AFL Player #15: Jayden Laverde

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 7, Nuggs Bunny

 

[fairbump_playon]

Came here hoping like hell he was getting some much deserved love. Epic.

 

[Mr Bultitude]

Told my Tigs brother he did a great job locking Dusty in the 4th.

His response was that locked down was "generous"...

Please. Wore Martin like a glove.

 

[Darealrath]

Great game. Did so well not to give away free kicks in one on ones. Also had the courage to leave Martin to attack the footy and importantly won it quite a few times when Martin was skirting the packs.

 

[ghostdog]

Laverde is as tough as nails. Reid is obviously a tall guy and we're all looking forward to his skill with the ball. But you know Laverde is the guy who'll smash himself up for his team mates if it means getting the ball out of the d50. He was great tonight.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

Tried his guts out this week, fair play

 

[SpeckieMcVeigh]

He was unreal today, if he keeps this up I'll happily eat my words.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

I’ve been harsh on this guy the last couple of years but he’s battling hard out there that’s for sure. I like him as the medium defender ahead of a Jake Kelly

29

Jake Kelly

Age

29

Ht

190cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.5

4star

K

8.3

3star

HB

6.3

4star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.6

4star

MG

157.8

2star

D

8.1

2star

K

6.3

3star

HB

1.9

1star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.6

4star

MG

104.1

2star

D

14.8

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.8

4star

M

6.0

5star

T

4.2

5star

MG

107.0

2star

type personally.

 

[BrunoV]

It's one of the few times I can remember him playing mid-sized and small.

He should be getting players like Dusty, Petracca, Bont when forward because he has the size, power and speed to stand any of them (and he's become an accomplished defender).

He won't play like that every week but the game proves a versatility that should keep him in the side.

 

[Yoda_]

Hes the guy, with a few mates, as good as they are going, should be looked at to upgrade

 

[jdstorm]

Been playing well and solidifying himself as D7 if everything goes to plan.

 

[WABomber]

Hes the guy, with a few mates, as good as they are going, should be looked at to upgrade

He's upgrading himself. If that was reid doing the same thing people would be fawning over him.

 

[ghostdog]

He's upgrading himself. If that was reid doing the same thing people would be fawning over him.

Agreed. Reid wouldn't have been any where near as combative at AFL level with his 9 games of experience. Laverde is ready for war. He has Edge. He'll keep being selected for a while yet.

 

[BrunoV]

Hes the guy, with a few mates, as good as they are going, should be looked at to upgrade

It depends on what you're looking to upgrade.

If you want someone to stand and deliver against the giant key forwards, then, yes, I'd hope Hayes can be that upgrade. I do not see Reid as being most suited to the 1v1 that has been Laverde's responsibility for the last 4 seasons.

But let's see what the next 3 to 5 games look like because there were 2 firsts last night:

1. he's never played in a side with the same level of aerial cover. It was the first time McKay and Ridley played together.

2. he played a genuinely mid-sized role playing between Dusty and smalls.

Those firsts, coincided with an absence of aerial threat and culminated in not just his best game but a game that maximised his attributes in a way that let him play more proactively. He played in a way that very few players are physically capable of.

It's a rare combination of size, strength, speed and power that allows a players to impact as many different types of contests as Laverde did. He was spoiling, intercepting, chasing, tackling and breaking tackles to set up transition. It was often in the same passages of play.

I'm sure I'll overlook other players, and he's not the same level with ball in hand and generally not as smart (though that may be changing), but the players I've seen play like that are Stewart, Sicily, Rance, Rampe and maybe Ryan at Freo. Say he's a middle class version of that, who can stand players ranging from Dusty to Heeney and Rozee, what's there to upgrade?

Of course we need to see more. That will start with a game against a team that tests us in the air.

 

[jannissary]

i’m a laverde hater i’ll hang it all on him but he played extremely well last night.

one thing that’s apparent is that he’s very good at breaking tackles, much better than you’d expect

 

[Old Campaigner]

i’m a laverde hater i’ll hang it all on him but he played extremely well last night.

one thing that’s apparent is that he’s very good at breaking tackles, much better than you’d expect

He knows it too, there was a couple of times last night he backed himself to break through an attempted tackle knowing it was coming

 

[DERO]

If this bloke is the worst player in our best 22 then our best 22 isn’t too bad

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

My boy has just got that edge about him

 

[Yoda_]

It depends on what you're looking to upgrade.

