Mitch Banner Trade

[bulldogtragic]

For those that have seen him, for me watching posts people are talking about Micth Banner the way MJP and others talked about Cal Ward last year.

Essentially we traded McMahon for Ward.

If WCE or Freo swapped second and third rounders for Farren Ray...

Would you essentially trade Ray for Mitch Banner?

[LostDoggy]

Haha i wonder if this is the Mitch Banner that was in my brothers class in 2001ish

Would be 18 going onto 19, originally from Melton, VIC

Anyone got a profile?

[bulldogtragic]

A pretty well informed BF poster says in his phantom draft:

26. RICHMOND - MITCH BANNER

The Tigers get a ball winning, clearance machine they are looking for. Mitch has the ability to contribute straight away and will be valuable in the clinches to feed the likes of Deledio, Cotchin, Foley, Edwards in the future. I rate him as having one of the best leadership skills, he will develop into a fine leader down at Punt Road. With Kane Johnson at the end, he will slot in nicely taking over his role.

Quote for herald sun:

Metro midfielder Mitchell Banner said his game-high 28 possessions was his best performance of the carnival.

"I think I ran hard and ran well," the 18-year-old said.

"All I wanted to work on this year was to make (Vic Metro). Funnily enough, I made it, and to win it is just even better."


SCOREBOARD

Vic Metro 14.9 (93)
Western Australia 9.10 (64)

Goals: Vic Metro: Vickery 3, Banner 2, McKernan 2, Blease 2, Watts 2, Zaharakis 2, Lynch WA: Yarran 3, Rich, Lucas, Naitanui, Hill, Jetta, Klause

Best: Vic Metro: Banner, Vickery, Zaharakis, Blease, Shuey, Sloane. WA: Pearce, Brad Sheppard, Walters, Naitanui, Yarran


Size and Weight:

178cm

77kg

[bulldogtragic]

And from the Werribee local rag:

Jets' Banner flagged as draft hope
BY BRENT DIAMOND
16/07/2008 12:53:00 PM
WESTERN Jets reigning Barry Round Medallist Mitchell Banner is shaping up to be the west's great white hope in this year's AFL draft.

The 18-year-old ball magnet racked up 28 disposals and snared two goals in Vic Metro's impressive win against Western Australia in the under-18 national championships last Wednesday.


His numbers this season belie the type of player he is -run and carry and fleet-of-foot with a razor-sharp competitive edge evidenced by his 41 disposals against Sandringham and 35 against Murray Bushrangers.


But having the ball on a string in Wednesday's championship has put his name back in lights since last year's glorious season with the Jets.


The Melton resident couldn't get drafted last year due to age constraints but now he is clearly in the recruiters' eyes.


Banner said he improved in leaps and bounds at the carnival and believes he is hitting his stride for the Jets after an early pre-season scare with osteitis pubis.


"I started off the first game [last Wednesday] a bit slowly and then I started getting into it. But now I think I'm hitting my straps. I've found a lot of fitness now, doing pilates has helped my speed a lot,'' he said.

"It [OP] didn't affect me too much, but I didn't want to get it any worse, so I think I missed around a month around the practice matches.''

Banner - looking to follow the footsteps of his former teammate Callan Ward, now at the Western Bulldogs -has high expectations.

But the small stature of the 178-centimetre, 77-kilogram midfielder may make it difficult for the surfie-blond gun to get drafted.

Banner has shrugged off expectations like an opponent on the field and instead has impressed with dynamic pace, springing across the Telstra Dome turf on Wednesday, bouncing effortlessly before unleashing a shot at goal from 55 metres.

[LostDoggy]

http://theadvocate.yourguide.com.au/multimedia/images/full/129916.jpg

Yep, thats who i thought it was..

[Topdog]

MJP was talking about a Mitch Banner in WA wasn't he?

[Cyberdoggie]

MJP was talking about a Mitch Banner in WA wasn't he?

na it would be the jets player.

[GVGjr]

MJP was talking about a Mitch Banner in WA wasn't he?

Mitch Brown from WA

[Topdog]

Ah Brown. Thanks G

[Sockeye Salmon]

OK, Mike, you've coached them both.

It's our pick, we've taken Cordy with our 1st rounder and both Banner and Brown are available.

Who do we take?

[mjp]

OK, Mike, you've coached them both.

It's our pick, we've taken Cordy with our 1st rounder and both Banner and Brown are available.

Who do we take?

You don't choose between children Jim.

