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Welcome to Demonland: Jacob Van Rooyen


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On 10/19/2021 at 9:02 PM, faultydet said:

Anyone who reminds you of Jack Watts would not get close to being drafted by the current Melbourne organisation. He had minimal physical presence in the air for a 195 odd cm tall. We don't draft players like that now.

And Fritta has  tackled since Day 1?

What about looking at what the players possess and can learn? Ie tackling 

All his highlights show his (JVR) competitive instincts IMO. Just his physique and lankiness is similar to Wattsy.

Jacks draft highlight reel showed ability to mark overhead but he was not able to compete regularly as a key position player in our teams from 2010 - 16 but his skill was more evident as we improved as a team in 2017. Reckon JW would have been a handful in Fritta's position now with our big forwards around. Yes he would have learned to tackle and compete harder as Fritta has done over the 4 years. 

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On 10/8/2021 at 8:51 AM, whatwhat say what said:

is he a titch 'small' for a modern key position tall? they're more and more around the 200cm mark...

NO because there are positions for 1,2 and 3 talls!!! All are not 200cms so stop looking for fanciful reasons not to draft players. 
Look at his marking in the highlight reels and his record in Colts snd in 5 Claremont games. He is a competitor with a marking habit of stretching his arms like BBB does above the pack.

Also  he takes congested marks and is good in one on one tussles.

I am exhausted thinking how good this "small" tall can be for us in defence or attack.

Height is not the only measurement in footy as Mason Cox has found. 

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He’s pretty much the same height and weight as Aaron Naughton who slipped into the Bulldogs team and was almost immediately a regular in defence before establishing himself in attack after a couple of seasons. I’m not suggesting that will happen with Van Rooyen at Melbourne because, as reigning premier, we’ll be a hard team to break into but he does have senior WAFL experience and performed well for the Colts and WA State Under 19s when he returned from glandular fever. 

We’re lucky to be in a position to give such players a good grounding at Casey first.

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What number is Van Rooyen? I expect it's 21 I think Woewodin is 40 on the training video. Don't know McVee's number either. 

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4 hours ago, Mach5 said:

With May clocking the big 3-0 and his propensity for pinging hamburgers, I could see JVR spending time down back before getting a go in our forward line.

Would have thought we've got more depth there to cover injuries than up forward - eg Petty / Thomlinson and then Smith (can play tall or small) and Disco. 

Having said that I think you're right - often young key forwards start in defence so they don't get smashed by a bigger key defender each week and they can focus on beating their opponent and reading the play.

I wonder how long it takes for a young player to come in and learn the structure / game plan.

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3 hours ago, deelusions from afar said:

Would have thought we've got more depth there to cover injuries than up forward - eg Petty / Thomlinson and then Smith (can play tall or small) and Disco. 

Having said that I think you're right - often young key forwards start in defence so they don't get smashed by a bigger key defender each week and they can focus on beating their opponent and reading the play.

I wonder how long it takes for a young player to come in and learn the structure / game plan.

Ok you got me. Who is Disco?

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19 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I fully expect someone to come on here and criticise him for going one-handed.

(And I have someone specific in mind who I choose not to name.)

Sometimes you have to go one handed to get that extra little bit of height to control the ball. 

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I remember seeing Clarry pick the ball up one handed in a pack very early in his career and I was pleasantly surprised how easy he made it look. I think that JVR is showing that he is a level above the rest a bit more special.!!

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4 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I fully expect someone to come on here and criticise him for going one-handed.

(And I have someone specific in mind who I choose not to name.)

People who go up one handed are often protecting themselves.

I didn't think it was that impressive at all to be honest. A bit like the Jack Watts goal early on at Casey that fluked through and people immediately thought we had a freak goal kicker on the list.

Looks a good size though. 

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7 hours ago, faultydet said:

People who go up one handed are often protecting themselves.

I didn't think it was that impressive at all to be honest. A bit like the Jack Watts goal early on at Casey that fluked through and people immediately thought we had a freak goal kicker on the list.

Looks a good size though. 

If you watch he is really the only one who kept his eyes on the ball and in between three others ho got one hand on the ball and bought it to the other to complete a very good mark.

Not impressive well if you look at JVR's highlight reels don't be surprised about his excellent marking contested and the height he attains in jumping.

Very similar to BBB when he extends his arms straight up and is far too tall for the pack or his opponent.

His GF and 2021 season highlights prove how valuable he was in transforming our firward line to the multi dimensional unit it developed into during the last few games and of course during the Finals.

