saints put faith in irish rookie walsh: herald sun

bigcarl · Post: # 864487Post **bigcarl** » Sat 05 Dec 2009 11:39pm

by GLENN McFARLANE

ST KILDA believes it has scored the equivalent of a first round draft pick in securing talented young Irishman Tommy Walsh as an international rookie for two years.

The Saints were more than comfortable in trading pick 16 in last month's national draft for former Essendon midfielder Andrew Lovett, safe in the knowledge that 21-year-old Walsh had agreed to try his luck in the AFL.

"Athletically Tommy is a first round draft pick," St Kilda list manager Matthew Drain said this week

....

"He is perhaps an Aaron Hamill-type, but he is taller. Is he a shorter version of Nic Natanui? He might be," he said.

"With his speed and agility he is probably different to any six-four bloke we have seen."

The Herald Sun have done their front Sports cover and middle pages on our gun Irish recruit. No link up as yet.

Post: # 864488Post **n1ck** » Sat 05 Dec 2009 11:49pm

Here is the link!

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/s ... 5807290394

xander · Post: # 864489Post **xander** » Sat 05 Dec 2009 11:51pm

You don't get too many six foot four (193cm) blokes who can run 20m in 2.8 (seconds), and have the agility he has.

Does anyone have any figures on current forwards in the AFL's 20m times?

Moccha · Post: # 864490Post **Moccha** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 12:02am

and another

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/f ... 5807325136

White Winmar · Sun 06 Dec 2009 12:03am

2.8 seconds for the 20 metres would put him up with the best overall at the draft camp, not just the forwards.

goodie · Post: # 864492Post **goodie** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 12:05am

It's still a mystery to me why we're the only ones who pursued him

ace · Post: # 864497Post **ace** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 12:32am

goodie wrote:It's still a mystery to me why we're the only ones who pursued him

He seemed very reluctant to even look at AFL.
Even his trip last year seemed to be' "I will come and look if you want to give me a free trip to Australia but don't expect me to ever come to play".

That probably changed once he won his All Ireland premiership.

Other clubs were probably put off by his reluctance just as they were put off by Luke Ball's reluctance.
St Kilda took the risk and put in the extra effort.
Let's hope the reward is great.

Saintersss · Sun 06 Dec 2009 12:35am

This year draft camp results:

20-metre sprint (seconds)
1. Ayden Kennedy 2.88
2. Dustin Martin 2.89
3. Andrew Hooper 2.90
4. Sam Reid 2.92
=5. Sam Shaw 2.93
=5. Kane Lucas
=5. Gary Rohan
=8. Lewis Jetta 2.95
=8. Dylan Grimes
=10. Robbie Hicks 2.96
=10. Jack Fitzpatrick
=10. Bradley Sheppard
=10. Travis Colyer

If he got a 2.8, that is very impressive. I'm getting more and more excited every time I read about him.

Wigsy · Post: # 864507Post **Wigsy** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 1:19am

STOP putting so much pressure on him. Coleman medal will do, gees. To ask him to also kick the winning goal in the GF and win the Chas is a bit much

Footy is nothing without hope and I love the fact that, even though he may not amount to anything, he is pumping us all up a bit. If his debut actually does come late in 2010, it could be up there with the publicity of one of the top two or three picks.

ace · Post: # 864514Post **ace** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 7:20am

TomÃ¡s Breathnach

sainterjo · Post: # 864526Post **sainterjo** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 10:41am

ace wrote:TomÃ¡s Breathnach

Don't believe everything you read on VicipÃ©idia!

Isn't it nice to see the Saints in the news with a story that isn't a twisting dagger to the heart.

Go Tommy, Go Sainters and Go Saints!

saintsRrising · Sun 06 Dec 2009 11:08am

goodie wrote:It's still a mystery to me why we're the only ones who pursued him

What makes you think that we were the only club that pursued him?

Personally from what I have read we just got in earlier (ie before Nixon), had personal long-term links pre-dating our interest with his Dad and persistantly kept in contact with a number of person trops to Ireland to see him and his family.

I remember that Archie Fraser was bagged on this forum for visiiting Ireland when according that forumite he should have stayed in Australia. Turns out Archie was meeting Tommy's dad whom he already personally knew giving us the inside running

and quite pssobily an edge that other clubs could not later get past.

saintsRrising · Sun 06 Dec 2009 11:10am

ace wrote:
He seemed very reluctant to even look at AFL.
Even his trip last year seemed to be' "I will come and look if you want to give me a free trip to Australia but don't expect me to ever come to play".

.

What do you base either assertion on?

Both statements are at odds with the public interviews.

ace · Post: # 864540Post **ace** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 2:58pm

saintsRrising wrote:
ace wrote:
He seemed very reluctant to even look at AFL.
Even his trip last year seemed to be' "I will come and look if you want to give me a free trip to Australia but don't expect me to ever come to play".

.
What do you base either assertion on?

Both statements are at odds with the public interviews.

Statements made by him and his dad in the Irish press last year.

saintsRrising · Sun 06 Dec 2009 3:20pm

ace wrote:
saintsRrising wrote:
ace wrote:
He seemed very reluctant to even look at AFL.
Even his trip last year seemed to be' "I will come and look if you want to give me a free trip to Australia but don't expect me to ever come to play".

.
What do you base either assertion on?

Both statements are at odds with the public interviews.
Statements made by him and his dad in the Irish press last year.

We must have read different articles then.

The ones I read had him coming out to late to be rookied due to his team playing later games than aniticiapted, but the Saints bringing him out anyway with an eye on taking him in 2009, ....and that while here that he impressed with his professional attititude and approach.

I don't recall any lines along what you have indicated.

I do recall a lot of press from others in Ireland that Walsh would stay.

barks4eva · Post: # 864546Post **barks4eva** » Sun 06 Dec 2009 3:51pm

saintsRrising wrote:

I remember that Archie Fraser was bagged on this forum for visiiting Ireland when according that forumite he should have stayed in Australia. Turns out Archie was meeting Tommy's dad whom he already personally knew giving us the inside running and quite pssobily an edge that other clubs could not later get past.

Yep, I think Archie did a lot of groundwork in getting him to St Kilda.

sRr whom do you speak of?