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I suspect Gould will be a slider according to BigFooty, but not to those in the know. Not that I agree, but I think recruiters will outsmart themselves.
Perfect choice for tigersFMD now Will Day! great pick kid will be a star
I worry he could be the next Kieran Collins (being a man playing against children, then struggle to translate form to AFL level), but also feel that Gould has more skill and ability to read the play than Collins didThere is huge bust potential in Gould, but he has performed at every level he's played in the last two years. He's a tough one to read
Glenelg premiership defender Will Gould drops the kilos and the skinfolds after combine wake-up call
Glenelg premiership defender Will Gould – described as one of the best leaders in this year’s draft pool – has responded to questions about his fitness by shedding 6kg and slashing his skinfold levels in two weeks.
Admitting to being “a bit rusty’’ at the AFL Draft Combine, which was held just nine days after he helped the Tigers break a 33-year league premiership drought, Gould said he had been stung by some “pretty direct instructions’’ in his meeting with Sydney.
Key defender Gould weighed in at the combine at 106kg and recorded skinfold measurements of 78 after a week of celebrating Glenelg’s long-awaited flag.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 03: Will Gould completes the yoyo test during the 2019 AFL Draft Combine at Margaret Court Arena on October 03, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
When he last weighed himself two weeks ago – after he had pulled out of the Tigers’ end-of-season trip to Darwin to focus on his body and the draft – he had dropped to 100kg and his skinfold levels were down to 60.
The Swans had told Gould – SA’s under-18 captain this year – that his skinfolds needed to be measured at 55 or below before a club would draft him.
“There was a little bit of feedback from clubs at the combine,’’ the powerful 18-year-old told The Lowdown AFL Draft Podcast.
“The Swans just said in black and white that I needed to lose a bit of weight and get my skinfolds down to about 55, they were pretty direct with their instructions to get working.
“But I knew I wasn’t going to test that great because the combine had come so soon after the granny and I was still a bit rusty.
“I had a crack and did my best in every single test but for me, what I was doing between the combine to get myself ready for the 27th (draft on November 27) was most important.
“I’m in much better form now than what I was a few weeks ago.’’
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 03: Will Gould of South Australia kicks the ball during the AFL 2019 U18 Championships match between South Australia and the Allies at Marvel Stadium on July 03, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Gould, who should be a first-round draft selection, said it had always been his dream to play AFL and he showed his commitment by not joining his premiership teammates in Darwin.
“I’m really close to all those boys and seeing all their Snapchats showed me what I was missing out on but it will be put in perspective when the draft comes around,’’ he said.
“I’ll do anything I can to play AFL, so it was just a little sacrifice for the bigger picture.’’
SANFL talent manager Brenton Phillips said Gould’s testing numbers in the past few years – “the body of work,’’ he calls it – showed he had an excellent combination of speed, agility and endurance.
Similar dimensions to recently retired Heath Grundy, who enjoyed a great careerIs there a player at AFL level you can see in Gould? I am worried he may end up a slow, undersized defender at AFL level. He also does not have the best agility and I am concerned he will not transition that well at AFL level.
If the bombers were picking now I would be really confident in securing two good prospects that meet needs and have potential to be above average AFL players. However the 6 I have really identified could conceivably be gone before the bombers enter the draft. I reckon Draft night will be the same way.its so hard to get excited about the draft with Essendon entering so late. Looking forward to the next dozen or so picks to see where the leading draft guys rate possible players around our picks.
If I didn't match the Henry bid earlier, I'd have been all over Elijah Taylor at 22. It's at this point that I'd be exploring a trade up to get either him or Mitch Georgiades.