Player Watch #40: Eddie Ford - re-signed until end of 2025

Remove this Banner Ad

Eddie Ford = The Sherman Tank
 
Last edited:

Log in to remove this ad.

I’ll be damned, Eddie Ford at 56. I knew 11 was too early but thought he’d be well gone by 30. I’ll be damned
 
Ford = Zoom Zoom!!!!
 
Snojet said:
Touch of the Garner look about him in the clip.
Click to expand...
Yeah I thought the same. Good mark, always looking for options, hard at it, a bit of pace and one touch when he gets the ball. He is very like Garner, hopefully with better hammies.
 
"Eddie as a 16 year old held his own. He was playing for a good division 2 side at Yarraville Seddon. He does have a knack of positioning well and marking overhead in one one’s. used his body well. He was doing this against stronger bodies although less talented than him but they were developed men. Hopefully as he gets stronger he can do it at AFL level."

Quote from a WRFL watcher.
 
Swallow_Wood said:
So the implication is that clubs will overlook a player with Ford's attributes purely because he plays for the Jets?

C'mon man.
Click to expand...
It can be not that simple but also effectively boil down to that.

Suspect he was just a Curtis Taylor type slider. Got into an area of the draft where a lot of clubs had their own needs and pet projects and kept sliding.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

RobZombie said:
It can be not that simple but also effectively boil down to that.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't buy the Jets thing. Talent is talent.
RobZombie said:
Suspect he was just a Curtis Taylor type slider. Got into an area of the draft where a lot of clubs had their own needs and pet projects and kept sliding.
Click to expand...
Far more likely. Even still, I'd be curious to find out what his perceived weaknesses are at clubland that his positive attributes, and there are plenty, were effectively overlooked by all clubs.
 
N-W/Western suburbs, has mullet. Didn't go to a known, named school.

Also has low possession numbers compared to some other players. That might be it.
 
Swallow_Wood said:
So the implication is that clubs will overlook a player with Ford's attributes purely because he plays for the Jets?

C'mon man.
Click to expand...
The implication is that the Jets stink, their coaching stinks... and clubs know this. The development there must be rubbish, because Eddie is the only player drafted in the main draft in the last 2 years from that program.... and he was the third last pick. Whenever he has played rep football with the other “elites” from this draft he has excelled, he tested really well at the combine, he is keen, committed, works hard in the gym.... has zero red flags, and has a great attitude.
 
Phillyroo said:
The implication is that the Jets stink, their coaching stinks... and clubs know this. The development there must be rubbish, because Eddie is the only player drafted in the main draft in the last 2 years from that program.... and he was the third last pick.
Click to expand...
Right, that's an utterly shit record. 1 player in 2 years? **** me.
Phillyroo said:
Whenever he has played rep football with the other “elites” from this draft he has excelled, he tested really well at the combine, he is keen, committed, works hard in the gym.... has zero red flags, and has a great attitude.
Click to expand...
See, I don't see the logic in the first point impacting the second. If anything, being part of a crap program, then excelling when taken out of that program pushes him up the order, not down.

Confused look of confusion.
 
Merlin007 said:
hits hard in the tackle
Click to expand...
Yes, goes in hard to hurt.

His draft combine numbers

Running Vertical Jump 94cm (Equal 4th overall, 1st in Vic)
20m sprint 2.95s (Just outside top 10)
2km - 6.47

Might need to improve his endurance a bit but the rest of it is pretty good.


Who does draft prospect Eddie Ford models his game on?

Draft hopeful Eddie Ford says he models his game on the dual Brownlow medalist
www.sen.com.au www.sen.com.au
 
Last edited:
giantroo said:
Yes, goes in hard to hurt.

His draft combine numbers

Running Vertical Jump 94cm (Equal 4th)
20m sprint 2.95s (Just outside top 10)
2km - 6.47

Might need to improve his endurance a bit but the rest of it is pretty good.


Who does draft prospect Eddie Ford models his game on?

Draft hopeful Eddie Ford says he models his game on the dual Brownlow medalist
www.sen.com.au www.sen.com.au
Click to expand...
thanks, looks good. He's one boy whose development would really have been put back by losing his top age year, when you would assume he would have spent time in the midfield - if he could have added that to his bow, he might have been anything
 
Ford also sourced footage of the likes of Fremantle skipper and dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe and West Coast star Elliot Yeo.

Champion Data likens Ford to Port Adelaide young gun Connor Rozee.

“Identifying a player of such high quality and looking into the finer details of that player is quite mature of Eddie,” Williams said.

“Obviously Nat and some of the elite players in the AFL, we know the special things they can do, but they also do the basics really well.

“He learnt a lot from dissecting some of the AFL players as to how to best round his game. Eddie still got a few things to work on, despite his talents, and going about it the way he did by dissecting vision when he wasn’t allowed to play was a good approach.”

giantroo said:
AFL draft prospect Eddie Ford lauded as a ‘big-game player’
Eddie Ford has already sourced footage of some of the AFL’s biggest names and starred on the MCG — and he’s only 18.

Luke D’Anello
December 8, 2020 - 12:30PM
Leader
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader.../512bb2c008ae10e26256823239d0eb32#share-tools
Eddie Ford will bring plenty of X-factor if he is picked up by an AFL club. Picture: Getty Images

Eddie Ford will bring plenty of X-factor if he is picked up by an AFL club. Picture: Getty Images

Eddie Ford has showcased his ability on the MCG on the last Saturday in September.

