Tim Sumner

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Sunny_

Sunny_

Brownlow Medallist
Veteran 10k Posts Ex-Moderator Gold Coast Suns - Harley Bennell 2012 Player Sponsor
Mar 18, 2011
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14,589
Everett
AFL Club
Gold Coast
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New England Patriots
Pick #55 at the 2012 ND. Prospect that will need a couple of years to develop, but exciting when he's on.

Knightmare.
Height: 187cm, Weight: 83g, DOB: 09/10/1994
Recruited from: Woodville West Torrents
Style:
Player comparison:
Range: 35-rookie
Profile: Sumner is one of the quickest players in the draft and at his height is one of the more interesting prospects. Sumner is not a noted ball winner and doesn’t get a lot of it but when he does he can with his pace do some big damage, generally using it well but ball use can lack consistency at times. Strong overhead. Very dangerous around goal and good finisher around goal. With his pace could go from ok tackler to excellent tackler with more work. Will need to work on endurance and become a smarter runner so he can get more of it.
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Quigley.
Sumner is a really interesting prospect and it will be interesting to see where he goes. There is a mass of potential there it just comes down to whether it will be realised. He is the brother of Byron and it’s easy to forget that Byron was equally very talented before struggling to adjust to the demands of AFL training and living in Sydney. Will there be similar problems with his brother? Tim has only been in an elite program for a little over a year preferring to play for fun in a Div 5 amateur league before going across to WWT midway through last year. He decided to have a real dip at it this year and whilst it is obvious he is still a bit raw there is a mass of potential there. He had a break-out game in a SA trial game against Port which got a lot of attention from the scouts in attendance. He went on to play only one game at the Champs missing a second match against Metro due to the flu.

He played mostly as a midfielder prior to his bout of the flu and during that time he played up forward and on debut up forward he finished with 8 goals. After that he split time between the forward line and the midfield and for his one game at the Champs he was played as a forward. In the AFL I think his skill set might see him playing behind the ball as a HBFer who floats up onto the wing. For a young indigenous guy he is quite uncharacteristically tall and relatively solid. Build wise he reminds me a bit like Magic McLean for those who go back a few years. In an AFL environment he should put on muscle and bulk well and should be a nice build for an AFL player.

There is a lot of flash in the way Sumner plays. He does things others can't and he judges where the ball is going to end up better than others around him. The number of times the ball just happens to bounce right for him is not luck. He reads what is going to happen and then backs himself to run to the right spot. At the Champs I watched him stun the ball with his one available hand when he would otherwise have been unable to do anything with a player in his back pocket and then make a lovely play once he had got a bit of space. That was very smart play and that is the kind of thing which happened regularly in the SANFL. Sumner is very quick off the mark and has a long stride which might actually make him seem quicker than he actually is. He had a really odd 20m time at the Combine. He was very quick in the first 5m but was very slow for the next 5m before finishing strongly in the last 10m. I can't recall ever seeing such a disparity in times over the 20m. With a bit of work I think his pace should become a strength but at the moment it may be a little overrated. He likes to get out and have a run and looks very good doing so with his long stride. He is one of those guys who likes to bounce it every third or fourth step though and that needs to be coached out of him as he does lose pace when he bounces and the ball can get away from him on occasions.

What also makes him dangerous on the run is that he has a very long kick on him and can run 40m and then kick it another 60 and break zones apart. He is a heads up runner who watches what is happening around him and will avoid running into trouble and pick his targets nicely. His endurance still needs a lot of work but he looks like a runner (unlike his brother) and he seems willing to work hard during games especially going forward. Provided his motivation is there I think he should be able to get his running up to AFL standard. He did not do the endurance testing at Combine which I take as an indication it would not have been very good.

Like in the open field, Sumner keeps his head up in traffic and works his way through traffic very well seeming to slide through gaps rather than being particularly evasive (although there is a bit of that there). When he is tackled he maintains balance and clears his arms nicely. He is strong in contests and holds his feet well. He has good spring in marking contests and has really strong soft hands. He likes a fly if the opportunity presents itself and is more than capable of pulling them down. He is balanced and adjusts in the air really nicely. Even when he goes under the ball he adjusts well and has that bit of extra stretch that allows him to still make a play on the ball. He moves around up forward quite a bit and is a very capable lead when he decides to lead. He gets separation pretty easily at SANFL under 18 level but had a few more difficulties against Vic Country.

He is not a big tackler but is more than capable of nailing them if he gets the chance. He will need to work harder on his chase in the AFL but I think this is a bit of a function of endurance and the level of game he has played up until recently.

