One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => View from the Outer => Topic started by: Smokey on May 15, 2014, 02:13:14 PM
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My cousin's young bloke is up for this year's draft and is writing a few articles for the AFL Qld website. It's an interesting piece that shows how much these kids have to put in just to get a chance of being picked up:
State of Play: Liam Dawson
Queensland U18 player, Liam Dawson, gives his insights into the 2014 rep season.
A lot of people don’t probably realise how much goes into 100 minutes of footy.
The amount we have to go through on and off the field is unbelievable, with meetings and reviews and training.
I train four nights a week, Mondays and Wednesdays with the Queensland team, Thursdays with Aspley and Tuesdays we have a gym session and game review with the Brisbane Lions Academy.
But I think about footy basically all day, every day – when I’m at home, I have a footy in my hand all the time.
This year it has become more intense, with the AIS trip, more travel with the state team and starting work, and it can be hard to get people to understand the commitment.
You have to say no to things because you’re going away or playing footy and those decisions are ultimately the sacrifices you have to make.
I’ve had to make some tough decisions because of footy, but it’s the number one thing in my life and this year particularly, I’ve had to make it my number one priority.
It’s something I’m pretty upfront about and you just have to find a good group of friends who understand that.
You live every day for something you are passionate about and for me that thing is footy.
Being drafted has been my ultimate dream since I was seven years old and I’ve never ever given up and I never ever will.
Last week, I had a pretty difficult week with some personal stuff and it gets hard to separate that, but I have to eliminate that as much as I can from my mind and when I’m at training or on the field, I just ignore everything else.
I’ve had to deal with little problems along the way, but I think you get a better and stronger mind from it and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
Yeronga, where we do our rep training, has become like a second home for me and just getting around and talking to my teammates helps me forget about off-field stuff that’s going on.
I don’t really have any strategies to put that stuff out of my mind, I think it’s just the kind of person I am.
We did all that kind of stuff in the U16s and last year, but it’s not really me, I think it’s just about finding what works.
Once I get to training, I just concentrate on footy and just enjoying every minute. It’s something other 18 year-olds don’t get to do.
I love the competitive nature of footy, trying to be the best player and person you can and getting the best out of myself.
To be able to get out and have a kick is probably the most fun thing to do, I can’t get away from it and I can’t get enough of it.
I’m lucky that I have a group of mates who I’ve known since I was seven, gone through footy and school with, and they have always been really good.
For me footy is a real outlet.
And you play footy for the kinds of days that we had on Sunday, with a one-point win over Gippsland.
I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a win so much in my life.
It was an awesome feeling, you can’t really match that feeling, the boys deserved it so much and we have worked so hard.
Footy makes me happy and I am really looking forward to the rest of the year.
=2748&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=c489e73c28]http://www.aflq.com.au/index.php?id=5&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=2748&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=c489e73c28 (http://www.aflq.com.au/index.php?id=5&tx_ttnews[tt_news)
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Good luck to him :cheers really hard to make it from QLD.
Are Aspley still the Hornets?
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Yep, sure are Dwaino, although their jumper has changed a bit from when I played there in the early '90's! ;D
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:lol I rarely played against them in the 90s but I remember we always called them the bumblebees because of those horrible hoops :lol
No worse than Springwood's original bright orange with black emblem :rollin we played Sandgate a fair bit from that side of town but never anyone else. I wonder if Sandgate are still green with the red sash that always made my eyes go funny.
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:lol I rarely played against them in the 90s but I remember we always called them the bumblebees because of those horrible hoops :lol
No worse than Springwood's original bright orange with black emblem :rollin we played Sandgate a fair bit from that side of town but never anyone else. I wonder if Sandgate are still green with the red sash that always made my eyes go funny.
Lol, some memories there!! The Springwood one was a shocker in anyone's language although I have to say I was rather happy with our hoops - probably because we kept winning flags in them! ;D Sandgate are still green and red but I'm not sure if it's still the plain old jumper (I agree with the funny eyes bit - it did it to me too) or if they've gone 'modern' as well. Who did you go around with?
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Smokey, I (and i'm sure many others) would appreciate it if you could keep this series of articles coming in the thread as and when they arrive.
Good luck to the young fella, and at the very least he appears to have his head screwed on and his attitude and focus aligned.
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"But I think about footy basically all day, every day – when I’m at home, I have a footy in my hand all the time."
