Spencer White

[magnifisaint]

how's he going to go in the rarified air of Colorado

[Megamaguire]

Building up a good endurance tank and being able to be be competitive and switched on for 4 Quarts of AFL may well take some time. Just been listening to Longmire discussing K.P. on SEN and he said he wouldn't be judging K.P on one year - plenty of time to make those judgements come the end of a career. With Whitey and T.Lee i think Watterman will not be putting undue pressure on the new young talls to suddenly deliver . He may well be more interested in the gradual but constant approach -the long term improvement as the main issue. Just an assumption.


I'm also glad that Stanley has some competition and that a Fwd. Key Position won't be just given to him on a plate. Reproducing the incredible work-rate and commitment that Rooey brought to the table i suspect is fairly rare and expecting every young tall Fwd. prospect to emulate his drive is probably not likely. Having said that Watterman and the pelican may have found a worthy replacement.

Reg: the FB issue. With cap-space and 12 monthes of targeting time now available i'd like to see the club go after a real top level established F.B. for 2014. If it was a better medium to long term prospect than Brown may have been last month perhaps it would be worth the wait ???

G O S A I N T S !

[Teflon]

Let's hope the FB is Frawley

[magnifisaint]

who's KP?

[shmic_s]

Kevin Pieterson?

[Con Gorozidis]

[vacuous space]

He improved very rapidly in '12 once they changed his asthma medication...

I've heard this story, but it doesn't explain White's endurance test results, which were done post season. In any case, I don't find the fact that he has been an acute asthma sufferer at all encouraging. Footy is an endurance sport and has only become moreso under AD. The 2014 IC caps are only going to make it worse. His TAC results weren't particuarly noteworthy either - even accounting for the slow start. I think he was a speculative pick based more on his imposing frame and unique physical attributes than actual football ability. If he makes it, he could be a star, but if he doesn't make it, a lot of people will be upset that we left KPPs on the board for an asthma sufferer who couldn't make the state team.

[bigcarl]

I've heard this story, but it doesn't explain White's endurance test results, which were done post season. In any case, I don't find the fact that he has been an acute asthma sufferer at all encouraging.

Like a lot of conditions ... diabetes, epilepsy, depression ... it is treatable.

[cwrcyn]

Tony Lockett, Nicky Winmar, Adam Schneider.

All asthmatics. All pretty handy footballers.





.

[Megamaguire]

who's KP?

Sorry, meant to type K.T. - t 4 Tippett

[Megamaguire]

Let's hope the FB is Frawley

I have heard Frawley mentioned a bit as a possible transfer prospect over to St.Kilda, just wondering how you rate him? How does he compare to his peers/ those of a similar age.
I must ask my Tigers mate how he rates him too.

G O S A I N T S

[Megamaguire]

Let's hope the FB is Frawley

I have heard Frawley mentioned a bit as a possible transfer prospect over to St.Kilda, just wondering how you rate him? How does he compare to his peers/ those of a similar age.
I must ask my Tigers mate how he rates him too.

G O S A I N T S

Just realised my tigers mate may not be able to help as he isn't my demons mate.
Already 24 and AA honours is he the best St Kilda could aim for?
GO SAINTS!

[StNoodles]

Let's hope the FB is Frawley

I have heard Frawley mentioned a bit as a possible transfer prospect over to St.Kilda, just wondering how you rate him? How does he compare to his peers/ those of a similar age.
I must ask my Tigers mate how he rates him too.

G O S A I N T S

Just realised my tigers mate may not be able to help as he isn't my demons mate.
Already 24 and AA honours is he the best St Kilda could aim for?
GO SAINTS!

Probably the best young defender in the AFL, imo.

[SuperDuper]

So what can we expect from the White-mare in 2013? Short answer: not much....

Long answer: well, the Buddy analogy is useful here.. not because we can rate him as Buddy quality as yet... but the analogy helps because Buddy is the high end of our hopes...
so:
SW is botom age for TAC and play will play 2013 as an 18 year old... Buddy was top age so as an 18 played Colts, WAFL reserves, National carnival (where he did ok, but did not dominate) and 1 senior WAFL game. and was selected at no 5... as a 19 year old he played almost a full season with Hawks.. and did ok kicking ~25 goals in 20 games... His break out season was as a 21 year old...

