Couple of phantom drafts have us taking Andrew McPherson, a running half-back from Woodville-West Torrens, at either 36 or 47. Only played three games this year due to injury.

On 15/09/2017 at 6:41 AM, Roger Mellie said:

 

Please no looks absolutely hopeless IMO 

1 hour ago, Sydee said:

Please no looks absolutely hopeless IMO 

Lol @ posters with no idea.

4 minutes ago, stevethemanjordan said:

Lol @ posters with no idea.

Just going by the highlights clip - looked more like a bloopers video 

you obviously know a lot more so tell me why I’m wrong 

28 minutes ago, Sydee said:

Just going by the highlights clip - looked more like a bloopers video 

you obviously know a lot more so tell me why I’m wrong 

You could pull highlights of ONE game from any player within the AFL and find it underwhelming. It’s ONE game man. 

I just can’t understand how posters form a definitive view after watching highlights from a single game. A highlights package that includes many games is a different story. But the vision of Petruccelle is from a single game and a game in which he was pretty quiet.

I suggest having a google around if you want to know why his raw talent is rated so highly. 

18 minutes ago, stevethemanjordan said:

You could pull highlights of ONE game from any player within the AFL and find it underwhelming. It’s ONE game man. 

I just can’t understand how posters form a definitive view after watching highlights from a single game. A highlights package that includes many games is a different story. But the vision of Petruccelle is from a single game and a game in which he was pretty quiet.

I suggest having a google around if you want to know why his raw talent is rated so highly. 

Thanks for that - I didn’t profess to be an expert and happy for others who are experts to make list decisions

my comments were simply a reflection of the clip which is undeniably very ordinary 

if he is actually a champion and gifted then great 

If the sample of the highlights are the best of Petruccelle then the AFL should have not extracted them for they are not very flattering.

Never the less they are now out there and if Viney, Taylor and Co are interested then he may be a slider because of the highlights.

2 hours ago, Sydee said:

Thanks for that - I didn’t profess to be an expert and happy for others who are experts to make list decisions

my comments were simply a reflection of the clip which is undeniably very ordinary 

if he is actually a champion and gifted then great 

 

1 hour ago, durango said:

If the sample of the highlights are the best of Petruccelle then the AFL should have not extracted them for they are not very flattering.

Never the less they are now out there and if Viney, Taylor and Co are interested then he may be a slider because of the highlights.

 

If there's one thing I've learnt from scouting this year after being a former 'armchair expert', it's that you need to watch a hell of a lot of vision of an individual to form any sort of accurate and informed opinion about their strengths and weaknesses as a player. There are 15-20 players that I watched closely live this year at TAC cup level but I wish I could have seen even more to consolidate some opinions I have on certain individuals. And that's only the football side of things of course.

To answer both your posts, I'll again point out a few things about Jack Petruccelle as a player. 

The vision you're referring to is from a single Vic Metro game that Petruccelle played in and if I'm not mistaken, it was his first and only game at state level. Petruccelle is a former Basketballer-turned-footballer and it was a little over a year ago that he was playing for the Vic Metro under 18's basketball side. Think about that for a minute.

This is a bloke who was a full-time basketballer just over a year ago with a very real chance to go to college in the states to pursue his dream. He made a choice half-way through last year after a couple of games with the Knights to pursue footy. Here are two articles you can read about his transition and the impression he made on the coach at the Knights through his performances at TAC level this year. 

1 - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/localfooty/afl-draft-prospect-jack-petruccelle-adds-pace-in-attack-for-tac-cup-club-northern-knights/news-story/2a36d9e6327fa9d92543a8e243c29297

2 - http://www.starweekly.com.au/sports/jack-petruccelle-attacks-new-goal/

 

Consider now the following: Petruccelle's exposure to these elite footy squads has been extremely limited, yet his improvement due to his raw talent has been monumental at TAC level. This must and will be considered given being an AFL footballer is a full-time profession and his potential is enormous.

There were games this year where I saw him do things that nobody else I've watched can do. His speed, agility, contested-marking for his height, ball-handling and awareness in tight spaces (think Petracca), was far and away better than anyone I saw at TAC cup level this year. And what's even more impressive is his ability to go through the midfield and win contested ball and his contested ball numbers at TAC cup level were good, especially for someone who is new to these elite squads. It's a fantastic sign. 

The knocks on him are of course his kicking, that can't be disputed. What can be argued however, is the measure of how bad his kicking is. And I would argue that it's not as bad as some make out. He is hit and miss at this stage but generally he is very effective around goals. Posters should think about Jayden Hunt when assessing Petruccelle. You've got to look at the upside because there's no doubting he'll slide due to not featuring heavily at state level.

Having said all of that about Petruccelle, I am definitely not screaming 'we must draft him', but rather, giving an insight into him as a player, where he has come from and the upside I believe he has given the sheer number of quality attributes he possess and his limited time in the game...

[censored] it. I want him at one of our picks in the 30's.

