Player Watch #9: Luke Davies-Uniacke - signs until end 2025! Runner up in the 2022 Syd Barker Medal Award

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marklovesbeer said:
It’s funny that hey.
If you haven’t already, listen to the Matthew Lloyd, Brian Taylor, Jobe Watson & Nick Maxwell ones. All very interesting & made it hard not to like those guys by the end of it.

Dyl is a great interviewer as he makes people feel very at ease & they open up quiet easily. He can occasionally cut people off, but that’s more of a byproduct of the evolution of his List Cloggers podcast with Dan Gorringe. All they do is talk over each other now. Dyl generally lets his guests talk & he asks a lot of good questions.
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Thanks for the recommendations will have a listen.

Agree it's got a good vibe. Don't expect these guys to run a podcast like Tim Ferriss so bit of "rough around the edges" style is fine.

It' was refreshing to hear everybody involved pretty relaxed and the players not asked or responding in typical sterile media soundbites.

Must say Quaynor came across as a really sharp kid.
 
guapo said:
Boomer was an absolute legend of our club and a very good footballer who was driven enough to be the very best he could, but I don’t think he was ever top 5 in the comp
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This is objectively untrue. Second in the Brownlow in 2007, was favourite walking into the room in 2008. Won a stack of media awards those years.
 
Not sure how the word “objectively” fits that statement, or anywhere on this board really.

Factually, 7 players polled more Brownlow votes than boomer in 2008.

Subjectively, across the 2000’s when Boomer was probably at his peak, I think we could all name several players rated at least his equivalent.

Anyway, back to LDU. On current trajectory there wouldn’t be too many NMFC mids that have had a higher potential peak. Let’s all enjoy what could be a truly great career unfolding
 

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guapo said:
Not sure how the word “objectively” fits that statement, or anywhere on this board really.

Factually, 7 players polled more Brownlow votes than boomer in 2008.

Subjectively, across the 2000’s when Boomer was probably at his peak, I think we could all name several players rated at least his equivalent.

Anyway, back to LDU. On current trajectory there wouldn’t be too many NMFC mids that have had a higher potential peak. Let’s all enjoy what could be a truly great career unfolding
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Will Phillips if he gets a run at it 😬 quote me in 3 years.
 
guapo said:
Not sure how the word “objectively” fits that statement, or anywhere on this board really.

Factually, 7 players polled more Brownlow votes than boomer in 2008.

Subjectively, across the 2000’s when Boomer was probably at his peak, I think we could all name several players rated at least his equivalent.

Anyway, back to LDU. On current trajectory there wouldn’t be too many NMFC mids that have had a higher potential peak. Let’s all enjoy what could be a truly great career unfolding
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This is the NMFC version of cultural cringe.

Boomer was an absolute gun of the competition but downmarked because of his team.

In the end he drew kudos for his longevity which saw his playing level even more underrated. A bit like Archer's toughness overshadowing his ability.
 
King Corey said:
This is the NMFC version of cultural cringe.

Boomer was an absolute gun of the competition but downmarked because of his team.

In the end he drew kudos for his longevity which saw his playing level even more underrated. A bit like Archer's toughness overshadowing his ability.
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Also the Clint Jones game giving a false impression that he couldn't beat a tag.
 
guapo said:
Boomer was an absolute legend of our club and a very good footballer who was driven enough to be the very best he could, but I don’t think he was ever top 5 in the comp
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2nd in the brownlow in 2007, top 10 in 2008. His peak few years were arguably that good, and his longevity overshadows that a bit.
 
$67’s a few months ago
 
Lavy_Panther said:
This is objectively untrue. Second in the Brownlow in 2007, was favourite walking into the room in 2008. Won a stack of media awards those years.
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Harvey is a great but they’re talking the best midfielder?
In an era where you had Ablett, Bartel, Swan, Judd, Cousins and Goodes that’s off the top of my head.
 