So.. even if Spencer White were to track Buddy's progress, he would be playing a mix of VFL resereves and showing a bit in a few VFL senior games next year..
It is not until he plays as a 21 year old that we can hope he can make a real impact... that is 2016....and that is from the very optimistic perspective that he is going to track Buddy...

So, I love the "hope" that Spencer represents for Saints supporters.. he is the sort of recruit that keeps the dream alive...
But.. lets not expect much for quite some time... and hope he can keep us dreaming with some good performances next year at Sandy

[SuperDuper]

So what can we expect from the White-mare in 2013? Short answer: not much....

Long answer: well, the Buddy analogy is useful here.. not because we can rate him as Buddy quality as yet... but the analogy helps because Buddy is the high end of our hopes...
so:
SW is bottom age for TAC and will play 2013 as an 18 year old... Buddy was top age so as an 18 played Colts, WAFL reserves, National carnival (where he did ok, but did not dominate) and 1 senior WAFL game. and was selected at no 5... as a 19 year old he played almost a full season with Hawks.. and did ok kicking ~25 goals in 20 games... His break out season was as a 21 year old...

So.. even if Spencer White were to track Buddy's progress, he would be playing a mix of VFL resereves and showing a bit in a few VFL senior games next year..
It is not until he plays as a 21 year old that we can hope he can make a real impact... that is 2016....and that is from the very optimistic perspective that he is going to track Buddy...

So, I love the "hope" that Spencer represents for Saints supporters.. he is the sort of recruit that keeps the dream alive...
But.. lets not expect much for quite some time... and hope he can keep us dreaming with some good performances next year at Sandy

[saintsRrising]

We do not need White to be a player in 2013.

We have Roo, Stanley, Kosi, Lee , Wilkes and Siposs.

We need White to develop for post -Roo, and Roo has several more years yet

[bergholt]

So, I love the "hope" that Spencer represents for Saints supporters.. he is the sort of recruit that keeps the dream alive...
But.. lets not expect much for quite some time... and hope he can keep us dreaming with some good performances next year at Sandy

Great post.

No doubt in a couple of years we'll be writing him off because he hasn't shown anything - but as you say, a bit of patience could be useful.

[goodie]

He is, got special consideration on his VCE exams due to a hand injury

[Dr Spaceman]

The question is....






....is he 195cms?

[The OtherThommo]

He improved very rapidly in '12 once they changed his asthma medication...

I've heard this story, but it doesn't explain White's endurance test results, which were done post season. In any case, I don't find the fact that he has been an acute asthma sufferer at all encouraging. Footy is an endurance sport and has only become moreso under AD. The 2014 IC caps are only going to make it worse. His TAC results weren't particuarly noteworthy either - even accounting for the slow start. I think he was a speculative pick based more on his imposing frame and unique physical attributes than actual football ability. If he makes it, he could be a star, but if he doesn't make it, a lot of people will be upset that we left KPPs on the board for an asthma sufferer who couldn't make the state team.

I reckon it's a bit tough to expect all kids to have top notch endurance test results and particularly one who had his lung capacity improved mid way through the season in which those tests were conducted. I wasn't suggesting he was going to be an instant hit because he'd changed his asthma med's, just that it showed fundamental health basics being improved can lead to significant improvement in capability (as shown by his split of results from H1 to H2).

There are very few kids in any draft that have the capability balance of players who've been in the system for a few years. Those with the explosive power need to build endurance (e.g. Natanui), those with endurance need to build strength (e.g.Scully), those with lesser skills need to spend time on them. There are very few complete packages at that age.

I'm trusting the recruiting and football people to have picked a young bloke with significant upside. And, that upside may not be all that hard to realise. I don't agree that he was picked on his "unique physical attributes" alone. As far as football ability goes, he catches it well above his navel, can get it on the ground, moves well from congestion and kicks it well - all footballing attributes. It does seem the Pies would have taken him in the late teens, had the young ruckman not been still available.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Getting back to the serious side of this thread....

Collingwood were going to take him with one of their 3 1st round picks till Grundy dropped in their lap....

Yep, I have it on very good authority that that is correct. I was told that Johnno Beveridge was sweating bullets that Spencer would still be available by our picks on the night, we were that keen on him. Club rates him very, very highly, as you can expect, considering Tim O'Brien, Tim Membrey and Mason's Shaw and Wood were still available, not to mention Tom Clurey and Tanner Smith.

