Well, we got Laverde (how???) so here is his write up!
Jayden Laverde
Height: 190 cm, Weight: 82 kg, DOB: Jayden Laverde
Club: Western Jets
Position: Midfielder, Utility, Rotating Forward
U18 Statistics
2013 – http://www.foxsportspulse.com/team_info.cgi?action=PSTATS&pID=196040074&client=1-3020-111719-253881-18717761&ocompID=253881
2014 - http://www.foxsportspulse.com/team_info.cgi?action=PSTATS&client=1-3020-111719-294694-20320285&pID=196040074&news_task=DETAIL
Draft Combine
N/A
Highlights
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-09-14/draft-prospect-jayden-laverde-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qQz1Lw8Uog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qQz1Lw8Uog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZEg8UtVdw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfv7oilwszo
http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2014-11-10/17-days-to-the-draft-jayden-laverde
Chris25
Pick 8
Midfielder/Defender
Knightmare
Pick #17, #11 on talent
Draft range: 4-15
Best position/role: Rotational forward/midfielder.
Strengths
Evasiveness – Laverde has rare ability to create time and space for himself with his well-timed evasive sidesteps, body movements, ball fakes among other moves with ball in hand that give him more time and space than anyone else out on the field. He avoids tacklers easily by anticipating what they‘ll do before they do it making him look that class above with ball in hand.
Athleticism - Laverde in addition to his evasiveness has excellent explosiveness and athleticism. Laverde uses his pace effectively in game and can break the lines and take on the game with ball in hand and plays on when the opportunity is there and has some real breakaway pace and instant acceleration making him hard to catch. Laverde is a good leaper and is a strong mark in the air. He also has the strength and power to win the 1v1 contests and to win his own ball around the ground.
Ball use - Laverde is an excellent user of the footy with his vision allowing him to find the most damaging targets up the field and his ability to execute by both hand and foot also is excellent. When within range from goal Laverde is also an excellent finisher both from general play and set shots and has shown that he can provide heavy scoreboard impact. He can at times make some poor decisions with ball in hand and choose the wrong targets but that has improved as the year has progressed.
Versatility – Can play forward or back well and has the scope to develop the ability to play more through the midfield.
Front half talent – Laverde in the front half has the ability to do major damage and has that natural intuitive front half talent so few have. He is a capable finisher from his set shots and in general play will run around defenders and run into goal for an easy finish. He keeps his feet in the contest, has a real natural balance to him and can take advantage of guys 1v1 for marks and is also capable in the air and on the lead. He has excellent evasiveness and is hard to lay a finger on. He can win the ground balls and contested footy. He also has the vision to find targets in better position inside 50.
Marking ability – Laverde is a strong mark overhead. He will take marks 1v1, in the air and on the lead. On the lead he can create separation effectively for the easy marks. In the air he is strong and has a good leap making him hard to stop. He also has excellent 1v1 strength in the contest and will take advantage of his opponent‘s 1v1 taking strong marks against them. When played down back he also shows that he can read it well and be an intercept marking threat.
Weaknesses
Decision making ability - At times with ball in hand Laverde can try to do too much and can at times make the wrong decisions but when he can do what he does I would be giving him the benefit of the doubt on most occasions and let him just play his natural intuitive football, it is something I have seen him improve as the year has progressed so it is not something I am overly concerned by.
Ability through the midfield? - The next stage in Laverde‘s development is playing more through the midfield and it is something with time given his attributes that he has the scope to develop. With his evasive movement, skillset, size, strength, explosiveness and his contested ball winning ability he has the right mix of traits to play through the midfield but until he becomes a regular midfielder he is not and the question will remain. What I expect will improve:Given Laverde‘s traits I see him making the jump into the midfield and gradually with time increasing his minutes. I also expect his strong general improvement to continue over coming seasons.
Who he can become?
Laverde has a feel something like taller and more powerful Chad Wingard as a similarly freakish talent forward of centre but without being quite on that same level.
When will he be ready to play?
Laverde should get some opportunities in season one but season two is when I see him most likely establishing himself as a regular for a team.
How to best utilise him?
Laverde is best utilised in the front half given his talent and ability to do damage up forward but later on in his career I would like to see him increase his midfield minutes and split his time between the front half and midfield.
Interpretation of his numbers:
Laverde this year has shown strong improvement as the season has progressed improving his disposal efficiency, increasing his overall numbers and taking more marks and contested marks. With his numbers trending upward it is a positive indicator that he will continue his strong development over coming seasons. He also had a very strong and productive U18 Championships where he also displayed an excellent disposal efficiency which was an encouraging sign of progress.
