Saints Sign 208cm Basketballer

[LTN16]

Saints Sign 208cm Basketballer – Blake McGrath

St Kilda Football Club is pleased to add 208cm, 17 year old Blake McGrath as their latest NSW Scholarship program signing.

Blake is new to Australian Rules football and has been playing basketball at an elite level for the past
three years. He has been involved in the NSW Institute of Sport basketball program and attends Westfield
Sports High School in Sydney.

Prior to basketball Blake played soccer as a goalkeeper, which no doubt contributed to the development
of his excellent reflexes. He has a talented younger brother who plays professional soccer in Europe and recently spent time with Liverpool Football Club.

http://saints.com.au/tabid/5315/News/Ne ... wsId=55274

[Huzzad]

Well, at least compared to Collingwood we have grabbed someone that knows how to use a ball with his hands and is has aerial skill.

[rexy]

Good signing, a lot of exciting players including Dal and Pendlebury have basketball backgrounds.

[saintbrat]

seems happy to be wearing the colours

[mad saint guy]

I'm glad that we've finally got a monster ruckman...but has he ever played a game of footy?

[saint66au]

Good signing, a lot of exciting players including Dal and Pendlebury have basketball backgrounds.

Grammy also was a basketballer of some note

[SaintBot]

The other Scholarship holders are:

Josh Duncan - 16 year old from Pennant Hills

Kane Murphy - 15 year old from St Ignatius Riverview

Khan Haretuku from the 2007 program is now at St Kilda on our NSW Scholarship Rookie List

that kane murphy will be something special

saw some footage of him and he is clearly a massive step ahead of all of his peers

i think he couldve gone to sydney via f/s as well

[battye]

208cm, very nice. Hope he plays for us in the next few years.

[Otiman]

Do all teams have access to the scholarship system? is it our version of Collingwood's Irish connection? We seem to have done the best so far, along with Sydney, with elevated (to) rookies already.

[SaintBot]

Do all teams have access to the scholarship system? is it our version of Collingwood's Irish connection? We seem to have done the best so far, along with Sydney, with elevated (to) rookies already.

adelaide actually drafted a player as well i think

sydney drafted craig bird and there were a couple more rookies with khan

[brown-coat]

someone that knows how to use a ball with his hands

err...

[my les foote]

Ooh Aah Blake McGrath
Ooh Aah Blake McGrath

[Armoooo]

Where are all the people who were bagging Collingwood for doing this now?

[perfectionist]

Never heard of this notion. How does any of this guarantee that if he can actually play, he will play with us!

[my les foote]

Where are all the people who were bagging Collingwood for doing this now?

I'm right here.

Collingwood signed a soccer midfielder, we signed a basketballer and former soccer goalkeeper.

Collingwood's guy is going directly to the rookie list. Our guy is on the NSW Scholarship program.

They picked a guy called Lachlan Keefe, our guy's name is Blake McGrath.

So we have picked up a player with more applicable AFL skills, we are committing less to him and he has a better name.

[cowboy18]

Never heard of this notion. How does any of this guarantee that if he can actually play, he will play with us!

We get first dibs to draft (3rd rounder?) or to rookie.

Costs 10-20K scholarship plus trips down to train with the team and be mentored.

Happy to be corrected on those points though.

[saintsRrising]

Never heard of this notion. How does any of this guarantee that if he can actually play, he will play with us!

We get first dibs to draft (3rd rounder?) or to rookie.

Costs 10-20K scholarship plus trips down to train with the team and be mentored.

Happy to be corrected on those points though.

Khan who has now been rookie by us came via this route/

[saintsRrising]

Inresting...very interesting.

No weight given but from the pic he would seem to have some meat about him.

At 17 he is already 208cm....so would seem likely that at 21 he will be over 210cm....

Add to this good agaility skills......and you get a very intesrting package.

Long way to go yet....but very very good to see the saints being proactive in this way.

[goodie]

Never heard of this notion. How does any of this guarantee that if he can actually play, he will play with us!

We get first dibs to draft (3rd rounder?) or to rookie.

Costs 10-20K scholarship plus trips down to train with the team and be mentored.

Happy to be corrected on those points though.

Our last pick in the draft actually, or rookie.

It's a really good deal, and this kid sounds promising. If we can get the width to match the height, he'll be really scary

[saintly]

Do all teams have access to the scholarship system? is it our version of Collingwood's Irish connection? We seem to have done the best so far, along with Sydney, with elevated (to) rookies already.

yes, each year 2 NSW players have to be picked by each club. A couple of clubs have put their NSW scholorshiup players onto their main list, a couple of clubs, like stkilda have rookied their scholarship player.

[saintspremiers]

Perhaps Lyon rates ruckmen?

[RBnW]

Where are all the people who were bagging Collingwood for doing this now?

I'm right here.

Collingwood signed a soccer midfielder, we signed a basketballer and former soccer goalkeeper.

Collingwood's guy is going directly to the rookie list. Our guy is on the NSW Scholarship program.

They picked a guy called Lachlan Keefe, our guy's name is Blake McGrath.

So we have picked up a player with more applicable AFL skills, we are committing less to him and he has a better name.

I think you have to sign him on the scholarship program first....then he has to be old enough.....then you can rookie him or list him .....we have a NSW scholarship player on our Rookie list this year Khan Harawhatsi which is in addition to the 6 Rookies we are allowed......am I going to quickly for you here....
So next year when he is old enough and if he is good enough we can take him in addition to our 6 Rookies. ......now that is lack of commitment .....couldnt be that he is still going to school in NSW and will be devloped further by our coaches in NSW while going to school and living at home........
I cant understand why he is not playing tonight.....
Oh I have got it lack of commitment.....please

[my les foote]

I think you have to sign him on the scholarship program first....then he has to be old enough.....then you can rookie him or list him .....we have a NSW scholarship player on our Rookie list this year Khan Harawhatsi which is in addition to the 6 Rookies we are allowed......am I going to quickly for you here....
So next year when he is old enough and if he is good enough we can take him in addition to our 6 Rookies. ......now that is lack of commitment .....couldnt be that he is still going to school in NSW and will be devloped further by our coaches in NSW while going to school and living at home........
I cant understand why he is not playing tonight.....
Oh I have got it lack of commitment.....please

I think I might be going too quickly for you.

I am not saying that we have shown a lack of commitment to this kid.

I am saying that we have not OVER committed by putting him straight on the rookie list. This would be a poor use of resources.

[goodie]

I just read over the article again, and I realised a name's missing. We signed a 16 year old volleyballer last year as a possible KPP, Craig Lowe. Have we cut him him loose a year early (he signed a 2 year contract) or journalistic error?

[Megamaguire]

Saints Rising said

'very very good to see the saints being proactive in this way'. I concur. Going after a kid at that height with his reputed flexibility again suggests Rossi's commitment to building a ruck presence that complements his view of the game.

Glad we have McEvoy already on board and feeling good about the proactivity in building the TEAM and footy dept.

G O S A I N T S !