Our International Rookies.

[HitTheBoundary]

So we have two, Joe Baker-Thomas and Jason Holmes.
Baker-Thomas will relocate to Melbourne in 2014, and Holmes is already here.

Are they eligible to play for Sandy, or do we need to find another comp for them?

Where are they allowed to play?
What level of performance will be considered acceptable in their first year?
Is Baker-Thomas just there for marketing purposes or are they serious about developing him as a player?

[jimmy_slats]

both can play Holmes will be straight into the seniors be it reserves or 1's and Baker-Thomas will either play 18s or in the ressys depending how well he goes..
by all reports Baker-Thomas has all that is needed to succeed bar the skill at the moment but still very young and a big athletic beast as well.

[saintbrat]

I have no idea of how the Saints and Sandy will work it out,

but in the same vane North Melbourne were dissapointed in North Ballarat stopping their developement league team as they had played their American at that level all of 2013.

[saintsRrising]

Well I think that JBT has at least played several games of football now.

Whereas JH probably has not even played a proper practice yet. Lots of potential, but as Tommy Gun and Majak Daw have shown potential and great athleticism need to boosted with "footy nous" and that is only really gained (or not) by playing games. Daw still cannot read the play, and that allows a good opponent to bamboozle him.

Even the great Stynes looked like rubbish early on.

So I would not expect much of either till they have put together a solid string of games.

[Heidelberg_Saint]

I thought I read somewhere JBT would play either for Sandringham Dragons U18's or in the Private School system in 2014.

[saintbrat]

I thought I read somewhere JBT would play either for Sandringham Dragons U18's or in the Private School system in 2014.

Baker-Thomas has been learning the ropes as a centre half back, where his 1.95m and still growing frame proves handy in spoiling the marking endeavours of opposition centre half forwards.

But learning the intricacies of this foreign game will take years and next year he will play for St Kilda's feeder club Sandringham in either the elite under-18 competition or the Victorian open-age development league.

"Joe has come a long way in a short space of time considering he wasn't even aware of the AFL 12 months ago," said St Kilda's head of football, Chris Pelchen.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sp ... -big-break