Paige Cardonas
Pick 5
Position: Midfielder/utility
Projected draft range 6-20
Plays like: Scott Pendlebury
One of the most exciting players of the draft with arguably the best highlights reel, Laverde is blessed with traits AFL clubs struggle to find across two or three players, let alone have them all in one. The epitome of an athletic and speedy midfielder who can play every position well, Laverde is a sublime mover. He glides through the wings with poise and speed, and loves to cut through congestion with long strides where he can burst out from a contested situation and run the ball. Laverde is another tall midfielder with a thumping yet accurate kick, and is one of the more damaging players available in this year‘s draft. His agility and almost arrogant sidestep means he dances around opponents with ease. Laverde has shown a propensity to take the game on and is a natural goal kicker, whether from a set shot or on the run. His disposal efficiency ranks among the elite in the AFL, and he‘s been known to fly for a few hangers throughout his journey, coupling a distinct x-factor with an already impressive skill set. He loves the ball in his hands. He is often the instigator in attacking forays, and has the rare ability to swing momentum into his team‘s favour. His versatility is highly favoured, but he looks his best playing through the midfield or on a wing. That being said, he can just as easily be sent to rest forward or back. where he can use his strong marking game and elite endurance to cut games open.
Skippos
Pick #15 , #15 on talent
Athletic and skilled utility
Range: Top 15
Laverde’s an athletic utility with some real upside. Very versatile, he’s played more of his football in defence but has also shown some real ability and intelligence when forward and through the middle as well as off a wing. He’s very fast but also has excellent acceleration and exceptional agility and as well as some real strength both in the contest and one on one. His evasion is top tier with his ability to shift his centre of gravity rapidly a particular highlight, aiding him in creating time and space for himself to effectively dispose. He likes to use his athleticism to break lines and take the game on. By foot Laverde is normally solid with his kicks often to advantage and penetrating. However those that aren’t are often clangers or turnovers due to poor decisions. In defence he’s reasonably accountable and able to read the flight and take intercepts but also able to use his height and strength to be a dominant one on one mark both forward and back.
While normally a solid kick he is prone to trying to do too much and be too creative which results in some pretty poor turnovers. At the moment he doesn’t have much inside game instead preferring to hang outside for the receive, though in traffic he’s very composed. At his size and with his skillset there is scope to develop an inside game but it’ll take time. He also hasn’t accumulated as much of the ball through the middle as you’d like.
Laverde’s a very hard player to find a comparison for with very few players sharing his height, versatility and skillset. Jackson Macrae isn’t as penetrating by foot or as fast but they’re similar in their evasive movement and also in their tendency to win outside ball as opposed to inside ball but also having the scope to develop an inside game. He’s someone that still has a bit to work on and is likely to spend some time at state league level early but should be pushing for AFL selection late in the first season and into the second, while really imposing himself and potentially breaking out (big time) in his third and fourth seasons.
Evaluation of his prospects: Laverde has the athleticism and size to be almost anything. In the right system and with the right approach he could well become an A grade midfielder. But he also might just end up another athletic player lacking the smarts to be relevant. The ceiling is through the roof - but the floor is also rather low.
Bulldogs
Pick #5
Wing/for
Whilst I am not convinced Laverde is the 5th best player in the draft, he has qualities that Collingwood desperately need. They have too many small midfielder/flanker types on their list and Laverde offers a point of difference. Similar to Petracca I believe he is ready to play Round 1 2015. He is a confident sort of guy and will not be overawed by playing in the big league. He can play a role up forward, as a wingman or even a swingman of the bench. He will pose headaches for opposition coaches as he can take the spectacular mark and kick the miraculous goal. His challenge is to get consistency into his game. Overtime he will be a valuable contributor for the Pies.
SnoopDog
Pick # 5
Position: Utility
Bio: The Patrick Dangerfield of this years draft. He is a match winner this kid and one that have been very bullish on since seeing him as a bottom ager last year. Has everything you would want. Height, speed, agility, good hands, positional scope and plays very good football. Has done some things through the year in different games which would have had recruiters salivating. Needs a bit more consistency though but that will come.
Why / others – I would think the Pies would like the speed of Pickett but I think GWS will already have him. Lots of players make sense here and mail is strong its he or De Goey but I think Ahern (rated v high by Pies), Lamb (arguably one of the 6-7 best in the draft when ‘on‘), Weller and Langford are all types I could see Hine taking. Roughie would be Wright or Lever but I think Pies well stocked there.
