Brock McLean

[Redford]

Did anyone else go the the MCG over the weekend to watch the National U/18 Championships ?

Brock McLean, the nephew of Ricky McLean, played very well for Vic Metro. He's a 182 cm on-baller with good speed and courage, and with half reasonable disposal. Exactly the type we need at RFC. He got quite a lot of the footy - I was amazed he wasn't in Vic Metro's best players.

I understand though that his father played at Carlton, and as Brock played in the U/17 Ireland series (where he also played very well) that he is only 16 and thus won't be eligible for this year's draft. Can anyone confirm this ?

I watched 3 games on the weekend in their entirety, so if anyone wants to know how certain players fared, or has wind of any potential players that we may be recruiting, let me know and I'll give you my "unprofessional" view of how they performed in the first game of the Championships.

 

[PuntRoadRoar]

Players to watch - Division Two
12:04:57 PM Sat 5 July, 2003
Kevin Sheehan
afl.com.au
Related Content:

National AFL U18 Championships

These are just some of the division two names to watch out for during the National AFL under 18 championships from July 5-13.


New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory – David Trotter, Calder Cannons, 185cm, 77kg



Trotter is a medium inside defender from the Calder Cannons and Assumption College. He is certainly a modern-day player, as he can play almost anywhere on the ground. He has gone forward in the lead-up games and kicked five against South Australia, as an impressive forward. We also saw him play a sweeping role across half-back, while he can even play midfield. He is a very versatile player, who is a nice size as well. Trotter has got clean hands and is a good decision maker, while he uses the ball very smartly. He mixes his footy between Assumption College, which has produced the likes of Shane Crawford and Billy Brownless, and the Calder Cannons. He is captain of Assumption College, while he was also a member of the AIS/AFL academy side this year. He has had a lot on his plate this year, but he is another who is expected to catch the eye.


Northern Territory – Raphael Clarke, St Marys, 189cm, 78kg

Well, you can’t go past Raphael Clarke, who is yet to turn 18, but will in September – the brother of Xavier. He played for the Aboriginal All-Stars earlier this year against Carlton and was impressive in that game, adding to an already impressive football CV, when you consider that he also played in these championships in the past two years. He is a tall outside midfielder, who rarely gets beaten in one-on-one situations, while he has got terrific athletic ability and has a very good aerobic capacity. He just seems to glide over the ground, while he is able to score long goals on the run. He has got that uncanny ability to find the big sticks. Clarke has had a good grounding in the Northern Territory and he is a taller version of his brother that everyone will be keeping their eye on.


Queensland – Andrew Raines, Palm Beach, 182cm, 71kg

Another name to keep an eye on will certainly be Andrew Raines, who is a medium outside midfielder who has plenty of pace and can read the play well. He missed the under-16 nationals last year due to injury, but we have seen him play some terrific football in the lead-up games. He is the son of Geoff, who was a champion player for Richmond. Geoff also played for Collingwood, Essendon and Brisbane. Andrew’s older brother Nick is already at the Brisbane Lions, as a rookie-list player. Andrew’s first crack at the championships will not only be watched closely by the Richmond recruiting people, but all football followers, who will look for the similar attributes that Geoff delighted crowds with for many years.


Tasmania – Brett Robinson, Burnie Dockers, 180cm, 68kg

Robinson is a small outside midfielder, who is capable of running over 16 plus on the beep-test. He has an enormous endurance capacity and is a great ball-winner, while he is also dangerous around the goals and reads the play very well. He has had the advantage of playing some senior games with the Tassie Devils in the VFL this year and has been a consistent midfield player for the Tassie Mariners in their under-16 and under-18 programs. Tasmania will expect a real spark from Robinson, if they are to be successful this year.

 

[shawry]

Redford: would be interested to hear your htoughts on how Andrew Raines performed considerig he wasnt namedi n the best. Also Clinton Proctor is you saw him, i assume he is related to Lionel.

 

[Redford]

Shawry, the Quensland v NT game wasnt played at the G - it was played at TEAC Oval so I cant comment on young Raines coz I didnt see him. I watched all other 3 games though.

However, I can tell you from sources within the club that they are a bit unsure about him. They think there may be better options. In fact, in all likelihood, from what I’ve heard from a few people at the club, Richmond will pursue more mature and established players in the 21 y.o. to 23 y.o. range outside of the National Draft This is owing to 1) our immediate need to be more physical in games and b) the lack of depth in the National Draft itself this year.

As for Proctor, he is extremely small and slight (appx. 175 cm) and was unsighted throughout the Vic Country v WA game. Given their needs, I wouldn’t expect he is the sort of player that theyd be looking at.

 

[Rampaging_Richo]

Brock McLean.....sounds like the name of a porno star ;D ;D

If he is a goer, with some decent leg speed, and can get the ball, we need him.

As for Kevin Sheehan, I have never heard him say a bad or even ordinary word about any player ever, which I think creates this inflated opinion of every kid that comes out of the TAC.

