2024 Player Reviews: #16 Bailey Laurie

[Demonland 72,156]

The clever small was unable to cement a place in the Melbourne midfield and spent most of his time this year with the Casey Demons where he finished equal fourth in its best & fairest.

Date of Birth: 24 March 2002
Height: 179cm

Games MFC 2024: 6
Career Total: 11

Goals MFC 2024: 2
Career Total: 2

Games CDFC 2024: 12
Goals CDFC 2024: 7

[DeeZone 9,821]

Interesting player, I feel that he really needs to dominate at Casey in the same way that Sparrow and Jordon did to force their way into the seniors. Problem is there will be another 6-7 players doing the same thing, still we need our depth to continue improving for ours and Casey’s sake.

[M_9 2,082]

When you're Bailey's size you need a point of difference - clever/good user, tough inside, fast,  skilful.

Think Bowey, Viney, Windsor, and Chandler (?).

I don't see any of attributes in Laurie.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,819]

Baffles me a bit how Laurie got so much game time ahead of Woewodin and Kynan Brown this season.  I hear the reports and see the stats that he seems to dominate some games at Casey, but struggles to find the same aggression and poise at AFL level in pretty much every game I see him play, bar perhaps 5mins of a game last season where he snagged a couple of clever goals.  He was recruited based on being an elite ball user in the mold of Jake Bowey, but I'm yet to see that he's really in the same class as Jake.

I'm guessing if he doesn't step up and find his feet fast in season 2025, he will be overtaken by the other similar emerging players we have on our list and find himself without an AFL contract at seasons end.  I wish him luck, but just don't see it happening based on results to date.

Edited October 28 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[Melonmonster 124]

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/bailey-laurie/#:~:text=He is one of the,spots with incredible lateral movement.

have a read of this write up pre draft. 
cal twomey and Riley Beverage had huge wraps on him.  
 

I still think he can make it , big year coming up for him, it’s hard making your was as a small forward .

[48 Year Now 91]

3 hours ago, Melonmonster said:

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/bailey-laurie/#:~:text=He is one of the,spots with incredible lateral movement.

have a read of this write up pre draft. 
cal twomey and Riley Beverage had huge wraps on him.  
 

I still think he can make it , big year coming up for him, it’s hard making your was as a small forward .

Agree that he can still make it. Am I reading it that he missed his final junior year due to Covid. If so that makes it even harder to judge.

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,817]

Had me excited in a match simulation at Casey Fields in late January with 2 goals and had the ball on a string in a near BOG effort.

Have to remind myself to take match sims with a grain of salt.

[Nascent 9,212]

3 hours ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Baffles me a bit how Laurie got so much game time ahead of Woewodin and Kynan Brown this season.  I hear the reports and see the stats that he seems to dominate some games at Casey, but struggles to find the same aggression and poise at AFL level in pretty much every game I see him play, bar perhaps 5mins of a game last season where he snagged a couple of clever goals.  He was recruited based on being an elite ball user in the mold of Jake Bowey, but I'm yet to see that he's really in the same class as Jake.

I'm guessing if he doesn't step up and find his feet fast in season 2025, he will be overtaken by the other similar emerging players we have on our list and find himself without an AFL contract at seasons end.  I wish him luck, but just don't see it happening based on results to date.

I more or less agree with your sentiment but just had to pull you up on your opening line. Laurie only played 6 games this year with 4 of them being sub or subbed off. Woewy played 16. He's also contracted until end of 2026.

I defended him throughout the year and thought he was given a rough run by the match committee. Only played one consecutive set of matches, showed a bit of improvement in his last few games yet was straitht out and never given a run to build his confidence. 

I'm less bullish on his prospects now. Despite getting a deal until 2026, he's going to need to really demand a spot and play a good chunk of games otherwise he'll probably be told to look at his options elsewhere.  Best of luck to him, hope he makes a good fist of it.

[gs77 4,224]

26 minutes ago, 48 Year Now said:

Agree that he can still make it. Am I reading it that he missed his final junior year due to Covid. If so that makes it even harder to judge.

Yes, we picked Laurie with the pick we had in the draft at the end of 2020 immediately after Jake Bowey's pick. The Victorian draftees were impacted by covid lockdowns. Having missed finals that year, and Goody looking super flat in the draft night footage, I still pinch myself that we won the flag 10 months later.

[Dee Boys 623]

1 hour ago, gs77 said:

Yes, we picked Laurie with the pick we had in the draft at the end of 2020 immediately after Jake Bowey's pick. The Victorian draftees were impacted by covid lockdowns. Having missed finals that year, and Goody looking super flat in the draft night footage, I still pinch myself that we won the flag 10 months later.

We were desperate for Max Holmes to slip through to us at this pick - unfortunately Geelong traded into the pick beforehand to take him from under our noses.

[D Rev 629]

5 hours ago, Melonmonster said:

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/bailey-laurie/#:~:text=He is one of the,spots with incredible lateral movement.

have a read of this write up pre draft. 
cal twomey and Riley Beverage had huge wraps on him.  
 

I still think he can make it , big year coming up for him, it’s hard making your was as a small forward .

I wonder if there is an appetite to turn him into a small defender?  It's a lot easier to do than turning someone into a gun midfielder.

We have really missed a lock-down defender since Jets left and small forwards seem to have a great time against us.  To have someone with lateral movement and pace that can also dispose of the ball would be awesome.

