Player Watch #13 Oliver Florent

[Kennedy Parker]

Oliver Florent
Young speedster Oliver Florent

13

Oliver Florent

Age

26

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.7

4star

K

9.9

4star

HB

6.8

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

MG

350.0

5star

D

18.3

4star

K

11.7

5star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.1

3star

MG

350.0

5star

D

9.6

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.2

4star

has become a crucial element of coach John Longmire’s team since the Sydney Swans secured him with their first selection at the 2016 AFL Draft. The Victorian has shown glimpses of exhilarating footy on a wing, most memorably when he jagged a runaway goal in Round 4, 2018 to seal a gripping victory for the Swans over the Bulldogs. But Florent, who’s also spent time on the inside of the contest, is determined to continue to grow his game as a hybrid midfielder in 2020.

Oliver Florent

13

Oliver Florent

Age

26

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.7

4star

K

9.9

4star

HB

6.8

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

MG

350.0

5star

D

18.3

4star

K

11.7

5star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.1

3star

MG

350.0

5star

D

9.6

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.2

4star

DOB: 22 July 1998
DEBUT: 2017
DRAFT: #11, 2016 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: Beaumaris (Vic)/Mentone Grammar (Vic)/Sandringham U18

Oliver Florent | AFL

Follow Oliver Florent's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[Jeffers]

Composure with a capital C
What a turnaround year for him.

 

[caesar88]

His little dance steps are just chefs kiss

 

[S120]

Half back just suits him perfectly, rebounding wise but also defensively he's been solid as a rock. He looks like he could be there for the next decade.

 

[The Gong]

I just want to make it clear that the thread title was based off my post. I'm a genius.

 

[BarneyBent]

His composure down back has been tremendous. And while half-back is often seen as an "outside" position, a big strength he has brought to the position is his ability to extract the ball from congestion. Just so much time and composure.

 

[hairy biker]

Obvious highlight from the 4th quarter was Heeney's flick over his head for Buddy to goal, but the passage of play was started by Florent dancing around a couple of Collingwood players, deep in the back pocket, looking up and delivering a pinpoint pass to Paddy Mac.

He's always had the feet/moves, but too often would run out of ideas after the first (or second) shimmy.
As others have said, much like Blakey, the move to HB has been a masterstroke.
Seeing the field in front of them has made a huge difference to their attacking abilities, although Ollie does win the composure battle.

 

[The Gong]

Obvious highlight from the 4th quarter was Heeney's flick over his head for Buddy to goal, but the passage of play was started by Florent dancing around a couple of Collingwood players, deep in the back pocket, looking up and delivering a pinpoint pass to Paddy Mac.

He's always had the feet/moves, but too often would run out of ideas after the first (or second) shimmy.
As others have said, much like Blakey, the move to HB has been a masterstroke.
Seeing the field in front of them has made a huge difference to their attacking abilities, although Ollie does win the composure battle.

Bang on. The knock on Ollie was his delivery by foot but it's looking laser guided at the moment. Working off half back with the mids working hard into space has put his kicking efficiency right up there.

 

[caesar88]

Obvious highlight from the 4th quarter was Heeney's flick over his head for Buddy to goal, but the passage of play was started by Florent dancing around a couple of Collingwood players, deep in the back pocket, looking up and delivering a pinpoint pass to Paddy Mac.

He's always had the feet/moves, but too often would run out of ideas after the first (or second) shimmy.
As others have said, much like Blakey, the move to HB has been a masterstroke.
Seeing the field in front of them has made a huge difference to their attacking abilities, although Ollie does win the composure battle.

Lost in the composure and the fancy foot work was also the clever little handball fake.



Just brilliant, and so clutch with 10 minutes to go in the quarter and Collingwood pressing.

 

[Ed_Gein]

Any word on his injury?

 

[BarneyBent]

Any word on his injury?

Just a rolled ankle, should be fine.

 

[Deccas]

Going under the rardar a but had a brilliant game. Was particularly good when it was close. It's great seeing the two mates in Hayward and him come into thier own thi year.

 

[Nool Carpenna]

Don’t see a lot of him but he appears out of nowhere when things are looking grim and does something ridiculously good, with a nonchalance few others have

 

[RaZoRBlad3]

Has a knack for wriggling his way out of tackles, his decision making and disposal has improved out of sight. Gun.

 

[Kapers]

He just never had quite enough time with ball in hand as a midfielder, but in the backline he gets and extra second, and his disposal and evasion make you understand what the coaches saw in him.

 

[Kiama Chris]

He just never had quite enough time with ball in hand as a midfielder, but in the backline he gets and extra second, and his disposal and evasion make you understand what the coaches saw in him.

I remember back to his first year as a skinny kid in the ressies. You could see the skill level was well above NEAFL but he didn't have the physical attributes to survive at AFL level. Great to see him prosper. A fine young man.

