Dream Team builder: Steven MorrisTuesday, March 06, 2012
Source: BigPond Sport2012 position: defender
2012 price: $104,200
Bye: round 13
Four reasons to have him in your team1) Richmond swapped its no.14 draft pick last year for GWS' no.15 selection to land Morris, a 22-year-old small defender from West Adelaide. Clubs don't downgrade first-round picks to get players unless they really, really want them, and Tigers football boss Craig Cameron indicated as much when Morris was finally secured, saying he had been earmarked for a role. As a mature-aged recruit, he is ready to go and, providing the injury gods are kind, he should play early and play lots.
2) Richmond is building a decent defence but the one area in which they have struggled is hitting targets out of the backline. Morris led his SANFL side West Adelaide by a country mile in rebound 50s in 2011, and had a disposal efficiency just shy of 80 per cent. Put two and two together and you can expect the ball to end up in the new Tiger's hands more often than not as Richmond build their attack out of the backline. That equals solid DT points and with reliable scoring defenders at a premium, Morris is worth a punt.
3) For some inexplicable reason, certain players attract free kicks from the umpires. Morris is one of them. And when your opportunities to rack up the stats as a small defender are limited, any avenue to DT points is valuable. Morris is not an especially prolific tackler, so don't expect regular thrilling run-downs of opposition forwards, but four free kicks in his favour in the NAB Cup opener against North Melbourne speaks volumes for his ability to be where the ball is.
4) As the son of two-time Richmond premiership player Kevin, Morris has yellow and black blood coursing through his veins. Of course, this means absolutely nothing once he steps on to the field - just ask former Bomber Joel Reynolds (son of triple Brownlow medallist Dick). However, Morris has also been forced to wait four years for his AFL shot after the Tigers overlooked him ate the end of his under-18 year. If nothing else, he will be desperate to make every post a winner.
The downside?Morris will be competing with a plethora of players at Tigerland who can play the small defender role. Bachar Houli, Shaun Grigg, Daniel Connors, and even Jake King, have all shown aptitude off half back. And through the first 18 rounds of the SANFL season, Morris averaged just under 20 possessions a game. At 80 per cent disposal efficiency, that does not spell huge DT numbers. Any DT coach who has carried Mitch Farmer for more than half a season will be all too aware of the pain that mediocre Richmond defenders can inflict in a Dream Team sense.
Risk rating: Morris will play early but he won't be a star Dream Team performer. At best, he could be useful fuel for a later upgrade in your defence. Expect him to play early but if he doesn't make a quick impact, be prepared to cut your losses. Two Alan Didaks.
http://www.bigpondsport.com/dream-team-builder-steven-morris/tabid/91/newsid/84984/default.aspx
