Good Friday wrap, 2 games at Belverdre Reserve in Seaford. Double headers are great. See four teams in one day. Firstly, the ground is like carpet. Unreal surface. Secondly, no working scoreboard and a siren that can barely be heard. AFL want to pump millions into the game, start with this stuff. Saw newly appointed Chris Toce out on the wings with Ollie Grant. Toce had so many people coming up to him and shaking his hand congratulating him, seemed extremely popular and friendly. Fan or industry person he treated them the same. Seems a knockabout as well. Good vibes.
Gippy v Dandy. Great game, super quick, super skilful. Ball zinging both ways all day. These boys stood out to me in no particular order.
Gippy 29 - Ricky Mentha - couldn't stop watching him. Had limited touches but he just danced around them, everything he did was pure class. Mentha is a NT indigenous lad who was relocated for the season to be part of the Power program. He is linked to the Demons NGA but I can't see him getting past 40. The movement reminded me of Shai Bolton but i reckon he is a bit bigger. Played high half forward and pushed to the wings and his decision-making was silk. Can't find his size but at a guess I rekcon he is 184. I'd have him at Tigerland tomorrow.
Gippy 3 - Xavier Lindsay - just ran all day, contest to contest, could get through traffic with a step but didn't blow me away athletically. A footballer, just knocked them up off back flanks, wing nad in the middle. Blue collar grunt but clean by foot came back inside with multiple kicks. Kicks on the left so always looks good. Lit of Dion Presita to him with the ball and movement-wise but doesn't have the inside game yet. One to watch.
Dandy 23 -Noah Mraz- Big strong key defender who rucked as well, good below his knees. 198 cm and moves well. Clear first rounder for me. Runs well, and reads the play very well. Great second efforts for a big bloke from spoiling to the next effort. When he can, runs hard to get involved with the play.
Dandy 27 Asher Eastman- Third forward type, 188cm, lead hard and straight at the ball carrier. Made space all day for himself and others, was clean in everything he did, and had a lovely snap with a pickup at full pace. Not sure what role he plays at the next level but on this day, he was very good.
Gippy 11 -Tom Hanily - Thought he was best on. Overager who just ran and ran all day. Would get involved in multiple actions in a chain but not in a "cheat way" ran hard to get to the next contest, not a kick and go get an easy one. Missed a lot of last year with injury but he looked like an AFL mid. The patterns he ran, the way he worked in stoppages and organized those around him. And his kicking was great.
Next game was a whitewash. Northern looked disorganized, no game plan, and looked like an under-16 side. Clearly the worst side I've seen thus far. No semblance of a game plan at all. Hard to gauge much from it.
Watched a couple closely as they had been mentioned on here.
Jesse Datoil - Ran twice as hard towards goal as he did the other way. Heard his best 2km time trial is around 7min. When he gets it, is very smart. And knows how to work through traffic offensively but he didn't impress me greatly at all. Maybe it was the game.
Zax Johnston - very outside, neat kick, didn't look overly quick. Want to see more of him as he didn't scream first rounder to me.
Those that caught me eye for good reasons;
Knights 18 -Thomas Sims - 199cm key forward who went in the ruck for spells as well. A coordinated 199cm. Runs and jumps at the ball with good timing. Still raw but has the tools to be a modern big forward. Kicked five in Round 1 along with 14 disposals, nine hit-outs, seven marks and three tackles. Wasn't as profilic here as the ball wasn't getting down there and the Knights didn't create space for him at all. Definitely one to watch as a key forward who can ruck not the other way around. He is in the black book.
9 Eastern - Christain Moraes - was everywhere. Kicked four, was involved in linkup play, run back to the D50. Liked everything about him. The way he uses the ball is great, attacks the game, if anything talks the game on TOO much by foot. 182cm midfielder who I would be very happy to see at Tigerland next year. Baksetball background who glides through traffic. Dunno if it's the basketball but he cuts through traffic at pace. I'm a huge fan.
