Darcy Macpherson (Northern Knights)
Height: 174 cm
Weight: 74 kg
Position: Inside midfielder
Strengths: Clearances, endurance, reading the play
Weaknesses: Scoreboard impact
Player comparison: Zach Merrett
First year impact: Long term prospect
Kicking: Average
Marking: Average
Endurance: Above average
Speed: Average
Statistics:
Northern Knights TAC Cup: eight games, 7.4 kicks, 8.6 handballs, 16 disposals, 3.9 marks, 3.5 tackles, 0.4 goals
Footscray Bulldogs VFL: three games, 5.7 kicks, 4.7 handballs, 10.3 disposals, 2.3 marks, 3.7 tackles, 0.3 goals
It has been a tough season for father-son prospect Darcy Macpherson. Nursing a shoulder injury, Macpherson did not get onto the field until the second half of the TAC Cup season. However there is glimpse of hope for Bulldogs fans as the son of former bulldogs Stephen, showed why he was selected in the Vic Metro squad.
Macpherson is a hard nut around the football going in for the ball and winning key clearances. His ability to extract the football out of the pack and find a teammate is great as it allowed his teammates to open the play up.
Macpherson is also seen a valuable user of the football by he’s teammates. During the TAC Cup season he averaged 8.2 handballs received proving that his teammates like the football in his hands.
Macpherson had the opportunity to size up against bigger developed opponents as he played three games for the Footscray bulldogs in the VFL during the season. Although his numbers were lower than at TAC Cup level, Macpherson impressed with his pressure around the football and showed his great core strength as he was able to lay tackles on the opposition.
Macpherson is a father-son prospect to the bulldogs as his dad Stephen played 188 games for the Bulldogs between 1982 and 1995. Stephen was a solid player for the bulldogs contributing in the midfield each week.
Working on his goal kicking and small forward ability will assist Macpherson at AFL level as his height may prevent the usual inside midfielder to play up forward for long periods of the game as the game has evolved to see taller bigger body midfields.
Overall Macpherson will be a solid player and will make more of an impact the more he plays. As he is a father-son pick he will most likely end up at the Bulldogs.
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