Another missing dynamic of the rfc....
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:lol I rarely played against them in the 90s but I remember we always called them the bumblebees because of those horrible hoops :lol
No worse than Springwood's original bright orange with black emblem :rollin we played Sandgate a fair bit from that side of town but never anyone else. I wonder if Sandgate are still green with the red sash that always made my eyes go funny.
Lol, some memories there!! The Springwood one was a shocker in anyone's language although I have to say I was rather happy with our hoops - probably because we kept winning flags in them! ;D Sandgate are still green and red but I'm not sure if it's still the plain old jumper (I agree with the funny eyes bit - it did it to me too) or if they've gone 'modern' as well. Who did you go around with?
Springwood ;D then a couple years at Redland Sharks (I think they're the Viccy point Bombers now?) and Mt Gravatt before going back to Springwood. By then Springwood had changed to the West Coast guernsey though. I was playing juniors in the 90s though ;D. I quit playing a season before seniors at Springwood when we lost our granny to Logan :chuck My old man was heavily involved in footy up there long after I stopped playing, right up until a few years ago when he moved down here to Melbourne too. Good chance if you or your cousin are involved that you would have mutual acquaintances with him (he ran the QLD Richmond supporters group for a couple years around '99/'00 too).
From my limited experience :lol is why I said that good luck to your cousin's son as it is real tough to make it from there. In my age group only one bloke managed to get drafted (Scott Harding, kicked 3 in a quarter on him in a prelim yeesssss), and one of my teammates made it to training with Brisbane before he did his knee so they discarded him. I had a foot in the door because some of the people dad knew, did summer training at St Lucia with a group that had guys like Brett Voss in it, and found out I was being looked at along with some other blokes pretty early. But despite always being one of the best in my position at club and SE QLD regionals I could never make it to state try outs because the other kid's dads were on the selections. So I ended up chucking in the towel to concentrate on some other hobbies that footy was getting in the way of.
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I was playing juniors in the 90s though ;D. I quit playing a season before seniors at Springwood when we lost our granny to Logan :chuck My old man was heavily involved in footy up there long after I stopped playing, right up until a few years ago when he moved down here to Melbourne too. Good chance if you or your cousin are involved that you would have mutual acquaintances with him (he ran the QLD Richmond supporters group for a couple years around '99/'00 too).
I was involved with Aspley for 3 years (90-92) when I was in the Army up there. As well as playing, I coached the U8's and U9's and had David Hille in my team. You would never have guessed at the time that he would go on to make the big show. Back then he was a tallish skinny kid with no outstanding attributes or abilities as a footballer. I didn't get back to Qld until 2000 and then didn't get involved again at club level but I had a fair bit to do with the RFC Supporters Group for a few years in the early 2000's.
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For Darth and anyone else interested in these articles, here is the latest from Lachie Weller:
State of Play: Lachie Weller
Queensland U18 rep, Lachie Weller, gives us his insight into the 2014 rep season.
It was great to get a win against Gippsland last weekend.
We knew we had a good chance against the Power but we thought that against Sandringham too and got beaten pretty easily, so it was fantastic to get up by one point.
The boys were just so excited after the game, and it was especially good because a lot of the boys had their parents down and they were in the rooms after the match.
We had the song words out in the middle of the circle after the game and we were all reading off it, because no one knew the words.
The Queensland song is to the tune of the Richmond song, but we haven’t really heard that one much recently either, so that wasn’t too much help.
As one of the team’s leaders, I tried to make sure the boys didn’t get distracted into ball watching, which tends to be what happens when there’s a lot of pressure on.
Our runner, Jake Ryan, played a massive part in that as well and I’m pretty sure he lost his voice by the end.
I wasn’t really thinking anything in particular when it was tight, but I knew we had been the better team all day so I just thought we’d win it.
You get such an adrenalin rush in those kinds of games and you really do push harder for that win.
I’m not a massive talker really and I tend to try and lead by example, on and off the field.
Talking is still something I’m trying to build into game – just by making myself have the confidence to do that, and I did a lot of it in that game.
Off the field, I’ve never really changed the way I do things, I just try to be myself and I'm always open if anyone wants to chat.
I don’t really know how leaders in the AFL go about things, but having spent part of a pre-season with the SUNS, I think I’m a bit like Gary Ablett in my leadership.
