One of the guys who is in a Tigers e-mail loop with me at work is putting together a one-a-day player critique starting at #1 and working through the player list. It's a pretty good read so I thought I would share it with you.
Part 20 in the series….
21 - Clinton King
Position: Small Midfielder / Run with player
Age: 24, turns 25 just before round 1
Height: 179cm
Weight: 76kg
Career Games: 79 (48 at Richmond)
Career Goals: 23 (10 at Richmond)
Draft History: Taken selection 21 in 1995 National Draft by Sydney, Lasted two seasons then was traded by Sydney to Collingwood with Stuart Mangin for Robbie Ahmat & Selection 40. Again lasted two seasons and was traded by Collingwood with draft pick 3 in the 1999 draft to Richmond for McKee & draft pick 7. A deal I still find bewildering given who we then selected.
2002 Averages: 19 games, 7.6 Kicks, 2.6 Marks, 6.6 Handballs, 0.2 Goals, 1.7 Tackles, 0.8 Rebounds, 2.4 Inside 50s, 2.5 Clearance, 1.2 Clangers
2002 Summary: Like so many fellow Tigers a disappointing year, culminating in him getting dropped after the Geelong debacle, spent three games at Coburg and won his spot back for the remainder of the year. Did manage to win plenty of the footy early in the season but constantly show-cased his ineffectiveness with the ball with his stock-in-trade the 35-40m drop punt to a contested situation. Did show the capacity to win footy - particularly at "stop-start" situations and got in and under, but scared me with an increasing desire to run defensive side of packs and receive footy - in that situation he is far more dangerous to us than to opponents.
Previously: Spent his first two years at Sydney as typical development years, 5 games in his first year, 4 in his second. Averaged 18 possessions from 8 games in his first year at Collingwood, then 19 from 14 games. As is normal for anyone recruited by Richmond from another club he had a "big-one" against us that year, picking up the 3 Brownlow votes. 16th in Richmond's B&F in 2000, 15th in 2001 in what was probably the peak of his career.
Ability: 2 - Only real ability is he can get in and under at pack situations, is a poor kick, doesn't have a lot of poise or skill.
Offence: 2.5 - Shown no ability to crumb in the forward line, can't kick over a jam tin, never seen likely to make a forward, rare for him to kick a goal from the midfield.
Defence: 5 - Is reasonable as run-with player at times, but can't seem to sustain it over the course of an entire game. Will work hard but does get targeted for physical pressure when he's tagging and struggles to overcome that.
Hardness: 5.5 - A tough category to rate, I'll give him good marks for courage and effort but would call him "tenacious" rather than genuinely hard. Not capable of exerting physical pressure on opponents and not real capable of handling it, but it won't stop him putting himself in.
Speed: 5 - I think I might be overrating him a touch here, can look to have reasonable pace outside, but no real great acceleration and often run-off. The more I think about him the more the question mark on pace comes up, so I'm probably giving him the benefit of the doubt rating him as average.
Stamina: 6 - Although I'm rating him above average, I do think he does have trouble seeing games out, but that's more to do with him struggling to deal with the physical pressure rather than his pure running ability which I think isn't too bad.
Delivery: 2 - Well below average. Simple, King can't kick, not great with his hands really either. Doesn't directly turn the ball over that often actually, it's more that he's so limited it's short to a contest, which is worse in my eyes that a Bowden long bomb which misses the target.
Air: 3 - Also quite poor. Can drop them from any situation, even clear.
Ground: 6 - Is slightly better than average at being able to pick the ball off the turf, and his greatest strength is an ability to work in close win the footy in a pack situation.
Injury: 4 - Has regularly missed games, came to us having missed the last six games of 1999 with a foot injury. Has the sort of body that probably struggles to cope with the pounding at AFL level.
Ruck: 0 - Really is a N/A. Was actually credited with three hitouts while at Collingwood. Obviously rigged to entice us to swap a Ruckman for him!
Temperament: 6 - Seems relatively good temperament but I don't think he's great under pressure.
