AFL Player #24: Nick Bryan

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 16, ant555

 

[Don Won]

Bryan was a head taller than him and Bryan ain't that tall.

Typical Collingwood sevenfooter

 

[ant555]

Have not had a chance to watch the game yet but stats wise it was another solid game.
46 hit outs
14 disposals
4 marks
7 tackles
3 clearances
Rucked against Kobe Annand who is in his first year at Werribee .
21 year old from Ocean grove who played at North Shore in the GFL last season.
Kobe had 21 hit outs
12 disposals
1 mark
5 tackles
4 clearances.
That is now 3 games in. Still do not think he is ready but you would think he could probably fill in for Flipper for a couple of games now he has had 3 solid games back.

 

[Ambrosia]

Can we trial him as a backman?

 

[faible]

Can we trial him as a backman?

Just let him marinate in the ruck IMO, he's a good tap ruckman who just needs more physical maturity. Phillips is a guy who's filling a role that allows Bryan time to develop and perfect his role as a full-time ruck in the VFL. It's a pretty good arrangement really and one of the few examples we have of a tall player actually getting continuity and time to grow in to their body.

Phillips appears happy enough to have a year-to-year contract situation at this point, so if he needs to stay on in 2024 to support Draper & Bryan I suspect he will be OK with it.

 

[Ambrosia]

Just let him marinate in the ruck IMO, he's a good tap ruckman who just needs more physical maturity. Phillips is a guy who's filling a role that allows Bryan time to develop and perfect his role as a full-time ruck in the VFL. It's a pretty good arrangement really and one of the few examples we have of a tall player actually getting continuity and time to grow in to their body.

Phillips appears happy enough to have a year-to-year contract situation at this point, so if he needs to stay on in 2024 to support Draper & Bryan I suspect he will be OK with it.

Given our current injury list he’d be two good games in the VFL away from playing AFL as a KPD and I don’t think it will hinder his ruck development at all.

He may not be suited to it at all though but I do like the idea of athletic skilled 200cm players at least being trialled behind the footy.

 

[Vander18]

Given our current injury list he’d be two good games in the VFL away from playing AFL as a KPD and I don’t think it will hinder his ruck development at all.

He may not be suited to it at all though but I do like the idea of athletic skilled 200cm players at least being trialled behind the footy.

Played in defence early on his career at VFL level - it’s not new to him.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that we may need to smash glass in case of emergency and play him on one of Hipwood or Daniher. It’s far from an outrageous suggestion and wouldn’t meaningfully impact his long term development as a ruck.

 

[Ambrosia]

Played in defence early on his career at VFL level - it’s not new to him.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that we may need to smash glass in case of emergency and play him on one of Hipwood or Daniher. It’s far from an outrageous suggestion and wouldn’t meaningfully impact his long term development as a ruck.

I think he'd definitely need a couple of VFL games first. Would be beneficial to no one to throw him to the wolves this week.

 

[BrunoV]

Played in defence early on his career at VFL level - it’s not new to him.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that we may need to smash glass in case of emergency and play him on one of Hipwood or Daniher. It’s far from an outrageous suggestion and wouldn’t meaningfully impact his long term development as a ruck.

It was a few of the 2020 scratch matches.

So I'd look at it as Bryan starting from scratch as a defender.

I'd prefer to just have a look at Hayes.

 

[yodellinhank]

It was a few of the 2020 scratch matches.

So I'd look at it as Bryan starting from scratch as a defender.

I'd prefer to just have a look at Hayes.

He played a bit there in juniors I believe because that was how he was billed when we drafted him. And it's not rocket surgery - the ball comes towards you and you don't let the other team get it and you piss it back off the other end.

 

[dank420_]

in: Hank

 

[Vander18]

I think he'd definitely need a couple of VFL games first. Would be beneficial to no one to throw him to the wolves this week.

Someone is getting thrown to the wolves this week…..Hayes is a skinny infant, Baldwin has played 6 games in defence and is undersized for the Brisbane talls and Bryan is a ruckman.

TBH…I reckon Bryan is the least likely to be traumatised by Saturday night. At least he’s physically equipped to compete.

 

[Ambrosia]

Someone is getting thrown to the wolves this week…..Hayes is a skinny infant, Baldwin has played 6 games in defence and is undersized for the Brisbane talls and Bryan is a ruckman.

TBH…I reckon Bryan is the least likely to be traumatised by Saturday night. At least he’s physically equipped to compete.

I’d just role with Montgomery and have Kelly play on Hipwood and hope he can just push him under the footy.

 

[Vander18]

It was a few of the 2020 scratch matches.

So I'd look at it as Bryan starting from scratch as a defender.

I'd prefer to just have a look at Hayes.

Was it? Feel like it was a bit more than that as Draper was still playing VFL at the time.

 

[Vander18]

I’d just role with Montgomery and have Kelly play on Hipwood and hope he can just push him under the footy.

Fair enough.

 

[ant555]

Can we trial him as a backman?

Not sure why you would want to. We really want him to be playing ruck.

 

[ant555]

Played in defence early on his career at VFL level - it’s not new to him.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that we may need to smash glass in case of emergency and play him on one of Hipwood or Daniher. It’s far from an outrageous suggestion and wouldn’t meaningfully impact his long term development as a ruck.

