2011 Countdown: Jack Darling

[Junktimer]

Jack Darling


Links:
http://www.contestedfooty.com/2010/07/jack-darling-2010-afl-draft-prospect/
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/101751/default.aspx

Summary:
Jack Darling (WA)
Height: 190cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 16.6.1992
Recruited from: Sacred Heart College
Style: Jonathan Brown (undersized)/ Aaron Hamill
Range: 4-31

He is rated very highly and he will be ready to go from day 1. He has played the majority of his football so far as a CHF, although sometimes playing as a thrid tall at WAFL level and doing well, and he leads up the ground well and takes a lot of marks.I think he will struggle a bit as a CHF with his height though but I can see him playing as a HFF and spending some time in the midfield and then pushing forward hard and also being a threat in the air. He does cover a fari bit of ground and collects good statistics, but he is not the goal scoring threat of last year, but he works fairly hard although I think he can some times be lazy. His U18 form this year was not as bad as people are making out, maybe as some did not watch it? He kicked something like 6 goals 13 behinds this year, but was inaccurate, and he also pushed up the ground more and got a fair bit of the ball. Last year in comparison he had the bigger bags of goals and kicked 14 goals 1 behind but also got a fair bit of the ball so his form is not as much of a worry as people are making it out to be.

He is a good lead up mark and has better pace than people give him credit for and he can achieve separation, he is also one of the best contested marks I have seen for his size, he has strong hands, and is very clever with his body and positioning. He is also reasonably good when the ball is below his knees although he can fumble a bit and just needs to work on having soft hands and being one touch. His tackling, pressure and intensity are first class though he is definately in the modern day style of forward who makes F50 tackles and defends from the front. Skills wise Darling is generally quite good, last year I pegged him as an excellent kick and yet this year it has dropped off a bit, but he has an excellent technique, and should be a very good kick at AFL level as he can kick 60m with good penetration and he is very smart with his ball use. His handballing is also very good and he is quite creative and has good quick thinking and nice vision.

Athletically Darling is also probably just above average but only just. His pace is reasonable but nothing special, he can get separation on a lead and he will rarely get run down from behind but he does struggle on the bigbodied types who can match him for pace, like Matt Watson. To overcome this he needs to pick up his work rate and push into the middle and work on his endurance as it is probably about average and he needs to improve to become a star AFL player. His vertical leap and agility are quite ordinary to be honest but there is definate room for improvement. I think overall he is very much a natural footballer who lacks a real athletic base, but I can see him having real presence and being an inspiration to his teammates with his competitiveness. I actually toyed with the idea of taking Darling at 5 as I rate him highly but though he would slip a bit so waited, I can see him definately making the grade but whether he will become a star is up to him IMO, he has the ability no doubt just needs to work harder.

The Crystal Ball:

Based on price of last year's draftees

Price: $100,000 - $160,000

Based on m0nty's fanplanner

Price: $167,500

Position: FWD, possibly MID/FWD


Decision:
Jack Darling has got many people excited for season 2011.  I mean, anyone who gets 19 kicks but gets 308 is exciting right?  He is likely to go to Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide but anything can happen.  All in all, I think he has to be thought about by every coach.
Will you select Jack Darling in 2011?

[MTTY]

Jack Darling


Links:
http://www.contestedfooty.com/2010/07/jack-darling-2010-afl-draft-prospect/
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/101751/default.aspx

Summary:
Jack Darling (WA)
Height: 190cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 16.6.1992
Recruited from: Sacred Heart College
Style: Jonathan Brown (undersized)/ Aaron Hamill
Range: 4-31

Strong marking forward. The standout feature of his game is his 2nd and 3rd efforts along with his quality forward pressure. Reads the play well. Strong mark overhead and has a thumping left foot and is a big bodied ready made KPF who could easily play from season 1. Has questions about his attitude. Possibly an early bloomer considering he hasn’t really developed this season. At his height it is questionable whether he will grow anymore, indications point to no because he hasn’t grown since the 2009 U18 champs. Tackles hard and aggressively. Bit of a body on body player, so with the step up it’s hard to say how he will cope again because of his lack of height. Good ball user. Likes the contest. If anything he could eventually become a mid despite having played juniors as a forward. One of the more interesting players in this draft in many regards. Was a highly rated junior, but hasn’t continued his form this season. Could become a star, or could become a big time bust. But whatever he becomes a club will take a chance, and he is really one of the great unknowns of this draft in many regards.


The Crystal Ball:

Based on price of last year's draftees

Price: $100,000 - $160,000

Based on m0nty's fanplanner

Price: $167,500

Position: FWD, possibly MID/FWD


Decision:
Jack Darling has got many people excited for season 2011.  I mean, anyone who gets 19 kicks but gets 308 is exciting right?  He is likely to go to Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide but anything can happen.  All in all, I think he has to be thought about by every coach.
Will you select Jack Darling in 2011?

First rookie forward selected for me Lock him in

[Junktimer]

i fixed up the description i wasn't making sense :o

[DazBurg]

almost locked in
i voted on short list
but should of really put locked in cuz he pretty much is

[Junktimer]

almost locked in
i voted on short list
but should of really put locked in cuz he pretty much is

can i fix it???

[DazBurg]

almost locked in
i voted on short list
but should of really put locked in cuz he pretty much is

can i fix it???

i dunno
doesn't matter
on shortlist will do  ;D

[Maca24]

shortlisted 4 sure. NAB cup as it is with all rookies

[Junktimer]

shortlisted 4 sure. NAB cup as it is with all rookies

cant trust nab cup too much.  sam grimley for hawthorn dominated.  then didnt play one game

[tferrier18]

You can trust NAB cup to see a players' scoring potential...then you have to do hw to see if they'll play...

NAB can't however be trusted to decide which prem to choose, because many of the afl's guns hardly try in NAB cup.

[Maca24]

You can trust NAB cup to see a players' scoring potential...then you have to do hw to see if they'll play...

NAB can't however be trusted to decide which prem to choose, because many of the afl's guns hardly try in NAB cup.

yes i know but NAB cup is a good indicator to see if rookies will get games.

[j959]

Not sure if you saw this ...

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/top-stories/highly-rated-wa-footballer-jack-darling-assaulted-recovering-in-hospital/story-e6frg12l-1225913494862

worth keeping an eye on pre-season form to see if the assault has any after effects.

might be some extra-curricular issues for him as well.

[Junktimer]

Not sure if you saw this ...

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/top-stories/highly-rated-wa-footballer-jack-darling-assaulted-recovering-in-hospital/story-e6frg12l-1225913494862

worth keeping an eye on pre-season form to see if the assault has any after effects.



yeah saw that.. what a barbie.. i dont reckon it will have an effect on him though he fractured his skull
might be some extra-curricular issues for him as well.

[BoredSaint]

Seeing as there are so many wraps about him.. hes kinda locked in..

[thatguy]

Seeing as there are so many wraps about him.. hes kinda locked in..

[tferrier18]

Don't believe the hype! jk..
Here he is in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlBJ8a1gOQ

Looks like he could be alright but I think he'd get dominated in the afl by bigger & experienced defenders.