DesertRoo said:
Harvey is a great but they’re talking the best midfielder?
In an era where you had Ablett, Bartel, Swan, Judd, Cousins and Goodes that’s off the top of my head.
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More like best in the comp, so add to your 6 would be Franklin, Pavlich, Riewoldt, J Brown, Black, Scarlett who were all multiple AA’s through boomer’s peak in the later 2000’s.

FWIW, Mike Sheehan rated him 9 at the end of 2007 and 6 at the end of 2008. Wasn’t in the top 50 in ‘06 and dropped out of the top 50 in ‘09.

I’m as big a fan of boomer as anyone on here and he was an absolute gun, but our last top 5 in the comp was Carey. LDU will be the next
 
guapo said:
Boomer was an absolute legend of our club and a very good footballer who was driven enough to be the very best he could, but I don’t think he was ever top 5 in the comp
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Didn't he nearly win the Brownlow in 2007?

He's been multiple AA, played for Australia, captained Australia and won multiple media MVPs for best player in a season. So for at least a couple of years (2007/8) he was easily in the top five players in the comp.
 

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LuvtheKangas said:
I know it's not definitive, but he did come equal second in the Brownlow in 2007, and equal 6th 2008.
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And won a bunch of media MVPs at the same time.
 
Themanbun said:
People forget just how *ing good Boomer was.
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Yep.

In his late 30s he could still get 30+ possessions and kick 2 or 3 goals in a game. He averaged 20-25 possessions and at least a goal goal for over 15 years!!! Maybe a couple of those years it was at worst three goals every four games, but in the vast majority it 1+ goal per game 20+ possessions and so many of his touches were quality that benefitted the side.

Every year this century he averaged over 20 possessions, four years he averaged less than a goal. One of those four it was 0.96 goals per game. LOL.

Unbelievable player, deserves to be in our top five greatest ever players (tho i probably wouldn't have picked him above Schimma or Blighty but who can seperate that level of class. He belongs in the same stratosphere as them.)
 
Damien Sandow said:
View attachment 1636328
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Surprised your cash out is only money back.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we can win enough footy to get LDU enough 3 vote games.
I’ll be stoked with either being above expectation. Stranger things have happened.
He could genuinely burst onto the scene this year. I’ll be loading up on him next season though. Sheezel is my one North bet this season.
 
marklovesbeer said:
Surprised your cash out is only money back.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we can win enough footy to get LDU enough 3 vote games.
I’ll be stoked with either being above expectation. Stranger things have happened.
He could genuinely burst onto the scene this year. I’ll be loading up on him next season though. Sheezel is my one North bet this season.
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LDU picked up 8 votes in the last seven rounds of the 22 season. That period included 1 win and 6 losses. LDU polled 3 votes twice in games we lost.

If we assume he has polled 3 votes in round 1 then that takes him to 11 votes in his last 8 rounds where we have gone 2 and 6. Sustained over a 22-game season that would equate to 30 odd votes. That has shown that LDU can poll enough votes in a season where we win 6 or 7 games to have won at least half of the last 30 Brownlows.

I would expect the cash out figure will look a hell of a lot better in 5 to 10 weeks.
 

The numbers that prove this Roo is one of the game's best​

Luke Davies-Uniacke's numbers since the middle of 2022 put him amongst the best midfielders in the competition
By Riley Beveridge - 1 hr ago
LDU.jpg


Luke Davies-Uniacke during North Melbourne's R1 game against West Coast in 2023. Picture: AFL Photos
IT HAS all finally clicked for Luke Davies-Uniacke.
Taken two picks after Fremantle's Andrew Brayshaw – a player he will face on Saturday night – in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft, Davies-Uniacke's career has perhaps taken a little longer to get going than that of his Fremantle counterpart.
But, in his past 15 games, the North Melbourne youngster has emerged as one of the competition's most impactful and prolific midfielders. It's a feat heightened by the fact that, despite his efforts, the Kangaroos have won just two of those outings.
AA170223MW0166.jpg


