Jobe Watson:
Age: 18Games: 0
Jobe played his first game in the VFL side last weekend after returning from a thigh injury. He played on the half forward line and I thought he was a good contributor. He is very professional in his approach and he plays footy in an 'old-fashion' type of a way - he plays in front, he wins the footy and he plays a very simple game and I think that what has made him a good young player so far. I can see him moving up to the seniors in the next month or so.
Jordan Bannister:
Age: 20Games: 14
Jordan is playing better now than he ever has. He has improved every facet of his game and is a good talent for the club. He is a good size and he is extremely quick and has improved his kicking as well.
Ted Richards:
Age: 20 yearsGames: 4
Ted has played in the mid-field as ruck rover in the VFL over the last couple of weeks. Now he can play forward, back and a little bit in the mid-field - so that is a really good effort. His fitness is second to none and his commitment is sensational. He has improved his kicking and it still has a way to go but to his credit he has kept working at it. When the opportunity comes I think he will grab hold of it with both hands.
Marc Bullen:
Age: 20 yearsGames: 4
He has played in a few different positions this year. He has moved out of the middle and played a little bit at half back and on the wing. He has improved his speed this year, which has been an asset to him. We have moved him down the back to give him another facet to his game and he has improved in a lot of areas of his game. His body weight and skin folds indicate that he is the fittest he has ever been at the club and his strength, agility and skills have all improved as well. I wouldn't think he is too far away from a senior opportunity.
Sam Hunt:
Age: 20 yearsGames: 3
Sam injured his ankle in the exhibition match against Sydney back in February. He has been close to returning but just hasn't been quite able to get over it. He has been working hard and is still fit and strong so when he comes back he should step back into the game pretty easily. He is another tall, flexible player so we are looking forward to his return.
Shane Harvey:
Age: 20 yearsGames: 10
Shane's consistency is getting better week in and week out and he has terrific footy smarts. He has only been at the club for over 12 months so he is still improving. He has played 10 senior games so far at the club so it is a pretty good effort by a young player to get to that amount of games so early in his footy life. He has improved his fitness and he still has a way to go in a number of areas of his game but I think he is on the right track. He is a sharp goal sneak he just needs to keep getting more experience and a little bit stronger.
James Davies:
Age: 20 yearsGames: 1
James has improved a great deal and his consistency in the VFL has been very good. He is playing predominantly at half back, wing and a little bit on the ball. Hopefully we will see him play some AFL games this year but he is still only a young man and he didn't have an extensive under-18s background.
Tristan Cartledge:
Age: 17 yearsGames: 0
He is the baby of the group and is still playing school footy - he is the youngest player on any AFL list. Sometimes your forget how young these guys are and our expectations are pretty high. He is an exciting ruck talent we just have to be patient.
Simon O'Keefe:
Age: 19 yearsGames: 0
Simon has improved his footy and he is still a long term prospect for the footy club. Most ruck men don't mature until they are 22 - 23 years. His skills are progressing along well and we hope for big things in the future from Simon.
Darren Walsh:
Age: 18 yearsGames: 2
Darren is an exciting young talent - his speed and ball handling skills are second to none. He reminds me of a young Gavin Wanganeen. He is a quiet young guy who just goes about his business and keeps improving bit by bit.
Jason Winderlich:
Age: 18 yearsGames: 1
Jason missed a lot of the pre season and came back in for the first round of the VFL against Sandringham. He played about a half in that game and came on and did some exciting things. He has kept progressing from that point on and he will keep improving as the year goes on. He is keen and loves his footy.
Andrew Welsh:
Age: 20 yearsGames: 21
It is a credit to him that he has been able to play so many games in his first 12 -18 months of league footy. He puts his head down and works hard and has some great leadership potential down the track. He goes in hard and would never let the team down. I think down the track he could play half-back and on the ball - he probably just needs a bit more size, which will come with time.
Joel Reynolds:
Age: 18yearsGames: 16
Joel is another exciting talent - he needs to keep improving his kicking. He has worked on his weight and bulked up over the pre season. There are a lot of expectations on him but he is still only 18-years-old. He is young in footy terms and we can't push him too much. We want him to be a 10-12 year player, not burn out in three years.
Jason Laycock:
Age: 18 yearsGames: 0
I think Jason might play a handful of senior games this year. Given time I see him playing a ruck / centre half forward role. He has a great set of hands and gets out in front and takes a good mark. Jason is a great potential - he is a good size and can run a bit. Similar to the other ruck men we have to be patient when developing our bigger men.
