Get to know our recruit Tony Armstrong with collingwoodfc.com.au’s player dossier.

What sort of a player is he?
A rebounding defender who can add some run and carry to a side that has recently lost two of its prime runners in Heath Shaw and Ben Johnson. Champion Data’s AFL Prospectus reports that Armstrong is an outside player who recorded elite kicking efficiency in 2010 and 2011. Prospectus also noted that he ranked first for effective short kicks and rebound 50s in Sydney’s reserves team in 2012. His kicking and tackling pressure makes him a candidate to slot into a spot on the half back flank which was where he played when he picked up the Alex Jesaulenko Medal as best afield in the NEAFL Eastern Conference Grand Final in September.

How did he perform this year?
Armstrong had a solid season in the NEAFL but could manage only seven senior games for the Swans and none after round 13. He averaged 13.1 disposals per game and won 72.8 per cent of his touches in the midfield, suggesting that he is the sort of player that can pushed further up the ground. He averaged 1.6 rebound 50s and 1.7 tackles while winning 28.9 per cent of his disposals in a contest (a career-high). His best performance came against St Kilda on ANZAC Day over in New Zealand where he had 21 possessions (10 kicks, 11 handballs) and four marks in Sydney’s 16-point win. Things were a lot rosier in the NEAFL where he played 15 games, averaging 25.5 disposals (32.1 per cent of which were won in the defensive 50). It was here that Armstrong averaged 2.9 tackles, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 inside 50s as well as 5.8 contested possessions. The 24-year-old posted some big disposal tallies later in the season, winning 33 possessions, eight marks and eight rebounds against Brisbane’s reserves before repeating the dose with 30 possessions, 17 handball receives, five clearances, seven tackles and eight rebounds against them in the Grand Final. On the whole, he was ranked second for average rebound 50s (3.9), second for average handball receives (13.9) and fifth for average disposals (25.5). Armstrong finished the year in style, representing the Indigenous All-Stars against Ireland in the International Rules Series.

What was his junior record like?
Armstrong first appeared on an AFL radar when Adelaide took him at pick No. 58 in the 2007 National Draft, joining the club on the same day as Patrick Dangerfield and Andy Otten. Originally from Burrumbuttock in New South Wales, Armstrong spent the 2007 season with Riddells Creek in the Riddell District Football League. He played for NSW/ACT in the National Under 18 Championships where he averaged 7.7 disposals and 2.0 tackles across three games.

What did he do between 2008 and 2012?
Once on Adelaide’s list, Armstrong played for SANFL club North Adelaide for three years when not called upon in the seniors, averaging 20.1 disposals and 4.6 rebound 50s in 2011. In his second season on the list, Armstrong was named to make his debut against Sydney in round 13 but was quarantined (along with teammate Richard Douglas) due to a swine flu scare and was unable to take to the field. He debuted for the Crows against Fremantle in round one, 2010, when he managed 11 disposals and four marks. He was omitted for round two but played a further eight games, using the ball at 81.4 per cent efficiency. In 2011 he played in Adelaide’s final five games of the year once Mark Bickley became coach and returned 20 or more disposals in three of them. Armstrong became a Swan at the end of the year when he was traded in exchange for Lewis Johnston but he played only one of the first nine games in the senior side. He received more of an opportunity midway through the year, winning 24 disposals against Essendon in round 11 and 22 against the Giants in round 14. Although he had 21 possessions in the final home and away game of the year, Armstrong didn’t get a run in September but remained in contention as an emergency for each of Sydney’s three finals. During his first year with Sydney, Armstrong averaged 24.3 disposals and 4.7 rebounds in his 12 games.

Can you present us with vital statistics?
AFL Statistics (seven games in 2013)
Disposals: 92 (13.1) Marks: 21 (3.0) Tackles: 12 (1.7) Inside 50s: 1 (0.1) Rebound 50s: 11 (1.6) Contested Possessions: 28 (4.0) Clearances: 3 (0.3) Score Assists: 4 (0.6)
Averages in brackets.

NEAFL Statistics (15 games in 2013)
Disposals: 383 (25.5) Marks: 72 (4.8) Tackles: 43 (2.9) Inside 50s: 51 (3.4) Rebound 50s: 59 (3.9) Contested Possessions: 87 (5.8) Clearances: 15 (1.0) Score Assists: 14 (0.9)
Averages in brackets.

What have they said about him so far?
“Armstrong is very much on the radar for the Western Bulldogs and will certainly come into consideration with one of their picks from No.35 to No.63. He has come right up the rankings in recent times, and it was believed he would be claimed as a Sydney rookie in the December NAB AFL Rookie Draft. (An) agile and neat-kicking defender who represented NSW/ACT in NAB AFL U18 Championships this year,” – Matt Burgan, afl.com.au’s Phantom Draft, 23 November 2010.

“The ex-Adelaide midfielder and back flanker looked like setting himself up for a regular senior spot during last year’s NAB Cup. But chances were limited until mid-season when he played a few games before being dropped. He has put his hand up in this year’s NAB Cup with his slick ball movement from defence,” – Inside Football 2013 Digest, Pre-Season 2013.

“The Swans are starting to shed the "ugly duckling" tag bestowed on them and its players such as Armstrong and the vastly improved Lewis Jetta whose pace and polish complement the club's trademark grunt and toughness,” – Andrew Wu, The Age, 30 June 2012.
What does the man himself say about his game?
"I understand what it takes to be good now. And hopefully I'm moving in the right direction towards being a good player," – Tony Armstrong speaks to The Age’s Andrew Wu on 30 June 2012.

“The defensive aspects of my game are things I work on really hard. I back my kicking and disposal efficiency to be up and crisp all the time, but that's not what gets me a game. It's the defensive side,” – Tony Armstrong with afl.com.au’s James Dampney on 10 May 2013.

You might also find these facts interesting…

Armstrong finished equal 10th in the 3km time trial at the 2007 Draft Camp.

He hails from Assumption College, a school that has produced a raft of VFL/AFL players including Collingwood’s Peter McCormack, Hawthorn’s Shane Crawford and Geelong’s Billy Brownless.

Armstrong lists himself as an ‘indie rock, alternative music’ fan.

He was the only New South Welshman to represent his state at the 2007 Draft Camp. He grew up playing rugby league but only switched to football on the advise of his mother.

Armstrong grew up as a Sydney fan and although he didn’t figure in their premiership triumph, he still managed to be a part of their 2013 success at NEAFL level.