It could be worse.. look at CFC

[BalmyArmy]

Sam Isles, their first pick in the Pre season draft.  Not the best review by the Wiz....

Sam Iles (Tassie Mariners)

183/76 top-age right foot (has other foot if necessary) HBF/midfielder.

*STYLE LIKE: (Unfortunately his style is not AFL)

*MY RANKING (not meant to reflect appropriate draft pick to use): NA

*PROBABILITY OF AFL CAREER: Highly unlikely.

*HURT FACTORS (Offensive/Defensive/Negative): L-M / L / M

*TRADEMARK:

- Run hard from play to play

- Hover just outside the play but without actually participating - then run on to next play and repeat.

*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:

- Very top-age hard-running trier. Good ethic (on and off-field) but seriously lacks sufficient smarts and poise for AFL.

This will come across as a brutal assessment. I don't enjoy doing this, most particularly for a kid like Iles who is of good character and who always tries. However I cannot escape the conclusion that Sam falls well short of any AFL potential. If he does get drafted, he will be one of the least footy smart AFL-listed small-mids I can recall in recent years.

- When I was 12, I was the kid who was very team orientated and tried really hard but always seemed to get to the play just a bit late or run to the wrong spot at the play or fail to demand the ball when in good position to create an option or not be able to think quickly enough when I got it. Then the ball would leave the area and I'd chase the play like a puppy playing fetch. On a video, the appearance would have been of the ball/play going up and down the ground with me usually handy to it but not footy smart enough to make an impact or to know when or how to best involve myself. So it is with Sam ..... but he turns 19yo in 2 months.

If you were to watch a video of a typical Iles game, you would see him in the picture as often as just about any player, so hard does he work to get to plays. The problem is that, at the play, you will routinely see him hovering just outside and often in not quite the right spot. Furthermore, you will often see him in no-man's land caught in between plays. For someone who is at plays as often as he is, albeit at the edge, his stats are relatively low. He just doesn't go for the contested ball anywhere near enough (nothing to do with courage).

- My impression of Sam is that he is a team man and always tries his hardest. He just doesn't think like a footballer, AFL or otherwise. I never get the impression that Sam is confident or sure of a strategy or ability to carry it out. He plays too much in the style of what you see in a trier in an under 12 game.

- To his credit, he has already had exposure against men this year, playing 4 VFL Seniors games including 2 finals. Was named 6th best on debut but really struggled (as his whole team did) in semi-final (initially on Justin Davies then others).

 

[BalmyArmy]

*DISPOSAL:

- He is quite a good kick when under absolutely no pressure. Otherwise his kicking is mixed bag. I don't have a problem with his kicking skills per se but with his decision-making/smarts on many occasions. Ditto with his handballing.

Unfortunately, Iles unnecessarily turns the ball over too often or simply doesn't use it effectively often enough.

His disposals overall have too low a hurt factor - a lot of dinky little "nothing" kicks, a lot of (often unnecessarily) rushed disposals, some poor decision-making.

- Quite good around goals (although he doesn't venture close to goals very often)

*DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:

- This is what kills Sam. Lacks footy smarts big-time.

- Poor awareness - too often plays as if he is under more pressure than he actually is. Lacks poise and vision under pressure. Struggles to think his way through situations under pressure. Too many panic decisions and rushed kicks. On the other hand, but part of the same problem, he sometimes tries to do too much. eg Taking on the man on the mark in a potential set kick scenario but apparently without a plan in mind beyond that. Fundamentally, he does not think quickly enough or have the instinctive smarts an AFL footballer needs.

- Routinely reactive - not nearly pro-active enough. A list of the best AFL players would include many who are First Dibs and some who are Predators. Sam is a Predator (certainly not First Dibs) but he is too often a non-participating predator. Poor anticipation. Waits to see what unfolds and, by the time it does, he's been relegated to the role of spectator. He routinely positions himself just outside the play but seems unsure where to position himself, what to do and when. It's as if he is scared of mucking up so he waits until the ball is clear and he can have time to think. At AFL level, you reduce yourself to the role of regularly impotent spectator with that approach. Sam regularly finds this even at U18 level. Iles lacks rudimentary understanding of where to position himself at traffic and how to present himself (demand the ball), and he is too slow to react.

- Poor reader of the immediate play and of the ball.

- Even when under no pressure, he can make some very dumb decisions. (eg 20m kick-out up the corridor to a 1-1 or 1-2).

- Defensively, he is routinely easily wrong-footed. Furthermore, although he often tries to man up at the edge of traffic, there is a worrying pattern of Sam still being in the same spot a few seconds later and his opponent by then being in the middle of the action and perhaps having taken possession. Sam's opponents routinely slip unnoticed into space while he is concentrating on the play in front of him.

- Quite good evasive skills but he is not routinely judicious in choosing when to exercise them. Poor traffic management - seems to panic.

- Goes to ground too often. I don't mean in a soft sense but in the manner of someone brand new to the game who tends to jump on the ball or opponent and doesn't understand the need to brace the body over the ball and make every effort to keep one's feet in order to remain as active as possible in the contest and increase your chances of being able to do something constructive.

- Kick-to-handball ratio was higher this year than in '04, perhaps too high. Needs to feed off by hand in some situations where he currently tries to kick or to take the opponent on or run out of trouble.

