What's the time frame on a 'project player'?

By MyLeftFoot / Roar Guru

14th December, 2010

Most AFL clubs have one. Generally they are over 6’4″, because big guys take longer to ‘mature’. Or, he may be from a limited footy background – but generally, still likely to be over 6’4″. The question is, what is the time frame for a ‘project player’?

Project players by their definition are seen to have a great ‘up side’. That’s coaching speak for ‘potential’. Just how much that potential is evident or just wishful thinking is another question.

Some of the players that clearly are project players include Mike Pyke at the Swans. A Canadian, he came in his mid 20s to the Swans from an international rugby background. He’s a big guy, a ruckman, and got two years as an international rookie. He at least had the body and attitude of a professional athlete.

He’s been groomed for the ruck – one of the very much more specialised roles. And, two years in, he’s cracked it for a senior listing and a ‘real’ contract.

Due to injury to Shane Mumford and Mark Seaby at the Swans this year, he got more match time than he would otherwise have got, learning on the job, he showed enough in Round 22 to help ruck the Swans into a home final. How close would he have been to being cut? Or to just rolling over on the rookie list for another one or two years?

How long would he have had?

Other project players include Majak Daw at North Melbourne, a Sudanese refugee who is very ‘raw’, but has shown undoubted talent coming through the ranks and the TAC Cup. At 19, does he get three years?

At Carlton we still see Irish project player Setanta O’hAilpin retained. He’s shown glimpses, but he’s been there six years now for 72 games.

At Port, Dean Brogan did the basketball switch and became a success. Others include Kurt Tippett and Jesse White.

Project players these days have access to better specialist coaching, better specialist facilities, and certain clubs in particular have a greater track record to successful projects than others – due mainly to the scope for greater off-field investment.

And so we see Collingwood into the second year now with American basketballer Shae McNamara, and they have again dipped their toe in the Emerald waters to rookie list young Irish lad Paul Cribbin (191cm).

One of the surprises in this years rookie draft was taken by Geelong, George Burbury from Hobart. He’d put footy on the backburner for 2010 and put school rowing as his priority. Geelong had seen enough previously. He got drafted despite not being available for Tassie in the under-18 nationals. The Geelong Advertiser put it this way: “Burbury, who has played footy most of his life, looms as a project player for the Cats.”

But, unlike the typical project player, young George stands ‘only’ 180 cms and weighs in at 69kg.

How long will George get?

The Crowd Says:

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2011-05-20T03:42:21+00:00

What's the time frame on a 'project player'?

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