[Topdog]

haha handled very diplomatically mjp but everyone knows there is a favourite child in every family.

[Mofra]

haha handled very diplomatically mjp but everyone knows there is a favourite child in every family.
It certainly wasn't me. As my mother once said to me; "There'll always be enough love to go around, however there wont always be enough bikes..."

[bulldogtragic]

It certainly wasn't me. As my mother once said to me; "There'll always be enough love to go around, however there wont always be enough bikes..."
Pick 14 - Ayce
Pick 19 - Banner or Brown
Pick 35 (And Street, Eagleton or Wight) - Barry Hall

Assuming that could get hall

Outs:

West, Street, Wight, Doogs, Lynch, O'Shea, Ray (Maybe Eagleton)

Ins:

Cordy, Banner/Brown, Hall, 3 or 4 other kids


Not a terible hypothetical situation.

[mjp]

I would be very surprised if Mitch Banner went in the top 35 picks. He can play, but is small and not super quick. The Mitch Brown I am talking about is very bottom age and will be lucky to be drafted at all...

Honestly, I would not think we need to use our second pick on either player.

[ledge]

So there is 35 better young drafts than Mitch Banner?
I watched him in the Vic Metro and he looked pretty good to me, I would say top 15 somewhere he would go.
Speed ? who cares if you have abillity, natural footballers are my preference.

[Desipura]

So there is 35 better young drafts than Mitch Banner?
I watched him in the Vic Metro and he looked pretty good to me, I would say top 15 somewhere he would go.
Speed ? who cares if you have abillity, natural footballers are my preference.
Unless you have seen all this years crop of youngsters, I would think it would be difficult to say where he will go

[Mantis]

So there is 35 better young drafts than Mitch Banner?
I watched him in the Vic Metro and he looked pretty good to me, I would say top 15 somewhere he would go.
Speed ? who cares if you have abillity, natural footballers are my preference.

And you are a recruiting officer with which club?

[The Coon Dog]

And you are a recruiting officer with which club?

A bit harsh there Mantis. You can only call it as you see it.

[soupman]

Here are his highlights from the match against WA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALILD3PtnHo

Seems to just boot it forward al;ot, resulting in a lot of turnovers. Frequently kicks on his left, even though he seems to be a right footer. A bit like Farren Ray with his foot disposal? ie. Not afraid to use either foot, and both a solid, but isn't a great kick. Can kick 50 alrigt, and looks good from set shots.

Here are some other comments (sourced from Bigfooty (compiled by CoachCouch))

Mitchell Banner - (SF / IM) 5 June 1990, 178cm 77kg. VicM/Western Jets/Werribee Jnrs

"Jason McCartney: Mitch Banner – Consistent throughout, Mitch won 28 disposals and is very hard-at-it. He is very good around the clearances and works well both ways – rebounding and sending the ball inside 50. He shows a fair bit of courage, particularly overhead, so that's a really good sign. He finished with two goals and had the complete game, capping off a fine carnival."

"HFF 07: MITCHELL BANNER 178cm 77kg MID Western Jets
Has racked up some big numbers in the midfield for the Jets this season, including 8, 30 plus games, has kicked multiple goals on several occasions, but for his poor decions making he would be a certain 1st 2 round draftee. Will be picked up by someone though.
PROS: - Hard, Tough, Clearances, Gut runner,
CONS: - Decision Making, Size, Kicking,
PREDICTION: 20 - 40"

"ant555: Mitch Banner – 178cm, 77kg – Western Jets.
Midfield ball magnet who gets in and under and finds the ball as well as providing a running option. Does a lot of good work at the stoppages and simply runs all day. Can kick a fair way on the right side but he can kick some ordinary balls and his decision making can be great one minute and rather poor the next. He is pretty good by hand and his marking skills are pretty good. Has racked up some big numbers in his TAC Cup career including eight 30 plus possession games over the last couple of seasons. Can kick multiple goals when he goes forward. If his decision making and kicking skills where a bit sharper he would be a lock for the first round.
With the amount of ball he does find I don’t think you will see his name on the board when the fourth round starts."

"X boy X: Mitch Banner is one I have been keeping an eye on when reading reports and stats. His stats are very impressive. I believe he did very well for the Jets last season as a 16-year-old, and this year in his five games he is averaging 26 disposals, four tackles, nine handball receives and two shots on goal each game.
Last year in nineteen games he also averaged 26 disposals, 3.5 tackles and kicked a return of 31.15, including hauls of six, five and four goals - as a midfielder."

