- Nov 23, 2015
- 12,040
- 17,882
- AFL Club
- GWS
- Moderator
- #1
The only GWS Academy product that we ended up taking in this draft, matching the Eagles' bid at pick #34.
DRAFT ANALYSIS: "The clear standout ruck in the draft crop with his high endurance base, contested marking and tackling pressure."
OVERVIEW
Kieren Briggs is an overage ruck who shot into draft contention with one of the highest accolade years by a ruck in recent history. The GWS GIANTS Academy member and Allies representative won both sides’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, ahead of the likes of Nick Blakey, Tarryn Thomas, Bailey Scott and Chayce Jones, however the big man is expected to not be too far behind in draft calculations. Briggs stands out first and foremost because of his sheer brute strength and ability to clunk marks – he averaged 1.5 per game in the National Under 18 Championships. Secondly, his ability to get down and lay fierce tackles after a stoppage is quite impressive, and reminiscent of Brodie Grundy’s second efforts. While he does not accumulate possessions or cover the ground as quickly as Grundy, Briggs can certainly cover ground, seemingly never needing a break. His endurance base is quite high for a ruck, and he spent most of the time in his preferred position, only occasionally dropping forward, but hardly having a break. He is not the most mobile player, but his strengths and work in the ruck will see the GIANTS matching a bid.
STRENGTHS
The next aspect of Briggs’ game that stands out, is his ability to cover ground and lay a ridiculous amount of tackles. In the National Under 18 Championships, Briggs laid an average of 6.3 tackles per game and he makes each tackle count. Once he is able to wrap up an opponent, he lets them feel the full brunt of him tackling them into the ground. He works up and down the field playing both through the middle and up forward and can fulfill the role as the resting ruck inside 50. Briggs is able to play the majority of the match due to what seems to be a remarkable amount of endurance for a ruck, and while he was unable to test at the National Draft Combine, he shows off his impressive tank out on the field from the way he is constantly moving around the ground and covering distance.
IMPROVEMENTS
SUMMARY
Kieren Briggs is the standout pure ruck in the draft class, and is expected to be the first ruck taken in the draft. While Bailey Williams is viewed as a forward/ruck, Briggs is a ruck who can rest forward, and GWS GIANTS will have first opportunity to secure his services through the Academy bidding system. He is strong overhead, covers the ground well and lays a high amount of tackles for a ruck, and these strengths, along with his notable improvement this year, will see plenty of clubs bring his name into consideration in the second round.
- AFL Draft Central
No surprise that we matched - that description screams many of the qualities that we liked in Mummy. Really looking forward to seeing this guy progress and hopefully hit first grade regularly sooner rather than later.
DRAFT ANALYSIS: "The clear standout ruck in the draft crop with his high endurance base, contested marking and tackling pressure."
OVERVIEW
Kieren Briggs is an overage ruck who shot into draft contention with one of the highest accolade years by a ruck in recent history. The GWS GIANTS Academy member and Allies representative won both sides’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, ahead of the likes of Nick Blakey, Tarryn Thomas, Bailey Scott and Chayce Jones, however the big man is expected to not be too far behind in draft calculations. Briggs stands out first and foremost because of his sheer brute strength and ability to clunk marks – he averaged 1.5 per game in the National Under 18 Championships. Secondly, his ability to get down and lay fierce tackles after a stoppage is quite impressive, and reminiscent of Brodie Grundy’s second efforts. While he does not accumulate possessions or cover the ground as quickly as Grundy, Briggs can certainly cover ground, seemingly never needing a break. His endurance base is quite high for a ruck, and he spent most of the time in his preferred position, only occasionally dropping forward, but hardly having a break. He is not the most mobile player, but his strengths and work in the ruck will see the GIANTS matching a bid.
STRENGTHS
- Endurance
- Contested marking
- Strength
- Tackling
- Ruck work
The next aspect of Briggs’ game that stands out, is his ability to cover ground and lay a ridiculous amount of tackles. In the National Under 18 Championships, Briggs laid an average of 6.3 tackles per game and he makes each tackle count. Once he is able to wrap up an opponent, he lets them feel the full brunt of him tackling them into the ground. He works up and down the field playing both through the middle and up forward and can fulfill the role as the resting ruck inside 50. Briggs is able to play the majority of the match due to what seems to be a remarkable amount of endurance for a ruck, and while he was unable to test at the National Draft Combine, he shows off his impressive tank out on the field from the way he is constantly moving around the ground and covering distance.
IMPROVEMENTS
- Speed
- Agility
SUMMARY
Kieren Briggs is the standout pure ruck in the draft class, and is expected to be the first ruck taken in the draft. While Bailey Williams is viewed as a forward/ruck, Briggs is a ruck who can rest forward, and GWS GIANTS will have first opportunity to secure his services through the Academy bidding system. He is strong overhead, covers the ground well and lays a high amount of tackles for a ruck, and these strengths, along with his notable improvement this year, will see plenty of clubs bring his name into consideration in the second round.
- AFL Draft Central
No surprise that we matched - that description screams many of the qualities that we liked in Mummy. Really looking forward to seeing this guy progress and hopefully hit first grade regularly sooner rather than later.