Luke Davies-Uniacke ahead of the 2023 season. Picture: AFL Photos
Davies-Uniacke shone brightly again last Saturday, spearheading North Melbourne's first victory of the Alastair Clarkson era. He finished with 32 disposals, 19 contested possessions, 10 clearances, eight score involvements, seven inside-50s, five tackles and a goal.
His performance was worthy of a full 10 votes in the AFL Coaches' Association Champion Player of the Year award, and typified the type of improvement he's made to his game over the past 10 months.
Having dealt with ongoing form and fitness issues throughout his initial years in the League – a shoulder injury ended his 2019 season early, while ongoing groin problems hampered him in 2020 – Davies-Uniacke solidified his place in the Roos' team.
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But from his earliest days, be it with the Dandenong Stingrays or Vic Country in junior football before being selected with the No.4 pick by North Melbourne, Davies-Uniacke had always looked a class above when he has the ball in his hands.
The biggest initial problem at the Kangaroos, though, was getting the footy in the first place; he averaged a little more than 17 disposals through his first 57 matches at AFL level and picked up 25 or more touches only five times.
He's since achieved that landmark 12 times in his past 15 games, providing yet more evidence of his ever-improving ability to find the footy.
'I PLAY FOR HIM' Davies-Uniacke on his father, family and improving form
Champion Data stats show that since round 13 last season, when Davies-Uniacke was well on his way towards becoming an elite player in the competition, he has averaged 29.3 disposals (ranked No.7 in the League), 13.2 contested possessions (ranked No.9) and 6.2 inside-50s (ranked No.2) per game.
His 6.7 clearances per match throughout that stretch rank just outside the AFL's top 10, while his AFL Player Ratings points – a stat designed to measure a player's effectiveness in a number of facets – have him as the eighth best player in the game.
Saturday's performance against West Coast proved his form in the second half of last year was no flash in the pan, either. Picking up where he left off, Davies-Uniacke had the second-most contested possessions, the second-most clearances, the third-most AFL Player Ratings points, the eighth-most disposals and the tenth-most inside-50s of anyone across the entire opening round.
01NMWC23MW1078.jpg


Luke Davies-Uniacke during North Melbourne's R1 game against West Coast in 2023. Picture: AFL Photos
The numbers are sustainable and suggest a breakout year is coming for the extremely talented 23-year-old.
But, according to his new coach, this is just the beginning of his development.
"He's a contested ball bull," Clarkson said after Saturday's game.
TAG TEAM How North's 'big bull' has helped Roo's stunning elevation
"He continues to take his game to another level. He was really, really strong for us today. He was clever with the ball. He's so strong between his hips and his knees. He's very hard to tackle.
"Those guys are worth their weight in gold, they draw two tacklers to them so often because of their capacity to hold their body in strong tackles. Ben Cunnington is a little bit like that, too. He wasn't as good as 'LDU' in that space today, but they're both really valuable midfielders for us.
XUMRpyFO.jpg


Luke Davies-Uniacke in action during North Melbourne's practice match against the Western Bulldogs on March 4, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos
"Our challenge, not just for Luke but for Nick Larkey, Cam Zurhaar, Jaidyn Stephenson, Ben McKay, Curtis Taylor, Jy Simpkin ... there's a whole crew of them that have played 50 to 120 games of footy. It's their footy club now in terms of raising the bar and seeing what they want to do with their club.
"Part of that, for our coaching staff and for them themselves, is to recognise what standards they can get to. All of those guys have got enormous potential to take another step with their careers, and we need them to. If they do, it's going to help the improvement of our club enormously. If they don't, it will just make our progress much tougher."

The growth of LDU​

Since Round 13, 2022
Disposals: 29.3 (7th in the AFL)
Contested possessions: 13.2 (9th)
Inside 50s: 6.2 (2nd)
Clearances: 6.7 (11th)
AFL Player Rating points: 16.4 (8th)
v West Coast, Round 1, 2023
Disposals: 32 (8th)
Contested possessions: 19 (=2nd)
Inside 50s: 7 (10th)
Clearances: 10 (2nd)
AFL Player Rating points: 24.2 (3rd)
Statistics: Champion Data
 
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