[bulldogtragic]

Thanks Soupa.

Intersting prospect in deed.

[LostDoggy]

Not sure if you guys noticed .... but we need tall KP players ...... not more small/mid sized outside runners.

[soupman]

Not sure if you guys noticed .... but we need tall KP players ...... not more small/mid sized outside runners.

Yes but we can't just draft tall blokes, we need a balance. Plus, half the point of this thread is that Banner could be another Ward, ie. A local boy who we may acquire through a traded pick.

[bulldogtragic]

Not sure if you guys noticed .... but we need tall KP players ...... not more small/mid sized outside runners.
Scott West, Farren Ray, possible Nathan Eagleton, McMahon last year, The Next Andrew McLeod and other smalls last year. Lynch also likely to be cut.

Jason Akermains and possibly Johnson next year.

GC17 drafts coming up, combined with our liekly success and ensuing high draft picks.

May i suggest being so insular to suggest we only need KPP is a little narrow, not even factoring in we are using our first rounder on Ayce who is over 200cm...

In short, i think you are wrong.

[LostDoggy]

Everyone is getting excited because he is a local boy. His foot skills are on par with Farren's.

[Mantis]

A bit harsh there Mantis. You can only call it as you see it.

Point being how many small natural footballers are picked in the top 15 each year? I wouldn't have thought there are too many.

[ledge]

Point being how many small natural footballers are picked in the top 15 each year? I wouldn't have thought there are too many.

So that means it wont happen?

[Mantis]

So that means it wont happen?

There are always exceptions to the rules, but history tells me that small/ slowish players don't get picked up in the first 15 players in any draft, can't see this one being any different.

[Go_Dogs]

Everyone is getting excited because he is a local boy. His foot skills are on par with Farren's.

So living out west, you've seen a lot of him?

[LostDoggy]

So living out west, you've seen a lot of him?

Not a lot i admit. Seen enough of him to say his disposal isnt great. Seen enough of him to doubt he will picked up in top 40.

This is a very good draft dont forget, 5ft 8'' players with average skill and pace might slide a little

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Ordinary or inconsistent disposal/bad decision making seems a similar trait to Farren Ray, admittedly. If that's the case, then I don't know if he's the type we're looking for. I know a couple of guys who have played with Banner and they seem to suggest he finds plenty of it but turns it over a lot - pretty much on par with most of his reports.

For mine, we need a solid ball carrier with good skills. Obviously they are difficult to find, especially as we'll be using our first pick on Cordy, but I would tend to steer clear of players who can't dispose of it well/make good decisions with the ball.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Ordinary or inconsistent disposal/bad decision making seems a similar trait to Farren Ray, admittedly. If that's the case, then I don't know if he's the type we're looking for. I know a couple of guys who have played with Banner and they seem to suggest he finds plenty of it but turns it over a lot - pretty much on par with most of his reports.

For mine, we need a solid ball carrier with good skills. Obviously they are difficult to find, especially as we'll be using our first pick on Cordy, but I would tend to steer clear of players who can't dispose of it well/make good decisions with the ball.

Banner plays nothing like Ray.

When I saw him he turned it over not because of bad skills or bad decision making but because he tended to kick even when he's under pressure.

Geelong have made an artform out of the backwards handball until someone is free, Banner gets it to foot in a hurry - sometimes that's the right option, often it's not. That can be coached out pretty easily I would imagine.

[ledge]

Banner plays nothing like Ray.

When I saw him he turned it over not because of bad skills or bad decision making but because he tended to kick even when he's under pressure.

Geelong have made an artform out of the backwards handball until someone is free, Banner gets it to foot in a hurry - sometimes that's the right option, often it's not. That can be coached out pretty easily I would imagine.

Here, here and he is only 17!

[LostDoggy]

He looks a great prospect but is he really what we are after?

I thought we would be targeting super quick players with the ability to find their own ball. We seem to have a few of the slowish types in our midfield but are pretty rare on the quick, Cooney types.

[Sockeye Salmon]

He looks a great prospect but is he really what we are after?

I thought we would be targeting super quick players with the ability to find their own ball. We seem to have a few of the slowish types in our midfield but are pretty rare on the quick, Cooney types.

Perhaps we can pick a few with our late picks?

We all want that sort of guy but there ain't that many of them going around, especially when your first live pick is 32.

[Scorlibo]

Perhaps we can pick a few with our late picks?

We all want that sort of guy but there ain't that many of them going around, especially when your first live pick is 32.

