Academy games 2023

[dejavoodoo44]

Oh yeah. Walter will be 1 or 2, Read I could easily see going 4-8, and Rogers not far behind. They have a bucket of points, and they’ll need them. But it’ll considerably strengthen the good list they’re already building.

And now that I think of it, Turner from the NT, who's doing well in the forward pocket today, might also be in their zone.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Cleary really can find it, can’t he? I do wonder if he’s a bit one dimensional as a player and is going to be able to develop a point of difference at AFL level, but maybe with him it really is a case of focusing on what he does well, rather than what he can’t do.

[dejavoodoo44]

14 touches to Cleary in the quarter. That's handy. And McKercher may have just risen a place or two on draft boards. Or prompted a few calls to the AFL, which may start with the question, "If we draft a Tasmanian...?"

Anyway, it was really enjoyable watching the Allies midfield slice through the Vic Country midfield, and perhaps more importantly, reap the benefits on the scoreboard. Hope they can keep it up.

[dejavoodoo44]

Nice shot from McCormack and once again Gander had a very effective disposal in the lead up.

[dejavoodoo44]

Allies may have relaxed a bit after the McCormack goal put them well clear. But they did very well to kick away again, after Vic Country threw everything at them. It was quite gratifying that they won the championship undefeated.

They had lots of excellent contributors today, with Caiden Cleary being one of the main ones. His inside game of ball extraction, rapid handballs and tough tackling, was one of the main reasons for the win. And I suspect that some credit must given to Mark McVeigh, for how well Cleary, Rogers, Sanders and McKercher have combined in heavy traffic. I think all have boosted their draft credentials during the campaign.

Also boosting their credentials in the midfield was Read. I was a bit underwhelmed in the first game, because he didn't seem to get too many hitouts, but his ball skills and the way he moves around the ground has increasingly impressed me. Also obviously impressive was Walter. There's something quite fearsome in how he throws himself at the ball. He also has strong hands, very good chase down speed and can kick goals from a long way out. Perhaps the only downside is that his disposal in general play can be hit or miss. But with all the upsides, that's almost irrelevant. At the other end, O'Sullivan continued to impress and was influential late when the game was on the line.

Of our other Swans, Cabor did about as well as could be expected playing as a back pocket. Won most of his contests and was involved in a few handy rebounds. Gander didn't get that many touches playing forward, but almost all of his touches were effective. May rucked pretty well, had a few useful possessions in traffic, but was a bit too static when playing forward.

But all up, a very satisfying performance.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Allies may have relaxed a bit after the McCormack goal put them well clear. But they did very well to kick away again, after Vic Country threw everything at them. It was quite gratifying that they won the championship undefeated.

They had lots of excellent contributors today, with Caiden Cleary being one of the main ones. His inside game of ball extraction, rapid handballs and tough tackling, was one of the main reasons for the win. And I suspect that some credit must given to Mark McVeigh, for how well Cleary, Rogers, Sanders and McKercher have combined in heavy traffic. I think all have boosted their draft credentials during the campaign.

Also boosting their credentials in the midfield was Read. I was a bit underwhelmed in the first game, because he didn't seem to get too many hitouts, but his ball skills and the way he moves around the ground has increasingly impressed me. Also obviously impressive was Walter. There's something quite fearsome in how he throws himself at the ball. He also has strong hands, very good chase down speed and can kick goals from a long way out. Perhaps the only downside is that his disposal in general play can be hit or miss. But with all the upsides, that's almost irrelevant. At the other end, O'Sullivan continued to impress and was influential late when the game was on the line.

Of our other Swans, Cabor did about as well as could be expected playing as a back pocket. Won most of his contests and was involved in a few handy rebounds. Gander didn't get that many touches playing forward, but almost all of his touches were effective. May rucked pretty well, had a few useful possessions in traffic, but was a bit too static when playing forward.

But all up, a very satisfying performance.

Your point about the midfield work is a very good one. Wonder if Dean Cox should be looking nervously over his shoulder.

[Ludwig]

Unless the bid for Cleary comes from GWS, I would consider not matching. We are overstocked with similar type players and would find it hard providing a reasonable AFL pathway. It also wouldn't be bad having a player out there with a Sydney go home factor. Let another club train him up and we might be able to get him some years down the line.

[dejavoodoo44]

Your point about the midfield work is a very good one. Wonder if Dean Cox should be looking nervously over his shoulder.

And talking about the midfield: Harley Reid today? Obviously has talent and I was very impressed when I saw him play for the AFL Academy against Port's reserves, but today was pretty underwhelming. The best thing he did was the long run slicing through the middle, but he only got 14 disposals alternating between midfield and the forward line. In the middle he got a handful of clearances, but I thought a couple of those relied on unpunished pushes in the back. Don't know if kicked a goal playing forward, but the only shot that I clearly recall him having, was from a free where I would've liked to had seen a replay, because there seemed to be a strong chance that he did a Ginnivan.

Of course, he might have been playing injured or tired, but still, it wasn't a performance that screamed pick one.

[dejavoodoo44]

Unless the bid for Cleary comes from GWS, I would consider not matching. We are overstocked with similar type players and would find it hard providing a reasonable AFL pathway. It also wouldn't be bad having a player out there with a Sydney go home factor. Let another club train him up and we might be able to get him some years down the line.

