AFL Player # 5: Elijah Tsatas

[TheGrizz]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2026
2024 My Boy Draft: Pick 14, Lore

 

[Nicholas61]

They have used him in a run with role the last couple of weeks.
I hope they can do something with him but there has not been much progress on the kicking front.

Would be interesting to know if they have tried teaching him a different technique or merely to steady before kicking - is he then reverting to his old technique during the pressure of matches?

 

[Maxabillions]

I hope so too but over 12 months of focus on his kicking behind the scenes for no improvement is a big flashing light .

Maybe a bit of one step back to take two forward? That’s what I’m going to cling to anyway

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Yeah I know - I was debating with myself whether it's the same thing as group think or slightly different and then I agreed to disagree with myself and let it go

your own personal groupthink!

 

[bombreys]

they are. Wasn't too long ago everyone thought Petracca was a flop. Did sweet FA in his first 3 or 4 seasons. Then burst on the scene like a beast and still going.
Tsatas will be fine. We still need a big bull type in the guts with him aka (Harley Reid) wink wink...... and the likes of Tsatas, Durham, Caldwell, Hobbs etc.. will flourish. Future looks bright imo.

Averaged 20 stats and a goal across his 3rd and 4th seasons - and played in a prelim. Hardly ‘sweet FA’

Tsatas might become a player, but his kicking nearing the end of his 2nd season is a worry. I don’t know why some are so afraid to accept this.

 

[ydc55]

FWIW Since 2010 for Sydney 7(+4):

Heeney (A)
Mills (A)
Florent
Hayward
Blakey (A)
McDonald
Campbell (A)
*Sheldrick
*Konstanty
*Green
*Cleary

4 of their 7 first rounders playing regular AFL right now are also Academy selections that they may not otherwise have had access to.

Meanwhile since 2010 they've had these guys also taken as first rounders:

Jed Lamb
Tom Mitchell (F/S)
Dean Towers
Zak Jones
Matthew Ling
Dylan Stephens

So even Sydney has plenty of busts out of their first rounders, they've just had the side benefit of the Academy to prop it up. Gulden was also an Academy player as a 2nd rounder.

You need to look at Sydney’s second and third rounders and their rookies.
Stephens though a poor selection has garnered them an end of first round selection in this draft.
Sheldrick looked very promising last year.
Green and Cleary will both be pretty good though Konstanty probably is in trouble.

 

[ydc55]

Humphrey or phillipou would have been better for our list profile but probably difficult to predict Durham and caldwells improvement.

 

[faible]

You need to look at Sydney’s second and third rounders and their rookies.
Stephens though a poor selection has garnered them an end of first round selection in this draft.
Sheldrick looked very promising last year.
Green and Cleary will both be pretty good though Konstanty probably is in trouble.

Sydney are probably the best in the league draft-wise, but having the Academy access is a massive leg up, they've got a number of guys who'd have gone way above Sydney's actual draft position.

 

[Happyskeret]

I still think if he can learn how to kick accurately 30 metres that he has a higher ceiling than the others that came after him in the top ten of his draft year.

The kid is an absolute ball magnet and has terrific hands. I liked the way he worked with Setters, Shiel and Bryan last game. That tells me he can work as a cog in a good midfield setup.

The other thing he should be working on aside from his kicking is getting good distance with his handballs. If he can combine speed with distance with his hands he will be an absolute weapon.

 

[Vander18]

Yeah I know - I was debating with myself whether it's the same thing as group think or slightly different and then I agreed to disagree with myself and let it go

Isn’t the desire for safety (whether physical or mental) always at the heart of groupthink?

I think it’s an example of groupthink but I’m open to a counter view.

 

[Just A Tragic]

I still think if he can learn how to kick accurately 30 metres that he has a higher ceiling than the others that came after him in the top ten of his draft year.

The kid is an absolute ball magnet and has terrific hands. I liked the way he worked with Setters, Shiel and Bryan last game. That tells me he can work as a cog in a good midfield setup.

The other thing he should be working on aside from his kicking is getting good distance with his handballs. If he can combine speed with distance with his hands he will be an absolute weapon.

I'm in this camp. Learn to live within capabilities, and he will be awesome.... I hope.

 

[Happyskeret]

I'm in this camp. Learn to live within capabilities, and he will be awesome.... I hope.

We are stuck with him now we may as well make him the best player he possibly can be.

 

[ydc55]

Watching Dylan shiel

9

Dylan Shiel

Age

31

Ht

182cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

24.6

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

12.2

5star

M

3.1

3star

T

3.9

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

23.4

5star

K

13.6

5star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.2

2star

T

3.4

4star

CL

6.4

5star

D

19.8

5star

K

8.4

4star

HB

11.4

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.6

4star

CL

3.8

5star

tonight makes me think Elijah should play in front of him.

 

[Foxx]

I'm in this camp. Learn to live within capabilities, and he will be awesome.... I hope.

If he can't hit/put to advantage 30 metre kicks 8 out of 10 times he won't make it.

 

[Vander18]

Watching Dylan shiel tonight makes me think Elijah should play in front of him.

Really?

Shiel was pretty decent.

 

[Yoda_]

Was very, very good today in the VFL

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

I reckon things will come together in year 4 or 5.

 

[Kong]

Was very, very good today in the VFL

made contact between foot and ball a few times, did he?

 

[Yoda_]

made contact between foot and ball a few times, did he?

con confirm, no fresh airies today

 

[Hird05]

Watching Dylan shiel tonight makes me think Elijah should play in front of him.

Didn't age well. Was huge in the last plus 8 tackles

 

[Vindicater]

Watching Dylan shiel tonight makes me think Elijah should play in front of him.

I thought Shiel was good on Friday. Played a selfless role and was ultra disciplined.

 

[Hird05]

I thought Shiel was good on Friday. Played a selfless role and was ultra disciplined.

Agreed. Allows us to keep developing guys like Tsatas in the twos

 

[ant555]

Played well but certainly did not step out of his lane . Did not really make a lot of attempts to get himself on the outside and run. Lot of handball feeds or short kicks / quick kicks forward . Maybe they have changed the focus and are looking to just develop his inside game . You can see he is going to have plenty of power through the legs. He has big quads and legs. Bit narrow in the shoulders which is probably due to the shoulder injury leaving him a bit under developed.
His physical effort has improved and so has his tackling.
Maybe his lot will just be inside midfielder and he will just have to keep developing a hard edge mindset as he gets stronger.
They have to salvage something out of it.

 

[Yoda_]

Played well but certainly did not step out of his lane . Did not really make a lot of attempts to get himself on the outside and run. Lot of handball feeds or short kicks / quick kicks forward . Maybe they have changed the focus and are looking to just develop his inside game . You can see he is going to have plenty of power through the legs. He has big quads and legs. Bit narrow in the shoulders which is probably due to the shoulder injury leaving him a bit under developed.
His physical effort has improved and so has his tackling.
Maybe his lot will just be inside midfielder and he will just have to keep developing a hard edge mindset as he gets stronger.
They have to salvage something out of it.

Adam Treloar is a fair comparison

 

[ant555]

Adam Treloar is a fair comparison

If they let him play too much outside game he will be as loved as Dylan Shiel is although Dyl has tidied us his kicking by slowing down and balancing before he kicks. Treloar has always been my comparison. Lij can find the footy and has good hands in close but he is going to butcher the footy a lot.

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

Are we also forgetting he was coming through during the covid period? I personally think we are being way too harsh on a kid that's missed a lot of footy. He just needs some time. It's not like the other draftees are tearing it up either. Look at Phillopou and Humphrey.