On the contrary I believe JVR showed in this clip IMO what a special talent he has ie marking  and I believe he is destined to become a very special forward ( or defender at times) for us for the next decade or more.

Go to just highlight reels and he is an excellent marker of the ball one on one or contested in a pack and also on the lead.

He may even be our first 100 goal forward No pressure Jacob.

Could have  been one of Bruce McAveneys "special" players I reckon.

Msybe he will just go bang bang bang etc. for us!!! 

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Bigfooty’s Knightmare believes that JVR is a long term project ~

“With Melbourne's player development and all things firing though - from coach/veteran leadership/buy-in from the playing group, JVR can be a good piece in a few years if developed in defence.”

“He's not going to play in 2022, and maybe not 2023 either.”

I responded by agreeing that there’s no hurry to push him into an AFL debut given that he’s at the premiership club but pointed out that he’s physically ready to play against men. Which is what he has already done at WAFL level early in 2021 when he played 5 senior games with Claremont before succumbing to glandular fever. He also kicked plenty of goals for their Colts and the WA Under 19 championships later in the season.  This didn’t dissuade Knightmare who answered:-

“JVR was great during the U19 Champs in defence and was capable v Colts opposition but struggled in the WAFL at League level and showed he isn't ready to play against AFL opposition. There is a difference between playing at a level and playing well. 

I fully expect Melbourne's at the moment superior player development and everything that factors into it will help fast-track JVR in his development comparative to if he landed with another club, but he's not going to have an Aaron Naughton kind of first season as a point of comparison.”

It’s an interesting debate. I see JVR as a future KPF and a likely replacement for the current key forward incumbents. He should be a fixture at Casey this year but the way things are going with Omnicron, I wouldn’t discount the possibility of seeing him at AFL level in 2022.

From all reports, JVR’s efforts at WAFL Senior level were reasonable. He was impressive on debut with two goals and was affected by tonsillitis and glandular fever in his next couple of games but still contributed. He came back after missing several weeks and kicked just one goal but wasn’t 100% in his fifth and final senior game. He then went on to kick a bag of goals in the WAFL Colts and the WA Under 19s and also showed in one or two games that he can be handy in a key defensive position. We have a handy, versatile prospect on our hands.

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11 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Bigfooty’s Knightmare believes that JVR is a long term project ~

“With Melbourne's player development and all things firing though - from coach/veteran leadership/buy-in from the playing group, JVR can be a good piece in a few years if developed in defence.”

“He's not going to play in 2022, and maybe not 2023 either.”

I responded by agreeing that there’s no hurry to push him into an AFL debut given that he’s at the premiership club but pointed out that he’s physically ready to play against men. Which is what he has already done at WAFL level early in 2021 when he played 5 senior games with Claremont before succumbing to glandular fever. He also kicked plenty of goals for their Colts and the WA Under 19 championships later in the season.  This didn’t dissuade Knightmare who answered:-

“JVR was great during the U19 Champs in defence and was capable v Colts opposition but struggled in the WAFL at League level and showed he isn't ready to play against AFL opposition. There is a difference between playing at a level and playing well. 

I fully expect Melbourne's at the moment superior player development and everything that factors into it will help fast-track JVR in his development comparative to if he landed with another club, but he's not going to have an Aaron Naughton kind of first season as a point of comparison.”

It’s an interesting debate. I see JVR as a future KPF and a likely replacement for the current key forward incumbents. He should be a fixture at Casey this year but the way things are going with Omnicron, I wouldn’t discount the possibility of seeing him at AFL level in 2022.

From all reports, JVR’s efforts at WAFL Senior level were reasonable. He was impressive on debut with two goals and was affected by tonsillitis and glandular fever in his next couple of games but still contributed. He came back after missing several weeks and kicked just one goal but wasn’t 100% in his fifth and final senior game. He then went on to kick a bag of goals in the WAFL Colts and the WA Under 19s and also showed in one or two games that he can be handy in a key defensive position. We have a handy, versatile prospect on our hands.

Possible Knightmare has never actually seen him play… wouldn’t be the first time he’s had an opinion on a player he’s never seen

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44 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

I wouldn’t discount the possibility of seeing him at AFL level in 2022.

I wouldn't discount it either.

Taylor took him with our first round pick, we don't use that pick for development players.

I trust his acumen over some knightmare.

I hope JVR is pushing for it...really pushing for it.

He  must have the competitive spirit to say stuff that, I didn't come here to play at Casey...

If he's waiting to be developed then we got the wrong man.

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