Very hard for me to split Weller, Ahern, Laverde, Cockatoo and De Goey. I have been solid on Laverde all year so will stick with him but nothing really splits and I just think his touch of x factor pushes him into pole.
Bound for Glory
Written 5 August
Strengths: Athleticism, pace, x-factor, versatility
Weaknesses: Inside game, defensive efforts
Player Comparison: Steve Johnson
There are many attributes clubs are looking for when assessing a player. Skill is one of them. Ability is another. Pace and athleticism are there too. So is height and scope for improvement. Laverde ticks all of these boxes.
Each year we see a bolter. The guy who came from the clouds on the back of a string of good performances on the big stage; the National Championships, or during the back end of the season. This year it seems that man might be is Jayden Laverde. He was playing good footy leading up to the championships and looked to have done enough to get drafted, but what he did during the carnival has lead to him being talked about as a top end selection.
In the two televised games, Laverde averaged only 12.5 possessions, 3.5 marks and 2.5 tackles but it was what he did with the ball that stood out. The game where he really stamped himself was the final match of the carnival against South Australia. He started off in the back half and provided plenty of run and dash, daring to take on forwards and run with the ball and then set up attacks with his raking boot. He was switched forward after quarter time and had a field day, kicking three goals a and having a hand in multiple chances for his team. He also spent time in the midfield where he won his own ball and delivered it long to his teammates. He showcased his versatility in this game where he played at both ends of the ground, in the middle and deep forward opposed to the best South Australian defender on the day, Jack Hayes.
Laverde has x-factor written all over him. He has great acceleration, pace to burn, a nifty sidestep, a fantastic vertical leap and he loves to use it all. The only problem is that he can try to do too much at times, but it can break open the game when it does come off. Laverde does the flashy things well. He takes the big marks and kicks the impossible goals. An example was his screamer on Murray Bushrangers ruck Isaac Muller earlier this year.
However he is not all flash and sparkles. He can do the inside ball winning too and works hard around the ground to keep himself involved. His ball winning ability is not quite there yet as a midfielder but it is improving and envisage that he will be able to run out whole games in the midfield soon enough. Especially given he will be drafted with clubs wanting him to play as a tall midfielder. His disposal is good without being elite. He is good by hand and very clean with his pick ups, picking it up from below his knees and firing out a handpass in one smooth and fluid movement. His kicking is long and penetrating but can be hit and miss at times, especially when he tries to hit the shorter targets as he can air these ones out a little. He can kick a long ball and combined with his pace, he is a lethal line breaker off half back or half forward.
Laverde as a forward is the most impressive, although hopefully he moves into the midfield as he builds up his tank and fills out a little. He can play deep or up the ground and runs his opponent ragged. He likes to work up the ground and then turn his opponent, backing himself to win a footrace and has the ability to kick long goals from around the 50. When playing deep he plays from the front spot and doesn‘t let his opponent get near him on the lead, as he has a very quick first few steps.
Laverde is one of those players that fans will love to watch. He won‘t dominate from round 1, 2015, but he should develop into one of the pieces in the puzzle that teams need to be successful because he provides the x-factor and skill that all the good teams have.
Season Stats (Averages from 7 games):
Kicks: 14.4
Handballs: 6.6
Disposals: 21
Marks (Contested): 5.3 (1.1)
Tackles: 2.6
Total Goals: 11
Total Behinds: 5
Emma Quayle
AFL biography: Smooth moving medium midfielder/forward with neat disposal skills. Can turn opponents inside out with his agility and is dangerous around goals. Strong overhead and a difficult match up with athletic attributes in forward half or in midfield. Averaged 16.8 disposals at 74% efficiency and 5 marks during the NAB AFL U18 Championships winning All Australian honours.
Shane Sexton, Western Jets: “Jayden took a while to get going this year but he had some really outstanding games for Vic Metro in the national championships and made the All-Australian team. He has some x-factor, his ability to create time and space is really good and he’s an outstanding overhead mark, he can take some spectacular grabs. He’s versatile and he has some height which I think will be really handy at AFL level. We reckon he can play back, forward or on a wing, he’s highly skilful and he does those unexpected sort of things that make you think ‘crikey, how’d he do that?’ He’s a terrific prospect but he copped a pretty bad cork in our last game that turned out to be a bit worse than we thought, so he might not do much of the testing.”
