Player Watch #33: Brayden 'Sausage' George - injured shoulder & requires reco - season 2025 done - contracted until end 2026

[DesertRoo]

I'm all for trying players in different positions to get the most out of them, particularly if they're out of form for a period of time or the player's skills fit a position of need, but this bloke is a forward's forward.

Playing him in defence is a head scratcher to say the least.

The amount of ball we turn over, I'm not surprised the coaches are moving all of the better users behind the ball.
Points scored from turnovers weekly stat is pretty damning.

 

[King Corey]

Yeh let's just play the recovering young player adjusting to a new position who lacks conditioning and continuity.

I'll get the moaning threads fired up now for when he scores duck eggs on debut.

 

[My Left Foote]

Yeh let's just play the recovering young player adjusting to a new position who lacks conditioning and continuity.

I'll get the moaning threads fired up now for when he scores duck eggs on debut.

Doesn't make sense to me, we drafted a Chorizo Sausage and we're trying to turn him into a Bratwurst Sausage.

 

[Epictetus]

Doesn't make sense to me, we drafted a Chorizo Sausage and we're trying to turn him into a Bratwurst Sausage.

Leaving aside the player himself and his strengths and weaknesses - we need a talented player with some physicality in defence more than we need one forward.
Granted we need them everywhere, but re building the back half is surely a priority.

 

[My Left Foote]

Leaving aside the player himself and his strengths and weaknesses - we need a talented player with some physicality in defence more than we need one forward.
Granted we need them everywhere, but re building the back half is surely a priority.

It was just a joke about sausages, a poor one perhaps, trying to get a laugh from King Corey

I actually have no issue with him playing in defence. Attacking from Half Back is such a big part of modern football if the coaches feel that's where his talents are best utilised then let's give it a go. Worse case scenario it doesn't work and we move him forward, either way I hope to see him make his senior debut sooner rather than later.

 

[Passmore]

It was just a joke about sausages, a poor one perhaps, trying to get a laugh from King Corey

I actually have no issue with him playing in defence. Attacking from Half Back is such a big part of modern football if the coaches feel that's where his talents are best utilised then let's give it a go. Worse case scenario it doesn't work and we move him forward, either way I hope to see him make his senior debut sooner rather than later.

Way too highbrow for that fellow.

 

[King Corey]

It was just a joke about sausages, a poor one perhaps, trying to get a laugh from King Corey

I actually have no issue with him playing in defence. Attacking from Half Back is such a big part of modern football if the coaches feel that's where his talents are best utilised then let's give it a go. Worse case scenario it doesn't work and we move him forward, either way I hope to see him make his senior debut sooner rather than later.

There is always a place for gratuitous sausage commentary. You must always believe.

I'm guessing he's behind the ball as a safe way of getting continuity. In terms of attacking from half back, he's not a typical charging/running player. Can't see a budding rebounder in his skill set.

But who knows.

 

[giantroo]

 

[Sphynx]

Leaving aside the player himself and his strengths and weaknesses - we need a talented player with some physicality in defence more than we need one forward.
Granted we need them everywhere, but re building the back half is surely a priority.

Understatement of the century.

At the moment we are committing the following fully or partially to defense.

Sheezel, McKercher, Goater, George. You can add Zac Fisher.

That is a hell of a lot of draft capital investment at the moment to half back flankers. Most of which are naturals in other positions.

Also considering we have drafted the following ACTUAL half backs/medium defenders:

Bergman, Archer, Hardeman + the likes of K.Dawson, Bailey Scott etc. The undroppable captain in McDonald.


Playing George there makes absolutely zero sense. None.

Especially as he was progressing into a FWD/MID before doing his knee, pretty much the most desirable skillset in the league at the moment.

He should be playing 70% forward, 30% out of the middle in the VFL at the moment.


You seem to take any umbrage with any comments about how the club is handling the young players as "Clarko knows better than you", like we all haven't witness years of mismanagement and poor development over the last decade.

Clarko has done nothing to earn that type of respect at North to this point.

 

[Gumble Frankieton]

All aboard ... toot toot

Steam sausage train - Brienz Rothorn Railway

Experience a unique journey with our steam sausage train! The sausages are cooked in the boiler of the historic locomotive during the journey.

brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch

 

[My Left Foote]

There is always a place for gratuitous sausage commentary. You must always believe.

I'm guessing he's behind the ball as a safe way of getting continuity. In terms of attacking from half back, he's not a typical charging/running player. Can't see a budding rebounder in his skill set.

But who knows.

Yeah, I was talking about attacking in a team sense, very interested to see how they utilise him.

 

[Epictetus]

Understatement of the century.

At the moment we are committing the following fully or partially to defense.

