Opinion Buckley: Sam Darcy could be the best player in the AFL next season

[VinnieB]

He reminds me a bit of a young Daniher.

He has all the tools - if he (unlike Daniher) actually gives a **** and stays healthy, he’ll go a very long way.

or Salmon

 

[Cleavy]

am I supposed to get the vibe that if the Dogs miss the finals, they'll sack Bevo and Buckley will be next coach?

 

[VinnieB]

SEN
This season Darcy has booted 35 goals, which is second at the club behind Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (43), and is averaging 12 disposals, five marks and a tick under seven hit-outs.

His most recent performance was certainly not lost on the footy world and has compelled Buckley to predict that the former No.2 draft pick could be the AFL’s best player as quickly as next season.

“My opinion of footballers in general, if you can find a competitive aerial player in the front half of the field, he is as valuable a commodity as you are ever going to find,” Buckley said on SEN Breakfast.

“Sam Darcy, for me, is the youngest, brightest key forward. I love Josh Treacy and the way he’s going about it, but Sam Darcy can ruck, he can go behind the ball if you need him to. He’s probably the forward version of a Mac Andrew.

“Seeing him do what he did yesterday, it just struck me as I was watching this kid - and he’s still a kid, he’s still developing and growing - but this kid could be the best player in the competition as soon as next year.

Do you agree or disagree?

Many people would've had Nick Daicos pegged as the best player from the 2021 draft. Who would you take between Daicos, Darcy and Horne-Francis?

Callaghan seems to be the forgotten player.
Mac Andrew starting to do some special things.

That draft could go down as the greatest top 5 picks in any draft.

 

[Giant Pete]

Great prospect. With Darcy through father son, and JUH through the NGA, Dogs sure have done well.

 

[The Unicorn]

Great prospect. With Darcy through father son, and JUH through the NGA, Dogs sure have done well.

Getting Jeremy Cameron, Adam Treloar, Toby greene as pre draft selections still tops it though

 

[Giant Pete]

Getting Jeremy Cameron, Adam Treloar, Toby greene as pre draft selections still tops it though

We literally had no players. Where do you think we should get players from when building a club from scratch. Put it this way. I’m more than happy for Tassy to build a list from young draftees. And if they end up recruiting one of our best players… so be it.

 

[The Unicorn]

We literally had no players. Where do you think we should get players from when building a club from scratch. Put it this way. I’m more than happy for Tassy to build a list from young draftees. And if they end up recruiting one of our best players… so be it.

You still did much better than what gold
Coast did. Let’s put it that way

 

[threenewpadlocks]

We literally had no players. Where do you think we should get players from when building a club from scratch. Put it this way. I’m more than happy for Tassy to build a list from young draftees. And if they end up recruiting one of our best players… so be it.

Relative to GC though, the concessions were greater, and were meant to equalise (though were stronger) than the idea that GWS would be a less desireable place to live and that the NSW zone was worse than the QLD zone.

The concessions were reigned in for a reason - they were stronger than anticipated at the time they were awarded.

 

[PhatBoy]

Getting Jeremy Cameron, Adam Treloar, Toby greene as pre draft selections still tops it though

It’s funny how not actually existing as a team or club will necessitate having some leg ups when a new entity comes into a competition

 

[PhatBoy]

You still did much better than what gold
Coast did. Let’s put it that way

The Gold Coast were given the best player of the last 25 years and failed put any sort of team around him.

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

Jamarra can also work on his tank (as too Darcy but it's a bit more difficult when you are 7 feet tall), and begin roaming around the wings like we saw of Franklin and now Cameron. Make himself a true dynamic footballer of the modern era.

We have Naughton to do that

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

am I supposed to get the vibe that if the Dogs miss the finals, they'll sack Bevo and Buckley will be next coach?

Wouldn't mind it, i love listening to Bucks talk

 

[BallaratBulldog]

am I supposed to get the vibe that if the Dogs miss the finals, they'll sack Bevo and Buckley will be next coach?

He’s safe even if they miss I bet

 

[Dazb86]

Darcy's good but his peak is what we are currently witnessing. He won't get anymore explosive. He should get a lot stronger which would make it him a nightmare one-on-one but I see more upside in Ugle-Hagan's game than Darcy's.

