mass debate?

[Chook 15,013]

Can we please refrain from using the initials JT to refer to anyone but Jack Trengove. He was first, and has thus earned the sole rights to those letters. I don't think I could handle another player being referred to as JT. My small brain couldn't take it.

[Bang Bang Bang 5,826]

I'm definitely a Toumpas fan, mainly because I'm a sucker for players who possess majestic foot skills (used to love Yze and Trapper in their younger days for the same reason).

Towards the end of the season he looked like he belonged at the top level.

The goal next year is to make 18 - 20 dpg the bench mark, either off half back or through the middle.

[drdrake 3,163]

Like the hole team he had his confidence coached out of him for the first half of the year, was lost on the field and was more worried about where he had to position himself rather than winning the footy. The highlight of this was running into an open goal against GWS, I saw footage of him when he was draft exactly the same running down the wing from 50m, different player one backed himself to kick the goal the other ran into to trouble trying to pass it off.

He was lost in 2013 he forgot how to get the footy. But in the wet against Geelong was the cleanest player out there, he runs well creates and spread I'm really looking forward to seeing a confident Jimmy next year

[P-man 13,366]

Cook, Morton, Gysberts, Watts, Tapscott, Scully, Trengove...all were anointed as future superstars.

Can we just wait this time and let him develop without the fanfare.

[binman 42,920]

Cook, Morton, Gysberts, Watts, Tapscott, Scully, Trengove...all were anointed as future superstars.

Can we just wait this time and let him develop without the fanfare.

No

[dazzledavey36 54,889]

On Friday, September 20, 2013 at 4:25 PM, Ben-Hur said:

So Toumpas is going to be a "gun", but Aish is "overrated".

I'm not sure what you base your views on.

Toumpas has the ability to play inside aswell as shown last year in the championships. He is very much in the same mould as Leigh Montagna who started his career off playing through the wings and now generally plays inside on ball.

Aish was very much a true outside midfielder. Last year he played Wing and this year the same. We are in NEED of inside midfielders to help take the stress of Jonesy and Viney.

Aish DOES NOT fit that category. He is a definite top 10 midfielder but suggestions we should use pick 2 on him is definitely overrating him. I would have Scharenberg, Freeman, Dunstan, all in top 2 radar.

Edited June 18, 2016 by dazzledavey36

[Hannibal 5,814]

Toumpas has the ability to play inside aswell as shown last year in the championships. He is very much in the same mould as Leigh Montagna who started his career off playing through the wings and now generally plays inside on ball.

Aish was very much a true outside midfielder. Last year he played Wing and this year the same. We are in NEED of inside midfielders to help take the stress of Jonesy and Viney.

Aish DOES NOT fit that category. He is a definite top 10 midfielder but suggestions we should use pick 2 on him is defiantly overating him. I would have Sharenburg, Freeman, Dunstan, all in top 2 radar.

I asked you a couple of days ago how many times you'd seen Aish "live". You're yet to respond. Perhaps you can clear it up now.

I have little doubt that Aish will be able to improve his contested footy as he gets stronger, as will Toumpas. But I don't see either as "inside mids".

Toumpas is more a straight ahead player, who distributes the ball really well. He likes to get on the end of a chain of disposals and set up play. He could actually make a very good half-back, where he's played a fair bit of footy as a junior.

I haven't seen enough of Aish and certainly haven't seen him live, so I'm not well equipped to comment, but from what I have seen I believe he has more upside as an all-round mid than Toumpas.

[angrydee 842]

I was rapt when we drafted JiTo and am not disappointed.

Showed enough in a very bad side bereft of confidence to indicate that he will develop very nicely - particularly under a coach like the rooster.

I look forward to watching his elevation into a quality footballer.

[dazzledavey36 54,889]

Cook, Morton, Gysberts, Watts, Tapscott, Scully, Trengove...all were anointed as future superstars.

Can we just wait this time and let him develop without the fanfare.

Yeah and where did I mention he will become a superstar?

all I said is I expect gradual improvement and I rate his leadership skills. And if you took the time read the thread properly I also mentioned that basically the 70 game mark is when we will start to see big strides in Jimmy.

You completely missed the point on this thread..