Seriously, I dont even care if hes sh#t. Hes worth drafting just for the lols
Not much happening on this board, so here’s a show summing up the combine and then going through each list.
Can see why we might have been keen on Ben Miller.
Ends up suggesting Matthew Ling for us. Looks OK.
I’d be looking at a half-back/midfielder with good skills for mine or a benfti special.
Matthew Ling
Height 183.1cm
Weight 75.1kg
Current Team Geelong, Vic Country
Birthday April 21, 1999
DRAFT ANALYSIS: “Matt Ling is a rebounding half-back with an deadly left boot and some break-line acceleration. At times he can be inconsistent, but he has all the traits likely to excite plenty of club recruiters.”
TAC Cup
OVERVIEW
Matthew Ling is the type of player clubs want running off half-back. He has blistering speed, clean with ball in hand, a great mover in traffic and has a deadly left boot which can pierce through opposition zones and hit up targets not many others could. He has burst onto the scene as a possible first rounder this year after impressing early on with his dash and skills. He can fade in and out of games, with some clubs wary of what he was capable of so ensuring his influence was restricted. Another tactic opposition players learned about Ling was to corral him onto his opposite foot as it often means a very short kick, or more likely a handball, rather than his preferred left dart.
STRENGTHS
Speed
Deadly left boot
Clean
Movement through traffic
Ling is certainly an exciting prospect with the way he can pick up the ball cleanly, burst off half-back and then piece a kick inside 50 to hit up a leading forward. There was a passage of play in the TAC Cup Grand Final where he did exactly that, and while he does not accumulate possessions as much as others, he is the type of player that 15 touches will be like 25-30 of your average player. Ling rarely wastes a disposal and is clean by both hand and foot. His preferred left is capable of hitting targets over any distance, and he has that touch of class when moving with the ball. When playing at the elite level, he is likely to be that player that teammates look to in order to produce a perfect pass and step up and be the difference in crunch games.
While his 20m sprint at the National Combine was 3.03 seconds – still very fast – many onlookers would have expected even better such is his acceleration. It was a perfect example of why test results are not everything because Ling certainly is among the fastest players in the draft crop. When running with the ball, he backs himself with confidence, arches his back and can still hit targets at full speed which is very difficult to do for most players. Overall, Ling has enough weapons to suggest a club will use a top 25, if not top 20 pick on the exciting half-back/midfielder.
IMPROVEMENTS
Consistency
Opposite foot
Ling has two areas in which he could improve and these are his consistency within games, and his building up his ability on his weaker right foot. His highlights reel would be about as good as anyone in the draft crop, but there are times where he can go missing and not find the pill for a quarter or two within games. The fact the Falcons were so dominant in some matches meant he often would not have a lot to do in the backline, but there were times where he was restricted from having an influence. At his best he is dominant and eye-catching, but it is just continuing to build those highlights and moments into even greater substance going forward.
Secondly, like most left footers, Ling needs to work on his opposite foot. There were a few times this season, particularly in the finals series when the clubs are more aware of opposition players’ capabilities, where Ling was forced onto his right and it was immediately apparent he was not nearly as confident, instead dishing off the handball or producing a short ‘lob’ kick when corralled onto that side. The key for Ling going forward, as is the case with most elite left-dominant players is working on his opposite foot to the point where it just becomes average and not so much a concern if forced onto it. A minor improvement I would add is his scoreboard impact, having kicked six behinds for the season, he could make more of his opportunities, but playing off half-back, they are often fleeting. His one score assist a game shows he is creating opportunities for others.
DRAFT PROJECTION: 12-25
SUMMARY
Matthew Ling is a player who will quickly catch the attention of supporters with his dash, skills and composure when playing at AFL level. He has all the tools to become a very exciting player and once he can build his consistency and work on his opposite foot, Ling could become a more complete player. As a whole, expect him to be the first Geelong Falcon taken in the 2017 National AFL Draft, somewhere in the last first round or early second round for a club looking for speed and skill off half-back.
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I’ve seen Ling predicted to go in the 20s.
You can’t predict anyone who’s going to be available to us unless you’re looking down in the 50s or 60s.
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Ling won’t make it past Swans pick 34
While both may be true (and I completely respect your opinion
on these things @THE_DON1) it’s worth discussing anyone at this point. My vibe is that outside of the top 20 there are wildly differing views on players, so there’s a fair chance that players ranked 30 in some circles may end up at 50+ (or even undrafted) just because of the vagaries of draft night and the way picks fall. Not suggesting Ling is one of those, or that we’d be interested necessarily, but just figure at this point any discussion is interesting, and he was suggested in that video as being one we might like who might be available to us.
To take a general view, are we interested in the skill set he has? Who else might be similar in having that ability to collect the ball at half back and distribute with a bit of class? Which of that type are likely to go before or after Ling, and why? etc etc
I am not sure that I’d prioritise someone who played mainly off half back, but the classy outside user is definitely in my thinking, preferably someone who had the ability to play further up the ground and hit targets in the forward 50. If they were HB types I’d want them to have shown one on one skills and an ability to beat their man regularly and a superior ability to read the play.
Hmm, I’m going to have to do some research…
Pick 48 should be the best upside guy available. Forget needs. Just get the kid we rate the highest. This draft will likely be a non-event, so swing for the fences and try for a Fantasia / Walla.
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I’d be looking at the types that often fall but have big upside. Your Benfti special that might go through the midfield. Your half-back who can lock down and is a smart user and positional. You’re small forward who doesn’t have the u18 engine for midfield, but has the right traits (Zorko, Rockliff). Someone who looked decent but due to injury or illness missed a chunk of U18 or had depressed results.
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Suggest that Don1 is well connected and usually on the money.- It’d be a surprise if Ling got to pick 48.
I understand that and accept that. Still worth discussing.
Especially when I should be doing an assignment 
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Any more cliches you want to pick might aswell add someone with a basketball background haha
We could go for a few of those all in one with Matthew Day from Oakleigh. 189cm midfielder who can also go forward. It’s his 2nd year of football after coming from basketball he has good hands and agility and good vision. Kicking is a work in progress but he still has a bit of development and could turn into a decent inside mid.
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I’m sold
I recommend
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Worpel would be a good get at 48.
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Who would actually buy this apart from actual recruiters, who you would hope wouldn’t actually need something like it?
.
I have bought this a few times in the past. It’s an interesting read and provides a much broader view than most of the internet watchers. You might see 100 odd names across the various online draft watchers who are generally limited to their home state and U18 champs and whatever else they can get via video or travel. This issue will have a stack of names that have never been mentioned elsewhere., so it’s handy to have as a reference when Essendon calls out Cale Hooker and no one on the internet has heard of him and the radio coverage which hasn’t looked beyond the top 20 are all scratching their heads.
It’s likely that there will only be half a dozen of those types though. Although this year may be different.
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First line of first article that came up when I googled him mentioned Pendlebury!
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It’s good for draft watchers like me that don’t get to see the work some of these kids do off the field and it also has all the updated heights and weights of players.
Right of the bat you see this kid there called Noah Answerth who was injured in round 2. I was lucky enough to watch him in a pre-season game and round 1 and he seriously impressed me. Getting some extra thoughts from the coaches can help me understand more about him and be comfortable in my rating of him.
In general it’s a better thing to look back on and see the patterns in what coaches said to how they ended up in their careers I’ll try and go
Through some old coach reviews when I get home to see how accurate they turned out
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