Eli

[wolfpup]

I spoke to Eli at the family day and I am 187cm, and he was around my height (perhaps slightly shorter) but he looked bigger than i thought (from the NAB game against the bulldogs). Think he is taller than 181.

[joffaboy]

Why did he slip through to rookie?

There must be a ? hanging over him from a recruiters PoV.

Dunstan is outstanding however St.Ick posted recruiters saw more upside with other players and this is the reason he slipped to No.19.

He is a bit small, but what can one expect for an 18 y.o.

Would be interesting in what the recruiters thought his negatives are.

[St Ick]

I have a feeling that recruiters may not like players from div two states so much, as they are playing against weaker opposition. Toby Nankervis is a perfect example, look at his carnival stats, killed it, and if he was a div 1 player would've been a first rounder for sure.

As for Eli, there was a ? over him but I can't track down the main concrete reason and I'm not going to speculate. He was/is slight in build, maybe it's just the fact he was slight, he played against weaker players and while he was very good in the champs, he wasn't exceptional.

[Con Gorozidis]

Why did he slip through to rookie?

There must be a ? hanging over him from a recruiters PoV.

Dunstan is outstanding however St.Ick posted recruiters saw more upside with other players and this is the reason he slipped to No.19.

He is a bit small, but what can one expect for an 18 y.o.

Would be interesting in what the recruiters thought his negatives are.

I dont know for sure - but when we picked him up as a rookie someone on SS mentioned something about a picture of him facebook with a beer or something extremely harmless like that. Its amazing how group think and fear sets into recruiters. If that is the reason he did slip through then sucks to them all! I'm so glad we got him. Looks like a serious bargain. In reality he should have been around a pick 25. Thats where some of the phantom draft people had him.

And as well know we have had some shocking draft picks in the 20s-40s in past years - so its good to at least get one back in our favour.

We still have a few more to go though. But so far so good with Elshaugh - and Im backing him over the next 2 -3 years to get us going again.

[gringo]

I have a feeling that recruiters may not like players from div two states so much, as they are playing against weaker opposition. Toby Nankervis is a perfect example, look at his carnival stats, killed it, and if he was a div 1 player would've been a first rounder for sure.

As for Eli, there was a ? over him but I can't track down the main concrete reason and I'm not going to speculate. He was/is slight in build, maybe it's just the fact he was slight, he played against weaker players and while he was very good in the champs, he wasn't exceptional.

Colquhoun was the same last year. one team doesn't take him when expected and a couple of better ones come up around the same expected pick and then the teams forget him and he slips through to the catcher. Some are just unlucky at first then there becomes a stigma attached where if he wasn't already taken by another team there was something they knew that we didn't.

[St Ick]

I have a feeling that recruiters may not like players from div two states so much, as they are playing against weaker opposition. Toby Nankervis is a perfect example, look at his carnival stats, killed it, and if he was a div 1 player would've been a first rounder for sure.

As for Eli, there was a ? over him but I can't track down the main concrete reason and I'm not going to speculate. He was/is slight in build, maybe it's just the fact he was slight, he played against weaker players and while he was very good in the champs, he wasn't exceptional.

Colquhoun was the same last year. one team doesn't take him when expected and a couple of better ones come up around the same expected pick and then the teams forget him and he slips through to the catcher. Some are just unlucky at first then there becomes a stigma attached where if he wasn't already taken by another team there was something they knew that we didn't.

That's true, Colquhoun was an interesting one. He played loose down back and excelled, but because recruiters never saw him play an accountable role in the champs there were enough question marks not to be picked up. It's harsh as both he and Eli, had no choice on where, or who they played. But, as many have said before, once you're on a list, it doesn't matter if you are pick one or 100

[Unforgiven]

He's got a long way to go, but I agree things look really promising.

Seems to be a genuine footballer, as apposed to some relying on their athletic traits. If Eli and Billings can play as small forwards this year and get 14+ games into their development, then great!

It's nice to think we may have got a gem from the rookie draft. I hope we look back at this draft (and the trades/decisions made) that were the turning point for our next swing up the ladder.

[supersaints]

I believe Elis has not played as a small forward down in Tassie. Was a half back flanker with Burnie
He certainly has the attributes, to play forward back or center. He is very versatile

His versatility stood out so much, they played him in the center in the championships were he stood out.