He’s not the loudest guy out there, but he’s always full of knowledge and anything you ask him, he always gives you a good answer.
I like to think I’m a bit like him – I always try to be professional, with things like being the first to start the warm up and that kind of thing.
There are times when you really need to talk though, and that’s in these kinds of games.
Talking brings everyone into the game – you can be the worst player on the day but still have a major influence with your voice.
I’ve had a weekend off footy since the Power game and it’s been good to have a weekend without the knocks and bruises.
I’ve always watched a lot of footy and a lot of replays during the week and recently, I’ve started to watch the midfielders closely to see how they do things.
Dad will sometimes rewind the TV to show how some of the good midfielders set up at stoppages.
I love watching Scott Pendlebury and having had some of my pre-season at the SUNS, I love watching Dave Swallow and Jaeger O’Meara.
You can always find something that they do and get something out of that and I saw firsthand over summer how hard the Gold Coast guys work.
I really look up to those guys.
http://bit.ly/1gRcPZn (http://bit.ly/1gRcPZn)
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The Queensland song is to the tune of the Richmond song, but we haven’t really heard that one much recently either, so that wasn’t too much help.
We're from Bannana Land ?
A frying fury ...
Cheeky bugger, a call out to his uncle perhaps ?
BTW, Cheers Smokey.
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Lol Darth, but this time it wasn't at me. ;D This article is written by another Academy kid - Lachie Weller (brother of Mav who is currently on Saint's list). Lachie and Liam are both writing a few articles over the course of the season.
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New article:
State of Play: Liam Dawson
Queensland U18 representative, Liam Dawson, gives us insight into the 2014 rep season.
Each week is a bit of an unknown for me, because I generally don’t know where I’m going to play until Thursday, unless there’s a state game on.
I really like going back and playing for Aspley, it’s a more homely environment, but it’s always a good opportunity if I get the chance to play with the Lions reserves.
I played in the QAFL for the first time on the weekend, for Wilston Grange, and I really just tried to get as much information as I could from their senior players, particularly their captain.
It was a different level to what some of us boys are used to with state and NEAFL,but you’ve just got to run to the right spot and hope for the best.
I played a bit with the Lions reserves last year, but I didn’t really talk to a lot of their senior players, I just learned a lot off the older boys in my age group like Jono Freeman, Izzy Conway and Aden Rutledge.
With all that footy, it can be a bit difficult to manage your load properly, and since I work during the day, I can’t go and see a physio much out of training, so you have to get to know your body.
But I will do everything I can to make sure I can play every week.
If you know you’re no good, there’s obviously no point playing, but if it’s just something little, you sometimes push through those things.
I’m always trying to make sure I play.
That kind of stuff doesn’t really worry me on match day, though, I’m all focused on just beating my opponent.
Once I cross the line, my mind is just like ‘get that ball’, really.
I think there’s a bit more motivation for me to get out there this year, being a leader of the team.
You want to be out there with the boys that you trained with all summer, and that’s my first thought – the team.
Training four nights a week, I’m flat out trying to watch an AFL match on a Friday night, let alone many other sports.
Probably the only two sports I watch would be AFL and cricket, they’re the only ones allowed in our house, but if you live in Queensland, you have to watch State of Origin.
I’m definitely a Queenslander but sometimes I like to tell people I’m a NSW supporter and get them all worked up.
I did that at work this week and caused a bit of controversy, they were like ‘you dog’ and all this, but it was good to get them geed up.
Most of the guys I look up to do come from AFL, especially Scott Pendlebury and Joel Selwood, as well as some of the younger guys like James Aish and Lewy Taylor.
I used to really like Jonathan Brown – everyone loves Browny – and Brendan Fevola when he was playing, just for his on field talents.
This weekend is an exciting one for Queensland, and if everyone can win their one on ones, then we’ll go alright
http://tinyurl.com/l9tb38y (http://tinyurl.com/l9tb38y)
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Next article:
State of Play; Liam Dawson
Queensland u18 representative, Liam Dawson, gives us his insights into the 2014 rep season.
With U18 nationals just around the corner, we had our jumper presentation this week, which was a really good chance to catch up with and meet some new people.
I’ve been to a few presentations the last few years and coming towards the back end of the season, it’s always nice to hang out with a few people you haven’t seen in a while and coaches and all that.