I thought today was the sort of performance that would have convinced Kinnear to match a bid. That is, I've heard him say a few times, that it's performances at rep level that he values the most, rather than academy level. Cleary has performed very well in this championship, with today probably being his best performance. And his hard at it, in and under, ball extraction, was what we seemed to be missing in the second half against Richmond. Though, it would have been handy, if some of his kicks were more to the advantage of the forwards.

[liz]

Unless the bid for Cleary comes from GWS, I would consider not matching. We are overstocked with similar type players and would find it hard providing a reasonable AFL pathway. It also wouldn't be bad having a player out there with a Sydney go home factor. Let another club train him up and we might be able to get him some years down the line.

“We” have just spent the last three days bemoaning that we have so few players capable of consistently winning contested ground ball, something that was stark on Thursday night. That’s Cleary’s one wood.

If we draft him, he can expect to spend at least the first year at VFL level, by which time Parker will probably be ready to be retired to the forward line ala Jude. I can easily see a role for him in a future midfield.

[i'm-uninformed2]

“We” have just spent the last three days bemoaning that we have so few players capable of consistently winning contested ground ball, something that was stark on Thursday night. That’s Cleary’s one wood.

If we draft him, he can expect to spend at least the first year at VFL level, by which time Parker will probably be ready to be retired to the forward line ala Jude. I can easily see a role for him in a future midfield.

Have to admit I’ve been a bit in the Ludwig camp till now. And still see some limits to Cleary. But, he does what he does very well indeed and his championships have been first rate. My gut tells me he’s not worth a pick inside the top 20, but I guess the other benefit we have - a bit like Gulden a few years back - is the benefit of having seen him train with the seniors at times and knowing what he’s capable of in that company.

[dejavoodoo44]

A brief Rookie Me write up of the game.

Cream rises to the top as Allies claim maiden title - Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

[troyjones2525]

They gave Cleary BOG by the looks of it. I haven't taken him all that seriously before the championships, but you can no longer deny he's having a fantastic season so far! He had 36 touches today, and when a centre bounce midfielder goes through the National Championships averaging over 30 possessions, you must start to take notice! Especially in the championship winning team!

We may have another special Academy player on our hands! [emoji4]

Sent from my SM-F936B using Tapatalk

[dejavoodoo44]

Have to admit I’ve been a bit in the Ludwig camp till now. And still see some limits to Cleary. But, he does what he does very well indeed and his championships have been first rate. My gut tells me he’s not worth a pick inside the top 20, but I guess the other benefit we have - a bit like Gulden a few years back - is the benefit of having seen him train with the seniors at times and knowing what he’s capable of in that company.

Even though I like Cleary and think he'd be well worth matching a pick around 20, it would be somewhat ironic if he got taken higher in the draft than Gulden. Which is more a comment on what an aberration it was that Errol slid to 32, when the AFL world seemed not to notice how genuinely elite he was.

I think there's two main things that separate the two. While Cleary appears to have very good speed of processing, in that he can rapidly choose successful handball options in heavy traffic and move the ball efficiently in possession chains, he doesn't have those wow moments that Errol regularly rolls out. Like putting it on the chest of a forward 40 metres away from within heavy congestion, that leaves you wondering how the hell he saw that option, let alone hit it. And to me that shows that he's perceiving the game better than 99% of other players. Also, Cleary doesn't seem to cover the ground quite like Gulden does. Those moments that have me wondering how he managed to rove the ball in the forward pocket, when he kicked the ball out of the defensive 50 a few seconds earlier. Which is no knock on Cleary. He gets to contest after contest, and often finds space when the ball is being moved. It's just that he's more of a between the arcs player.

Although that suggests one area where Cleary might have an advantage. While Gulden can play inside mid, it's possible that too much bash and crash can curb his brilliance. Whereas with Cleary, you get the feeling that the more he gets to crash, the more he loves it.

And on Errol being taken at 32; out of idle curiosity, I just had a look at who was taken around him. At 29, Hawthorn took Seamus Mitchell, who they delisted last year and put on the rookie list. At 30 and 31, Collingwood took Caleb Poulter and Liam McMahon, both of whom they've delisted. After we matched their bid, Geelong took the young ruck, Shannon Neale, who's played a few games. Then Melbourne took Fraser Rosman and Hawthorn took Conor Downie: both of whom have been delisted. Which does emphasise just how much of a lottery the draft can be.

I mean, without even looking up who they are, I'm sure that the list managers at Hawthorn, Collingwood and Melbourne are highly accomplished professionals, with a strong support network, who made those decisions after a huge amount of quality research. Yet the inability of humans to unerringly predict the future, leaves those decisions looking somewhat misguided. And I suspect that whenever we play those clubs, there'll be people on their equivalent of RWO, claiming that their recruiters are idiots because they could have taken Errol.

And those sort of posts are a strong contenders for my least favourite posts. Along with those that seem to think that every loss is irrefutable proof that Longmire can't coach and those that whine about things going a bit off topic.

[dejavoodoo44]

They gave Cleary BOG by the looks of it. I haven't taken him all that seriously before the championships, but you can no longer deny he's having a fantastic season so far! He had 36 touches today, and when a centre bounce midfielder goes through the National Championships averaging over 30 possessions, you must start to take notice! Especially in the championship winning team!

We may have another special Academy player on our hands! [emoji4]

Sent from my SM-F936B using Tapatalk

Yes, I noticed that, but I suspect that the general feeling was that McKercher was BOG. Although it's possible that he mightn't have been quite so impressive, if he didn't have Cleary feeding the ball after getting it in traffic.