Sumner's skills are pretty good. He is a right footer and in addition to his long kicking he is also quite good in short to intermediate ranges. What I really like with him is that he picks when to deliver the ball really well. Up forward he has good goal awareness and is a good finisher from all angles on the set shot or from a snap. His set shot is good and from a tight angle he is an excellent finisher using a traditional set shot.

If you had just seen Sumner at the Champs you would be right in wondering what the fuss was about. Sure he flashed a few really nice things but they were pretty few and far between. Playing back in the SANFL though in the under 18s he showed a good ability to get the ball averaging 19.5 disposals a game over his 11 games. He is also still very new to an elite program and lacking in the endurance which would potentially allow him to take his game to another level. He has a lot of potential and there is a good reason why that remains a bit untapped as yet. Put him in a full time environment and you could have a very nice player on your hands.
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Chris.
I’ve been unsure of where to place Sumner all year. I’m a huge fan of his, and I’ve been talking him up this whole time - on this board, the Fremantle board and whatever other boards I can find. But I can’t help but think while he will have his fans, it might be a different case when teams actually come to draft day. Tim isn’t an immediate fix, and the rookie list would be the best place for him to develop in my opinion. But he has too much talent to make it that far, so I will stick with him nice and early - after all, Ah Chee was taken by Port Adelaide in the third round last year. Playing both across half forward and in the midfield, Sumner has played relatively consistent football in the SANFL U18s and flashed during the Championships and in higher levels back home - although consistency can still be an issue at times. He has very good speed and tries to use it whenever possible, including some amazing long runs through the midfield this year. He also has excellent skills, ridiculously clean hands when the ball is on the ground and just has that knack of doing the unbelievable. AFL Comparison: Jared Brennan.
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I know the AFL comparison is Jared Brennan, but to be honest, he reminds me more of what we're trying to make Liam Patrick. Forward who can kick freaky goals, very fast and can push into the middle when required.

Really looking forward to how he turns out.

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Tim Sumner's time to shine with the Gold Coast Suns.
THE three Sumner brothers - Byron, Daniel and Tim - sit nervously on their stools in the front bar of the Midway Tavern in Elizabeth Downs.

It's AFL Draft night and the boys have gathered at the pub where Byron's girlfriend pours beers to watch the broadcast from the Gold Coast.
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Really good read.
 
Big congratulations to Timmy on his debut. Just watched his interview regarding the call up on Suns TV. He spoke very well and seems a confident young man. Lets hope he goes on to have a good game tonight and a long career with the Suns. Tough first up game though. He could line up against a Corey Enright or an Andrew Mackie in his first game. Hope he stands on their head and takes a screamer :D
 
Well TheSunGod he obviously heard you because he took a screamer and has been nominated for mark of the year!!
 
That's my boy. I'm on the Timmy bandwagon. Nice mark too - stood on two cats heads...almost. Easily better than the other two contenders for round 10 :thumbsu:
 

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Would be a bit awkward if you spent all this time making a counter and then the first kick he gets against Melb he scores a goal lol
 
What are some thoughts on what this kid could become?

Kicked his first goals on the weekend and his willingness to chase, bump and tackle hard really makes him stand out. Very sticky hands too. He doesn't have that 'express' speed, but he's definitely not slow. Sort of an awkward height... Very exciting prospect though! Love watching him.
 
Sunny_ said:
What are some thoughts on what this kid could become?

Kicked his first goals on the weekend and his willingness to chase, bump and tackle hard really makes him stand out. Very sticky hands too. He doesn't have that 'express' speed, but he's definitely not slow. Sort of an awkward height... Very exciting prospect though! Love watching him.
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Shown a lot considering he was pick 55.
 
Sunny_ said:
What are some thoughts on what this kid could become?

Kicked his first goals on the weekend and his willingness to chase, bump and tackle hard really makes him stand out. Very sticky hands too. He doesn't have that 'express' speed, but he's definitely not slow. Sort of an awkward height... Very exciting prospect though! Love watching him.
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I love this kid. He's still only 18 and I'm sure the club saw him developing in the NEAFL all year without injuries to the key forwards and talls. Up close he looks a lot taller than 188cms as listed in the club profile. Great year Timmy!!
 
Challenging Sumner.
Eleven matches and the thrill of kicking goals at AFL level has Gold Coast SUNS forward Timmy Sumner wanting more in 2014.

“My goal was to play two games at AFL level, but I kept pushing myself and was able to play eleven,” Sumner said.
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