If Darcys VFL performances eventually translate to AFL performances he'll be very very good. Often kicked 4 while playing as a ruck and racking up the ball/contested marks.

I like JUH but he's just too innaccurate. He's averaging the most shots at goal in the AFL but he's not giving the coleman leaders any trouble at all. It's not a once off thing either.

 

[Dangerousfield]

Great prospect. With Darcy through father son, and JUH through the NGA, Dogs sure have done well.

Due to the complete incompetence of the AFL, both were drafted with a bag of junk picks. Huge leg up for the Dogs courtesy of AFL incompetence.

AFL still haven't fixed the problem in this years draft where Brisbane will do the same with potential number one Ashcroft. Complete failure to address draft equalisation in a timely manner.

 

[janty]

You obviously didn't watch him also gather the ball, burn off Lachie Neal while having a couple of bounces and kick a great goal at full speed.

But we know how selective you are.....

Troy Schwarze ran away from Michael Voss once.....

 

[MightyHawks]

Darcy is very good - very promising. Every team would love to have him.

But Calsher Dear will be the better player.

 

[Orange crush]

Wouldn't mind it, i love listening to Bucks talk

Bucks is a surprisingly good analyst … as in easy on the ears as well as insightful

 

[TiAn_]

Darcy is very good - very promising. Every team would love to have him.

But Calsher Dear will be the better player.

lol

 

[TiAn_]

His effort at ground level, particularly his tackling, is great. Beautiful field kick off both feet too.

Good output as a forward while spending a decent chunk of his 74% TOG in the ruck.

 

[The Unicorn]

Darcy is very good - very promising. Every team would love to have him.

But Calsher Dear will be the better player.

 

[Duckimus Prime]

Due to the complete incompetence of the AFL, both were drafted with a bag of junk picks. Huge leg up for the Dogs courtesy of AFL incompetence.

AFL still haven't fixed the problem in this years draft where Brisbane will do the same with potential number one Ashcroft. Complete failure to address draft equalisation in a timely manner.

I mean the Dogs draft JUH with a bunch of second round picks. They gave up their first round pick (14) in getting those second round picks.

They also gave up their first round pick (17) in getting the picks that were used to match Sam Darcy.
They also gave up Patrick Lipinski and Lewis Young in gathering the picks that were used for Sam Darcy.
They also did other second round pick swaps (1 early for 2 late) to get the picks to cover Darcy's points. For which they got also got a 2022 third round pick from North.

 

[TiAn_]

I mean the Dogs draft JUH with a bunch of second round picks. They gave up their first round pick (14) in getting those second round picks.

They also gave up their first round pick (17) in getting the picks that were used to match Sam Darcy.
They also gave up Patrick Lipinski and Lewis Young in gathering the picks that were used for Sam Darcy.
They also did other second round pick swaps (1 early for 2 late) to get the picks to cover Darcy's points. For which they got also got a 2022 third round pick from North.

It’s obviously a big net win to get access to two top prospects that we wouldn’t have otherwise, so can’t complain about it and you’d do it every time.

It’s a trade off though in that we used most of our draft capital to get them and outside of them drafted no 2nd rounders, one 3rd rounder and two 4th rounders (5th last selection overall both years) across those two drafts combined. And as JUH and Darcy were project talls that took 3 years each to be effective (as opposed to AFL ready mids), the bottom half of our 23 went to shit a little bit as a result and stagnated for a couple years. We probably could have made other moves that would have better helped us contend in 2021-23 if we weren’t chasing a huge amount of draft points. The three other players we drafted in those two drafts have played 22 games total and only 2 this year between them. But it’s obviously paying off massively for us now 3-4 years later and in the longer term.

That being said, I personally think the academies should generally be AFL run with the majority of players in the open draft pool. Instead we have a typical AFL ‘bob each way’ approach.

 

[Morris Major]

I like JUH but he's just too innaccurate. He's averaging the most shots at goal in the AFL but he's not giving the coleman leaders any trouble at all. It's not a once off thing either.

I feel like the couple of games out for personal reasons really cost him a decent run of form, took another month of footy after his return to get back into a decent standard. Probably a 10 goal difference there all in all.

There's enough of a distinction between his style and Darcy's which will I really like.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Absolute riches that dogs forward line could end up being the Franklin/Roughead combination if they can keep them together.