Sam Landsberger commented on the HS website on the night that some clubs were a bit shocked that we took him in the 20's because of a concern about his wrist, though (which he looks to have had operated on since the combine- in photo's in Colorado he still has dressing on it), so with that and his need to build his endurance, plus some of the other things he needs to work on, it's unlikely that we'll see much of him next year in the seniors, if at all.

As for his style of play, I can definitely see shades of Buddy in his running style and the confident way he takes them on, but that is about where the comparisons with Buddy stop, play-wise, from what I've seen and heard. To me, his leading is a bit Gehrig-like, with that extreme burst speed (2.89sec over 20m, which is only 0.3 sec off Saad's time last year!) as is the relaxed way he accurately slots his goals- with a relatively low ball flight, but unlike Buddy and Gehrig, Spencer has a HUGE leap on him, which he apparently puts to very good use in games.

I've heard that he can sit on someone's head and pluck a mark like it's nothing, like he does near the end of that highlights video, in the goalsquare. His hands overhead are meant to be significantly stronger than Buddy's (and probably Fraser's, which were nothing special), but the thing that Buddy has over him in spades at the moment, in terms of the way he plays, is the ability to run around the ground all day and rack up a shitload of touches. 10 possies was apparently a pretty good day for Spencer this year!

So he's probably going to play more of a traditional stay-at-home role out of the goalsquare, like Frase did, getting most of his touches on the lead and by sitting on someone's head in the goalsquare, like Kosi does, at least until he builds his tank. If he does get it on the ground though, we saw that he certainly has the confidence to go for a run and take them on, so that is a handy string to have to his bow.

[saintbrat]

http://www.maribyrnongweekly.com.au/sto ... d/?cs=1594

Not only does White have the rare opportunity to thrive in a full-time professional set-up, he gets to sponge information from elite forwards Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke in the twilight of their careers.

"It's going to be unreal," White told the Weekly. "You give yourself every chance in that system. It's really exciting."

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Here is his interview from just after he arrived at the club, in case it hasn't been posted already: http://www.saints.com.au/news/newsartic ... ideoplayer

[Dave McNamara]

... his need to build his endurance...

... with that extreme burst speed (2.89sec over 20m, which is only 0.3 sec off Saad's time last year!) as is the relaxed way he accurately slots his goals- with a relatively low ball flight, but unlike Buddy and Gehrig, Spencer has a HUGE leap on him, which he apparently puts to very good use in games...

... His hands overhead are meant to be significantly stronger than Buddy's (and probably Fraser's, which were nothing special), but the thing that Buddy has over him in spades at the moment, in terms of the way he plays, is the ability to run around the ground all day and rack up a shitload of touches. 10 possies was apparently a pretty good day for Spencer this year!...

Thanks for that detailed assessment APS.

So, the summary, c/f Buddy Franklin, 'Buddy' White is...
quicker (at least off the mark),
leaps far higher,
is a much better overhead mark,
a much better kick for goal (though from my viewing of his highlights tape might not be a very long kick?).

If all this can be translated onto the AFL footy field... wow!

The downside is his lack of endurance and low possession count.
I suspect the latter would be largely due to the former, and it's now known that the endurance issue was due to Spence trying to play footy only 60% lung capacity due to his asthma...
(BTW, does anyone know Buddy F's possession figures from his junior days? I seem to recall reading somewhere that they weren't too high at that stage either...?)

I can see blue skies ahead with this bloke!

http://www.maribyrnongweekly.com.au/sto ... d/?cs=1594

Also from the article...

Former Western Jets coach Steven Kretiuk:
"When you look through the TAC Cup this year and all of the draftable forwards, he's probably got the most attributes in terms of athletic ability in the whole competition".

and

White is a lifelong friend of Jason Ashby, who played in the TAC Cup with the Oakleigh Chargers. The promising youngsters shared a passion for football from a young age. They pushed each other in gruelling preseason training sessions in a bid to be drafted.

Sounds like he's prepared to put in the required effort and then a bit extra.

Sounds like he 'wants it'.

[vacuous space]

I don't agree that he was picked on his "unique physical attributes" alone.

If White didn't have a big frame, giant hands and a freakish leap, I doubt he gets drafted at all. Kicking 36 goals in 16 games at TAC level is hardly remarkable. He wasn't a big possession winner either. If we were looking for footballers, there were better ones on the board at 25.