In one round of the 2008 U18 Champs, I noted Kade Klemke, Sam Blease and Mitch Robinson as players with a fair bit of pace and who could use the ball very well. I would think Klemke would be available at pick 32 but Blease and Robinson would be less likely.

Rhys O'Keefe from SA is a player with a great kick but unsure of his pace. Also from SA, Ben Speight is a player who I would love to pick up later in the draft for his pace and good disposal, he played a bit like Didak without the arrogance when I saw him.

[GVGjr]

Point being how many small natural footballers are picked in the top 15 each year? I wouldn't have thought there are too many.


I know what you mean but how tall were Marc Murphy and Chris Masten when drafted?

I think Murphy was draft at 179cm and is now 180cm and Masten is a similar story.

[mjp]

Mitch is a terrific talent and - despite a couple of claims here - a terrific kick of the footy. He does tend to 'go long' more often than not, which is certainly something that was drilled into him at Western....if there was an error, it was supposed to be 50m away, not 20m away. Contrary to other comments here, he played most of his footy in 2007 (as a 17 yo) for Western in a back-pocket and NOT in the midfield...some of those goals quoted were kicked from there, others from a few foray's forward (such as vs Dandenong where he kicked 6 goals in 10 minutes - the kid has talent).

All of that said, I would be surprised if he is off the board before pick 40 or so - there will be a heap of questions about his size and speed, and whilst I see the comparisons with Masten and Murphy, he is a very different sort of player to them...he is more similar to a Sam Mitchell type than a Murphy type. And we all know that Mitchell went undrafted...I think recruiting has changed a bit since then, but not so much he will be a top 20 pick.

[Go_Dogs]

Also from SA, Ben Speight is a player who I would love to pick up later in the draft for his pace and good disposal, he played a bit like Didak without the arrogance when I saw him.

Yes, a Norwood boy. Came along really well towards the end of the season and ending up playing in the seniors for finals, before an ankle injury finished his year off. Reminds me a lot of Shaun Higgins. Smooth mover, but not overly 'quick' (he won't test well either at the DC this week because of his ankle), knows where the goals are and has a big enough body to play senior footy next year. Exactly the sort of bloke we should be chasing, imo.

As much as a key forward would be great, (and hopefully we pick up a couple more prospects), we need to continue to turn over and improve our running/smalls depth.

[anthj]

Why does everyone think our current midfield is quick? Cooney and Griffen pass in that department but I wouldn't think Boyd or Cross are quick players and the same goes for Callan Ward.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Why does everyone think our current midfield is quick? Cooney and Griffen pass in that department but I wouldn't think Boyd or Cross are quick players and the same goes for Callan Ward.

Damn straight.

Ward is the interesting one. There was a piece of play in the 2nd 1/4 where Callan had the ball at the back of the centre square and looked very pedestrian. Just as he was about to be tackled he put the hammer down and blew the bloke away.

mjp will be able to help us out here but it looked like he keeps another gear up his sleeve for special occasions.

[Scorlibo]

Damn straight.

Ward is the interesting one. There was a piece of play in the 2nd 1/4 where Callan had the ball at the back of the centre square and looked very pedestrian. Just as he was about to be tackled he put the hammer down and blew the bloke away.

mjp will be able to help us out here but it looked like he keeps another gear up his sleeve for special occasions.

He has such great awareness that he probably doesn't need to put the foot down from the word go, he also takes long strides and you don't realise how quick he's moving until you see the bloke behind chasing his heart out.

As for the rest of our midfielders, Cooney is very quick, Griffen is quick, Boyd can move quickly when he wants (I remember round 1 2006 when we smashed the Tiges there was a 100m race to the ball which was tumbling inside our 50, Boydy got there first and put it through), Gia is a bit on the slow side, Crossy is always running so you've got to cut him some slack but he is quite slow with the ball, then the rest of the players who are rotated through the middle are for the most part quick (Higgins, Eagleton, Akermanis, Harbrow).

[dog town]

In one round of the 2008 U18 Champs, I noted Kade Klemke, Sam Blease and Mitch Robinson as players with a fair bit of pace and who could use the ball very well. I would think Klemke would be available at pick 32 but Blease and Robinson would be less likely.

Its only a hunch but I am not sure how quick Robinson is. Might be worth waiting for the draft camp before making a judgement. My gut says his pace will be passable but not outstanding.

[LostDoggy]

Forget pace (within reason) give me somebody who can kick - long and accurately.