The Western Jets draft prospect shone in the under-17 All Stars game before the 2019 AFL decider between Richmond and GWS Giants.

Locking horns with the best players across the nation in his age group, Ford racked up 20 possessions and booted two goals to be among the leading performers on the ground.

While it was a curtain-raiser to the main event at the time, a cancelled season amid the coronavirus crisis has given the fixture extra significance.

That is only good news for Ford ahead of Wednesday’s AFL National Draft, with the 18-year-old touted as a second-round pick.

“Eddie’s a big-game player,” Jets talent manager Luke Williams declared.

“He sets himself for big games, and it was no surprise he performed quite well in the first half of that game and he’s done some special things when he’s represented Vic Metro as well.

“I’d expect them (recruiters) to put a lot of weight on that game.

“It’s probably the last time the most talented players in the country of his age group have played together, so they’ll definitely be referring back to that.”

Western Jet Eddie Ford is an impressive prospect. Picture: James Ross

Western Jet Eddie Ford is an impressive prospect. Picture: James Ross

Ford was preparing for a shift into the midfield in the NAB League this year before the pandemic intervened.

He produced an impressive season for the Jets in 2019, voted the club’s best under-age player after averaging 14 disposals and almost four marks from 16 games.

Ford developed his craft across the half-forward flank as a bottom-ager, displaying his aerial prowess and strong decision-making.

But the midfield is not foreign to Ford, who spent plenty of time there in his junior days at Yarraville-Seddon.

He also performed with aplomb in a forward/wing role for the Eagles’ senior team in the Western Region Football League in 2018, finishing top-10 in the best-and-fairest after starting the season as a 15-year-old.

“The term X-factor is pretty prominent with Eddie and he possesses a lot of special AFL traits that clubs are looking for,” Williams said.

“From that point of view, he’s obviously been the player of most interest at the Jets for clubs.”

Standing 188cm, Ford recorded the equal best running vertical jump (94cm) at last month’s state combine.

“He tested the best at the Vic combine for his vertical leap, so that height combined with his leap makes him a real tough match up for defenders,” Williams said.

“He’s very good above his head, has some great goal sense and is quite creative with his hands as well.”


Speaking to Leader Local Footy earlier this year, Ford said he had used the shutdown period to address his weaknesses.

“I was looking forward to (2020). I had a pretty good pre-season, a couple of niggles here and there, but overall it was pretty good and my 2km (time trial) was a good standard and better than last year,” he said.

“The coronavirus hasn’t affected me a whole lot. I’ve been able to not neglect this time and not using it as a break, but keep using it as a platform to work hard, develop my strengths.

“I’m getting a lot more time in the gym, which is handy, so can strengthen the body up a little bit.”

Ford also sourced footage of the likes of Fremantle skipper and dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe and West Coast star Elliot Yeo.

Champion Data likens Ford to Port Adelaide young gun Connor Rozee.

“Identifying a player of such high quality and looking into the finer details of that player is quite mature of Eddie,” Williams said.

“Obviously Nat and some of the elite players in the AFL, we know the special things they can do, but they also do the basics really well.

“He learnt a lot from dissecting some of the AFL players as to how to best round his game. Eddie still got a few things to work on, despite his talents, and going about it the way he did by dissecting vision when he wasn’t allowed to play was a good approach.”


No Cookies | Herald Sun

No Cookies
www.heraldsun.com.au www.heraldsun.com.au
Click to expand...

1607555484412.png
 
Swallow_Wood said:
Right, that's an utterly sh*t record. 1 player in 2 years? fu** me.

See, I don't see the logic in the first point impacting the second. If anything, being part of a crap program, then excelling when taken out of that program pushes him up the order, not down.

Confused look of confusion.
Click to expand...
People aren't always rational. There was talk about a decade ago about how sending good footy players to private schools, specifically GPS ones, was what should happen to iron out their rough edges or some other snobby bullshit. So they would be "ready for the AFL system".

Add that to the perception Phillyroo mentioned above, a slightly lower possession total than even Spicer (under 15 per game) and its not that people actively would avoid him, more they'd be focusing on other kids that fit their preconceptions. But I often get that impression about the Jets via the AFL media I get exposed to (thru here). That they are a "poor man's" junior club.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Player Watch #40: Eddie Ford - re-signed until end of 2025

Similar threads

H
Player Watch #29: Will Phillips [Part II] - Extends to End of 2025
102 103 104 105 106
Replies
3K
Views
141K
desie
desie
giantroo
AFLW #7: Ash Riddell - re-signed until end of 2027 - 2nd in the 2023 B&F
Replies
1
Views
540
giantroo
giantroo
M
VFL 2025
Replies
0
Views
284
Mr north man
M
The Nostradamus
Prediction Jumper Numbers 2025
2
Replies
44
Views
2K
kool kangas
kool kangas
Only Forwards
Fixture 2025 fixture
13 14 15 16 17
Replies
423
Views
20K
Gasometer
Gasometer
M
VFL/AFL Reserves 2025 and beyond
Replies
0
Views
327
Mr north man
M
Blightys Barrel
List Mgmt. Best side for start of 2025
12 13 14 15 16
Replies
377
Views
21K
Blightys Barrel
Blightys Barrel

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top