Jade Gresham

[BigMart]

Interesting

3.0 on the 20 is not lightning quick
14.1 on the beep is not elite on the beep
Although he is 177cm (shorter than Joey/Mini) he is not light compared to his height .... His legs are abnormally short and quite thick. He will have a low centre of gravity and have excellent lateral movement

He has ver neat skills and accumulates and distributes.... Can carry the ball too by the looks of it.

Seems a good player to me... Good to see recruiters picking players not athletes

[saint-stu]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-11-04/2 ... de-gresham

Worried a tad by the size of Gresham, Steven, Billings if we want them to be key midfielders for us. Really relying on Ross to develop into a key mid. But then again we might get a big unit with pick 6 or 7 next year. Like the sound of his good disposal - Jack Steven with good disposal is a mouth watering prospect. Lets hope Jade becomes our valuable little gem!

Billings is 185cm... nothing wrong with that!

[philtee]

"Gresham makes history"

THis link works better...

http://bit.ly/1Sm2kef

[The Craw]

Interesting

3.0 on the 20 is not lightning quick
14.1 on the beep is not elite on the beep
Although he is 177cm (shorter than Joey/Mini) he is not light compared to his height .... His legs are abnormally short and quite thick. He will have a low centre of gravity and have excellent lateral movement

He has ver neat skills and accumulates and distributes.... Can carry the ball too by the looks of it.

Seems a good player to me... Good to see recruiters picking players not athletes

Sam Mitchell mould I would say.

[borderbarry]

I have read that Gresham is now 178cm. 5"10" in the old scale. The same height as Darrel Baldock. Maybe Gresham can be CHF in our next premiership team.

[borderbarry]

What are we doing picking these three kids? They wont fit into the Saints side. They are all good kicks.

[Con Gorozidis]

So this is how our midfield looks imo:

Inside: Ross, Acres, Armitage, Dunstan (Minchington)
Inside/Outside: Steven, Gresham, Freeman

We can still probably add another outside player. Maybe even Savage will get a run on the ball. Billings to have the occasional run on ball.
We need big improvement from Ross, Acres + Freeman in the next year or two if we are going to be competitive imo.

[ripplug66]

So this is how our midfield looks imo:

Inside: Ross, Acres, Armitage, Dunstan (Minchington)
Inside/Outside: Steven, Gresham, Freeman

We can still probably add another outside player. Maybe even Savage will get a run on the ball. Billings to have the occasional run on ball.
We need big improvement from Ross, Acres + Freeman in the next year or two if we are going to be competitive imo.

Not sure Acres or Minchington are inside mids. They may be at the VFL level but they look outside at AFL level. We need Billings to become an outside mid and I think Gilbert will play as an inside outside mid as well. We really are still short on class unless Billings can move into the midfield.

[BigMart]

Hard to play inside mid if your playing as a small fwd.

Minchington is clearly an inside mid and thrives at stoppages... Just hasn't got an opportunity there.

His numbers at VFL level are astounding really, easily the the most damaging inside mid at Sandy

Good kick, quick, tough and great hands
Not sure what his knock is... To me he should be rotating with Joey and Jack... Not with the small fwds... Although his output as small fwd as Sinclair

[ripplug66]

Hard to play inside mid if your playing as a small fwd.

Minchington is clearly an inside mid and thrives at stoppages... Just hasn't got an opportunity there.

His numbers at VFL level are astounding really, easily the the most damaging inside mid at Sandy

Good kick, quick, tough and great hands
Not sure what his knock is... To me he should be rotating with Joey and Jack... Not with the small fwds... Although his output as small fwd as Sinclair

He is an outside mid in the AFL. If he makes it, it will be as a Joey type. The last thing we need is more inside mids. He has enough pace to play outside. His issue which is obvious to those who watch AFL footy is his tank and that is why they play him as a forward. Unfortunately by his 3k time trail on day one its looks like that is still a huge issue. Not sure why you are happy he is as good as a first year player. Unfortunately Minchingtons tank may find him out.

[Con Gorozidis]

So this is how our midfield looks imo:

Inside: Ross, Acres, Armitage, Dunstan (Minchington)
Inside/Outside: Steven, Gresham, Freeman

We can still probably add another outside player. Maybe even Savage will get a run on the ball. Billings to have the occasional run on ball.
We need big improvement from Ross, Acres + Freeman in the next year or two if we are going to be competitive imo.

Not sure Acres or Minchington are inside mids. They may be at the VFL level but they look outside at AFL level. We need Billings to become an outside mid and I think Gilbert will play as an inside outside mid as well. We really are still short on class unless Billings can move into the midfield.