You meet a lot of people along the way, being in the state program and generally everyone’s really nice and you can learn a lot off everyone, it’s great.
It’s a bit daunting sometimes, people kind of know who you are before you meet them, and they’re excited to meet you and I feel like it’s only Liam Dawson.
I went back to my old club the other day, the Redcliffe Tigers, and a lot of people came up to me there, and gave me advice and all that.
You do get used to that sort of thing, and that helps when you speak to recruiters, who you haven’t necessarily met before.
Before this year, I hadn’t spoken to any clubs, so it’s all been a bit of a unknown.
I met with a couple of clubs earlier in the year, through the AIS Academy and recruiters keep in touch with you through the season.
At the moment, I would probably talk to a recruiter once a week and texting them on and off, it’s pretty strange, that feeling of ‘wow, people want to talk to me’, but it’s a good experience to be part of.
I don’t know how they get my number but they’ll just give me a call and say ‘I’m so and so from this club’ and they’ll ask me about myself and some of the other state guys, if I know them well.
I get a bit nervous talking to them sometimes, because you’re trying to sell yourself to them and it’s a bit bizarre sometimes, texting them, it’s like what do I say –hey mate?, no, can’t say that, but you do get used to it.
Often it’s just a general kind of chat, they’ll ask about school, work and what you’re up to.
Sometimes they put you on the spot, so you’ve got to think quickly and be ready for the questions they ask and that’s where the AIS was really helpful, talking to us about the questions they’ll ask.
The best thing is to tell the truth, lies always come back to bite you, which is basically how I am in life generally.
As the season goes on, the draft has crossed my mind a little bit and you wonder where you fit or if you’re going to be picked up.
I do read some of the stuff out there about the draft, but some of it’s pretty outrageous and I don’t’ really take much notice.
The coaches are the people I pay attention to – I listen to what Fletch, Scotty Borlace and all the guys say about where my footy’s at and what I’ve got to do.
I’ve been looking forward to nationals since last September, it’s the time where all the training you’ve done has to pay off.
It’s a bit more nerve-wracking this year because I feel like I’ve got a bigger role to play being one of the older guys, but I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself.
I just need to play footy, that’s why we’re here, and we’ve got people who can really help us.
The AIS, Lions Academy and the state program have been invaluable for my development as a person and a footballer and I have so much to be grateful to them for.
I probably wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for them.
http://tinyurl.com/myjcgue (http://tinyurl.com/myjcgue)
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My cousin's young bloke is up for this year's draft and is writing a few articles for the AFL Qld website. It's an interesting piece that shows how much these kids have to put in just to get a chance of being picked up:
State of Play: Liam Dawson
Queensland U18 player, Liam Dawson, gives his insights into the 2014 rep season.
A lot of people don’t probably realise how much goes into 100 minutes of footy.
The amount we have to go through on and off the field is unbelievable, with meetings and reviews and training.
I train four nights a week, Mondays and Wednesdays with the Queensland team, Thursdays with Aspley and Tuesdays we have a gym session and game review with the Brisbane Lions Academy.
But I think about footy basically all day, every day – when I’m at home, I have a footy in my hand all the time.
This year it has become more intense, with the AIS trip, more travel with the state team and starting work, and it can be hard to get people to understand the commitment.
You have to say no to things because you’re going away or playing footy and those decisions are ultimately the sacrifices you have to make.
I’ve had to make some tough decisions because of footy, but it’s the number one thing in my life and this year particularly, I’ve had to make it my number one priority.
It’s something I’m pretty upfront about and you just have to find a good group of friends who understand that.
You live every day for something you are passionate about and for me that thing is footy.
Being drafted has been my ultimate dream since I was seven years old and I’ve never ever given up and I never ever will.
Last week, I had a pretty difficult week with some personal stuff and it gets hard to separate that, but I have to eliminate that as much as I can from my mind and when I’m at training or on the field, I just ignore everything else.
I’ve had to deal with little problems along the way, but I think you get a better and stronger mind from it and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
Yeronga, where we do our rep training, has become like a second home for me and just getting around and talking to my teammates helps me forget about off-field stuff that’s going on.
I don’t really have any strategies to put that stuff out of my mind, I think it’s just the kind of person I am.
We did all that kind of stuff in the U16s and last year, but it’s not really me, I think it’s just about finding what works.