 

The last thing I'd like to leave here is a highlights compilation of Nat Fyfe's game against Vic Country back in his under 18's year. Now based on this footage @durango and @Sydee, I can only assume you'd think he is bog ordinary and would want to stay the hell away? 

 

 

On 9/3/2017 at 6:57 PM, Demon Disciple said:

Andy Brayshaw won't make it past the top 20. He doesn't have weapons, he's just a good all-round player with no glaring weaknesses that loves the contest.

Sounds like Matt Crouch from Adelaide.

34 minutes ago, stevethemanjordan said:

 

 

The knocks on him are of course his kicking, that can't be disputed. What can be argued however, is the measure of how bad his kicking is. And I would argue that it's not as bad as some make out. He is hit and miss at this stage but generally he is very effective around goals. Posters should think about Jayden Hunt when assessing Petruccelle. You've got to look at the upside because there's no doubting he'll slide due to not featuring heavily at state level.

 

He sails a kick through to the back netting from 50 on the run in that highlights video, I think it's fair to say truly awful kicks don't do that.

If we do end up with him I hope they just scrap his kicking and start again from scratch like the American ruckmen and Irish lads do. He's got the leg strength and should be used to building a routine for a skill with basketball shooting.

38 minutes ago, stevethemanjordan said:

 

 

If there's one thing I've learnt from scouting this year after being a former 'armchair expert', it's that you need to watch a hell of a lot of vision of an individual to form any sort of accurate and informed opinion about their strengths and weaknesses as a player. There are 15-20 players that I watched closely live this year at TAC cup level but I wish I could have seen even more to consolidate some opinions I have on certain individuals. And that's only the football side of things of course.

To answer both your posts, I'll again point out a few things about Jack Petruccelle as a player. 

The vision you're referring to is from a single Vic Metro game that Petruccelle played in and if I'm not mistaken, it was his first and only game at state level. Petruccelle is a former Basketballer-turned-footballer and it was a little over a year ago that he was playing for the Vic Metro under 18's basketball side. Think about that for a minute.

This is a bloke who was a full-time basketballer just over a year ago with a very real chance to go to college in the states to pursue his dream. He made a choice half-way through last year after a couple of games with the Knights to pursue footy. Here are two articles you can read about his transition and the impression he made on the coach at the Knights through his performances at TAC level this year. 

1 - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/localfooty/afl-draft-prospect-jack-petruccelle-adds-pace-in-attack-for-tac-cup-club-northern-knights/news-story/2a36d9e6327fa9d92543a8e243c29297

2 - http://www.starweekly.com.au/sports/jack-petruccelle-attacks-new-goal/

 

Consider now the following: Petruccelle's exposure to these elite footy squads has been extremely limited, yet his improvement due to his raw talent has been monumental at TAC level. This must and will be considered given being an AFL footballer is a full-time profession and his potential is enormous.

There were games this year where I saw him do things that nobody else I've watched can do. His speed, agility, contested-marking for his height, ball-handling and awareness in tight spaces (think Petracca), was far and away better than anyone I saw at TAC cup level this year. And what's even more impressive is his ability to go through the midfield and win contested ball and his contested ball numbers at TAC cup level were good, especially for someone who is new to these elite squads. It's a fantastic sign. 

The knocks on him are of course his kicking, that can't be disputed. What can be argued however, is the measure of how bad his kicking is. And I would argue that it's not as bad as some make out. He is hit and miss at this stage but generally he is very effective around goals. Posters should think about Jayden Hunt when assessing Petruccelle. You've got to look at the upside because there's no doubting he'll slide due to not featuring heavily at state level.

Having said all of that about Petruccelle, I am definitely not screaming 'we must draft him', but rather, giving an insight into him as a player, where he has come from and the upside I believe he has given the sheer number of quality attributes he possess and his limited time in the game...

[censored] it. I want him at one of our picks in the 30's.

 

The last thing I'd like to leave here is a highlights compilation of Nat Fyfe's game against Vic Country back in his under 18's year. Now based on this footage @durango and @Sydee, I can only assume you'd think he is bog ordinary and would want to stay the hell away? 

 

 

Thanks and appreciate your in depth comments - yes I can’t believe it’s the same player - he did look bog ordinary and hard to believe he actually got drafted on that footage alone. Reminded me of C Morton not a good memory 

anyway thanks 

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Sounds like Matt Crouch from Adelaide.

Matt Crouch was the best kid at reading the ball off the rucks at bounce downs and throw ins during his junior carnival...

I thought he slipped a bit too far in the draft but then again I hadn't seen anything else of him apart from these games.

37 minutes ago, Sydee said:

hard to believe he actually got drafted on that footage alone. 

But he didn’t... that was my point.

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Sounds like Matt Crouch from Adelaide.

Matt Crouch is more of an accumulator and seemingly suited to being a pure midfielder.

Andrew will have more affect with his disposal and will be a viable option in more positions on the ground

I reckon Jason Taylor will nail this pick.

