Here's an article on Andrew Gaff who is one of the kids we'll look consider using our first pick on....Andrew Gaff - The loaded gun * Jay Clark
* From: Sunday Herald Sun
* June 27, 2010 Andrew Gaff is concentrating on taking the best option. Source: Herald Sun
WHEN Andrew Gaff gut-runs through the midfield, the bleak draft landscape confronting clubs this year begins to brighten.
The workaholic onballer is not only the most consistently performed teen of this year's talent pool, he remains a genuine chance of slipping through the Gold Coast net.
Tipped to fall somewhere between picks four and six, the left-footer likened to Luke Power is Victoria's most accomplished underage midfield prospect.
While Gaff happily admits he may not have the flair of some of his counterparts, his workmanlike game style remains a triumph in simplicity.
"There is no point trying to pinpoint a bullet pass over a few guys' heads if it is not the best option," he said.
"You've got to play the percentages.
"Whether that is kicking to a one-on-one to the goal square or chip 20m to a teammate who can play on in space, I pride myself on my skills."
An impressively level-headed scholar from Kew, Gaff has blitzed this year's under-18 national championships.
Over four games, he averaged 28 possessions at 79 per cent efficiency, and averaged 117 SuperCoach points.
"It's all about work rate for him," AIS-AFL high performance coach Jason McCartney said.
"He covers the ground and reads the play so well, and his attention to detail is as good as any AFL player."
While Harley Bennell, Sam Day and David Swallow are likely to be the Gold Coast's first three draft picks, Gaff would be a glittering prize for the club that collects the wooden spoon. Indeed, his selection may almost be worth finishing last.
Recruiters have marvelled at Gaff's endurance, slipping seamlessly from end-to-end-of the ground, and ability to play in and outside midfield roles.
Although the running machine will be long gone by Geelong's first selection, he is a player who has very much been cut in the Cats' mould.
"He may not have one outstanding attribute, but he does tick all the boxes and is very disciplined playing his role," Oakleigh regional manager Stephen Conole said.
"But his ability to gut-run is probably his biggest point of difference."
Gaff said his top-line fitness base was the result of a meticulous approach to training.
"It's a matter of getting into good habits," Gaff said.
"Sprinting to the cones and getting in around behind them at training, not being lazy and walking between drills.
"Those are the things that hold you in good stead."
His leadership and courage were also outstanding features of his game, according to Oakleigh coach Steven Grace.
"One game he ran back into the path of two oncoming talls and took an unflinching mark," Grace said.
"He got absolutely flattened but he got up and just slotted the goal."
In a national draft resembling a game of increasingly high stakes, national talent manager Kevin Sheehan rated Gaff one of the safest bets.
"He's driven, organised, disciplined. They are the traits of successful players and you cant help but think there are no faults here."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-loaded-gun/story-e6frf9jf-1225884688360