Personally I think he may end up eventually playing through the middle and wing / half forward the sort of goal kicking midfielder we crave for Billings I think falls in the same category

Most if us are aware our real achillies heel has been the lack of goals from our midfield type players , looks like we may be addressing this with some of our youngsters.

I think the days of the stand alone small forward are numbered, and we will be resting sharp shooters like Eli and Jack in the forward pocket, some of the time , ( IMO this is one of the reasons we never quite got the holy grail) we just didn't get enough goals from the middle )

Of course until they both develop their bodies they will likely play as a wing / small forward type. The future looks good to me

[True Blue Sainter]

From memory, the two main knocks on Eli were on his pace (was never considered slow, but was not considered to have that "burst" of speed) and also his disposal.

I really liked his goal on Saturday - the initial handball wasn't the best, but he ran hard to receive the follow up and it was a tidy finish in the end.

I've got high hope for our man Eli already!

[saintspremiers]

Eli may get ahead of himself. Looks fairly confident. All that crazy hair is a markerters dream. TV will love him. BT already does. Let's hope his raw talent will overshadow anything else, which is something Ledger was missing.

[Munga]

It's interesting the knock on Eli and Dunstan was speed. They may not be the fastest by foot, but they could think ahead of the play.

[BigMart]

Yes, before he is labelled anything... Wait for a bit

Ledger was the most impressive 2010 pick initially, but slipped quickly.

Eli has ALWAYS had pace.... He is a line breaker, so a knock on his pace is interesting?

[plugger66]

Yes, before he is labelled anything... Wait for a bit

Ledger was the most impressive 2010 pick initially, but slipped quickly.

Eli has ALWAYS had pace.... He is a line breaker, so a knock on his pace is interesting?

How did you see him play? I live in east bentleigh and dont see people play from that area to often. you live in melbourne and this guy is from Tassie but you know he always had pace and some of the recruiters didnt. Thats interesting.

[White Winmar]

Yes, before he is labelled anything... Wait for a bit

Ledger was the most impressive 2010 pick initially, but slipped quickly.

Eli has ALWAYS had pace.... He is a line breaker, so a knock on his pace is interesting?

A recruiter I know well told me there were a couple of "knocks" on Eli. One was his personality. There were indications he was a bit full of himself and overconfident. The other one was that there was a general feeling he didn't have a lot of improvement in him, in that he'd provably reached his level in senior footy in Tassie. Go figure.

I don't know where these perceptions come from, but it appears groupthink is a factor. As soon as there is a perception, or rumour out there, it can take hold very quickly. I, for one, on what little I've seen of him, am very hopeful he has what it takes to make it.

At the risk of jinxing the kid, he reminds me a bit of a young Austinnnnnn Jones.

[Old Mate]

The lack of pace knock on Eli is off the mark. He tested above average in pace, elite in endurance and repeat sprints. He's a natural athlete. The Milne comparison is not accurate either. WW, I like the Aussie Jones comparison. Both skilful, outside mids who can break lines. I suspect Eli will end up as an offensive flanker or winger. Hopefully an upgrade on Milera. And I like a little bit of arrogance/cheekiness - Hopefully Eli keeps that in his game.

[skeptic]

The other one was that there was a general feeling he didn't have a lot of improvement in him, in that he'd provably reached his level in senior footy in Tassie. Go figure.

Not knocking you WW,

but can someone explain this one to me. How can some possibly make a call like this?

what indicators would suggest this is the case for an 18yo?

[Old Mate]

The other one was that there was a general feeling he didn't have a lot of improvement in him, in that he'd provably reached his level in senior footy in Tassie. Go figure.

Not knocking you WW,

but can someone explain this one to me. How can some possibly make a call like this?

what indicators would suggest this is the case for an 18yo?

For a guy to have significant scope for improvement they will have elite qualities (skills, athletically gifted etc) combined with a/some major deficiencies (skills, athletically gifted) that clubs back themselves to iron out. It's strange that Eli has been labeled as not having a lot of improvement given some of his attributes. Very good skills, awareness and athletic ability, although quite small. I would say Dunstan fits that category more than Eli seeing as he does a lot if things well without having any major deficiencies but also having nothing really that stands out as being elite.