 

[caesar88]

My off-season deep dive #2 is Ollie, though I really could've bundled he and Fox together, because the reasons I love them as players are very similar, but I figured Fox has already received plenty of love (BOG in a grand final will do that), so let's give some to Florent as well.

I really loved what he provided for our rebounds from defence in 2022. For a few years there, we tried to kick our way through the opposition team's structure, but it was too easy to set up against and often just led to long kicks to a contest to clear it from defence. Then mid-2021 we seemed to pivot towards trying to use line-breaking run to get through opposition's structure, but the key drivers of this (Blakey, McInerney) were wildly inconsistent this year (not criticising them, they're only young), so it was too sporadic an approach.

Enter Florent (and Fox). Both are a great combination of that talented kicking prowess we sought from the Dawsons and Rampes of the back-line, and the electric run and pace we sought from the Blakeys and McInerneys of the back-line. They use their speed to break a line or get themselves in a clear, but then use their precision kicking to hit up shorter targets. In essence it’s a less flashy but arguably more effective way of exiting defence than either of the other two tactics which are great to watch but harder to pull off. I lost count of how many times in the back half of the year, either Fox or Florent would arch their back to get clear and still hit a target.

Having such players who could use that short ball yet still gain meterage was I think pivotal in bringing our wingmen into the game. Stephens and Gulden in particular would have their work rate to cover up and down the ground rewarded by being hit up with a short pass. In years past, the ball would've just sailed over their heads to a contest from a long kick-in from the goal square, or they'd watch it blitz right past them as a running half back tries to take on half the field themselves.

Florent and Fox (both mid-20s by this year), were also mature enough to be able to do it consistently, so it became a dependable tactic we could rely on when rebounding from defence. Not to mention they're also just simpler and more low-risk plays than trying to hit a target from 50-60m away, or taking on half a dozen would-be tacklers in your path. If you have composure and poise as natural attributes, you can do it over and over.

This evolution in Florent’s game is particularly pleasing because of how hard-earned it’s felt, and how hard he’s had to work to convince skeptical fans (including myself) that there IS a role for him in this team, even after all the disparate form patches and positional moves that failed to bear many fruits. It’s funny how once you become a quality player, people stop caring about what you aren’t, because they start embracing you for what you are. The detractors diminished in numbers once Florent was moved to defence and became a regular, quality contributor. It stopped mattering that he wasn’t necessarily starring, or that he wasn’t having Brownlow-worthy performances, or that he wasn’t living up to his elite potential as a former first-round pick. All that mattered is that he was doing his job well every week.

It’s not uncommon for premiership teams to have first round midfielders become full-time defenders: Luke Hodge, Nick Vlastuin

1

Nick Vlastuin

Age

30

Ht

187cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.2

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

2.7

4star

MG

269.3

4star

D

13.3

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

4.3

3star

M

4.9

5star

T

1.8

3star

MG

257.6

4star

D

20.2

5star

K

11.4

4star

HB

8.8

5star

M

7.4

5star

T

2.8

5star

, Liam Duggan

14

Liam Duggan

Age

28

Ht

186cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.4

4star

K

10.1

4star

HB

5.3

4star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.1

4star

MG

283.7

4star

D

16.0

4star

K

12.0

5star

HB

4.0

3star

M

5.7

5star

T

1.1

2star

MG

283.7

4star

D

13.2

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.2

3star

, Christian Salem

3

Christian Salem

Age

29

Ht

184cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.9

5star

K

12.4

5star

HB

6.5

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

3.1

5star

MG

350.6

5star

D

18.1

4star

K

12.0

5star

HB

6.1

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.1

3star

MG

285.7

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

6.2

3star

HB

1.8

2star

M

2.6

3star

T

2.0

4star

, even a young Jake Bowey. If you asked supporters of those teams if they care that the elite junior midfielders they drafted went on to become defenders, I bet you’d get a big fat no. Let us hope that Florent can follow in their footsteps.

 

[Punts]

Still laugh at the thread

 

[Kiama Chris]

My off-season deep dive #2 is Ollie, though I really could've bundled he and Fox together, because the reasons I love them as players are very similar, but I figured Fox has already received plenty of love (BOG in a grand final will do that), so let's give some to Florent as well.

I really loved what he provided for our rebounds from defence in 2022. For a few years there, we tried to kick our way through the opposition team's structure, but it was too easy to set up against and often just led to long kicks to a contest to clear it from defence. Then mid-2021 we seemed to pivot towards trying to use line-breaking run to get through opposition's structure, but the key drivers of this (Blakey, McInerney) were wildly inconsistent this year (not criticising them, they're only young), so it was too sporadic an approach.

