 The Falcons were a fairly even side with few standouts. They have a few players who are worth looking at, but I wouldn’t say any are guaranteed to be taken.
James Allan
Details:
Club: Lara
DOB: 17 Jan 85 Hgt: 172cm Wgt: 71kg
Position: Onballer
Natural foot: Right
Honours:
Victoria Country 2002
All Australian 2002
Interchange in TAC Team of the Year 2002
National Draft Camp Invitee 2002
TAC Stats:
2002: 15 games, 17 goals, 33.2 PPG.
Profile:
James Allan (not the F1 commentator) is a fearless midfielder who was sensational in 2002, doing all you could ask of someone. However, he was still overlooked by all 16 clubs, simply due to his size. The kid is tiny, he is like a terrier when you see him play.
Unfortunately Allan did his knee in pre-season and missed the entire 2003 season after being named captain of Geelong. This might have put his chances of being drafted to an end.
To say he is a ball magnet would be an understatement, a staggering 33 possessions a game last year, including no less than 53 against Dandenong. He works very hard in close, winning clearances with his excellent skills by hand. Is also a very hard tackler for his size. Came 2nd in the agility test at the 2002 National Draft Camp as well.
I doubt he will be taken - he did all you could ask for last year and wasn't picked up, and I can't see how a season on the sidelines will help. The kid can really play, and should go really well at VFL level if given the chance.
Mark Blake
Details:
Club: South Barwon
DOB: 9 Sep 85 Hgt: 198cm Wgt: 94kg
Position: Ruckman
Natural foot: Right
Honours:
Victoria Country 2003
State Screening Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2002: 18 games, 8 goals, 12.2 PPG.
2003: 13 games, 15 goals, 14.8 PPG.
Profile:
I won't waste too much time on Blake, because he is going to Geelong under the father-son rule. Basically he is the best ruck prospect I've seen this year. He can tap the ball well, is very agile, has reasonable skills (although needs to work on his set shot kicking) and go can forward and kick a goal as well. I'm disappointed we don't have a crack at him.
Luke Buckland
Details:
Club: Geelong Amateurs
DOB: 19 Apr 85 Hgt: 188cm Wgt: 75kg
Position: Defender
Natural foot: Right
Honours:
Victoria Country 2003
National Draft Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2003: 16 games, 6 goals, 16.2 PPG.
Profile:
Buckland is one of those players who held down a key position (in this case centre-half back) for most of the year in the TAC, but of course he wouldn't be able to play there at AFL level.
He was used in some slightly different roles for Victoria Country, both up forward and on a flank, but I would say he played his best footy for Geelong in defence. Really there is nothing particularly remarkable about his game - he is a pretty good mark and athletic. He was in the top 10 for vertical leap and the shuttle run at the draft camp.
His versatility is a plus, he attacks the ball hard and usually makes good decisions. I haven't seen him use a left foot however. Worth a look for a rookie list.
Nathan Foley
Details:
Club: Colac
DOB: 8 Sep 85 Hgt: 177cm Wgt: 74kg
Position: Onballer/Forward Pocket
Natural foot: Right
Honours:
Victoria Country 2003
3rd in TAC Coaches Award 2003
Rover in TAC Team of the Year
State Screening Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2002: 14 games, 3 goals, 24.4 PPG.
2003: 17 games, 12 goals, 30.2 PPG.
Profile:
Foley had a sensational year for Geelong and was a worthy choice as 1st rover in the TAC team of the year. He is basically an onballer who gathers a mountain of possessions and enjoys kicking a goal. However, there is one major query I have over him that would make me very wary of even rookie listing him.
Nathan is very good in close - his hands are excellent, and he is extremely creative. Will give off a handball that looks like a fluke, but he is capable of doing it all the time - vision in a contested situation is first class.
He works hard in close, lays tackles, but is still very slight and would need a couple of seasons on the weights if he was to play anywhere else but forward pocket or wing.
Foley loves a goal, he will shoot on sight pretty much. Is capable of some brilliant snaps. He likes to play on and gain metres by carrying the ball at every opportunity. Has a fair bit of pace, something he apparently worked hard on during the summer.
Consistent possession winner (more than 16 in every match, best of 43 against Oakleigh). However, my major concern is his kicking. Although he is not afraid to kick on either foot, his disposal by foot, particularly under pressure, can be very poor. A lot of his kicks seem to materialise into Steven Greene floaters - far too many for my liking. If it wasn't for this he'd certainly be worth a look.
However, Foley is very slight and my concerns over his disposal by foot mean I'd consider him only a possible rookie list at best.
