Consolation Prize Emma Quayle
December 12, 2011 For those overlooked in last month's draft, tomorrows rookie and pre-season drafts offers a second chance.
LAUCHLAN DALGLEISHMidfielder, 184cm, 76kg
From North Ballarat Rebels
Dalgleish won the 120-metre Terang Gift in 12.25 seconds three days after missing out in the national draft. Starred at the draft combine after five weeks off with a punctured lung, finishing top five in the clean hands test, the agility run, the 20-metre sprint and the repeat sprint test. A club should choose him in the hope that his running ability becomes even more damaging.
MYLES BOLGERRuckman, 202cm, 95kg
From South Fremantle
Only three young ruckmen — Billy Longer (No.
, Tom Downie (No. 56) and Corey Gault (No. 65) — were drafted, with queries on Bolger’s kicking and ability to impact on games by taking marks seeing him slip through. He’s missed a lot of football with a foot injury ruling him out for all of last year and disrupting his preparation for the season just gone. He moves well and has a competitive streak. Given more time, he’s one who could surprise.
FLETCHER ROBERTSForward, 193cm, 84kg
From Sandringham Dragons
Roberts was in the mix for a few clubs on draft day, and may be gone before the rookie draft, with the Western Bulldogs one of the interested parties. He was one of many talls overlooked, with clubs grabbing those who had been consistently competitive. In draft combine testing Roberts was a just bit behind some of the others in speed, agility and endurance. That said, on his day he took hold of games, never more so than in the TAC Cup grand final when he kicked three goals in a 21-possession game. There’s plenty to work with here — he’ll just need some time.
SHANE NELSONMidfielder, 178cm, 78kg
From West Perth
Nelson did some nice things as a link-up midfielder this year, and can slide through traffic and get away with pace. What probably had him slip through the national draft was his kicking. While he did well in draft combine testing, his disposal can get a bit scrappy under pressure and lacks penetration. He gets to contests, can win the ball and kicks goals. He’ll surely get a chance as a rookie.
JULIAN DOBOSZForward, 190cm, 82kg
From North Hobart
Dobosz, a full-forward, is reasonably new to football, having played cricket. He kicked a lot of goals for North Hobart at the start of last season, then again for the Tasmanian under-18 team. He relied a lot on his nous around goal rather than leading and marking. Whether he has the pace to play this way against more agile opponents at AFL level is the question, particularly given he’s an in-between size.
JAI SHEAHANForward, 195cm, 82kg
From Geelong Falcons
Sheahan is another tall who was overlooked for those who played with a little more urgency, and have a burst of speed. But he improved as last season unfolded, can certainly grab a mark and can kick, which should get him his chance.
ANDREW BOSELEYDefender, 192cm, 75kg
From Geelong Falcons
Boseley played for the Falcons as a 19-year-old key defender this year, and was eye-catching for the way he would fly in to make a well-timed spoil, gather the ball and sprint away. His challenge is to polish up his skills, but he has a strong competitive streak that makes him ideal rookie draft material, particularly given he played out the season with a shoulder injury.
SAM FROSTDefender, 194cm, 94kg
From Sandringham Dragons
Frost was in the mix for a few clubs at the national draft, but slipped through. He was one of the more athletic players available, yet having only recently decided to focus on football instead of basketball, his game sense was less developed than some of the “safer” draft picks. At times he looked incredibly exciting and at other times you weren’t sure what he’d do next, but he’s good enough to play AFL.
JACK CRISPHalf-back/half-forward, 190cm, 83kg
From Murray Bushrangers
Crisp’s ability to read the ball across the fl anks and take off with it is his biggest asset. His speed and kicking were the most obvious reason he didn’t hear his name called as, at times during the national carnival, his accuracy was below 40 per cent, although he did well in the draft combine testing. But he has genuine smarts and tackles well.
NICK MURPHYForward, 193cm, 81kg
From Oakleigh Chargers
Inconsistency and work rate probably cost Murphy, who would dominate a game for a quarter or a half, then fade out. But he is a natural forward who knows where to lead and how to manoeuvre himself into marking positions. He has definite AFL potential if he can become more consistent.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/consolation-prize-20111211-1opwi.html#ixzz1gFao4vPO
