Pumping Up The Kids!?

[myty]

Not wanting to have a go at anyone or be too negative, but are the young kids pumped up too much on this board? Not that that is a big drama but I often have trouble trying to gauge where the kids are really at.

Everyone keeps saying that they need time to develop but then a guy like Wells comes through who is a couple of years younger or even Leigh Brown who's games are starting to get up there. Are these two so much better than the other 20 - 21 year olds that are still to get a game or regular game?

Classic example was Dylan Smith. High draft pick, often spoken about how good he was on this forum but dumped by the Roos and not taken up by anyone else. Did he have potential and not deliver or did we all just want him to be good??

Most of the kids we've got now are spoken on here as if they will be future superstars but how accurate is that?

Drew Petrie and Daniel Motlop. I am particularly fond of both of these guys but are they really going to be as fantastic as we are lead to believe from the posts on this forum.

I thought it was a big call to have Drew Petrie as deputy when I don't believe he has really established himself. Is there very many games that he has any huge impact on, especially for four quarters? (I'm happy to be reminded of them if I have missed them)

Now to go against all of this is Daniel Harris. I've liked this guy from his first year and was getting very frustrated at how long it took for him to be a regular. ( I know this was not all his doing being kept out of the side) But all the talk up on this guy was true, he's a gun.

Not trying to bag the forum or the players, I guess its just a personal frustration I have wanting these kids to be fantastic players. It doesn't help being a member through the 80's when alot of the kids did produce and turn into top players. We have been spoilt down at the Roos.

 

[big lebowski]

i agree with a lot of what you say as i myself am guilty of it. when i sit down and think of a possible half foward line of motlop, petrie and wells i cream my pants, but in reality is that half fowrad line really that good, everyone talks about potential but in my humble opinion none have lived up to it YET. this year drew has been quite and whilst no one can question his endeavour he hasn't been a stand out by any means and as you pointed out i dont think drew has ever had a quality four quarter game, hopefully this comes with experience.
wells is only in his second year and i think some people forget that, not just us but the broader football community. last week he got 15 touches and laid 4 tackles. not bad for someone in his second year, however he is still yet to rip a game apart and get 30 odd touches and kick 3 goals. this could be attributed to laidley curbing his game time. however no one can doubt that the kid has talent.
motlop has really impressed me this year. however he needs to have an impact over a whole game, just like petrie and wells. his bad games are shocking, but thankfully they have been rare thus far this year. to be honest junior shouldn't have to be a go to guy all the time, he is an impact player, which makes me wonder why people like me get frustrated when he doesn't play a four quarter game.
i guess what im saying is that we are so ready to see these young players play as well as what we have built them up in our heads that we place undue pressure on them, and thus when petrie doesn't kick five and take 10 marks ********s like me get angry and frustrated. lets hope that in five years time all of these young players are as good as their talent allows them to be.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Time will tell myty. The players mentioned are members of OUR club, so it's natural to have a bias towards wishing them success, seeing their individual positives in a clearer illumination, whilst seeing the negatives in a more foggy light. Although, like any community chat, there are many and varied opinions on here regarding each of the youngsters. We're all critical sometimes yet, unlike Richmond supporters, can usually see a positive light to convey it in constructively.

As I said....................time will tell. In the meantime................we'll keep pumping the boys up.....................some will make it, some will disappoint, but most at some stage will provide us with an element of hope for a return to the halcyon days of ROO DOMINATION!!!!

May it be sooner rather than later too

 

[Event Horizon]

I'd say the reason Petrie was given the Deputy Vice Captain role had nothing to do with how many games he dominated. It was done based on how he conducts himself around the club and wanting to establish a line of leadership within the club where some succession is now evident. The way Petrie prepares himself including training and the gym work and his attitude in general was probably a big factor.

The boy may have only played 50 games yet he has leadership written all over him and obviously the club wanted to capitalise on that. How that affected his footy (positively or negatively) is another point for discussion.

