List Mgmt. Will Thursfield - National Recruiting & Retention Manager

[giantroo]

Separate thread for Will

Thursfield takes on expanded recruiting role

North Melbourne is pleased to confirm Will Thursfield has accepted an elevated role as national recruiting and retention manager within the club’s recruiting and list management team

www.nmfc.com.au

North Melbourne is pleased to confirm Will Thursfield

Will Thursfield

Age

38

Ht

192cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.1

2star

K

3.9

2star

HB

5.3

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

1.5

3star

No current season stats available

D

10.2

3star

K

4.0

2star

HB

6.2

4star

M

2.6

3star

T

1.0

3star

has accepted an elevated role as national recruiting and retention manager within the club’s recruiting and list management team.

Thursfield’s expanded role will see him continue to oversee the club’s work at the AFL national draft plus the retention of current North Melbourne talent through contract negotiations.

Thursfield joined the club’s recruiting team in February 2023 as national recruiting manager after five years as a recruiting officer at Richmond.

“Will has fitted into the club seamlessly. He’s a skilled and ambitious individual, and someone we see playing a key role at the club for many years to come,” head of football talent Brady Rawlings

Brady Rawlings

Age

43

Ht

184cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.7

4star

K

8.7

3star

HB

9.0

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.3

4star

No current season stats available

D

8.6

3star

K

4.6

2star

HB

4.0

3star

M

1.0

1star

T

0.8

3star

said.

“We value Will highly so we’re really pleased to be able to offer him this expanded role which will continue to challenge him in a professional sense.”

 

[giantroo]

How do we rate his last two drafts to date?

 

[giantroo]

It's probably worth it's own separate thread, but Thursfield definitely values athleticism, speed, power (agility/vertical) ,competitiveness above just about everything. You can now start to map the types of players he will be looking at in the future.

I feel like the direction is "We can develop these players skills, or ability to find the ball" - "We can't make them fast enough or athletic enough for the absolute elite end of the game."

I'm not sure he drafts someone like Powell in his draft year and it would be very interesting to know what he would have made of Sheezel (elite tank aside). I feel he would have loved Tsatas and Ginbey in their years.

It's an interesting profile, as it's at odds with what Clarkson did at Hawthorn. He very much was "if you can't kick, you aren't on our draft board".

Although in saying that, not many of the below are poor kicks at all.

Since in charge, he's drafted:

Colby McKercher
Zane Duursma
Taylor Goad
Will Dawson
Riley Hardeman
Finbar Maley
Geordie Payne

Finn O'Sullivan
Matt Whitlock
Luke Urquhart
River Stevens


Pretty much every single player on that list is an amazing standout athlete, with exceptional speed or a massive vertical/elite agility.

The only non standout athlete is Dawson, however he's 203cm, has some of the longest arms as a % of his height and biggest hands measured in the combine in the last 4-5 seasons. Physically, he's a standout for a KPD prospect.

River isn't a standout athlete, but he didn't pick him openly obviously.

 

[The Nostradamus]

first order of business now is sign up LDU long term

 

[Kanga Glory]

How do we rate his last two drafts to date?

Rate high, have bigs and gun midfielders + alot of potential. Need to nail the development

 

[backtothedraft]

How do we rate his last two drafts to date?

I like Thursfield. He's a far better media performer than Rawlings, and provides great insight on reasons for decision and strategy. There are few factors that i think will determine the success of the last two drafts:

1. Duursma's development - We obviously watched Watson burst onto the scene last year, and would have filled a big hole in our team. I was comfortable with the decision at the time, and hope Zane can really come on over the next couple of years
2. Hardeman, Goad, W.Dawson, Whitlock - These late first round picks are typically more speculative than players taken in the top five. Probably need 3/4 to come on and be genuine AFL performers
3. Bargain picks - Maley seems like he's already exceeding expectation given messaging coming out of the club. If Urquhart jumps out of the blocks, could be a big tick to his ability to find talent late in the draft.

 

[giantroo]

 

[apollo_creed]

How do we rate his last two drafts to date?

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McKercher will be a top 5 player from that draft at worst.

Personally don’t think Duursma will be top 5 from the draft and be considered a bust respective to the position he was drafted but that’s an early call, could easily and hopefully be wrong. Long way to go.

The others from last season far too early to call on minimal evidence.

And this year wouldn’t bother judging yet.

So in other words not really much evidence one way or the other.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Duursma has to get an appetite for the contest otherwise his career will be shorter than expected.

 

[LB2Snake]

Maybe I’m a little deluded and hopeful, but Durs has the most promise out of them all IMO. Just makes thing look ridiculously easy. He comes on as I expect he will be a weapon. James Hird type player.

 

[danj]

How do we rate his last two drafts to date?

View attachment 2173012

View attachment 2173014

I’m not sure that’s the best question GR I think we should all be scoring it at least a 7/10 and in time it could well be 10/10! For my money the bigger question is how do we rate our trades, Parker, Daniel, Darling? If these guys can bring the value add we need at this stage of our development it will go a long way towards our drafting being better than anticipated

But specifically Thursfield I’m a believer

 

[The Talent Scout]

Will is a gem, let me point this straight out, in recruiting circles he's very young and I'm a firm believer that in his short time with us he has done a great job, we will know more in several years but I'm going the early crow, in the top 4 recruiters going around as of now.