Enter Florent (and Fox). Both are a great combination of that talented kicking prowess we sought from the Dawsons and Rampes of the back-line, and the electric run and pace we sought from the Blakeys and McInerneys of the back-line. They use their speed to break a line or get themselves in a clear, but then use their precision kicking to hit up shorter targets. In essence it’s a less flashy but arguably more effective way of exiting defence than either of the other two tactics which are great to watch but harder to pull off. I lost count of how many times in the back half of the year, either Fox or Florent would arch their back to get clear and still hit a target.

Having such players who could use that short ball yet still gain meterage was I think pivotal in bringing our wingmen into the game. Stephens and Gulden in particular would have their work rate to cover up and down the ground rewarded by being hit up with a short pass. In years past, the ball would've just sailed over their heads to a contest from a long kick-in from the goal square, or they'd watch it blitz right past them as a running half back tries to take on half the field themselves.

Florent and Fox (both mid-20s by this year), were also mature enough to be able to do it consistently, so it became a dependable tactic we could rely on when rebounding from defence. Not to mention they're also just simpler and more low-risk plays than trying to hit a target from 50-60m away, or taking on half a dozen would-be tacklers in your path. If you have composure and poise as natural attributes, you can do it over and over.

This evolution in Florent’s game is particularly pleasing because of how hard-earned it’s felt, and how hard he’s had to work to convince skeptical fans (including myself) that there IS a role for him in this team, even after all the disparate form patches and positional moves that failed to bear many fruits. It’s funny how once you become a quality player, people stop caring about what you aren’t, because they start embracing you for what you are. The detractors diminished in numbers once Florent was moved to defence and became a regular, quality contributor. It stopped mattering that he wasn’t necessarily starring, or that he wasn’t having Brownlow-worthy performances, or that he wasn’t living up to his elite potential as a former first-round pick. All that mattered is that he was doing his job well every week.

It’s not uncommon for premiership teams to have first round midfielders become full-time defenders: Luke Hodge, Nick Vlastuin, Liam Duggan, Christian Salem, even a young Jake Bowey. If you asked supporters of those teams if they care that the elite junior midfielders they drafted went on to become defenders, I bet you’d get a big fat no. Let us hope that Florent can follow in their footsteps.

Foxy is a bit older than that but otherwise mwa.

 

[caesar88]

Foxy is a bit older than that but otherwise mwa.

He was 29 this year, which, for a small defender/half back flanker who only started playing at 24, I'm willing to count as "mid-20s"

 

[Kiama Chris]

He was 29 this year, which, for a small defender/half back flanker who only started playing at 24, I'm willing to count as "mid-20s"

Nice wriggle but not good enough!

 

[Wolftone]

I remember back to his first year as a skinny kid in the ressies. You could see the skill level was well above NEAFL but he didn't have the physical attributes to survive at AFL level. Great to see him prosper. A fine young man.

The first time I saw this kid I was stunned. Such incredible raw talent. His evasion skills are incredible, even in tight situations. He has improved his disposal, his technique was not the problem as that was perfect, it was decision making. He would stutter in his decision and that would affect his kick, the ball would go over heads or fall short because he was in two minds. But now he makes the decision and it is a thing of beauty as the ball spears into a leading team mate's hands

On JAT-L29 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Maximumlnsanity]

The first time I saw this kid I was stunned. Such incredible raw talent. His evasion skills are incredible, even in tight situations. He has improved his disposal, his technique was not the problem as that was perfect, it was decision making. He would stutter in his decision and that would affect his kick, the ball would go over heads or fall short because he was in two minds. But now he makes the decision and it is a thing of beauty as the ball spears into a leading team mate's hands

On JAT-L29 using BigFooty.com mobile app

It's why I loved when he played onball for half a season in 2020, it removed the half second for him to overthink things and just let the game come to him naturally. He seems to have matured enough for it to no longer be an issue though because his play in the backline has been spectacular

 

[caesar88]

It's why I loved when he played onball for half a season in 2020, it removed the half second for him to overthink things and just let the game come to him naturally. He seems to have matured enough for it to no longer be an issue though because his play in the backline has been spectacular

There was a reason he was only on ball for half a season in 2020 though. The fact that by mid-year he got himself demoted from inside mids in a season where we were already without starting mids in JPK and Hewett says a lot.

IMO Horse's patience with him in that role had run out. You just never knew what you were gonna get from him.

Since then he's been a break-glass option when one of our main mids is out (which he's done effectively, like in round 1 this year), whilst simultaneously finding a role where he was so consistent that you did know what you were gonna get from him.

Great coaching IMO. Horse was copping it from both sides - fans who were mad we were still persisting with him in the mids, fans who were saying we didn't persist enough with him in the mids. He just kept at it until he found what would work best for Florent and would give him the best chance at succeeding in his career. Regardless of how long it took. Very definition of "trust the process".

 

[SeanM]

Seems to be training with the defenders in preseason. Which is what you would expect.

 

[BloodySwan]

He's started the season in career best form. Despite his kick falling short he was amazing against Port. Only at 24 as well, he's in for a big season