Ball: 6 - Is a better than average ball winner, statistically that's backed up with respectable numbers.
Part 20 in the series….
21 - Clinton King
Position: Small Midfielder / Run with player
Age: 24, turns 25 just before round 1
Height: 179cm
Weight: 76kg
Career Games: 79 (48 at Richmond)
Career Goals: 23 (10 at Richmond)
Draft History: Taken selection 21 in 1995 National Draft by Sydney, Lasted two seasons then was traded by Sydney to Collingwood with Stuart Mangin for Robbie Ahmat & Selection 40. Again lasted two seasons and was traded by Collingwood with draft pick 3 in the 1999 draft to Richmond for McKee & draft pick 7. A deal I still find bewildering given who we then selected.
2002 Averages: 19 games, 7.6 Kicks, 2.6 Marks, 6.6 Handballs, 0.2 Goals, 1.7 Tackles, 0.8 Rebounds, 2.4 Inside 50s, 2.5 Clearance, 1.2 Clangers
2002 Summary: Like so many fellow Tigers a disappointing year, culminating in him getting dropped after the Geelong debacle, spent three games at Coburg and won his spot back for the remainder of the year. Did manage to win plenty of the footy early in the season but constantly show-cased his ineffectiveness with the ball with his stock-in-trade the 35-40m drop punt to a contested situation. Did show the capacity to win footy - particularly at "stop-start" situations and got in and under, but scared me with an increasing desire to run defensive side of packs and receive footy - in that situation he is far more dangerous to us than to opponents.
Previously: Spent his first two years at Sydney as typical development years, 5 games in his first year, 4 in his second. Averaged 18 possessions from 8 games in his first year at Collingwood, then 19 from 14 games. As is normal for anyone recruited by Richmond from another club he had a "big-one" against us that year, picking up the 3 Brownlow votes. 16th in Richmond's B&F in 2000, 15th in 2001 in what was probably the peak of his career.
Ability: 2 - Only real ability is he can get in and under at pack situations, is a poor kick, doesn't have a lot of poise or skill.
Offence: 2.5 - Shown no ability to crumb in the forward line, can't kick over a jam tin, never seen likely to make a forward, rare for him to kick a goal from the midfield.
Defence: 5 - Is reasonable as run-with player at times, but can't seem to sustain it over the course of an entire game. Will work hard but does get targeted for physical pressure when he's tagging and struggles to overcome that.
Hardness: 5.5 - A tough category to rate, I'll give him good marks for courage and effort but would call him "tenacious" rather than genuinely hard. Not capable of exerting physical pressure on opponents and not real capable of handling it, but it won't stop him putting himself in.
Speed: 5 - I think I might be overrating him a touch here, can look to have reasonable pace outside, but no real great acceleration and often run-off. The more I think about him the more the question mark on pace comes up, so I'm probably giving him the benefit of the doubt rating him as average.
Stamina: 6 - Although I'm rating him above average, I do think he does have trouble seeing games out, but that's more to do with him struggling to deal with the physical pressure rather than his pure running ability which I think isn't too bad.
Delivery: 2 - Well below average. Simple, King can't kick, not great with his hands really either. Doesn't directly turn the ball over that often actually, it's more that he's so limited it's short to a contest, which is worse in my eyes that a Bowden long bomb which misses the target.
Air: 3 - Also quite poor. Can drop them from any situation, even clear.
Ground: 6 - Is slightly better than average at being able to pick the ball off the turf, and his greatest strength is an ability to work in close win the footy in a pack situation.
Injury: 4 - Has regularly missed games, came to us having missed the last six games of 1999 with a foot injury. Has the sort of body that probably struggles to cope with the pounding at AFL level.
Ruck: 0 - Really is a N/A. Was actually credited with three hitouts while at Collingwood. Obviously rigged to entice us to swap a Ruckman for him!
Temperament: 6 - Seems relatively good temperament but I don't think he's great under pressure.
Ball: 6 - Is a better than average ball winner, statistically that's backed up with respectable numbers.