 

[the big lebowski]

Maybe I’m a little deluded and hopeful, but Durs has the most promise out of them all IMO. Just makes thing look ridiculously easy. He comes on as I expect he will be a weapon. James Hird type player.

There is zero doubt on his ability

 

[LB2Snake]

There is zero doubt on his ability

Yeah I don’t think he need to become a brute in the contest. He’s going to be so hard to contain.

 

[the big lebowski]

Yeah I don’t think he need to become a brute in the contest. He’s going to be so hard to contain.

Agree.

But he needs to turn up the intensity, which he did at times. At other times I was shocked at his lack of desire to contribute.

Maybe that’s down to his appalling level of fitness.

Both his intensity and fitness are areas his own family get on him about. So it’s not a secret.

 

[amaz199]

James Hird type player.

 

[Horace]

Wow. People already starting to write off Duursma after just 1 season, in which he played 13 games, playing in the long known graveyard position of half forward flank.

Throw in the fact that our forwards had to contend with seeing the ball more often than not down the other end of the ground.

For goodness sake, give him a break.

He will be a beauty, this boy, mark my words.

 

[year of the roo]

Wow. People already starting to write off Duursma after just 1 season, in which he played 13 games, playing in the long known graveyard position of half forward flank.

Throw in the fact that our forwards had to contend with seeing the ball more often than not down the other end of the ground.

For goodness sake, give him a break.

He will be a beauty, this boy, mark my words.

Which are the posts "writing him off"?

 

[apollo_creed]

Maybe I’m a little deluded and hopeful, but Durs has the most promise out of them all IMO. Just makes thing look ridiculously easy. He comes on as I expect he will be a weapon. James Hird type player.

He could also be a Mitch Morton type player. You have gone one extreme, I have gone the other. His type might have a high reward but it’s also very high risk when selecting in the top 5 of the draft.

First season wasn’t great but it’s his first season as a skinny kid playing in a super shit team so there’s obviously scope for improvement. His kicking and game IQ worries me though.

 

[apollo_creed]

Wow. People already starting to write off Duursma after just 1 season, in which he played 13 games, playing in the long known graveyard position of half forward flank.

Throw in the fact that our forwards had to contend with seeing the ball more often than not down the other end of the ground.

For goodness sake, give him a break.

He will be a beauty, this boy, mark my words.

Who is writing him off?

This sort of post is easy to generate likes but is just really lazy and disingenuous.

All that has occurred in this thread is people highlighting areas of concern in his first season but no one is saying he can’t or won’t make it. So stop with the hyperbole.

But yeah the James Hird comparisons certainly help things.
More of those so everyone can be happy and everything is perfect.

 

[Zondor]

Creed on Fire. Nice Posting Brother. :stern look

 

[LB2Snake]

He could also be a Mitch Morton type player. You have gone one extreme, I have gone the other. His type might have a high reward but it’s also very high risk when selecting in the top 5 of the draft.

First season wasn’t great but it’s his first season as a skinny kid playing in a super shit team so there’s obviously scope for improvement. His kicking and game IQ worries me though.

Mitch Morton, skill wise, couldn’t carry Dursma’s bags. He’s gunna be fine. Bloke will tear games apart. Not the least bit worried about him.

 

[perplexed]

I like Thursfield. He's a far better media performer than Rawlings, and provides great insight on reasons for decision and strategy. There are few factors that i think will determine the success of the last two drafts:

1. Duursma's development - We obviously watched Watson burst onto the scene last year, and would have filled a big hole in our team. I was comfortable with the decision at the time, and hope Zane can really come on over the next couple of years
2. Hardeman, Goad, W.Dawson, Whitlock - These late first round picks are typically more speculative than players taken in the top five. Probably need 3/4 to come on and be genuine AFL performers
3. Bargain picks - Maley seems like he's already exceeding expectation given messaging coming out of the club. If Urquhart jumps out of the blocks, could be a big tick to his ability to find talent late in the draft.

He has been excellent so far.

Duursma is the only significant one I didn't like. Not because I don't rate him, I think he will be a gun and has the highest ceiling of those available at the pick. However, we had two good offers for the pick (Melbourne and Hawthorn) and unless he becomes Nat Fyfe, taking either would have been a better overall result, especially for our list balance. The Hawthorn one would have got us Watson and Morris. The Melbourne one, Curtin and Tauru.

 

[pupstar]

Maybe I’m a little deluded and hopeful, but Durs has the most promise out of them all IMO. Just makes thing look ridiculously easy. He comes on as I expect he will be a weapon. James Hird type player.

Yeah cant believe posters have already got thew knifes out. I'm with you going to be awesome in 2-3 years.

 

[LB2Snake]

He has been excellent so far.

Duursma is the only significant one I didn't like. Not because I don't rate him, I think he will be a gun and has the highest ceiling of those available at the pick. However, we had two good offers for the pick (Melbourne and Hawthorn) and unless he becomes Nat Fyfe, taking either would have been a better overall result, especially for our list balance. The Hawthorn one would have got us Watson and Morris. The Melbourne one, Curtin and Tauru.

What were the offers? Current and F1 for 3?