Minch - I just cant see him making it outside - doesnt have the pace or tank. But he does have some huge clearance numbers at VFL level. Really a depth player at AFL level at this stage. I hope im proven wrong as he seems like a top bloke.

Acres - just watching him play I am convinced his specialty lies in the stoppages. Seems to know how to win clearances and keep his arms free in the tackle. Time will tell on this I guess.

[St Igmata]

He seems to have a bit of Cyril Rioli about him. An exciting acquisition.

Nothing like. He's more s busy little rover type. A poor man's Marc Murphy. He has a spurt of pace to find holes. He measures his kicks as
he doesn't have great penetration . he hangs kicks in the air a bit. He has leadership qualities.
Overall a reasonable get at 14*.

[St Igmata]

Interesting

3.0 on the 20 is not lightning quick
14.1 on the beep is not elite on the beep
Although he is 177cm (shorter than Joey/Mini) he is not light compared to his height .... His legs are abnormally short and quite thick. He will have a low centre of gravity and have excellent lateral movement

He has ver neat skills and accumulates and distributes.... Can carry the ball too by the looks of it.

Seems a good player to me... Good to see recruiters picking players not athletes

Sam Mitchell mould I would say.

Not Sam Mitchell type.

[magnifisaint]

Hard to play inside mid if your playing as a small fwd.

Minchington is clearly an inside mid and thrives at stoppages... Just hasn't got an opportunity there.

His numbers at VFL level are astounding really, easily the the most damaging inside mid at Sandy

Good kick, quick, tough and great hands
Not sure what his knock is... To me he should be rotating with Joey and Jack... Not with the small fwds... Although his output as small fwd as Sinclair

He is an outside mid in the AFL. If he makes it, it will be as a Joey type. The last thing we need is more inside mids. He has enough pace to play outside. His issue which is obvious to those who watch AFL footy is his tank and that is why they play him as a forward. Unfortunately by his 3k time trail on day one its looks like that is still a huge issue. Not sure why you are happy he is as good as a first year player. Unfortunately Minchingtons tank may find him out.

Easily fixed if you train harder. Anyone can build their tank, just a matter of whether they want to

[WinnersOnly]

I love the fact he is now a Saint, but after watching and reading everything about him - I just cant get excited. He seems very 'vanilla' and I just cant see how he transfers his Under 18 traits into playing against men twice his size?

Not yet a fan but happy to be proven wrong!

[Devilhead]

Sam Mitchell mould I would say.

Not Sam Mitchell type.

What would you say be the key differences between Gresham and Mitchell?

I agree with the Craw that BM's descriptions of Gresham could be well used to describe Mitchell

[Devilhead]

I love the fact he is now a Saint, but after watching and reading everything about him - I just cant get excited. He seems very 'vanilla' and I just cant see how he transfers his Under 18 traits into playing against men twice his size?

Not yet a fan but happy to be proven wrong!

Do "vanilla" players average 30 possessions per game (40 - 50% being contested) and 5 tackles per game

Be interested to know why you think he is "vanilla"?

[BigMart]

He is a very old style inside/outside busy rover.

Plugger
Why would an inside VFL mid only be able to play outside at AFL level?
An outside mid is basically a winger... He ain't a link winger... Not at all

He s a stoppage specialist with take off speed .... At worst he's a fwd crumber... At best a rover
Like Gresham

[Devilhead]

Hard to play inside mid if your playing as a small fwd.

Minchington is clearly an inside mid and thrives at stoppages... Just hasn't got an opportunity there.

His numbers at VFL level are astounding really, easily the the most damaging inside mid at Sandy

Good kick, quick, tough and great hands
Not sure what his knock is... To me he should be rotating with Joey and Jack... Not with the small fwds... Although his output as small fwd as Sinclair

Unfortunately by his 3k time trail on day one its looks like that is still a huge issue. Unfortunately Minchingtons tank may find him out.

See I dont get this

Minchington racked up 35 possessions in his last VFL game this year and 27 possessions with 17 tackles in his 3rd last game YET because he ran a slow 3km time trial he hasn't got a tank for AFL??

I understand that AFL footy might be quicker than VFL footy but the ground sizes cant be that much different and surely smart positioning can compensate not being able to run a 9 min 3km time trial or a 13 plus beep test

I would say there would be plenty of AFL midfielders that would test poorly in 3km runs or beep tests - it might help them if they can but doesn't mean that they cant play midfield and rack up possessions if they are smart with their running patterns and are football wise.

