2024 VFL thread

[i'm-uninformed2]

Re. Cleary - I watched him closely (on the stream :-)) and I thought his work in close was very clean, his tackling and second efforts are first class and his 50m goal was delightful. But where he is exceptional is his ability to cover ground - his workrate is Gulden-like. It's possible he isn't getting much attention from fans because he isn't flashy. No 50m thread the needle passes, no lightning quick 3-bounce runs, no spectacular high marks. But very good at what he does, and potential to be at least a good AFL player.

I have to admit I went into last year's u18 championships and Allies games thinking he was sound enough, but maybe a bit vanilla for AFL footy. But as the games went on, I came to have a far greater appreciation of the three things you mentioned here - his two-way run and efforts, his clean skills, and in particular his ground ball work. I also thought he was probably a bit Jake Lloyd like in his kicking - not spectacular, but a good judge of what he can (and can't) do, and plays right to that.

But I think the thing that keeps impressing me is his trajectory. He just keeps improving, and every time he's asked to step up - in a hot team like the Allies, into VFL, into the very middle of the square in VFL - he just adapts to get it done and very quickly. The competition for spots in our midfield is going to be fierce over the next few years, but as we've seen this year, you need the right mix - and he's got potential to be the ying to the yang of a Chad or Gulden.

[dejavoodoo44]

Coaches votes for the game against the Bullants. Unsurprisingly, Cleary got 10.

10 Caiden Cleary (SYD)
8 Saad El-Hawli (NB)
5 Nic Shipley (SYD)
3 Patrick Fairlie (NB)
3 Jean-Luc Velissaris (NB)
1 Joel Hamling (SYD)