[Con Gorozidis]

This is as an example of where group think and subjectivity with recruiters can really annoy me.
Not saying Eli has made the grade after one game. But I am always very very wary when you hear recruiters crap on about 'character' . We are talking about 18yo kids and many of them are still growing up.
You need to be very cautious about over reaching on character - good or bad at that age. It's all just a perception.
Sounds like someone influential made a throw away line about personality and they all bought into it.
People get all juiced up over Luke Ball being 'mature' at 18. Who cares. I'd rather have Stevie J or Jackie S any day of the week

Not saying Eli has proved anyone wrong yet - just saying I think they over play the subjective personality stuff. I mean who decides who is a good bloke or a 'd**khead' or has good character anywAy?
Unless you are an axe murderer then its all pretty bloody subjective - especially at 18.
Q 1 should always be is this guy a good footballer?

Then ask/rank the other questions after that.

[bergholt]

At the risk of jinxing the kid, he reminds me a bit of a young Austinnnnnn Jones.

I agree, but Aussie was a big drinker and not the most dedicated bloke, I think?

Also arguably he peaked in his third season, 1997 - 20 touches and a goal per game. Though he was good in 04 as well.

Let's hope Eli doesn't take after him too much!

[busso mick]

I reckon we have snaffled an absolute bargain, he ticks a lot of boxes for a footballer - football smarts, clean disposal, vision, evasion skills, endurance, pressures and tackles.

And looking at this photo he looks likes a total cleanskin and a recruiters dream.

[White Winmar]

The other one was that there was a general feeling he didn't have a lot of improvement in him, in that he'd provably reached his level in senior footy in Tassie. Go figure.

Not knocking you WW,

but can someone explain this one to me. How can some possibly make a call like this?

what indicators would suggest this is the case for an 18yo?

I'm with you, skeptic. I was a bit gob smacked about this as well. If true, it's a hell of a call to make on any 18 y.o., and one that's bound to come back and bite you on the bum. As for the calls on character, I've always been perplexed about this. I was involved in this side of recruiting for quite some time and I even developed a specific psychometric test for use in assessing players. Having said all that, I always advised recruiters to approach these tests and the results with caution. Their predictive value varies enormously and they are an indicator at best.

My firm belief was always that a kid has to be able to find the ball, kick and catch it, before we even begin to look at the other stuff. Most of the tests don't reveal enough to be definitive in any case. They are also "self-report" in the main, so depending on the self awareness, intelligence, and ability to judge what is being tested for, the value of results can vary enormously according to the candidate. Personally, I'm glad the AFL is cracking down in this area, as there are too many charlatans, peddling bodgy tests out there.

A good recent example of "character" resulting in someone slipping down the order was Jack Darling. The crap floated out there about his so-called "character" was slanderous. The old groupthink was definitely at play there. There are numerous other examples I could give you, but ethical considerations mean I can't. As for Eli, thank god the others all got it wrong. He looks fine to me and from the little I know of him, comes from some good Tasmanian football bloodlines. If the kid's a bit cheeky, or arrogant, so be it. Many elite sportsmen are. The group will soon set him straight on that score, if he needs straightening out at all.

[BigMart]

I don't know P66

Perhaps because he plays at my old club?! Perhaps because I still have family and friends there, perhaps when I go home regularly I go to the footy?

I even saw his dad play, when I lived over there as a youngster... And his uncle I think...

I also have seen Maverick play a few times.... He was absolutely highly touted, but he had a very mature body young.

Perhaps the real knock on Eli

Size and ability to win own ball

[White Winmar]

Eli's uncle, "track suit Templeton", as mentioned by Richo in the call on Saturday, was meant to go ok. I'm told Eli's dad could play a bit. What sort of player was he, BM?

[plugger66]

I don't know P66

Perhaps because he plays at my old club?! Perhaps because I still have family and friends there, perhaps when I go home regularly I go to the footy?

I even saw his dad play, when I lived over there as a youngster... And his uncle I think...

I also have seen Maverick play a few times.... He was absolutely highly touted, but he had a very mature body young.

Perhaps the real knock on Eli

Size and ability to win own ball

What rubbish. Old club, big deal. Go home often. Porkies. Seen his Dad. What has that to do with anything. Maverick. Got even less to do with anything. You go home and watch juniors. hilarious.

Max Gawn played at my current club that i go to weekly. I couldnt tell you a thing about max before he was under 17 but you know everything about a player in another state. Rubbish. You seem to love telling us what you know about Tassie boys because you were there 20 years ago. BM sometimes the truth is the best but im sure there are a couple who hang on every word. Pity.

[The Fireman]

the younger fans need a cult hero......hope he can fit the bill.