Jarrod Kayler-Thomson
Details:
Club: Newtown
DOB: 26 Jul 85 Hgt: 187cm Wgt: 80kg
Position: Half Back Flank
Natural foot: Left
Honours:
State Screening Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2002: 13 games, 10 goals, 11.6 PPG.
2003: 19 games, 6 goals, 23.4 PPG.
Profile:
I could probably just write Nathan Lonie and that would do. I don't like to compare potential draftees to current or former AFL players, but the similarities are striking. Kayler-Thompson spends all of his time in defence pumping the ball long with his prodigious left foot.
It's really his only trick, but it's an impressive one. Jarrod will back his ability to run the ball out of defence and will then pump the ball 55-60 metres. He is reasonable overhead and will work hard to spoil an attack. Takes the kickouts as well.
As far as I've seen he has absolutely no right side, and looks a bit one-dimensional. His kick to handball ratio is one of the highest in the competition. Gathers quite a few touches per game. Was picked in the initial Vic Country squad before being cut after the trial match. Possible rookie list.
Jordan Lewis
Details:
Club: Warrnambool
DOB: 24 Apr 86 Hgt: 186cm Wgt: 83kg
Position: Flanker
Natural foot: Left
Honours:
State Screening Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2003: 16 games, 3 goals, 19.1 PPG.
Profile:
Thought I would include him as he was invited to state screening camp, but from what I saw there was nothing remarkable about Jordan's game. He is basically a hard-at-it flanker who is consistent but not really flashy. Is a reasonable kick and a pretty good mark.
He is fairly young so perhaps the recruiters see some real potential, but I reckon he will be given another year in the TAC to see how he progresses.
Will Richardson
Details:
Club: Terang/Mortlake
DOB: 20 Apr 85 Hgt: 183cm Wgt: 81kg
Position: Wing/Half Forward Flank
Natural foot: Left
Honours:
Victoria Country 2003
State Screening Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2002: 11 games, 6 goals, 15.1 PPG.
2003: 16 games, 14 goals, 19.3 PPG.
Profile:
Richardson is an attacking winger who will run forward at every opportunity and loves to kick a goal. He has pretty good disposal by foot, is a long kick and a good pass.
Took 93 marks for the year, nearly 6 a game. Like Kayler-Thompson, he has a very high kick to handball ratio.
Like most of the Falcons' players, I'm not really convinced and would have him a possible rookie list at best.
Hayden Timms
Details:
Club: Geelong Grammar
DOB: 9 Nov 85 Hgt: 184cm Wgt: 80kg
Position: Wing
Natural foot: Left
Honours:
State Screening Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2003: 8 games, 3 goals, 18.1 PPG.
Profile:
A surprise invitee to state screening camp after playing just 8 TAC Cup games - I'm not sure if Timms was injured the first half of the year or not (school footy perhaps?).
I haven't seen that much of him, but I would describe him as a wingman who can also spend time on the ball. His passing is very good from what I've seen.
Haven't really seen enough of him to make an accurate judgement, but I'd be surprised if he got picked any higher than a rookie.
Pat Travers
Details:
Club: Newtown
DOB: 1 Apr 85 Hgt: 182cm Wgt: 78kg
Position: Onballer
Natural foot: Right
Honours:
Victoria Country 2003
Interchange in TAC Team of the Year
State Screening Camp Invitee 2003
TAC Stats:
2002: 15 games, 12 goals, 29.1 PPG.
2003: 17 games, 16 goals, 25.9 PPG.
Profile:
Travers is another ball magnet who finds a lot of the footy every time he plays. He spends most of the time as a linkman in the centre square, just chipping the ball out wide or handballing off as play streams past.
It's incredible the amount of his possessions he seems to accumulate in the centre of the ground, I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't cover a lot of ground or what. His hands are excellent, like Foley he can spot a player in traffic and nail him with a quick handball. His kicking is adequate, nothing good nor bad about it.
He was influential for Vic Country against Vic Metro, picked up a lot of touches and really helped win the battle in midfield. He is not afraid to put his head over the footy when required, but he does tend to get a lot of soft touches.
Enjoys kicking a goal when possible. My major concern is pace - Travers never tends to carry the ball, he usually just takes one or two steps then disposes of it. I'm not actually sure how slow he is, but his style of play suggests he doesn't back his pace to get him through. This will probably be his downfall, and although he is a very smart player, again he looks more likely to play VFL than AFL next year.
Other Draftee Profiles can be viewed by clicking on the links below:
Dandenong Stingrays
Murray Bushrangers
NSW and Tasmania
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