2013 Player Profile: George Horlin-Smith

[Mr.Craig]

George Horlin-Smith



Birthday - 22/12/92
186cm/83kg
Price/Position - $171,900 Mid (30% discount)

2012 Scores - 58, 40, 45 (Two Vests)

2012 VFL Scores - 138, 91, 87, 101, 118, 76, 109, 71, 58, 94, 103, 29, 82, 63, 59, 72 (Ave: 84.4)

Based on today's AFL.com article I thought I'd take a look at this up and coming Cat. Horlin-Smith was drafted in 2010 from SANFL club Sturt, he had an injury interrupted 2011 which limited him to 9 VFL games but he showed plenty of promise. His first AFL outing was against North Melbourne in Round 3, 2012 where he donned the green vest but still managed 58 points. The following week he got red vested and in his only full game George scored a disappointing 45.

Meanwhile in the VFL he was tearing it up, being named in the best for 11/16 games, averaging 21.5 disposals and kicking 10 goals. He starred in the VFL grand final, winning the Norm Goss medal as best afield, finished 5th in the JJ Liston Trophy count and was a little unlucky not to be named in the VFL Team Of The Year. Priced below No.1 draft pick Lachie Whitfield, Horlin-Smith has the potential to score well and rise in value significantly if he's given a decent opportunity to shine. He looks like a real player of the future and is one to keep an eye on.

"George is quite a versatile player," Cats assistant coach Nigel Lappin told AFL.com.au.

"He really knows our structures and he's a very bright person â€" academically, he's very smart.

"He coaches himself as much as we coach him. He always knows what he needs to work on when it comes to his game.

"We see the role that George will play for us … and I'm going to throw up a couple of big names here, not that George is necessarily going to end up as good as these two, but we see him playing the type of role that Josh Kennedy plays for Sydney or Jobe Watson for Essendon.

"He is really good inside midfielder, who's got really nice skills, works his way out of traffic quite well, and makes the right decisions.

"The other thing that he has is great leadership qualities. We think he'll be able to set the structures up in the midfield and help out Joel Selwood like that.

"I know that sounds like a big wrap for him, and he's got a long way to go, but Kennedy and Watson are the type of guys he's modelling his game on at the moment."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-01-24/jobe-josh-and-george

[SydneyRox]

Nice write up Mr C.

Saw the article today and made a little note to watch out for him in NAB. Coming into 3rd year his body should hold up to play more game time than the rookies he is priced near.

More vestage would be the major concern.

If he turned out like Watson or JPK, the cats would be pretty bloody happy!

[henry]

I read the article too and it augurs well for his scores this year. However he is a bit awkwardly priced at 20k more than wines and toumpas and 70k more than the likes of viney and o'meara. Vests and JS would be a concern but will keep an eye on over the preseason. Yet another nice write up mate  ;)