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Messages - kruddler

9647
Robert Heatley Stand / Chappell on development - "Pick 'em before you need 'em"
On Triple M a few weeks ago they had former Australian Cricket Captain Ian Chappell on and he was talking about development of the Australian Cricket team. What he said was rather generic and could certainly be applied to any sporting organisation out there. Specifically ones struggling with development.

Now i was only half listening but one thing that he said stood out, and it stood out because it reminded me of Mick Malthouse and how he goes about picking the sides.

When it comes to developing the kids and bringing in a succession plan for players who may be getting on a bit he said you must...
"Pick 'em before you need 'em"

Players need to know what they will be getting themselves into. They need to have an idea of what the step up in class is, so they can work towards it in their training and mental preperation. I subscribe to this theory. I think Geelong and Collingwood have done this brilliantly over the years.

Now I was a fan of giving players like McInness, Casboult, McCarthy and Mitchell a game early in their career to give them a taste. Many argue that they didn't DESERVE a game, and this is true, but this is about development and sometimes 'gifting' players a game is the best thing for them.

So, this leads me to everyones favourite whipping boy of late. Josh Bootsma.

I think this is clearly a case of 'pick em before you need em.'
Physically, he is not ready. Still too skinny. That will come.
Mentally, he is getting there, but confidence is a fickle thing.

Yes, he was getting towelled up by Riewoldt early yesterday. Mick recognised this, made the change, we got the win, no damage done. Bootsma got some experience, we got a win. WIN-WIN.

Everyone is critical of Mick for picking Bootsma, but i think this is crucial to his development. He is an incredibly good spoiler of the ball and has a terrific left hoof on him. There are signs there that he should be persisted with.

By picking him before we need him, we are fast tracking his development. So when a player like Jamison, McInness, White, Watson goes down, we have someone who knows exactly what to expect at AFL level and will be focussed on doing his job, rather than being a deer in headlights because its his first game.

Mick has been chastised for a lot of his selections this year. Going by this theory though, he is advancing the list and its development quicker than most, a trait his former side in Colingwood was given kudos for.
Mick has now played 37 players from our list and debuted the likes of Cachia, Buckley, Menzel and Graham along the way.

I hope we continue to pick em before we need em and in doing so become a solid list of 35+ players who are AFL ready and ready to go at the drop of a hat. Bootsma included.
9650
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: When was our last Rising Star nomination?
Just out of curiosity, how many collingwood and geelong players have been nominated over the past 3 years.

They have clearly been the benchmark for bringing through the kids.

I suspect the answer may be surprising to some (perhaps me) but i doubt its as many as most would think.


I actually think the AFL like giving it to lesser teams who need the hope and publicity of having 'genuine talent' coming through. All i can remember is hack sides getting repeated nominations. (i could be wrong)

Your comparing our side with teams that have finished consistently in the top 4 and played in 4 of the last 5 Grand Finals?

Kinda...

Geelong and Pies are the benchmark. How do we stack up against that?

When i said 'lesser teams' i'm talking about off-field. The new teams, the interstate teams the lesser melbourne sides etc.

FYI...Rising stars from 2010 - 2013
GWS - 11
GC - 7
Melb - 7
WB - 6
BL - 6
Ade - 6
Geel - 6
Rich - 6
Haw - 5
Ess - 4
WCE - 4
PA - 4
NM - 3
Fre - 3
Coll - 3
Syd - 3
STK - 2
Carl - 2


Collingwood (3), Sydney (3) and Cats (6) are all known for their development of players who become 'guns' and have been the best sides going around over the period in question. We had 2.
9652
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: When was our last Rising Star nomination?
Just out of curiosity, how many collingwood and geelong players have been nominated over the past 3 years.

They have clearly been the benchmark for bringing through the kids.

I suspect the answer may be surprising to some (perhaps me) but i doubt its as many as most would think.


I actually think the AFL like giving it to lesser teams who need the hope and publicity of having 'genuine talent' coming through. All i can remember is hack sides getting repeated nominations. (i could be wrong)
9654
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Chris Yarran has gone backwards.
Average stats for his career if you click on averages. Some stellar games in 2011 and great consistency throughout whilst beating his opponent.

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pg-carlton-blues--christopher-yarran?year=2011&fantasy=y

...and 1 brownlow vote.

Hardly the impact of an 'almost AA' player whose brilliance is hard to miss.

I think Kingy and Lynchy are telling porkies. My recollection is the same as MBBs....and like you, he is a favourite of mine who i take a keen interest in.
9656
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: RD 21: Richmond v Carlton (Pre-game Prayers)
Someone today asked me if I'd want to play finals via the back-door i.e. 9th, even though we are likely to get flogged.

My answer was an unequivocal yes. The thought of playing Collingwood or Richmond in a final is mouth watering even if we do get beaten.

Finals are finals and given how starved we have been over the last 18 years I'll take them any way possible.

As blindingly optomistic or idiotic this may sound, our destiny still rests with us and until we are totally and mathematically out of the frame, I'll keep hoping we can put something together.

I'm hoping the injection of some youth may give us some sort of pulse. Richmond are beatable and have weaknesses. I hope we show some serious balls.

It's funny isn't it.

We are still a chance to get into finals, as unlikely as that seems. Everyone is too busy throwing in the towell to care.

Going by form, logic, current players available for both sides and the misalignment of the planets at present, there is nothing that suggests we even have a sniff in this game.

So going by that, we will win by 2 goals.  :o
9659
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Chris Yarran has gone backwards.
Walker's defensive side has been average this year. He was exposed as the weak link vs Freo. As for him not being as useful in front of goal, how many did he kick in his injury free year in 2011? 52 from memory, he was our leading goalkicker I think. Yarran was copping the defensive forward in every game as a defender.

Read what i write carrots.

Quote
Yarran is probably better streaming through the middle of the ground, and probably better at kicking the miracle goal.
Walker is better as a leadup forward, but not as useful in front of goal. Would also struggle given our forward setup now.

Yarran is more freakish in front of goal and more capable of pulling one out of nothing.
Walker is more reliable as a leadup forward. Read consistent.

You've formed an opinion and everything you say from now you arrange to fit in line with your original opinion. ie everything was better under ratten.
Trying to convince you of otherwise is pointless at present.

Personally, i think the defensive forwards worked a treat more often than not on Yarran last year. That hasn't worked on Walker this year (or it hasn't been tried). He couldn't break a decent tag.
9660
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Chris Yarran has gone backwards.
@ Carrots and (the poster formerly known as) LLT

I never said Yarran was better, i said he hasn't gone backwards. His stats show he is better.

I said previously that i think he is essentially the same player he was last year. Brilliant at his best, sooky and disinterested at his worst and overall consistently inconsistent.

Carrots is trying to say he was a star more often than not last year. I'm saying there is negligable difference one way or the others.

If he is about the same, is he more effective as a forward or a defender? Or are we saying he is as effective as a forward as he is a defender?

I think you need to package up Andrew Walker to make that decision.

Walker back and Yarran forward
or
Yarran back and Walker forward

What works better? Don't know.

I think Walker is a better defender as he can play on tallish players as well.
Yarran is probably better streaming through the middle of the ground, and probably better at kicking the miracle goal.
Walker is better as a leadup forward, but not as useful in front of goal. Would also struggle given our forward setup now.

I think this years version of Walker back and Yarran forward works better than last years version of Walker forward and Yarran back..

Ideally, you'd want Yarran to work on his tank and consistency and get more time in the middle.