[M_9 2,082]

14 minutes ago, D Rev said:

I wonder if there is an appetite to turn him into a small defender?  It's a lot easier to do than turning someone into a gun midfielder.

We have really missed a lock-down defender since Jets left and small forwards seem to have a great time against us.  To have someone with lateral movement and pace that can also dispose of the ball would be awesome.

Not sure. We have McVee, Bowey, Salem, AMW and possibly Brown. His kicking lacks depth and I'd rank those five above Bailey.

[Benny Dee 16]

Feel like he hasn't been given much of a run at senior level yet. Must be hard being the sub, but i suppose he isn't best 22 if everyone is fit.

I like him, hope he improves and has a crack next year but it's will be a tough midfield to break into. 

 

[John Crow Batty 8,863]

21 hours ago, M_9 said:

When you're Bailey's size you need a point of difference - clever/good user, tough inside, fast,  skilful.

Think Bowey, Viney, Windsor, and Chandler (?).

I don't see any of attributes in Laurie.

Hoping he turns out like a versatile Brad Close type player. Needs more harness. 

Edited October 29 by John Crow Batty

[Cranky Franky 2,052]

Haven't seen anything from BL to suggest he will make it.

[demoncat 1,420]

I know it’s only draft highlights in a COVID affected year but he looks so impressive in some of these clips 

Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to demonstrate the same smarts, evasiveness and kicking ability at AFL level, and in all honesty it hasn’t been that consistent at VFL either

If he could start to show some of the above at AFL level he could be a really handy player for us, but with another couple of top draftees coming in it’s going to be even tighter for spots, so I suspect he’ll need to force his way in with strong VFL form

Here’s hoping 2025 is Bill’s year 

Edited October 29 by demoncat

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,819]

4 hours ago, M_9 said:

Not sure. We have McVee, Bowey, Salem, AMW and possibly Brown. His kicking lacks depth and I'd rank those five above Bailey.

Agree with much of the above only it would be nice to release those guys to be used further up the ground to hit up targets inside 50 more, particularly Judd, Salem and Bowey.

But also agree with you Re Laurie's kicking.  It's suposed to be one of his assets, yet so often I watch him collect the ball with time and space, then proceed to shank or grass the kick into our 50, giving our forwards no chance and turning it over.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,819]

7 hours ago, Nascent said:

I more or less agree with your sentiment but just had to pull you up on your opening line. Laurie only played 6 games this year with 4 of them being sub or subbed off. Woewy played 16. He's also contracted until end of 2026.

I defended him throughout the year and thought he was given a rough run by the match committee. Only played one consecutive set of matches, showed a bit of improvement in his last few games yet was straitht out and never given a run to build his confidence. 

I'm less bullish on his prospects now. Despite getting a deal until 2026, he's going to need to really demand a spot and play a good chunk of games otherwise he'll probably be told to look at his options elsewhere.  Best of luck to him, hope he makes a good fist of it.

Fair calls.  Wouldn't have picked Taj as playing 16 games in season 2024, but maybe he was sub for 75% game time in a number of them and that's why I have that perception (like that ridiculous situation when Kynan Brown was put on the ground with like 2mins to go).

I stand corrected on him being contracted till 2026, although I did recall him being contracted way longer than what I thought his performances to date seemed to justify, last time he signed up.  In that case, he'd want to really turn it on next year, otherwise I think we've really wasted a list spot over multiple seasons.  Again I struggle to understand the rationale in investing so heavily on the main list with Laurie, when we can recruit guys like Judd McVee who come up off the rookie list and look like much better quality players from day dot.  Even players with ability like Nev Jetta spent time being dropped onto the rookie list while we worked out if they could really make the grade.  Part of me feels that he's been given more time to develop because we invested realitively heavily at the draft with him at pick 22 and want to try to squeeze blood out of that stone.

Edited October 29 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[old dee 23,787]

He is sadly one of those players who is too good at VFL and NQR at senior level. 

[darkhorse72 1,916]

Was better in the last couple of games.  But for a player with a great kick he handballs too much.  That I see a symptom of a player with low confidence at AFL level, he seems unsure of himself and rushes his decision making many times.   He needs to slow down, find some space and deliver on his skills.  

The question can he get a sequence of games to build that confidence at AFL level.  He's got a couple of years to show us. 

[bluey 1,102]

Very slight, pushed off the ball too easily, nothing to offer overhead, looks a bust to me.

[DemonicFinalFantasy 235]

The little I've seen of him, he looked like a Bulldog's short game player. We had one of them recently and that didnt work. He's young still ...

[DubDee 25,839]

Keep fighting Bailey

People write off Nev Jetta too

Small fwd or small def. find your spot and keep fighting

[D Rev 629]

22 hours ago, M_9 said:

Not sure. We have McVee, Bowey, Salem, AMW and possibly Brown. His kicking lacks depth and I'd rank those five above Bailey.

Good shout, I was just wondering how we could work with his talent for the benefit of the team.  None of the players you mentioned are really shut down defenders, apart from possibly Brown, which is one of the things (I think) we are missing. 

I'd also prefer to see McVee spend more time further up the ground given his skills

[monoccular 17,424]

On 29/10/2024 at 21:19, DubDee said:

Keep fighting Bailey

People write off Nev Jetta too

Small fwd or small def. find your spot and keep fighting

DubDee - I agree that he should keep fighting, however I cannot see him as a Nev Jetta type.   I wish him well.