 

[kelman]

I reckon the VFL regulars (Carlos, Northbhoy, etc) have been very accurate with their assessments. They have talked up Harris, Motlop, Hale, Petrie - and all have lived up to expectations.

Remember - the assessment is based on VFL form and what they can become. I don't think anyone would expect the transition to AFL to be instant, but the summaries of their strengths and weaknesses have been spot on and have been the reason for their senior games.

If I remember correctly, analysis of players like Crowe and Smith was never as glowing. Many hoped Smith would get a chance in the seniors because of his consistancy at VFL, but most knew what he lacked. Crowe had athleticism, but I don't remember any big calls from the VFL regulars that he was going to be a star.

All in all, it bodes well for Trotter , Urch and Watson
Could go either way for McIntosh and LeCrap
And hopefully Harvey comes on this board and finds out what he needs to be a player!!

 

[benno87]

Originally posted by kelman
I reckon the VFL regulars (Carlos, Northbhoy, etc) have been very accurate with their assessments. They have talked up Harris, Motlop, Hale, Petrie - and all have lived up to expectations.

Remember - the assessment is based on VFL form and what they can become. I don't think anyone would expect the transition to AFL to be instant, but the summaries of their strengths and weaknesses have been spot on and have been the reason for their senior games.

If I remember correctly, analysis of players like Crowe and Smith was never as glowing. Many hoped Smith would get a chance in the seniors because of his consistancy at VFL, but most knew what he lacked. Crowe had athleticism, but I don't remember any big calls from the VFL regulars that he was going to be a star.

All in all, it bodes well for Trotter , Urch and Watson
Could go either way for McIntosh and LeCrap
And hopefully Harvey comes on this board and finds out what he needs to be a player!!

True that. Been very pleased with the work of our VFL journo's.

 

[Ausgard]

Originally posted by kelman
Could go either way for McIntosh and LeCrap

LeCrap ?

Thats a bit harsh

Only been here an Autumn and was always a bit of a project player.

Give the kid a go

 

[kelman]

I know.

I have a chip on my shoulder re. Brent for some reason.

Maybe it my hate of filthy onion eating Frenchmen.

 

[Carlos]

Best way to get a better indication of the merrits of the opinions of these blokes you're referring to is to simply go and watch them play for Port melbourne for a month if you can.

Yeah, i can go on a bit sometimes, but i'm only going by what my eyes have seen and judging it on the merrits of what i have seen in year's gone by.

I dont think its too difficult to suss out what a bloke's strengths and weaknesses are if you watch them regularly enough. Yes, you have to balance this with the standard of the competition they are playing in and the opposition they are playing against, and also try and look into your crystal ball and factor in body developement and natural maturing, but it aint rocket science.

 

[Event Horizon]

I certainly value Carlos's opinion and without knowing what line of work Carlos is in, if the club was looking for a part time recruiting assistant, they could do a lot worse than our own chief columnist.

 

[Shinboners]

Originally posted by myty
Not wanting to have a go at anyone or be too negative, but are the young kids pumped up too much on this board? Not that that is a big drama but I often have trouble trying to gauge where the kids are really at.

It doesn't help being a member through the 80's when alot of the kids did produce and turn into top players. We have been spoilt down at the Roos.

I think you've answered your own question. The last real batch of kids we had was just before Pagan took over, and they won the flags that their talent deserved. In the meantime, we've seen young players getting their chance at other clubs, and in a way, we've missed out on that excitement. Now we've got a new batch of kids, and they show some promise, and the fans are excited about their potential.

As for guaging where the kids are at, I think that the people who post reports from Port Melbourne and the training sessions are reasonably level headed. Sure, they get excited by the skills of our youngsters, but I think that they more often than not, point out the players weaknesses and limitations.

The other thing is that the people who do post about the kids would wirte much more about a player who may make it to senior footy (like Watson or Trotter) rather than a project player or someone who may not make it (like Le Cras or S. Harvey).

 

[myty]

As I said I wasn't wanting to have a go at anyone. It definitely wasn't directed at Carlos or the others that go to see Port or training. Most of the time they just report the facts.