Who'll Shine in 2009?

[WayneJudson42]

With 35 retiring, who do we have coming thru?

I confess that I'm no expert on the kids.

Not sold on Armo yet. Will be another Ball type mid. No superstar, but should come good.

Gwilt will hopefully build on this year and establish himself.

McEvoy = long term.
Allen?
Geary?
Steven?

Do we have a fast mid coming thru?

Who will fill Harvey's role? Dal? Not sure if Joey is good enough to be 1st tier mid ATM. We need X fit and firing.

Any predictions? Any obvious standouts?

[Pilgram]

R Eddy

[saintly_safes]

Mentioned this on previous post but didn't get a response. I asked if anybody had seen a bit of McEvoy as i've seen very little of him . I'm not knocking the kid but appeared to be good overhead but a bit slow similar to Fergus Watts. What do the rest of you think about him?

[Pilgram]

he has some potential, not a lot, but some.

[Bowey Boy]

R Eddy

Agreed !!

I am now sold on Gwilt, especially once he gets out of the backline.

and...

wait for it...

Jason Blake - like many talls - hitting his peak after many years of solid but unspectacular service.

I think that there is still a bit of a concern about the quality and number of kids coming through. I was at the Scorpion's game last Saturday and besides the greasy sausages and VBs, there was not much to impress me. However the weather was pretty average and Box Hill had a day out in the second half.

[Saints43]

Mentioned this on previous post but didn't get a response. I asked if anybody had seen a bit of McEvoy as i've seen very little of him . I'm not knocking the kid but appeared to be good overhead but a bit slow similar to Fergus Watts. What do the rest of you think about him?

Apart from Senior game time I have only seen McEvoy play a full game for Casey against Williamstown. He played nearly the whole game and barely touched the ball in the ruck or around the ground (Peter Street is a huge man, though) and had another mark (at a vital time in the game) go straight through his hands.

But he looked to move around the ground pretty well to me. Just couldn't find much of the ball. I wouldn't think that his running capacity or pace would be holding him back but others would have seen plenty more of him than me.

[degruch]

R Eddy

Agreed !!

I am now sold on Gwilt, especially once he gets out of the backline.

and...

wait for it...

Jason Blake - like many talls - hitting his peak after many years of solid but unspectacular service.

I think that there is still a bit of a concern about the quality and number of kids coming through. I was at the Scorpion's game last Saturday and besides the greasy sausages and VBs, there was not much to impress me. However the weather was pretty average and Box Hill had a day out in the second half.

Shouldn't you be watching Sandringham?

[Bowey Boy]

R Eddy

Agreed !!

I am now sold on Gwilt, especially once he gets out of the backline.

and...

wait for it...

Jason Blake - like many talls - hitting his peak after many years of solid but unspectacular service.

I think that there is still a bit of a concern about the quality and number of kids coming through. I was at the Scorpion's game last Saturday and besides the greasy sausages and VBs, there was not much to impress me. However the weather was pretty average and Box Hill had a day out in the second half.

Shouldn't you be watching Sandringham?

Not yet !!!

[Solar]

eddy will become a GOP
stevens has class, could push for a midfield role with stints in the forward line
still think howard will make it. Has the body to play just needs to keep learning where to run.

geary will be the one to jump out of the gate next year. Has been on and off this year, but was always slight and needed to be slowly filtered into the AFL standard. Has the awareness, skill and ability to rack up posessions. All what you need in todays football. Not slow but not "fast", he along with eddy will be top 18 players by the end of 2009.

[spert]

Harvs didn't set the world on fire when I first saw him play back in the '80s, but we know the rest.

[elphie]

MILES

showed enough in pre-season cup and in 2nd year will be more adjusted to AFL pressure and speed.
with a injury free year next he'll be a valuable acquisition as a nice moving tall backman who generates good drive and foot skills!

hopefully, allow GRAM & GODDARD AND EVEN FISHER to play more up the ground as rotating MIDS/WINGERS.......

