Sam Blease - 2008 AFL Draftee Profile
Every year, there’s a couple of players who don’t seem to put up the big numbers, or have huge impacts, but they just ‘look the part’. They’re the ones who surprise everyone come draft day when they go much higher than people would have expected. They’re the ones who will be quiet for long periods in their junior career, but then will do something special to have the recruiters in raptures.
This year, that player is Sam Blease.
Height: 183cm
Weight: 72kg
Position: Winger/Midfielder
Club: Eastern Rangers
Who we think he may turn out like: Peter Matera
Who we hope he doesn’t turn out like: Farren Ray
Barracks for: Richmond
Exhilarating pace and good skills, Blease has all the makings of a top line AFL winger/outside midfielder. Bottom aged, he was one of the standouts at the U/16 championshps, and when pitted against the bigger bodies in the U/18s he was hardly out of place. As you can see on the video above, Blease is capable of those special things that just make people say ‘wow’ - the chase downs from behind, breaking the lines with pace, and finishing with a goal - Blease can potentially do it all.
Blease also has the discipline and work rate that recruiters throughout the league desire. While his defensive game still needs some work to ensure he doesn’t get run off as easily, when he is in the vicinity he chases hard and has tremendous closing speed.
One question mark is over his very thin frame, however being so young there is plenty of time for Blease to gain some muscle mass to hold his own at the top level. However, as slight as he is, he showed he was more than capable of tackling well and putting his body on the line.
Another query is his late season form - he can tend to drift in and out of games, however that is a common theme with young outside players. He did show an ability to move into the middle and win his own ball at clearances if required, an impressive asset which can be further improved upon.
Probably the main tribute to Blease’s game is this - when he gets the ball, he does something with it. Good things happen when this kid is around the ball - it’s all about quality, moreso than quantity. He is another that has divided opinions as to his possible draft position - some have him picked as a late first rounder simply for his immense potential, whereas others have him marked down as low as 30 and tagged as a project player. Personally, I’m thinking early 2nd round, but will not be surprised if he goes higher.
Is Blease the sleeper of this year’s draft? Is he going to take the next step, or is he going to remain too small and not live up to all his potential? Hit us up with your opinion!
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Comments
He would definitely be an asset to the Eagles.
He still has a year of school to go, which may make it more likely for a Victorian team to pick him up
Eagles have had a history of picking up Victorian school boys though…
Wirra, Morrison and a couple more that escape memory at the moment.
[…] 13 - Shaun McKernan Nov 14 - Lewis Johnston Nov 15 - Aaron Cornelius Nov 16 - Nick Suban Nov 17 - Sam Blease Nov 18 - Stephen Hill Nov 19 - Matthew Broadbent Nov 20 - Ryan Schoenmakers Nov 21 - Matthew DeBoer […]
Sounds like what the Eagles imo could do with. Someone with some pace and the ability to kick goals..