 

Anyone have any footy footage of Corey Maynard before he joined the Dees?

7 hours ago, stevethemanjordan said:

You could pull highlights of ONE game from any player within the AFL and find it underwhelming. It’s ONE game man. 

I just can’t understand how posters form a definitive view after watching highlights from a single game. A highlights package that includes many games is a different story. But the vision of Petruccelle is from a single game and a game in which he was pretty quiet.

I suggest having a google around if you want to know why his raw talent is rated so highly. 

Criticisms of execution/involvement based on a single game's highlights are indeed flawed but I think there are some things you can pick up from limited footage re. body and movement etc.

My concern at this stage would be how he holds his body over the ball and uses his arms. Seems to be trying to keep his feet - good - but has an odd posture gathering the ball in tight. Hard to put the finger on exactly but it may be more of a basketballer's stance. And doesn't have/use the strength in his arms to create space/evade harassment.

To me, he seems rawest in this regard - not a natural or smooth footballer. These things of course can be developed (along with the body) in an elite AFL environment, and he's obviously already made big strides in a short period of time at the lower levels. 

Do you think this is an unreasonable assessment to make on limited footage and based on what you've seen live? 

Talk up kicking skills all you want, but it means little if you can't make good decisions under pressure

Plenty of draftees come in touted as elite kicks but they are rarely exposed to high intensity pressure at TAC and colt levels.

Once they take the leap to the next level they panic under pressure and their disposal suffers. 

1 hour ago, Skuit said:

My concern at this stage would be how he holds his body over the ball and uses his arms. Seems to be trying to keep his feet - good

He keeps his body in line with the ball though 'Skuit' and does keep his feet...that's a big plus.

Just a little draft talk summarised below:

'inside accumulator' = Slow and sh!t skills
'Outside wingman' = Soft 
'Raw prospect': Skinny as a twig. See you in 5 years.
'Capable of brilliance': Inconsistent.
'Versatile': Doesn't have a position.
'Great left foot kick' = No right side.
'athletic midfielder' = Lacks footy smarts

 

9 hours ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Talk up kicking skills all you want, but it means little if you can't make good decisions under pressure

Plenty of draftees come in touted as elite kicks but they are rarely exposed to high intensity pressure at TAC and colt levels.

Once they take the leap to the next level they panic under pressure and their disposal suffers. 

Don't agree with this, if you can't kick the ball no point getting it.  The pressure part for sure you need to balance but if you don't have the ability to hit targets you will struggle at AFL level

Getting a little excited about the draft this year, as it is not a life or death one for us, as we now have a reasonable list, but rather more of a cherry pick to hopefully find a gem after the first round and a half has gone. 

Usually I know very little about the available talent and this year I know even less. So for me it will be a bit of excitement finding out who we have chosen and then watching their development.

1 hour ago, Redleg said:

Getting a little excited about the draft this year, as it is not a life or death one for us, as we now have a reasonable list, but rather more of a cherry pick to hopefully find a gem after the first round and a half has gone. 

Usually I know very little about the available talent and this year I know even less. So for me it will be a bit of excitement finding out who we have chosen and then watching their development.

I think we really need to find a couple of players to replace Watts, Lewis and Vince and keep the depth of the list improving. It's kind of more important to keep adding good players now we've built something than before when we were just trying to get some talent. I know that missing on first round picks when you're down the bottom really stuffs you up but now we've got the 4 picks and we have to get a couple of decent players from them.

It's really difficult to predict who we will draft with where our picks fall which makes it hard to study the talent but I'm with you on the excitement building 3 weeks out.

20 hours ago, Skuit said:

Do you think this is an unreasonable assessment to make on limited footage and based on what you've seen live? 

 

Not necessarily.

But because I've seen him live a number of times this year, it probably doesn't stand out as much to me. I think you're right so far as there's something visibly different about his style. All I know is that he is was easily physical enough at TAC cup level which was a really good sign for someone so late onto the scene. He likes tackling and embraces body contact. 

The vision against SA above really doesn't showcase any of his talents.

15 hours ago, drdrake said:

Don't agree with this, if you can't kick the ball no point getting it.  The pressure part for sure you need to balance but if you don't have the ability to hit targets you will struggle at AFL level

I never actually said anywhere in my post you don't need to be able to kick.

I'm saying being an elite kick at TAC and underage level means very little in terms of being able to use those skills at the next level due to panicking under pressure.

Think Strauss and Maric vs Matt Crouch and Sam Powell Pepper. 

Yes it's a skill in the game but there are other far more important traits to look for in a player

STMJ will know what I'm talking about here

1. Speed- leg speed, acceleration and/or decision making

2.Good Size - height and/or frame

3. Impact - ball use and/or contested impact

4. Skill - hand, foot and vision

5. Game sense 

6. Workrate - endurance, repeat effort, DRIVE/DESIRE

Tick 3 or more of those and you're likely to be a player at a fairly decent level and worth a look at. Dependent on how many or which particular ones you tick and that determines your draft position.