*HANDS:

- A fairly regular double-handler, especially (but not only) under any sort of pressure. Tends to "pick at" the ball instead of being determined to make it his. Is also inclined on occasions to unnecessarily run around the back of the loose ball or tap-tap-tap it along the ground like a 12yo waiting for it to bounce up instead of attacking it with conviction.

*OVERHEAD MARKING:

- Not a big feature of his game. He gets a pass mark for those he is in good position for. However he too often doesn't position himself well for marks. In particular, doesn't try to protect the ball when he has the opportunity and he is inclined to too often be a bit vulnerable in the way he approaches his marks (eg staying in his initial position and throwing an arm out and up in hope at the last moment, instead of pushing hard by foot for an extra couple of metres to be able to square up in a balanced, protected/protective manner.

*ATHLETICISM:

- Very good all-round DC results.

- Excellent endurance. This is probably his main physical/skills attribute.

- Very quick 5m time at DC but that doesn't translate to a game because of his lack of anticipation or pro-activity. Pace over 15-30m is OK (about average for his size) but he is not very quick on a longer run or chase. (Will never be a run-the-lines type).

- Costs himself initial speed in a run by being too hunched and with head bent.

- Poor reflexes.

*INTENSITY, ETHIC:

- Very good ethic in terms of chasing, tackling, 1%ers.

- Seriously lacks intensity at the play and at the ball. He routinely hovers just outside the play (see above). I'm not suggesting he is soft - just way too indecisive / hesitant / reactive.

- Tackling effectiveness is mixed bag. Tries to lay as many tackles as possible but too many don't stick. His technique means that that his arms too often slide down the opponents body and the opponent is too often not prevented from getting off the handball. Also he too often takes himself out of the play by going to ground when trying to tackle (even when the opponent doesn't get dragged to ground).

- Excellent off-field ethic. Prepares himself well. Very coachable.

*CONSISTENCY:

- Sam is quite consistent in that there is not much difference between his typically best and typically worst games. Statistically, he regularly gets around 12-15 disposals in an U18 game.

*AFL VERSATILITY:

- I would be happy for Sam to prove me wrong but I can't see Sam at AFL level.

*CSI (COMPARATIVE SCOPE for IMPROVEMENT):

- Less than normal (no special factors). Would have been too old for U18s in '05 were he born 11 days earlier, and he has been "through the system: (eg played in 6 U18 Champs games over 2 years, plus many U18 trials, TAC games and also 4 VFL games).

*QUERY:

- Footy smarts (especially decision-making, awareness, poise)

- Attack on the ball / non pro-active mentality

- Ball-handling

- Ability to keep feet / stay in the contest.

*SOME STATS:

- Stats summary '05 U18 Champs:

Averaged 13 disposals and 2.3 marks in his 3 games. (Best TD 18).

Kicks per 20 disp: 15.

Kicks long vs short: 17-7 (7 long per 10 kicks).

Ineffective kicks: 5/29 (1.7 per 10 kicks), incl 1 clangers (0.3 per 10 kicks).

Ineffective handballs: 2/11 (1.8 per 10 handballs), incl 0 clangers (0.0 per 10 handballs).

Ineffective disposals: 7/40 (3.5 per 20 disp), incl 1 clangers (0.5 per 20 disp).

HandBall Receives: 15/40 (8 per 20 disp).

Hardball gets: 4/40 (2 per 20 disp).

S.P. clearances: 7/40 (4 per 20 disp), incl 1 BU (1 per 20 disp), incl 4 CBC (2 per 20 disp).

Tackles: 2 (Avg 0.7 per game).

Marks: 7 (4 per 20 disp), incl 0 contested (0.0 per 10 marks).

- Stats summary '04 U18 Champs:

Averaged 12 disposals and 0.7 marks in his 3 games. (Best TD 14).

Kicks per 20 disp: 13.

Kicks long vs short: 11-6 (6 long per 10 kicks).

Ineffective kicks: 7/24 (3 per 10 kicks), incl 3 clangers (1 per 10 kicks).

Ineffective handballs: 3/13 (2 per 10 handballs), incl 0 clangers (0 per 10 handballs).

Ineffective disposals: 10/37 (5 per 20 disp), incl 3 clangers (2 per 20 disp).

HandBall Receives: 10/37 (5 per 20 disp).

Hardball gets: 5/37 (3 per 20 disp).

S.P. clearances: 7/37 (4 per 20 disp), incl 3 BU (2 per 20 disp), incl 0 CBC (0 per 20 disp).

Tackles: 7 (Avg 2.3 per game).

Marks: 2 (1 per 20 disp), incl 1 contested (5 per 10 marks).

*OTHER STUFF:

- Promising form for Tassie Devils VFL late '05 (played 4 games incl both finals). Listed as 6th best for his team on debut.

 

[TigerForce]

Anybody got Scumwood's always high wooden spoon odds ?

 

[Harry]

Coincidence that a mad collingwood supporter has given most, if not all of the pies recruits bad reviews.  Conspiracy to deter other clubs perhaps ?

 

[BalmyArmy]

He doesn't reveal his profiles till after the drafts, so unless clubs actualy rely on Wiz's profiles I doubt it is a conspiracy.

 

[Harry]

I read somewhere that he provides them to some clubs before the draft.