[Pilgram]

eddy will become a GOP
stevens has class, could push for a midfield role with stints in the forward line
still think howard will make it. Has the body to play just needs to keep learning where to run.

geary will be the one to jump out of the gate next year. Has been on and off this year, but was always slight and needed to be slowly filtered into the AFL standard. Has the awareness, skill and ability to rack up posessions. All what you need in todays football. Not slow but not "fast", he along with eddy will be top 18 players by the end of 2009.

of the lot gearbox has the most natural ability, whether or not he will 'shine' will only be understood in the fullness of time.i agree though, gearbox has a lot of skill.
the only concern is that there seems to be a fair amount of natural frustration amongst the ranks in the likes of your eddy's, your allen's and your mcevoy's.
eddy has impressed me to be fair. he may only ever be a GOP but i have seen some positives in him as i have in allen.

the worst thing would be to become too kid-centric and rush them too heavily and too hastily into and through the system.

the kids need to be nursed gently although the best thing is that they seem to be taking to it in a large way!

in surfing terms they have paddled out and have eyed off the set. they have taken off on a few big boomers already and have come out of more than one monster while it could be argued that the older pros are quite happily giving them the ride. i like that these kids have not only shown balls but a bit of genuine ability. i'm somewhat shocked to tell the truth that they are out there dropping into some monsters while everyone else who talks the talk is still sitting on the beach talking s***.

more power to them for doing it!

[Sobraz]

Harvs didn't set the world on fire when I first saw him play back in the '80s, but we know the rest.

Disagree.. Thought Harvs would be a champion from day 1.... literally... As a 17 year old, noone moved and ran like he did... by '89 he was a first picked midfielder...

[Con Gorozidis]

A McQualtar

[Eastern]

Jack Steven (with or without the extra "s") !!

[BigMart]

jarryn geary

[bobmurray]

I'm really glad that fellow posters can see that geary is gonna be a gun because i haven't seen anything yet that has made me want to think that...

I hope he becomes a great player,i guess he is building to that slowwwwwwwwwwwwwly...........

[fugazi]

Jack Steven....something about his deft touches in the preseason comp gave me a very good feeling about this kid.
Wouldn't be surprised if he sneaks in for a game before the end of the year...maybe he'll get Harvs jumoper and move up a locker in 2009!

[Batnoe]

Raph Clarke- I hope!

[rexy]

Been predicting the year of the Clarke for 2 years so I am going to get on another wagon. Think Steven, love the way he approaches a contest and the ball on the lead also, good peripheral vision when he has it and is a one touch player. Mature body for a kid also. Will be a very good player in the mould of Joel Selwood.

[Solar]

I'm really glad that fellow posters can see that geary is gonna be a gun because i haven't seen anything yet that has made me want to think that...

I hope he becomes a great player,i guess he is building to that slowwwwwwwwwwwwwly...........

the kid is in his first year off the rookie list, still slight and is learning the game. Remember the days where we used to give kids 3-4 years to develop. Has good skill, good sense of when to go in contests. I would like to see him be used as a back pocket for the rest of the year, teach him a defensive side that he lacks.

Not sure about miles, but will look in interest next year as he develops.

Allen has gone backwards a little but has class about him. Currently we can afford him to develop in the seconds.

Don't worry about the big mac, he will be a beauty. Has very good skills and just needs to work on his ruck work. Will come down to his want to work hard. Could become a number 1 ruck or a brooks.

Love steven because everything he does is class. Can kick a goal and could be our answer to the medium small forward in the mould of chapman. Not sure if he has the tank to play pure midfield but the kid is at school!

I guess my last word on this is lets not push these players through too fast. This has lead to ball breaking down, roo looking 35, kosi hurt his bck down at the cattery etc.

We put all the hard yards watching this current group develop, the pain of huge losses. Yet when the fruit starts to ripen we all just focus on the next lot coming through!

[davidgrantfan]

Great thread guys. Any comments about Ferguson? Is he going to make the grade? RL must think so . He didnt have a great game in the ones, but he had me wanting to see more of him.

From what I saw last week, J Gwilt just might become a gun...if kept out of defence and playing up fwd.. Finally began to see some of the potential that RL sees in him.

[Bowey Boy]

Great thread guys. Any comments about Ferguson? Is he going to make the grade? RL must think so . He didnt have a great game in the ones, but he had me wanting to see more of him.

From what I saw last week, J Gwilt just might become a gun...if kept out of defence and playing up fwd.. Finally began to see some of the potential that RL sees in him.

Sadly I don't think that Ferguson will be on the list next year. It is a shame that he has not had more game time. Does seem a bit odd that we have these second string players on the list for years (eg. Barry Brooks) and don't play them in the seniors. However, I suppose there is only so much room in the senior team and the next tier has to push someone out.

[esaint66]

Clinton Jones