But Gibbs says what excited him most on the day of the draft was that his best mate, Mark Austin, also was taken by Carlton. He even remembers Austin's pick number — 37

What Bryce Gibbs has on the football field is composure. He has the straight carriage of a player who is strong in his space and never flinches a tackle. If you follow him from above, as I did last Saturday, you see someone who never stops running or thinking. My query on Saturday was not of him but his teammates, who didn't seem always to appreciate the good positions he made.

It's been said that every game this year Gibbs has done one special thing. Last Saturday's occurred in the second quarter when the ball came to him on the half-forward line. A Kangaroo defender arrived in the same instant. In the air as he took the ball, Gibbs pushed off the defender and dispensed a handball wide to his left, all in one motion. As a single item of play, it had thought, vision, balance. A goal resulted.

Austin was drafted at 35. Good article otherwise.

We didnt draft Gibbs for his memory....

Hird led him into a pack, then lost him in the crowd like they do in the movies. When Gibbs next saw Hird, he was 20 metres away, alone in the forward line. He saw, too, how Hird kept blocking for Lloyd and how he dropped into spaces to lure defenders away from the Essendon* full-forward. He says he's learnt bits and pieces off everyone he's played against this year. The way he discusses his game reminds me of young Swedish tennis players I have heard discussing their sport.

Austin was drafted at 35. Good article otherwise.

Thats what impressed me. In the midst of a high speed AFL game playing on a legend, he had the compusure to watch Hird to learn what he does

Same.

But apparently it's bad to make kids learn things these days.

This tagging policy, i think, has curtailed his development.