Sheezel, McKercher, Goater, George. You can add Zac Fisher.

That is a hell of a lot of draft capital investment at the moment to half back flankers. Most of which are naturals in other positions.

Also considering we have drafted the following ACTUAL half backs/medium defenders:

Bergman, Archer, Hardeman + the likes of K.Dawson, Bailey Scott etc. The undroppable captain in McDonald.


Playing George there makes absolutely zero sense. None.

Especially as he was progressing into a FWD/MID before doing his knee, pretty much the most desirable skillset in the league at the moment.

Does anyone think Sheezel and McKercher will remain as defenders? Goater has played 12 games and is out 12 months.
Fisher, fair enough.

Bergman probably won't make it. Archer might. Hardeman probably will. Scott is a poor player and a winger.

And none of them are the type George appears to be and the type we lack most. Aggressive, strong, drop off and mark it.
And NONE of that could be the reason he's been trialed there. It could be a way to make it easier to get himself right and confident.

Clarkson was a master at working out what a player is and playing them in roles that maximised their good stuff and hid their bad. And he's seen the kid train and play far more than I have. So I reckon he gets the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Sphynx]

Does anyone think Sheezel and McKercher will remain as defenders? Goater has played 12 games and is out 12 months.
Fisher, fair enough.

Bergman probably won't make it. Archer might. Hardeman probably will. Scott is a poor player and a winger.

And none of them are the type George appears to be and the type we lack most. Aggressive, strong, drop off and mark it.
And NONE of that could be the reason he's been trialed there. It could be a way to make it easier to get himself right and confident.

Clarkson was a master at working out what a player is and playing them in roles that maximised their good stuff and hid their bad. And he's seen the kid train and play far more than I have. So I reckon he gets the benefit of the doubt.

I'm sorry, he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt and blind faith.

He hasn't earnt it at North yet and that's all that matters. What he did at 15-20 years ago at Hawthorn is great, but it's about as relevant to our current situation as what Pagan did at North 30 years ago.

He showed he wasn't able to repeat it at Hawthorn in his attempted mini rebuild and nothing so far at North suggests he's any closer to 2004 Clarko as he was in his last few years at the Hawks.

In terms of George specifically. I've seen nothing in the 5-6 VFL games of George in the role that mimics anything you are describing.

In fact, the most comfortable I've seen him has been in the very few stints he's actually been moved forward.

His stats look fine on paper, but you are turning a potential Rolls Royce FWD/MID into a back pocket that is a nice long kick out of defence.

BG has natural forward craft, he knows how to body defenders, he knows leading patterns and is an excellent mark when given speration.

These are all rolled gold intangibles and something most coaches are trying to teach developing forwards, someone like Comben being a good example who lacks a fair few of these qualities.

George has them, so moving him into a back pocket role is absolutely baffling. Especially as we've already tried to convert as many as 5 (?) first round prospects into the same type of running defender!?

Whats next, Josh Smillie to become a 3rd tall defender next year?

 

[SnowyontheTram]

Does anyone think Sheezel and McKercher will remain as defenders? Goater has played 12 games and is out 12 months.
Fisher, fair enough.

Bergman probably won't make it. Archer might. Hardeman probably will. Scott is a poor player and a winger.

And none of them are the type George appears to be and the type we lack most. Aggressive, strong, drop off and mark it.
And NONE of that could be the reason he's been trialed there. It could be a way to make it easier to get himself right and confident.

Clarkson was a master at working out what a player is and playing them in roles that maximised their good stuff and hid their bad. And he's seen the kid train and play far more than I have. So I reckon he gets the benefit of the doubt.

Injuries permitting, Bergman will make it.

 

[Masked Avenger]

Part of the issue around where George plays is Zurhaar imo.

For me, the not so good of Zurhaar outweighs the good and I wonder if we'd be having this discussion if he didn't seem to have a mortgage over that mid size forward flanker role.

I prefer George forward - that's where he excelled as an elite junior.

I think Ford is a better short term solution there and hopefully Duursma and George can compliment Ford sooner than later once they gain experience.

It might be a short term step backwards but I can see a pretty potent forward line moving forward.

 

[Themanbun]

Injuries permitting, Bergman will make it.

I don't think anyone can say that with confidence. He's in his third year on the list and hasn't put on much mass, and we have no idea if he's up to it aerobically because he keeps getting injured. We're basing his projection off snippets.

 

[Passmore]

No. I said it wasn't a head scratcher as to why Clarkson is playing behind the footy. It wasn't an assertion.
And I used a few examples from his own background to suggest reasons why it's not surprising or without logic.

You seem to take differing opinions or even slight queries personally.

He’s not the only one. A common link too.