I remember his opinion of Andrew Mills was that he was a strong marking key position forward who had great goal sense ??? Maybe there was another Andrew Mills in the 1999 national draft. ;D

 

[shawry]

Thanks Redford. Appreciate it.

Am surprised ot hear about looking at 21-23yo's though. Isnt that what we aer criticising them for now.

Guess we will jsut have to wait and see. I guess if Raines and Roach etc are notworthy of a number 2 or 3 round pick then we shouldnt draft the under father/son.

 

[Rosy]

I find this list interesting.

These are the winners of the Larke medal given to best palyer in the under 18 championships. Apparently 1996 was the first year it was awarded.

3 of the 8 winners have been on our list. Maybe best player in the championships isn't as good a criteria to use as overall season performance.

1996 Pat Steinfort (Vic-M)
1997 Tim Finocchiaro (Vic-M)
1998 Garth Taylor (WA)
1999 Paul Hasleby (WA)
2000 Kayne Pettifer (Vic-C)
2001 Sam Power (Vic-M) & Steven Armstrong (WA)
2002 Byron Schammer (SA)

 

[DragicevicFan]

Maybe that scared us away from Schammer this year

 

[mightytiges]

Maybe best player in the championships isn't as good a criteria to use as overall season performance.

Unfortunately I think this is the criteria Beck seems to use. Definitely appeared the case when he gave his explanation for drafting Pettifer a few weeks back on club corner - played one good game on a HFF and suddenly he's the crumbing forward we "needed" at the time.

Surely recruiters should watch junior players over a whole season not just a few games in the finals. Nearly every footballer has played one blinder in their lifetime. Doesn't mean he's got the goods.

 

[Rampaging_Richo]

For some reason I will defend Beck, but Kayne was a standout in the TAC that year, winning Larke Medal, All Australian, and premiership with Murray Bushrangers.

But for some reason he hasn't come on at all and looks unlikely to. In fact he has gone backwards this year with his petulance and lack of attack on the ball. Time to cut our losses with Kayne and offload him for something else. May be a good swap for Patrick Bowden.

I am happy with the selection of Shulz, as big men are in short supply, and by all accounts (and what I have seen of him) he has plenty of ability and could turn into that mobile big man that Adam Goodes has fashioned.

 

[gustiger12]

Just read on the Net that PETTIFER was reported twice on the weekend and that Jay SCHULZ kicked 4 goals for Coburg.

 

[Rosy]

By on the net I hope you meant the best site on the net Gus. ;D
That has been posted on both this board and the Coburg section too.

 

[Redford]

Yeah, its funny how some players get wrapped up at the championships or even win best player medals, but can’t kick on at AFL level after they have been drafted.

Although having said that, I can understand why this might happen after watching the games on the weekend. Mark Blake (Rod Blake’s son) from Vic Country for example couldn’t have had any more than a handful of possessions and also got an absolute towelling from Kepler Bradley. But somehow he ended up in Vic Country’s best. Clearly there are a number of players who get wrapped up on reputation rather than performance at the Championships.

Also, I think there’s a few players who do actually play well, but whose deficiencies get exposed when they get to AFL level. Kayne Pettifer is a classic in this regard where he could get away with his lack of pace and physicality at junior level, but not at AFL level. Obviously Beck can’t see through these types and that’s what makes him a poor recruiting manager.

 

[johnson2richo2003]

In fact, in all likelihood, from what I’ve heard from a few people at the club, Richmond will pursue more mature and established players in the 21 y.o. to 23 y.o. range outside of the National Draft This is owing to 1) our immediate need to be more physical in games and b) the lack of depth in the National Draft itself this year.

id say the fiora and pettifer situation has caused this rethink and perhaps after our 1st 2 picks in the draft it might be worthwhile getting a few 21-23 yr olds who have matured and we know exactly what we are getting.
one player who i was suprised didnt get picked up last year and is very much in the buckley mould is a boy named tweeby who i believe he is playing in the sanfl atm.

 

[Tigerdog]

j2r did he wear number 5 for eastern ranges in last years grand final?

 

[johnson2richo2003]

j2r did he wear number 5 for eastern ranges in last years grand final?

cant remember the number he wore but yep he did play of the ranges

 

[shawry]

one player who i was suprised didnt get picked up last year and is very much in the buckley mould is a boy named tweeby who i believe he is playing in the sanfl atm.

Never heard of him. Who does he play for, i will find out about him from my mates that play SANFL.

 

[Redford]

Yeah, that's him but his name is Treeby....Leigh Treeby. No. 5.

He actually made the TAC Cup team of the year last year so you'd think he could play a bit but he did not get drafted - to many people's surprise. (He also played for Eastern in the TAC Cup Grand Final as well.)

He certainly looked like Nathan Buckley. He was a very physical player who "looked like a footballer" to use a pun. But his kicking was wayward. I've got some tapes of some of his games and he misses a lot of tragets. There were concerns amongst the clubs about his aerobic ability as well.

 

[JohnF]

Brock McLean.....sounds like the name of a porno star ;D ;D

Are you thinking of Brock Landers from the movie "Boogie Nights"? ;D