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Pick 53: Jack Graham
- Thread starter puregreen
- Start date
E
easy_tiger
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thejinx said:
he looks the complete opposite of Shai Bolton.
when Shai has the ball, everyone else seems to freeze frame
when Jack II has the ball, everyone seems to go into fast forward while he shuffle/waddles around
didnt stop him beating Mcluggage and Ainsworth and Tarantoni and McGrath and SPS and that for the Larke Medal but.
I reckon we could have cracked an old fashion draft bargain.
Tony Braxton-Hicks
There are no stupid ideas, just stupid people
B
Bill James
Guest
E
easy_tiger
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SA captain Jack Graham chasing the respect his Larke Medal deserves
ANDREW CAPEL, The Advertiser
November 11, 2016 8:30am
Subscriber only
JACK Graham feels disrespected and “confused’’.
SA’s first Larke Medallist since 2002 and just the state’s fourth ever, Graham has read the early national draft predictions and is disappointed that most don’t view him as a top-20 pick this year.
This is despite the Larke Medal — awarded to the best division one player at the AFL under-18 championships — traditionally making its winner a sky-high selection.
Since 2005, the Larke Medallist has eight times been drafted with either the first or second pick. Examples include Carlton captain Marc Murphy, Melbourne pair Jack Watts and Christian Petracca and Giants duo Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Whitfield.
“It is a bit confusing and I guess you do question whether you are good enough,’’ said North Adelaide’s Graham, who captained SA at this year’s championships and earned All-Australian selection.
“I’ve done some research on where Larke Medallists have been drafted before and seeing that and then where I’ve been rated has been a bit disappointing.
“But I try not to think about it too much because my goal is just to get on an AFL list, whether it’s at pick one or pick 100.’’
SA high performance manager Brenton Phillips also is at a loss to understand why Graham doesn’t appear to be on clubs’ radar as a high-end pick.
He likens the 18-year-old big-bodied midfielder, the son of former West Torrens and Woodville-West Torrens utility Jeff Graham, who played 77 games between 1987-92, to four-times Hawthorn premiership star Luke Hodge.
Phillips is convinced natural leader Graham will have a stellar AFL career.
“He’s a Luke Hodge-type, a really hard, inside, contested-ball winner who probably spreads a bit harder than Hodge,’’ Phillips said.
“He’s a terrific competitor who once the ball is bounced imposes himself on the contest and just finds a way to get the footy.’’
Strong ... Jack Graham gets his handball away dor South Australia against Vic Country. Picture: Mark Stewart
The knock on Graham, it appears, is that he already is physically well developed at 183cm and 83kg and might not be able to bully men as he has players of his own age group.
But the same was said of just-retired Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich when he was coming through the under-age ranks at Woodville-West Torrens.
Both Adelaide and Port Adelaide infamously overlooked Pavlich when he was draft-eligible as a 17-year-old in 1998 before he was grabbed by the Dockers at pick four the following year.
He went on to become a champion, setting club records in games (353) and goals (700) for Fremantle.
Graham also has had some durability issues and missed the AFL draft combine with a strained quad muscle.
“Given he’s already got that big body I guess some AFL clubs are uncertain how he will translate to the AFL,’’ said Phillips.
“But he’ll be fine. He’s a competitor, a great young man and he’ll find a way to compete at that level, don’t worry about that.’’
Graham, who this year became the first Croweater to win the Larke Medal since West Adelaide’s Byron Schammer in 2002 — Schammer was selected by the Dockers at pick 13 in that year’s draft — also was voted as SA’s MVP, illustrating his leadership values in a side that finished second.
Physically he is ready to step straight into AFL ranks next year.
“It’s just made me more hungry; I want to prove a few people wrong,’’ Graham said of not getting the recognition his medal should dictate.
He has cut his teeth as an inside midfielder but has worked hard on his outside game and two-way running to become a more complete player.
“I like winning the hard ball but I’ve improved my running and outside game a lot so that I feel comfortable to also play at halfback and on the wing,’’ he said.
“You have to be versatile in modern footy and I think I’ve got to the stage now where I can play in various positions.’’
ANDREW CAPEL, The Advertiser
November 11, 2016 8:30am
Subscriber only
JACK Graham feels disrespected and “confused’’.
SA’s first Larke Medallist since 2002 and just the state’s fourth ever, Graham has read the early national draft predictions and is disappointed that most don’t view him as a top-20 pick this year.
This is despite the Larke Medal — awarded to the best division one player at the AFL under-18 championships — traditionally making its winner a sky-high selection.
Since 2005, the Larke Medallist has eight times been drafted with either the first or second pick. Examples include Carlton captain Marc Murphy, Melbourne pair Jack Watts and Christian Petracca and Giants duo Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Whitfield.
“It is a bit confusing and I guess you do question whether you are good enough,’’ said North Adelaide’s Graham, who captained SA at this year’s championships and earned All-Australian selection.
“I’ve done some research on where Larke Medallists have been drafted before and seeing that and then where I’ve been rated has been a bit disappointing.
“But I try not to think about it too much because my goal is just to get on an AFL list, whether it’s at pick one or pick 100.’’
SA high performance manager Brenton Phillips also is at a loss to understand why Graham doesn’t appear to be on clubs’ radar as a high-end pick.
