#1 Andy McGrath - from April 2022

Playing in the guts, and not tagging somebody. It’s how he’s played his best footy in previous years.

The point I’m making is that we can’t expect it all at once. Andy played his best game of the year. I’m stoked with that, and hope he gets even better next week.

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so hard to know with him

we lackrf a player of his exact type in the backline today, adelaide kicked so many goals from us having no small ball hunting backmen, but with no zerrett we need him midfield

25 disp @ 88% + 7 tackles + 50 pressure points = very solid game.

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Really positive step yesterday, knew he had to ramp it up and he did, he’s smart enough to know he can be better and will be better.

Wait till the confidence comes back. He’s building, and also creating some connection with Caldwell and Martin too.

End of year a few on here are going to eat some words about McGrath.

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Watch the Nic Martin highlights clip, there’s some nuggetty bloke with brown hair feeding him some nice handballs in traffic.

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Will improve if he’s played midfield more, not half back.

I don’t really know why people want a guy who’s just an OK kick at half back, he offers far more to the team around the stoppage.

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I thought his kicking was perfectly good in his first 2 years and it’s only regressed as it’s moved into the midfield.

But I think it’s more his defensive work that makes him such an enticing half back prospect. I really see him as a Maynard type who’s going to take the best opposition small out of the game, but still get it 20 odd times and be damaging offensively.

Currently his best position for the team certainly is on the inside. But if Caldwell, Perkins and Hobbs come on as hoped, and say Redman continues to have up and down form, then I would argue his best position for the team would become half back

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I’m getting out the knife and fork and sitting down at the table.

Still think he is down on confidence but he played well yesterday.

Did lots of it

RATH

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Good interview with Andy. At 4:00 Buckley asks him straight up what he sees his role as over the next 3 years. Andy says the coaches see him as a mix of midfield and half back

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Speaks very well and comes across as humble (which Is nice).

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Thought it was good question on whether they prepared for those 3 first games during the preseason. Andy said they didn’t, but I certainly hope the coaches had considered it and planned the season start for it. But having a look a the result in the 3 games, I would say the coaches had no idea.

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I have 0 worries about McG

People will get on his back but he’s an avg 25 possies 7 tackle mid which is what we needed when we drafted him and he’s not won games, but saved games for us many times in his time at the club

He’s an A grade midfielder, but an A+ HB, where ever we play him he will do good, and his personality is that of a guy who just wants to get better and better and better (like zerrett) plus his hands in close are ELITE.

So glad we took him over clug, and think he’ll make an incredible captain and leader of the team in 2 to 3 years when he hits his prime

He has all the tools, and the mindset, he’s still young, i think that’s what people forget the most about him amid the pick 1 crap, not even near his peak

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An A grade midfielder? One of the biggest reaches i have seen on here and that’s saying something.

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About half of the top 30 have played 70+ games already - a couple over 100, and another handful will hit 100 this season.
Then you’ve got guys like Sean Darcy, Tom Stewart, Esava Ratugolea, Mitch Hannan, Willie Rioli, Darcy Cameron, Lewis Young, Quinton Narkle and Luke Ryan taken pick 35 onwards who are mostly regular selections.

There’s 4 premiership players, 2 All-Australians, and Walla was elevated off the rookie list after the draft.

I don’t know how that stacks up to other drafts, but “dud” seems a tad harsh.

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I get what they mean in terms of there hasn’t been an out and out superstar come out of that first round of 2016

It has a top 10 of:

McGrath, Taranto, McLuggage, Ainsworth, Setterfield, Petrevski-Seton, Scrimshaw, Logue, Brodie and Bowes

None of those players I would call stars of the comp. Maybe if Taranto didn’t get injured in 2020 he was on that trajectory. McLugagge has had really good games but has been inconsistent.

You compare that to other years:

2014, you have Petracca, De Goey, Moore and Brayshaw as top 10 picks

2015 you have Oliver, Parish, Weitering, Mills, Hopper, McKay

2017 Brayshaw, Naughton, Cerra

2018 Walsh, King, Smith

2019 Rowell, Anderson, Jackson, Green

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