Once I get to training, I just concentrate on footy and just enjoying every minute. It’s something other 18 year-olds don’t get to do.
I love the competitive nature of footy, trying to be the best player and person you can and getting the best out of myself.
To be able to get out and have a kick is probably the most fun thing to do, I can’t get away from it and I can’t get enough of it.
I’m lucky that I have a group of mates who I’ve known since I was seven, gone through footy and school with, and they have always been really good.
For me footy is a real outlet.
And you play footy for the kinds of days that we had on Sunday, with a one-point win over Gippsland.
I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a win so much in my life.
It was an awesome feeling, you can’t really match that feeling, the boys deserved it so much and we have worked so hard.
Footy makes me happy and I am really looking forward to the rest of the year.
=2748&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=c489e73c28]http://www.aflq.com.au/index.php?id=5&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=2748&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=c489e73c28 (http://www.aflq.com.au/index.php?id=5&tx_ttnews[tt_news)
we get him #12 next time on the return game ;D :lol
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Lol Monk. :lol :thumbsup
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Lol Monk. :lol :thumbsup
;D
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A web audio interview Liam did recently:
http://madmondayshow.com/2014/08/11/liam-dawson-audio-interview/ (http://madmondayshow.com/2014/08/11/liam-dawson-audio-interview/)
I was talking to him the other day and he said 5 clubs have now spoken to him - Geelong, Fremantle, Melbourne, West Coast & Richmond. Port Adelaide are talking to him on Sunday and Bulldogs next week. Apparently you need a minimum of 5 clubs to register an interest in you before you can enter the draft (which I didn't know) so he's got that covered now. None of them have given him any clue yet about how keen they might be but as a Lions Academy selection they have the option to match any best offer if they want to keep him, and Brisbane have said that they want to keep him but his problem with staying in Qld might be that they are looking for key position players in this year's draft and Liam is a utility.
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From the Bound For Glory site:
TAC Cup radio commentator and draft expert Paige Cardona is back to roll out the third edition of her phantom draft series. With plenty of movement in the first round, Paige goes the full whack and delivers four complete rounds comprising of over 70 draft profiles.
Academy and father-son selections have been taken into account, whilst a number of 19-year-olds overlooked in 2013 find their way into Paige’s mock draft. A few players passed over for national draft combine invites are also mentioned, whilst Paige tips that one particular former AFL player gets an AFL reprieve.
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Pick 41: Brisbane – Liam Dawson
Position: Defender/midfielder
Height: 188 cm, Weight: 83 kg, DOB: 23/01/1996
Club: Aspley
Projected draft range: 2nd/3rd round Academy Selection
Player comparison: Luke Hodge
Big wraps have been on Liam Dawson since his All-Australian jumper last year. With a thumping and accurate kick, along with strong hands, terrific tackling pressure and strength through his legs and core, Dawson looms as a running defender-cum-midfielder. However, in the early going, Dawson looks best placed to attack his early football from defence. Dawson, whose marking abilities are a highlight along with his ability to read the play, often floats in to cut off a forward entry uncontested. The AFL-AIS member can accumulate big numbers when playing through the midfield, and generally makes good decisions with the ball. His running patterns are a little all over the place, which often sees him tire quicker than others. However, he’ll have that easily rectified once he’s into a full-time AFL environment and really starts to embrace ‘smart running’ football. Tough inside and strong overhead, he’ll be a player the Lions will want to tie away quick smart.
http://boundforglorynews.com/paige-cardonas-phantom-draft-3-0/ (http://boundforglorynews.com/paige-cardonas-phantom-draft-3-0/)
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For anyone who might have been following this story and is interested, Liam will be playing at the 'G on Saturday in the Aust vs Allies U17 game at 10.00am (local time). Not sure if it's being telecast on any channels but I believe it's being streamed live on the AFL site. And for the record, he ended being interviewed by about 7 teams (including us) but without saying too much, I will be surprised if he doesn't end up at 1 of them in particular. They have him rated as a 1st-2nd round pick and are going to structure their trading keeping that in mind.
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Bit of footage of Liam doing the agility test has put on twitter by AFL.com
@AFL:
Liam Dawson completes the agility test #DraftCombine https://t.co/t16Y59tLWX
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Thanks WP, I just passed the link to his Mum - she was rapt!!