Lets not get carried away.
It was not at VFL level.
It was in the Covid scratch matches. They where basically glorified training sessions with zero tactics so players from a few clubs could get some match sim.
He did okay in a couple of them and now it has become something it is not.
He also did well as a forward in the first one.

 

[Vander18]

Not sure why you would want to. We really want him to be playing ruck.

Because we have a gaping hole in defence with no tall defenders and Brisbane have 2 quality 200cm+ forwards….

It’s not about his development, it’s about asking him to pinch hit for a game and give us a shot at winning.

Whether that’s the best option is another question entirely. For me it feels like the least bad option right now.

 

[ant555]

Someone is getting thrown to the wolves this week…..Hayes is a skinny infant, Baldwin has played 6 games in defence and is undersized for the Brisbane talls and Bryan is a ruckman.

TBH…I reckon Bryan is the least likely to be traumatised by Saturday night. At least he’s physically equipped to compete.

Part of the reason he is not playing AFL is he is actually not physically strong enoungh

 

[ant555]

Because we have a gaping hole in defence with no tall defenders and Brisbane have 2 quality 200cm+ forwards….

It’s not about his development, it’s about asking him to pinch hit for a game and give us a shot at winning.

Whether that’s the best option is another question entirely. For me it feels like the least bad option right now.

Cut the supply. Why are we wanting to go in another direction for 1 game. Play Baldwin. You do not have to be 200cm to play on Daniher . Laverde has played on him recently and kept him under control. Anyway it is more a discussion for the match thread.

 

[ant555]

IMPROVEMENTS:
Consistency
Scoreboard impact
Contested marking
While it might be said Bryan did not produce the hype that many had thought pre-season, the hype surrounding a 202cm player should always be fraught with danger. His best is very impressive, with his ruck work, vertical leap and athleticism highlights of his game. But at the end of the day, outside the top elite talents in each draft, most talls are still raw and developing, and Bryan, considering he has not had as much time in an elite system compared to some, is no different. It is more his presence around the ground with his contested marking and scoreboard impact, playing a role as a forward and consistently impacting the contest in that way. When at ruck stoppages, Bryan is hard to beat with his vertical leap and when he chooses to use it, his breakaway speed. In the pre-season testing, not only did Bryan clock up the 2.91-second 20-metre sprint, but also recorded 78cm on the running vertical jump. He improved that to 85cm at the National Draft Combine, while his standing vertical improved from 56cm to 69cm, showing he had been working hard off the field. His 20m went above the three seconds, but Bryan also spent time building strength on his lighter frame, which ultimately slows players down.

This is still pretty much the issue with him. He plays well but does not have a presence around the ground . He does not take as many marks as he should and he is not a physical player.

 

[Vander18]

Cut the supply. Why are we wanting to go in another direction for 1 game. Play Baldwin. You do not have to be 200cm to play on Daniher . Laverde has played on him recently and kept him under control. Anyway it is more a discussion for the match thread.
This will be a good one to revisit around 10:30 PM Saturday night - we’ll see what happens.

 

[ant555]

Cut the supply. Why are we wanting to go in another direction for 1 game. Play Baldwin. You do not have to be 200cm to play on Daniher . Laverde has played on him recently and kept him under control. Anyway it is more a discussion for the match thread.
This will be a good one to revisit around 10:30 PM Saturday night - we’ll see what happens.

I would be more confident in Hayes who actually plays defense . Do you really expect a bloke who has played 100% ruck for two seasons and only two 15 minute three quarter scratch matches as a defender three years ago to have any impact at all as a defender ? We can revisit it as many times as you want but Bryan is not the answer as a defender. Joe or Hipwood will just run him around everywhere. Two of the biggest blunders Bryan made at AFL level when he played last was not being able to defend effectively in the back half when he pushed back to help out. The result will not be relevant . There is no way you can say Bryan would have made a difference.
There would be more chance of Weideman having an effect as a back and he is not a defender either.

 

[citizen-erased]

Not sure why you would want to. We really want him to be playing ruck.

Didn't do Ryder any harm
but i'd look at it as a way to bring him in.

Bryan starts back
Draper starts ruck
Weid starts fwd

When draper goes fwd/bench, Weid back, Bryan ruck
When weid goes bench, Draper ruck, bryan def & Langford + Stringer = fwds.
when bryan goes bench, weid back, draper ruck, fwd line as above.

or we send Weid back & Bryan/Draper play fwd

 

[BrunoV]

Was it? Feel like it was a bit more than that as Draper was still playing VFL at the time.

Yep. Draper was returning from the ACL.

My man Hank Crauford was playing forward and Bryan back.

 

[ant555]

Didn't do Ryder any harm
but i'd look at it as a way to bring him in.

Bryan starts back
Draper starts ruck
Weid starts fwd

When draper goes fwd/bench, Weid back, Bryan ruck
When weid goes bench, Draper ruck, bryan def & Langford + Stringer = fwds.
when bryan goes bench, weid back, draper ruck, fwd line as above.

or we send Weid back & Bryan/Draper play fwd

They did not just throw Ryder into defense after playing him in the ruck for 2 seasons.
Seriously it is a desperation idea. Why are we so worried ? The last two weeks we have shown that when we do win the footy and get our game right we can limit what the gun forwards can do. Bryan is not going to make any difference if we can not control the rest of the field.