Phantom draft profiles of McBean:St Kilda selection #41
LIAM MCBEAN
DOB: 25/08/94
Height: 203cm
Weight: 84kg
Club: Calder Cannons/Vic Metro
Happy to see Liam slip through to us at pick 41, we believe he has all the traits to impact at AFL level in a few years time. Will be great to watch McBean and McEvoy alternating forward and in the ruck in a couple of years time.
Kevin Sheehan says: "Lightly framed ruckman/key defender who can win the ball in the air and at ground level. Very agile player who is gifted athletically and makes good decisions with the football. Is an accurate shot for goal when he goes forward. Played mainly as a key defender in 2012 AFL U18s Champs where he’s still developing his game. Dangerous as a tall forward."
Not many articles floating around on McBean at the moment, but can read some more below.
http://www.contestedfooty.com/2012/09/liam-mcbean-2012-afl-draft-prospect/http://oneeyed-richmond.com/forum/index.php?topic=16888.msg340061#msg340061#28 Hawthorn (Via Port Adelaide) - Liam McBean (VIC – KPP/Ruck)
Height: 202cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 25/08/1994
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
Style: Josh Fraser
Player comparison: Lachlan Keeffe
Range: 20-50
Profile: Ruckman who can also play forward and has also spent most of this year playing down back so there is some versatility. McBean is an agile type ruckman who is excellent at ground level for a player of his size and has an excellent skill set and decision making ability for a tall. As a forward typically leads to the right spots and is a strong marking target without being a contested marking threat. Additionally he is an above average set shot goal kicker which is another nice positive. As a defender McBean has shown that he has the ability spoil his man and do a defensive job while using it cleanly from the back half for someone of his height. Physically McBean has a long way to go and I don’t ever expect him to develop into a super powerful ruckman but with time there is the chance that he develops into a useful tall utility who can play forward/back and some minutes as a no.2 ruck.
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/knightmares-2012-mock-draft.956129/# 27 GWS
Liam McBean
Calder Cannons
203cm / 87kg / ‘94
He has so much potential that it is still unclear where his best spot will be. In some ways he reminds of Keefe from Collingwood. Just an incredibly agile big fella who could play forward or back or ruck or .....all of the above. Seems to read the play well for a big guy, he certainly gets around the park very well for a big boy, he has very good skills so if he fills out and settles in to a role he could be a sensational player. Has huge scope. I would think they will be looking for a tall and if they passed on Corr then expect him to be called. Graham or Wright or even Colqhoun big chances for mine.
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/snoop-dogs-2012-mock-national-draft.980620/28. Greater Western Sydney
If McBean doesn’t go here I see him falling to the 40s. McBean undoubtedly has talent but he has not really shown much in the way of consistency this year. Still GWS can afford to take a punt and a 202 KPD would be pretty handy for them down the track when they are making a run at the cup. They have little to lose taking a flyer on a high upside guy here.
Liam McBean
DOB: 25/8/94 Ht: 203 Wt: 87
Most people have no real idea where to stick McBean in their mocks and I am a bit the same. He has got the talent to put very high in the draft but he has some big holes in his game as well which might cause him to drop down the order significantly as well. When I first saw him I was very impressed with him and what he could do at his height but the closer I watched the more warts I saw. I am still inclined to be drawn to the size/talent he has but I am wary as well.
For those who haven’t seen him play he is a lot like Alex Keefe from Collingwood. That is a true ruck sized player who moves like a much smaller guy and whose best position is a key position rather than in the ruck. He is very agile and a smooth mover for such a big guy. His pace is solid as is his ability to read the play.
The biggest problem that I have with McBean is his pathological avoidance of contests. He seems afraid of body contact and steers clear of it if at all possible during games. This is not going to cut it at AFL level. He is never going to be a bulky guy but he is going to be carrying a bit of weight by the time he is finished and he needs to be able to throw that around a bit. At the moment he stays outside of contests and hopes the ball comes to him. I have also noticed that when flying for a mark under pressure he often doesn’t commit to getting in line with the ball seemingly worried about the contact. He is also moved around pretty easily and is pretty weak even taking aside his relative skinniness. I can see a lot of gym and contact work in McBean’s future over the next couple of years.
If you can get the physical aspect of his game up to scratch there is a lot to like. He has played a lot up forward but moved down back this year including at the Champs and I thought he showed some potential as a KPD especially if he is allowed to play loose. He reads the ball well in the air and judges his arrival at the ball nicely. His height and decent jump allows him to get up above virtually anyone else and he is a capable mark of the ball. He is has a pretty good spoil when caught behind and again his height and reach make him pretty formidable in this regard.