Plenty of guys that can run very quick 3k time trials and 14 plus beep tests that can't find the ball

Playing midfield just isn't about being an endurance beast there is plenty more to it and maybe just maybe Minchington has that plenty more

[ripplug66]

Hard to play inside mid if your playing as a small fwd.

Minchington is clearly an inside mid and thrives at stoppages... Just hasn't got an opportunity there.

His numbers at VFL level are astounding really, easily the the most damaging inside mid at Sandy

Good kick, quick, tough and great hands
Not sure what his knock is... To me he should be rotating with Joey and Jack... Not with the small fwds... Although his output as small fwd as Sinclair

Unfortunately by his 3k time trail on day one its looks like that is still a huge issue. Unfortunately Minchingtons tank may find him out.

See I dont get this

Minchington racked up 35 possessions in his last VFL game this year and 27 possessions with 17 tackles in his 3rd last game YET because he ran a slow 3km time trial he hasn't got a tank for AFL??

I understand that AFL footy might be quicker than VFL footy but the ground sizes cant be that much different and surely smart positioning can compensate not being able to run a 9 min 3km time trial or a 13 plus beep test

I would say there would be plenty of AFL midfielders that would test poorly in 3km runs or beep tests - it might help them if they can but doesn't mean that they cant play midfield and rack up possessions if they are smart with their running patterns and are football wise.

Plenty of guys that can run very quick 3k time trials and 14 plus beep tests that can't find the ball

Playing midfield just isn't about being an endurance beast there is plenty more to it and maybe just maybe Minchington has that plenty more

What he has done at VFL level hasnt equated to anything like his AFL form at the moment and it is due to his tank. He hardly gets a run in the middle because he is stuffed to quickly so has to play as a forward pocket most of the time. Obviously 3k TT are important or the clubs wouldn't do them. it shows they have endurance. Something you need as a pure mid. Of course many run poor TT and many run good TT but most mids run good TT and certainly those in their 4th year of footy when your issue previously was endurance.

Everything you say is correct but in AFL footy Minch hasn't found the ball yet so he needs to work on a well known weakness so he gets more of a run on the ball to show he has what it takes to be a good AFL footballer and not a good VFL footballer which is really a huge grade below AFL footy.

[Bluthy]

He seems to have a bit of Cyril Rioli about him. An exciting acquisition.

Nothing like. He's more s busy little rover type. A poor man's Marc Murphy. He has a spurt of pace to find holes. He measures his kicks as
he doesn't have great penetration . he hangs kicks in the air a bit. He has leadership qualities.
Overall a reasonable get at 14*.

Interesting analysis. I was just watching some of his highlights and I concur about his kicking

I hope they can flatten out his kicking. You can get away with that hang time in juniors and VFL but at AFL level you're inviting intercept marking esp on cramped Etihad. But I was pretty impressed with how industrious he is. The Mark Murphy comparison is not a bad one and even a Gary Ablett style player - chippy but accurate kicking, low centre of gravity that gives him great maneuverability. The criticism on Ablett is that he lacks penetration with his disposal, which is quite measured and often in that 20 metre radius so he has good efficiency. The ball often works its way back to him and he racks up yet another possession but just how damaging are they? But you need those busy accumulator types and Gresham could be a real little hard working engine for us that the coach can rely on.

But what jumped out to me is how good his handballing is. He's got great technique and it's very measured - he absolutely puts it on a plate for this team-mates - never seems to put it at their feet. He never seems panicked even in tight spaces. And he looks brilliant when the ball is at ground level with really clean pickups. I feel good about this kid. I could see him playing a few games at least this year. He doesn't seem the type to be too phased by the big stage.

[Goose is king]

He sounds a bit like Lewis Taylor. If he could have the same impact as him I would be rapt.
10 games would be a more likely positive result

[Wrote for Luck]

watched Gresham's footage a few times and like how busy he is. certainly not one to be ruffled easily and seems the type to enjoy the heavy responsibility. at the press conference he reminded me of Brad Scott a little physically. came across as a) in his element b) tough c) focused. can't wait to see him annoy the bananas out of opposition fans when he just keeps racking them up.

[ripplug66]

He sounds a bit like Lewis Taylor. If he could have the same impact as him I would be rapt.
10 games would be a more likely positive result

ON the field?

[BigMart]

He doesn't find the ball because of the position he plays

Or

He plays that position because he doesn't find the ball

Which arguments fits?


Here's a hint..

He didn't find a great deal of the ball in the VFL as a small fwd either... Transitioned into the midfield and makes Saunders, Murdoch, Templeton, Curren look average in comparison

His numbers... In particular tackling numbers were enormous