And Josh Smile, racked up touches but didn't blow me away. Still carrying baby fat, when he gets super fit he will be a unit. Still not sure he is a midfielder at the next level. Does he have the tricks? Can we overpower men as he does boys? Not sure. He will get on a list but I'm yet to make a view on him.
Mentha, Marz, Sims and Morales the four that I looked at and went, yep, wouldn't mind them in yellow and black.
Gippy v Dandy. Great game, super quick, super skilful. Ball zinging both ways all day. These boys stood out to me in no particular order.
Gippy 29 - Ricky Mentha - couldn't stop watching him. Had limited touches but he just danced around them, everything he did was pure class. Mentha is a NT indigenous lad who was relocated for the season to be part of the Power program. He is linked to the Demons NGA but I can't see him getting past 40. The movement reminded me of Shai Bolton but i reckon he is a bit bigger. Played high half forward and pushed to the wings and his decision-making was silk. Can't find his size but at a guess I rekcon he is 184. I'd have him at Tigerland tomorrow.
Gippy 3 - Xavier Lindsay - just ran all day, contest to contest, could get through traffic with a step but didn't blow me away athletically. A footballer, just knocked them up off back flanks, wing nad in the middle. Blue collar grunt but clean by foot came back inside with multiple kicks. Kicks on the left so always looks good. Lit of Dion Presita to him with the ball and movement-wise but doesn't have the inside game yet. One to watch.
Dandy 23 -Noah Mraz- Big strong key defender who rucked as well, good below his knees. 198 cm and moves well. Clear first rounder for me. Runs well, and reads the play very well. Great second efforts for a big bloke from spoiling to the next effort. When he can, runs hard to get involved with the play.
Dandy 27 Asher Eastman- Third forward type, 188cm, lead hard and straight at the ball carrier. Made space all day for himself and others, was clean in everything he did, and had a lovely snap with a pickup at full pace. Not sure what role he plays at the next level but on this day, he was very good.
Gippy 11 -Tom Hanily - Thought he was best on. Overager who just ran and ran all day. Would get involved in multiple actions in a chain but not in a "cheat way" ran hard to get to the next contest, not a kick and go get an easy one. Missed a lot of last year with injury but he looked like an AFL mid. The patterns he ran, the way he worked in stoppages and organized those around him. And his kicking was great.
Next game was a whitewash. Northern looked disorganized, no game plan, and looked like an under-16 side. Clearly the worst side I've seen thus far. No semblance of a game plan at all. Hard to gauge much from it.
Watched a couple closely as they had been mentioned on here.
Jesse Datoil - Ran twice as hard towards goal as he did the other way. Heard his best 2km time trial is around 7min. When he gets it, is very smart. And knows how to work through traffic offensively but he didn't impress me greatly at all. Maybe it was the game.
Zax Johnston - very outside, neat kick, didn't look overly quick. Want to see more of him as he didn't scream first rounder to me.
Those that caught me eye for good reasons;
Knights 18 -Thomas Sims - 199cm key forward who went in the ruck for spells as well. A coordinated 199cm. Runs and jumps at the ball with good timing. Still raw but has the tools to be a modern big forward. Kicked five in Round 1 along with 14 disposals, nine hit-outs, seven marks and three tackles. Wasn't as profilic here as the ball wasn't getting down there and the Knights didn't create space for him at all. Definitely one to watch as a key forward who can ruck not the other way around. He is in the black book.
9 Eastern - Christain Moraes - was everywhere. Kicked four, was involved in linkup play, run back to the D50. Liked everything about him. The way he uses the ball is great, attacks the game, if anything talks the game on TOO much by foot. 182cm midfielder who I would be very happy to see at Tigerland next year. Baksetball background who glides through traffic. Dunno if it's the basketball but he cuts through traffic at pace. I'm a huge fan.
And Josh Smile, racked up touches but didn't blow me away. Still carrying baby fat, when he gets super fit he will be a unit. Still not sure he is a midfielder at the next level. Does he have the tricks? Can we overpower men as he does boys? Not sure. He will get on a list but I'm yet to make a view on him.
Mentha, Marz, Sims and Morales the four that I looked at and went, yep, wouldn't mind them in yellow and black.