If you want someone to stand and deliver against the giant key forwards, then, yes, I'd hope Hayes can be that upgrade. I do not see Reid as being most suited to the 1v1 that has been Laverde's responsibility for the last 4 seasons.

But let's see what the next 3 to 5 games look like because there were 2 firsts last night:

1. he's never played in a side with the same level of aerial cover. It was the first time McKay and Ridley played together.

2. he played a genuinely mid-sized role playing between Dusty and smalls.

Those firsts, coincided with an absence of aerial threat and culminated in not just his best game but a game that maximised his attributes in a way that let him play more proactively. He played in a way that very few players are physically capable of.

It's a rare combination of size, strength, speed and power that allows a players to impact as many different types of contests as Laverde did. He was spoiling, intercepting, chasing, tackling and breaking tackles to set up transition. It was often in the same passages of play.

I'm sure I'll overlook other players, and he's not the same level with ball in hand and generally not as smart (though that may be changing), but the players I've seen play like that are Stewart, Sicily, Rance, Rampe and maybe Ryan at Freo. Say he's a middle class version of that, who can stand players ranging from Dusty to Heeney and Rozee, what's there to upgrade?

Of course we need to see more. That will start with a game against a team that tests us in the air.

If we want to see how far Laverde has come then the next two games matched up against who I think will validate or extrapolate the opinion held by many.

Lukosious is going sneakily well and then potentially Charlie Curnow before the bye. He'd be almost our most important player in those two in the back 6.




I will put my hand up and say hes a guy who I want to upgrade but as many have reminded me, he is improving his position upon himself.

 

[BrunoV]

I would like a breakdown of how many goals he conceded on a direct opponent vs the total number of defensive contests he got to and then a breakdown of how many of those contests he impacted positively and how many goals he could be said to be responsible for.

Two passages of play sum up his night:

1. a Ben King

34

Ben King

Age

24

Ht

202cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.2

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

2.2

2star

M

3.5

4star

T

0.5

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

7.5

2star

K

5.6

2star

HB

1.9

1star

M

3.6

4star

T

0.3

1star

G

1.5

5star

D

6.8

2star

K

4.4

2star

HB

2.4

3star

M

3.2

4star

T

0.2

3star

G

1.0

4star

'Joe the Goose' in the first half. He ended up between 2 players. He charged down the small in the pocket who still got the handball (I think) over the top for King to score but Laverde almost chased him down in the process (the acceleration was something even I didn't think he had in him);

2. the passage of play that resulted in that 50. He was immense getting to that point but ended up conceding the goal anyway.

I want to say he was outstanding again but he was always on hand when goals were kicked. It is hard to say which of the goals he was genuinely responsible for, in the sense that he was out marked or lost an opponent in traffic, and which of the goals were the result of him being at so many contests.

I think the overall impact from last night could be a net negative, cruelly, but not in a way that would be counted against him. I suspect the instruction will be to pick his battles a little more than just trying to get to as many as he can.

I think we're in the early phase of the evolution of his game into something that makes him virtually indispensable. There aren't many guys who can impact that many contests in the air and at ground level. It's a rare combination of being able to read the play, size and having the explosive burst to get from contest to contest.

I've long thought that the game would open up for him if his starting point was mid-sized. I think we're finally seeing that.

 

[Zach Package]

He’s probably going to have to play on Curnow this week so he’ll need his best stuff and a big helping hand

 

[joey_jo_jo]

He’s probably going to have to play on Curnow this week so he’ll need his best stuff and a big helping hand

honestly, as good as it is to have rids roaming around as the third intercepting defender, he is the best match up for curnow.

 

[Zach Package]

honestly, as good as it is to have rids roaming around as the third intercepting defender, he is the best match up for curnow.

I think the only way it works is if we orchestrate the spare and have Ridley free standing in the hole infront of McKay and Curnow

 

[Ambrosia]

I think the only way it works is if we orchestrate the spare and have Ridley free standing in the hole infront of McKay and Curnow

We've generally gone with Ridley on Curnow

 

[faible]

Thought he was stiff to cop that 50, even watching on TV it wasn't immediately clear who the ball should have gone back to and he immediately tossed it to the closest Suns player.

Otherwise, as usual, tried his absolute heart out. We kept giving Suns players free air about 70-80m from goal to make that last kick i50 which is an absolute nightmare for defenders.

 

[Vander18]

honestly, as good as it is to have rids roaming around as the third intercepting defender, he is the best match up for curnow.

I agreee. Ridley has the wheels, spring, reach and talent to go with Curnow.

What a match up - hope it comes to fruition.