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It appears Liam was able to make the top group in 2 tests:
Clean hands test (score out of 30)
Nathan Drummond - 26
Paddy Brophy - 26
Reece McKenzie - 26
Tyler Keitel - 26
Dougal Howard - 26
Michael Mattingly - 25
Brett Eddy - 25
Caleb Daniel - 25
Jake Johansen - 25
Jarrod Garlett - 25
Brydan Hodgson - 25
Marc Pittonet - 25
Liam Dawson - 25
Jack Cripps - 25
Goalkicking test (score out of 30)
Dean Gore - 30
Keenan Ramsey - 30
Nathan Drummond - 25
Paddy Brophy - 25
Michael Mattingly - 25
Liam Dawson - 25
Cory Gregson - 25
Aidan Anderson - 25
Dougal Howard - 24
Jarrod Garlett - 24
Jack Cripps - 24
Bailey Dale - 24
Declan Hamilton - 24
I think Academy selections open today so we might get a clearer picture of what his future might be. :shh
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Lions nominate Academy duo
By Monday lunchtime, Queensland’s Liam Dawson and Harris Andrews will officially have a home in the AFL.
The Lions Academy duo has been nominated as Brisbane Lions priority selections ahead of Monday’s bid meeting.
The Lions have priority access to players in their Academy, but in a similar fashion to the father-son rule, opposition clubs will have a chance to bid for the youngsters’ services on Monday.
Dawson has been on recruiters’ radars for a while, after earning All-Australian as a 17 year-old in the National U18 Championships.
The Aspley player has shown his versatility this season, playing in the back line, midfield and up forward for Queensland and the Hornets.
A fractured scapula interrupted his 2014 nationals campaign, but his consistent form for the rest of the season was enough for the Lions to snap him up.
http://bit.ly/LionsDuo (http://bit.ly/LionsDuo)
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Turns out we were very interested in Liam as we bid on him with our pick 31 but Brisbane matched it with their pick 41. Damn, would have been good to have a family member on the list!! :banghead But at the end of the day everyone is just happy that he got selected. :clapping
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Congrats mate :cheers
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congrats smokey, shame he isn't going to be a tiger, but important thing is he made it :)
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Just in case anyone is interested, Liam is having his first senior hitout with the Lions tonight vs Swans in Coffs Harbour. It's on Fox so if you're watching it keep an eye out for him. He's been told he's starting at full forward but I can't see that lasting - he doesn't have the height for a key position.
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Do you know his number
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Either 24 or 26 I think he said Chuck.
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Thanks
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Wearing number 24
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Didn't see the game but read a write up where he got a mention for being clean and composed
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Yeah, thought he went ok for his first hitout Chuck. Took a couple of good grabs, led well and got involved. Hit the post with a set shot so could have kicked 2 goals. Got tired in the last quarter but that was to be expected. Saw he got 57 Supercoach points so he was in amongst it. I'm going to call him during the week and see how he found it all. His Mum was pretty stoked as you would expect - nearly BOG apparently!! ;D
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Keep us updated Smokey :cheers I only watched the first half of the game so I completely missed him I think.
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Is he a "smokey" for NAB rising star ;)
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:lol
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I watched about 10 minutes of the 3rd qtr and about 5 minutes of the final qtr.
Noticed him a few times, he certainly looked tired in the last as a lot of the young blokes did. Thought he looked good on the lead, he seemed to be playing across HF in the bits I saw. Reasonable pace too.
Have to say I was impressed with the lions their small forwards are going to give opposing teams headaches, and their mid field with Rich back looks very good.
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Hey Smokey, Liam got a mention in an article on the AFL site if you haven't seen. First player mentioned
Liked the look of: 12 players who caught the eye in NAB Challenge week two
Liam Dawson (Brisbane Lions)
His first game at senior level, and Dawson showed why the Lions were so keen to snap him up through the academy bidding process. After missing an easy set shot early in the game, the rangy half-forward settled in well. Didn't have big numbers, but the 19-year-old snapped a clever goal, showed clean hands and was composed. Maybe not round one, but he'll likely get a shot at some stage this season. - Michael Whiting
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-03-08/liked-the-look-of-
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Hadn't seen that mate, cheers! :cheers
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Got a feeling there will be an addition to this story come Sunday. Liam's been named in the 25 for the past 2 weeks and played 2's last week and kicked 4 goals. They named him again this week and I reckon he might be a chance of playing vs the Bummers.