He is agile enough that he is not turned around that easily and when he is he recovers pretty well and showed enough pace and nous to compensate. AFL forwards will obviously outbody him at the moment but down the track he should be a difficult proposition to handle. With the KPFs getting taller and taller including the likes of Daniher this year and Boyd next year, having a ruck sized KPD has a lot of appeal especially if they can go into the ruck. I am sure many coaches are intrigued by his height.
In the ruck contest thought his strength is really found out and I am not sure he will ever be a full time ruck. You never know though and he is already up to 203cm and still growing. If he stops growing upwards and starts bulking up and growing into his body then there is a chance. Put it this way though he is going to have height on every other KP/Ruck in the competition (barring Keefe maybe) and with some targeted coaching in a full time environment he should at the worst be serviceable as a team’s second ruck and there is potential that he could be significantly better than that.
He is a very relaxed kick for a big man and has a lot of confidence in his kicking ability. That is sometimes misplaced and you will get a few errors each game at present but you can definitely see the potential for improvement there. He is good off either foot and is a penetrating kick when he goes long. He tends to go short to intermediate as his first option and does misjudge the weight of his kicks not infrequently and he is also prone to leaving too much loop in his passes. A lot of his problems I think might be focus related and I think his coaches will be drubbing into him that he needs to concentrate on what he is doing when he is kicking first before he moves onto what to do next. He is an accurate kick for goal but he doesn’t tend to be a big goal kicker. I note his coach thinks he is an elite kick so maybe I am being a bit harsh on him.
Below the knees he is very good for his height and when he gets the ball he is very capable by hand. He can occasionally deliver a hospital handpass but usually he is pretty effective in clearing the ball to a man in space. He does have a bit of an odd jogging style where he splays his feet a bit as he runs like a lifesaver wading through water and I wonder whether this might make him more predisposed to injury.
Overall McBean is an intriguing mix of talent and he is such a long way from a finished product that it harder to see where he will end up than it is for the more finished products who will be available. Whoever takes him is going to need to be patient with him and the supporters should not expect to see him for a couple of seasons at the very least.
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/quigleys-2012-mock.980920/34. Richmond - Liam McBean (202cm defender - Calder)
I'm still not sure what I stand on Liam McBean. I'm pretty sure I like him. But he is that type of player that I've never liked - ruckman size, but not really a ruckman. And I don't think McBean will ever be a ruckman either, think he might struggle to bulk up enough to really be able to compete in the middle. But that's OK, because he has shown promising signs both in the forward line and more recently in the backline. And I think I would develop him into a CHB. For starters, he is very athletic for someone his size. So he isn't a liability in that regard. He can more than hold his own against the tall forwards both in the air and on the ground. McBean looks to be a really disciplined defender, he spoils well and rarely gives his opponent any space. But he is also more than capable up forward - not a super strong mark, but good enough for someone as tall as him. Also has a nice kick on him, both around the ground and for goal. A lot of people (myself included) seem sceptical about 200cm players who aren't ruckman, but I think McBean could be a very good player. And the way the game is going these days, you need players of that at either end of the ground. AFL Comparison: Lachie Hendersen.
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/young-talent-time-a-2012-mock-draft.956131/PICK 39 – COLLINGWOOD: LIAM MCBEAN
Height: 203cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 25/8/1994
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
Collingwood are apparently interested so I’ll put him here.
Much like Jordan Roughead from the Bulldogs, I don’t think McBean is a ruckman, but he is more a defender to me.
He has massive potential and is very agile for a guy his size.
He also has lovely disposal, and it shows in his efficiency stats.
http://www.footytragic.com/blog/2012-post-season/kristians-2012-phantom-draft/28. Greater Western Sydney - Liam McBean (KPF/Ruck)
Height: 202cm
Weight: 84kg
Club: Calder Cannons
Range: 20-40
Description: McBean is one of the toughest to place. Has lots of potential as a highly athletic 200cm+ KPF/2nd ruck. I have heard he will likely go first round as you just don’t get guys with these qualities every day so someone will take the punt. I think you are more picking him for his work as either a KPF or KPD as he showed at the Champs, whilst his rucking is just an added bonus. His aerial ability, foot skills and reading of the play would hold him in good stead if someone wants to develop him as a KPD. However, not sure that 202cm CHB will be that successful. There’s always a first for everything though and Richmond is trying it with Griffiths to reasonable effect.
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/tigs-first-ever-mock-draft.960168/
