He has been playing forward.
Still, looks nowhere near it though
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I think giving him a stint forward is to help his defensive game. He will learn new tricks playing in a new position for a little while, as in his junior career he never stepped foot outside of defence, with the occasional wing role.
Yeah it has been a worry. Dodoro loved his project player.
It will be interesting to see whether this changes under Rosa and Vozzo.
2 Likes
Youāre better off going a Geelong type project player in the back end of the draft. A more mature bloke who can play footy. Funny how we have nailed mid season and preseason picks using this philosophy.
5 Likes
Geelong since 2017
35-60
2017
36 Constable
57 Miers
Constable was the āsliderā if either of them
2018
48 Jarvis
50 Kennerley
Who?
2019
41 Francis Evans
50 Taheny
2020
47 Nick Stevens
2021
48 Flynn Kroeger
2022
52 Phoenix Foster
2023
36 Shaun Mannagh
58 George Stevens
Hardly a whoās who of success stories, and Iād also question. Whether āslidersā is their method.
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Weāve taken a more mature player every year for a while.
Saad - this years mid season draft
Montgomerie - last year rookie pick
McDonagh - 2021
Waterman - 2020 supplemental pick
Mitch Hibberd - 2019 rookie pick
Townsend - 2019 supplemental pick
Zac Clarke - 2018 supplemental pick
We actually do better with 20 year olds than we do with those a tad older.
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Yeah maybe Iām thinking in the old days and last years recency bias. Miers, constable, mannagh, stevens, all good āfootballersā that werenāt taken higher coz their athletic upside wasnāt as high.
I remember wanting constable coz he was a tall mid and miers after he absolutely dominated the under 18 gf. I also wanted mannagh and Stevens last year coz they filled list needs at the time. The others Iāve never heard of to be honest, but didnāt really follow it closely in those years.
Are we deliberately leaving out Lawson Humphries?
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I chose 35-60 without even thinking because that was the sort of range weād been talking
If you add Humphries you also add Wiltshire, Whyte and Tarca.(All 60-70 in the same period, Wiltshire taken before Humphries)
I mean we all fixate on the successes (and in some cases very short term successes that may or may not become more) but the reality is that even Geelong have a whole heap of failures in that sort of range.
Excluding Mannagh who is 26 and played 9 games, and Humphries (8 games) who are too early to call, but look good, only Miers has played more than 35 games. Next is Evans at 30 (7 for Geelong) and Constable at 16 (12 for Geelong). And thatās it for more than 1 game in that draft range in the period. Geelong have also had more success with rookies etc, in the same way Essendon have but theyāve only really got Dempsey, Mullin, Close and Atkins that way in the period.
Really any pick post 35 is just a lottery ticket. Ideally you donāt take any, but rather get SSP/MSD etc
This guy isnāt making it, heās not even close. Iāve watched him, struggles with contact, sloppy decision making and hasnāt the pace that seemed obvious at draft time. I donāt know if you can cut contracts early, but weāre better off with a new rookie selection over him.
2 Likes
So he is a standard Dudoro selection then
Maybe Brisbane are interested and a good way to increase trade value to showcase him on his new home ground.
The team play him all game, kick the ball to him every opportunity , looks a star, trade for high draft pick from Brisbane
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One thing we have done for some time is pick a disproportionately high number of players who arenāt comfortable with the physical aspects off the game. Lual, Davey bros, Weideman, Lord, Munkara, Cutler and Jok were all well below the standard needed to make the grade. Plenty of others are on the low end of the combative scale.
13 Likes
Some nice tackles by Lual
In the VFL game
https://x.com/silentghost263/status/1894915284248768809?s=46
8 Likes
He looks a good athlete. Heād be a nice bonus if he is able to develop and be that real dasher across the HB line. We do lack a bit for that, the absolute athlete and someone with sizzling pace. I didnāt think much of him last season but fingers crossed he comes on and provides a POD to our small defensive crop.
3 Likes
Heavier opponent with more momentum but he stuck it.
That first tackle is a beauty.
2 Likes
Really good technique, got down low, twisted and used the opponents momentum to bring him down, with a decent, legal body slam.
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See where this season takes him I supposeā¦if he gets a chance in the 1s off hbf or wing this season late on, then he definitely needs to take it. His pressure has improved. Next ā¦ his disposal quality and impact. 
I thought he was done end of last year, but looks to have attacked his preseason and upped his defensive intensity. Thereās a chance he makes it.
Has good athletic attributes.
4 Likes
Unless we have a pressing need for a list spot being made available I really have no problem keeping a project player like Lual on the list for a bit longer, as long as he keeps showing improvement. He really needs an assigned role in the VFL and maybe he can be a late bloomer. When I watch him he seems to have all the physical attributes to be a good footballer, but it may click late. If he doesnāt work out it wouldnāt have cost us much.
1 Like