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Can confirm that Liam is playing his first game on Sunday, and he's been told he's in the starting 21 now, not the sub as originally planned. Very proud of him and hanging out to see how he goes. :thumbsup
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Can confirm that Liam is playing his first game on Sunday, and he's been told he's in the starting 21 now, not the sub as originally planned. Very proud of him and hanging out to see how he goes. :thumbsup
Congratulations to him but should you be revealing that info regarding the sub? ;D
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Lol. It was hard enough not giving away the fact I knew he was playing the day before!! :) Don't reckon their choice of sub will affect how the Drug Cheats approach the game! :thumbsup
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Liam Dawson is ready to make his AFL debut after coming through Brisbane Lions Academy
Greg Davis
The Courier-Mail
May 23, 2015 8:48PM
Liam Dawson is set to make his AFL debut.
BRISBANE debutant Liam Dawson was not exactly dressed for success when he found out his football dream had come true.
The homegrown 19-year-old will play his first AFL game on Sunday when the Lions tackle Essendon at Etihad Stadium.
He was dragged out of an ice bath and into the coaches room at the Gabba on Thursday afternoon where, draped in nothing but a towel, he was told he had made the big time.
“I didn’t have time to grab my shirt and just had my towel around me, and all 20 of them (coaching staff) were sitting in there,’’ Dawson said.
“They gave me a bit of stick but it was pretty funny. They told me I was going to make my debut and congratulated me. I’ll never forget it.
“I still can’t believe it. I’m stoked. Twelve years of footy and it has now all paid off for this one day.’’
Dawson, a graduate of the Lions Academy, brings a blue-chip resume to the side.
He was an All-Australian at under-18 level in 2013, and a member of the elite nationwide AFL-AIS Academy.
The Redcliffe junior was also part of the Aspley side that won last year’s NEAFL grand final, kicking a crucial goal for the Hornets in their stirring fourth-quarter comeback.
He played on retiring Swans great Ryan O’Keefe in the NEAFL decider and held his own, even attempting some good-natured sledging of the Norm Smith medallist and dual premiership player.
Dawson was a standout at last year’s AFL draft combine in both the clean hands and goalkicking tests, and was duly taken by Brisbane at pick 44 in last year’s draft with an academy selection.
An eye-catching outing across half-forward against Sydney in this year’s NAB Challenge game in Coffs Harbour suggested it was only a matter of time before Dawson earned his senior stripes.
After being an emergency for the seniors for a number of weeks, four goals in the NEAFL last week sealed his call-up.
At 188cm and 84kg, he can play as a big-bodied midfielder or mid-sized defender.
Having played as a forward during his junior days, he is likely to go forward against the Bombers.
He said seeing fellow Lions Academy graduates Jono Freeman and Harris Andrews make an impact at AFL level had motivated him.
“It’s inspired me to get the best out of myself and try to get to that next level,’’ Dawson said.
“It’s been great to have those blokes at the club. You see them make their debuts and you want to follow in their footsteps.’’
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/liam-dawson-is-ready-to-make-his-afl-debut-after-coming-through-brisbane-lions-academy/story-e6frf3e3-1227366719407?from=public_rss (http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/liam-dawson-is-ready-to-make-his-afl-debut-after-coming-through-brisbane-lions-academy/story-e6frf3e3-1227366719407?from=public_rss)
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Nice goal congratulations :thumbsup
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http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-05-24/dawson-bends-it-beautifully-in-first-game
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Got a few touches but it was a big reality check I reckon. Learned a bit about how hard and fast the game is at that level and will probably get dropped back to work on some things but knowing Liam he will soak it up and be back sooner rather than later. Copped a harsh lesson first up playing on Hooker, Hurley and Fletcher in patches and in his defence the delivery was atrocious (very Richmond-esque at times) but he has that game under his belt and will be all the better for it I'm sure. Very proud of him today just for what he has already gone through to reach that level and almost did myself a serious injury when he kicked his goal by punching the air in my lounge room only to dodge the ceiling fan by mm's!! ;D Thanks for everyone's interest and kind thoughts over the journey I have tried to help chronicle on here - the "Life As A Potential Draftee" journey is over now and I will leave this thread to posterity but keep an eye on Liam's progress if you are watching the Lion's in the future, he's a top guy and deserves everything he can achieve out of his career.