Without a doubt you reckon? I’m pretty sure all 18 clubs would pick Draper over Bryan if given the choice between the two. By Bryan’s age Draper was offered $1.7M by St Kilda while he was recovering from an ACL, before he had played a game. Hopefully Bryan gets to AFL standard, but the idea he is more promising than Draper is nuts.
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he’ll prolly be as excited as he was in 2021 to get a game knowing the coach doesn’t rate you (despite claiming he does) to then HAVING to pick you cos there’s no one else, knowing full well he will be out of the side come next week (despite some wishful thinking in here by some that Weedman will be replaced and phillips will go back to his second ruck role).
while having the added bonus that when you don’t live up to the hype that people have pumped into you, cos they think you deserve to get a shot, that you will get the blame if and or when things go wrong, because you didn’t stand up and take the opportunity, again despite all things being equal the coaches wouldn’t be picking you at all
must be a great feeling for the kid, hell any kid, to go into a game with that knowledge.
Drapers promise was more based on hype than anything he had actually done tbf
Clearly someone has forgotten Jason Laycock…
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Draper has physical attributes that can’t be taught.
Yep and that drove the hype.
I really hope Draper can put it all together and round out his game because he has a huge ceiling but there’s definitely been times where I wished we just had a good, normal, reliable ruckman
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Does it include Ryder?
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Love your enthusiasm albeit lacking a little in terms of knowledge to be honest.
Draper could barely kick and mark a football around his fifth game of footy. Don’t compare Draper today with Bryan today. Bryan is quite clearly a more natural and technical ruckman who does however lack the physical size and experience of Sam. Give Bryan 50 games and two more preseasons and we’ll come back to this discussion.
By the way, St Kilda gave up a first round pick for Carlisle.
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if he knocks the lights out would be hard to replace him the following week. but could play 2 rucks + wright.
I think Bryan is the more skilful of the two, but Draper has physical gifts that no other ruckman in the comp has. He also enjoys the combative nature of the game. This is something that does not come naturally to Bryan at all.
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If bryan is the most promising ruckman we’ve had in 23 years, jesus christ
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There is plenty of time for him to become a very good player and plenty of reason so far to suggest he’s on that trajectory.
It’s just very normal for ruckmen not to start showing that in the 1’s while they’re 21 or younger.
The only concern I have about this bloke is that he might leave at some point for more opportunity
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He doesn’t need to dominate or even play great tbh. All he needs to do is try his best to break even in the ruck( not let Geelong get clear taps and clearances).take some marks around the ground and compete as hard as he can when the ball is in his vicinity
He does that, and he’ll have played a great game
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Think Stanley is a great opponent for Bryan, thank god it wasn’t a solo game against Darcy/Briggs/Witts etc.
All we ask is compete as best he can in the contest (ruck and marks) and maximise his own strengths. Run, link up and be involved in the play.
The commentary on his strengths and weaknesses are uncannily similar to Tim English in the early days.
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The whole “without a doubt” is obviously hyperbole, and to exclude Ryder is kind of crazy. But, he isn’t as far off as it sounds.
Draper and Bryan are/were both dominating the VFL at similar ages, and both had/have stand out features. For Draper it’s his athleticism and impact when the ball is on the ground. But for Bryan its his elite disposal, and far superior ruckwork.
I think if I had the choice of who would be the better ruck after their 4th years, I’d go Bryan. His actual ruckwork and ground kicking are so elite for a young ruck (well, the kicking for any age ruck). Draper could be anything after his 4th year, but he could also be a big flop. As it is, he’s just progressed and added strings to his bow (like going forward) I didn’t think he’d ever add. But he’s done that all at an older age than Bryan has.
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You do realise that despite only being roughly 21/22 he’s amongst the best ruckman in the VFL, right? That while you continue to knock him, he continues to dominate VFL games and give our VFL midfield silver platter service? While collecting a decent number of marks and kicking better than most AFL rucks can?
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No, he played full back for Jerusalem
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At least we’re not bringing NLM out of retirement
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This selection will tell us a lot about Scott as a coach, too. One of his consistent messages has been about giving his players the best chance of success. Can he achieve this on the fly with a player who is not part of his plan A occupying a notoriously difficult position?
How the coaches choose to deploy Bryan, mitigating his inexperience and maximising his strengths, will provide a fascinating subplot to the weekend’s game.
I get the impression that the offensive aspect of Bryan’s game will take care of itself - he won’t be minded too closely and will have the chance to get into dangerous spots. How closely he can adhere to his role in the defensive setup will be telling.
Feels as though we will learn as much about the coaches as we do about Bryan this week.
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Sorry, where was i talking about any of that?
I just think the statement he’s the most promising ruck we’ve had since 2000 is ridiculous. Because it is
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