 

[Sphynx]

Part of the issue around where George plays is Zurhaar imo.

For me, the not so good of Zurhaar outweighs the good and I wonder if we'd be having this discussion if he didn't seem to have a mortgage over that mid size forward flanker role.

I prefer George forward - that's where he excelled as an elite junior.

I think Ford is a better short term solution there and hopefully Duursma and George can compliment Ford sooner than later once they gain experience.

It might be a short term step backwards but I can see a pretty potent forward line moving forward.

IT's also where Curtis plays, where Stephenson plays and where Duursma has been playing.


Curtis excluded, the other 3 have ether been in the VFL at points or could have been.

There's been space for George to move up the ranks in that position if he earnt it with VFL form as a forward.

It's not a blocked path by any means.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Absolutely idiotic.

I don't get Clarko playing everyone as a defender. If you drafted a bloke as a forward or midfielder, bloody well play them there!

 

[BlueandWhiteinmyBlood]

Has there ever been any research on why blokes coming back from injury are better off playing in the back half?

It’s like somebody said it one day and now everybody believes it.

Just like when Kelloggs said breakfast is the most important meal of the day many, many years ago.

 

[Epictetus]

I'm sorry, he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt and blind faith.

He hasn't earnt it at North yet and that's all that matters. What he did at 15-20 years ago at Hawthorn is great, but it's about as relevant to our current situation as what Pagan did at North 30 years ago.

He showed he wasn't able to repeat it at Hawthorn in his attempted mini rebuild and nothing so far at North suggests he's any closer to 2004 Clarko as he was in his last few years at the Hawks.

In terms of George specifically. I've seen nothing in the 5-6 VFL games of George in the role that mimics anything you are describing.

In fact, the most comfortable I've seen him has been in the very few stints he's actually been moved forward.

His stats look fine on paper, but you are turning a potential Rolls Royce FWD/MID into a back pocket that is a nice long kick out of defence.

BG has natural forward craft, he knows how to body defenders, he knows leading patterns and is an excellent mark when given speration.

These are all rolled gold intangibles and something most coaches are trying to teach developing forwards, someone like Comben being a good example who lacks a fair few of these qualities.

George has them, so moving him into a back pocket role is absolutely baffling. Especially as we've already tried to convert as many as 5 (?) first round prospects into the same type of running defender!?

Whats next, Josh Smillie to become a 3rd tall defender next year?

We will leave aside the stretch stuff like "Rolls Royce" and the Clarko stuff. No issue with the view that he hasn't "earned it", but a CV is a CV. And it's not arguable that he has watched the fella play and train a bunch more than anyone here. To argue either of those things is nonsense.

Who is BG's AFL comparison as a forward?

 

[Sphynx]

We will leave aside the stretch stuff like "Rolls Royce" and the Clarko stuff. No issue with the view that he hasn't "earned it", but a CV is a CV. And it's not arguable that he has watched the fella play and train a bunch more than anyone here. To argue either of those things is nonsense.

Who is BG's AFL comparison as a forward?

Probably Jamie Elliott or Pre 2024 Isaac Heeney.

I think he's a better natural forward/mid prospect than Paul Curtis and I don't recall us putting him down back.

 

[Epictetus]

Probably Jamie Elliott or Pre 2024 Isaac Heeney.

I think he's a better natural forward/mid prospect than Paul Curtis and I don't recall us putting him down back.

All of this might be just to get games under his belt, or it might be a long term thing, or it might change to free him up a bit until he gets on the park and stays there.

I am happy anytime we throw players around, positionally. If we're not using this period of awfulness to see where blokes fit, we might as well give it away.

 

[Sphynx]

All of this might be just to get games under his belt, or it might be a long term thing, or it might change to free him up a bit until he gets on the park and stays there.

I am happy anytime we throw players around, positionally. If we're not using this period of awfulness to see where blokes fit, we might as well give it away.

I don't mind throwing them around either.

But this isn't throwing him around.

He's played 99% of his football down back. He's being developed as a defender.

If he was having stints everywhere, it would be a non issue.

 

[Passmore]

All of this might be just to get games under his belt, or it might be a long term thing, or it might change to free him up a bit until he gets on the park and stays there.

I am happy anytime we throw players around, positionally. If we're not using this period of awfulness to see where blokes fit, we might as well give it away.

We’ve thrown Comben back with the intention of moving back forward. George might be in the same boat. Might not be.

It was mentioned a while back that George would be trialled down back. They liked his boot across HB. The source was as reliable as it could be at the time. The notion was dismissed “hE,s a NaTUral fORWarD….”

When do teenagers get the tattoo on their forehead that declares their one and only lifetime onfield playing area?