He likens the 18-year-old big-bodied midfielder, the son of former West Torrens and Woodville-West Torrens utility Jeff Graham, who played 77 games between 1987-92, to four-times Hawthorn premiership star Luke Hodge.
Phillips is convinced natural leader Graham will have a stellar AFL career.
“He’s a Luke Hodge-type, a really hard, inside, contested-ball winner who probably spreads a bit harder than Hodge,’’ Phillips said.
“He’s a terrific competitor who once the ball is bounced imposes himself on the contest and just finds a way to get the footy.’’
Strong ... Jack Graham gets his handball away dor South Australia against Vic Country. Picture: Mark Stewart
The knock on Graham, it appears, is that he already is physically well developed at 183cm and 83kg and might not be able to bully men as he has players of his own age group.
But the same was said of just-retired Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich when he was coming through the under-age ranks at Woodville-West Torrens.
Both Adelaide and Port Adelaide infamously overlooked Pavlich when he was draft-eligible as a 17-year-old in 1998 before he was grabbed by the Dockers at pick four the following year.
He went on to become a champion, setting club records in games (353) and goals (700) for Fremantle.
Graham also has had some durability issues and missed the AFL draft combine with a strained quad muscle.
“Given he’s already got that big body I guess some AFL clubs are uncertain how he will translate to the AFL,’’ said Phillips.
“But he’ll be fine. He’s a competitor, a great young man and he’ll find a way to compete at that level, don’t worry about that.’’
Graham, who this year became the first Croweater to win the Larke Medal since West Adelaide’s Byron Schammer in 2002 — Schammer was selected by the Dockers at pick 13 in that year’s draft — also was voted as SA’s MVP, illustrating his leadership values in a side that finished second.
Physically he is ready to step straight into AFL ranks next year.
“It’s just made me more hungry; I want to prove a few people wrong,’’ Graham said of not getting the recognition his medal should dictate.
He has cut his teeth as an inside midfielder but has worked hard on his outside game and two-way running to become a more complete player.
“I like winning the hard ball but I’ve improved my running and outside game a lot so that I feel comfortable to also play at halfback and on the wing,’’ he said.
“You have to be versatile in modern footy and I think I’ve got to the stage now where I can play in various positions.’’
I like this guy. I've written him already on the draft thread for his ill-fitting shorts.
Graham is unfashionable. Tick. His BWA numbers are great. As Gyps has pointed out elsewhere it was Graham who dominated the VicM midfield in the Carnival. And won the underdog the match.
*But he's a scrappy kick.* Yes. He is. That's why he slipped to #53. (He was always likely to slide.)
It's the way he hits the fall that I like. At velocity. And then he takes it with him. This reminds me of Scott Thompson. Unlike Thompson Graham changes direction in the contest. But he wins it and he runs away.
I think he's built for the game. Built like Thompson. Or even more like Paul Chapman. Short legs. Barrel body. Freakishly low centre of gravity. Prestia is built like that. When you're built like a bowling ball all the other players are built like pins.
I don't like Graham's outside game much.
His stoppage work is great. His numbers. Great. He's not a big-bodied midfielder. (They are 90+kg.) But his type is the antidote. Think Scott Thompson. As a type, even GAj. Bowling balls. *Oh, you're 6'4 and 17st. I just broke your knees with my pelvis.*
Not many elite clearance winners are drafted below the first round. And fewer still have shorts that fit so badly. (Graham is a fatty.) So Jack is a roughie. But he is not a reach. He's the other kind of choice. Value.
Good play with a poor hand.
Graham is unfashionable. Tick. His BWA numbers are great. As Gyps has pointed out elsewhere it was Graham who dominated the VicM midfield in the Carnival. And won the underdog the match.
*But he's a scrappy kick.* Yes. He is. That's why he slipped to #53. (He was always likely to slide.)
It's the way he hits the fall that I like. At velocity. And then he takes it with him. This reminds me of Scott Thompson. Unlike Thompson Graham changes direction in the contest. But he wins it and he runs away.
I think he's built for the game. Built like Thompson. Or even more like Paul Chapman. Short legs. Barrel body. Freakishly low centre of gravity. Prestia is built like that. When you're built like a bowling ball all the other players are built like pins.
I don't like Graham's outside game much.
His stoppage work is great. His numbers. Great. He's not a big-bodied midfielder. (They are 90+kg.) But his type is the antidote. Think Scott Thompson. As a type, even GAj. Bowling balls. *Oh, you're 6'4 and 17st. I just broke your knees with my pelvis.*
Not many elite clearance winners are drafted below the first round. And fewer still have shorts that fit so badly. (Graham is a fatty.) So Jack is a roughie. But he is not a reach. He's the other kind of choice. Value.
Good play with a poor hand.
Another comparison -
In his U18 year Nathan Jones played HBF. He was confused. Unathletic. And scrappy. (But played, according to orthodox football principles, HBF to sharpen his disposal.) Graham plays at 18yo in the style that Jones did at 22yo. IN the style. Not as well.
Graham is a perfectly respectable AFL type.
In his U18 year Nathan Jones played HBF. He was confused. Unathletic. And scrappy. (But played, according to orthodox football principles, HBF to sharpen his disposal.) Graham plays at 18yo in the style that Jones did at 22yo. IN the style. Not as well.
Graham is a perfectly respectable AFL type.
