Great finals series but even then I think he's massively overrated still. He has a long way to go.
Not a team in the comp who wouldn't want him, BUT there was a bit of a narrative starting before last night that he was a genuine bona-fide A grade mid, which I think is too early. That's the reason I think he is being overrated.
His kicking is hit and miss. Sure he can hit them from 55 like v Port, but he still has as many shanks as he does nailing a kick - and even v Brisbane one of his goals was actually a floater from 30 that almost got touched. A goal doesn't automatically equal good kick. His decision making is also poor. Note his shot at goal to end the round 23 match, more or less cost them a shot at top 4 and the opportunity to have a week off.
Just on that, it's not a criticism, he's only a 3rd year player. He shouldn't be expected to be a bona-fide complete player yet. Just that I don't think the Dogs get on the trade table what he's potentially able to produce down the track - his best is yet to come.
To answer the question, no they shouldn't trade him. He's a better age for JUH, Darcy, Naughton, Weightman - trading him now would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. They're in the enviable position of having a win now opportunity while having the draft picks of a bottom side.
They need to draft more mids - Libba 29, Treloar 28, Macrae & Hunter 27, Bont 26, Dunkley 25 by start of 2022. Not old by any means but they need to start planning the list for when they're lead by Darcy, JUH & Naughton. Come 2026 the young mids from 2021 and 2022 drafts will be 22-23, ready to take over and Libba, Hunter, Treloar will be gone, with Macrae, Bont & Dunkley 30+.
So the last thing they want to do is trade their best young mid, when the likes of Lipinski want out and West, Richards aren't guaranteed to hang around.
Overall, their biggest issue right now is height, they have a lot of quite short players around the ground and English impacts the game more as a player shorter than his height. But it's not enough that they should sacrifice a Geelong type sustained run by trading out their only good young mid, even if he isn't a complete player right now.
Not a team in the comp who wouldn't want him, BUT there was a bit of a narrative starting before last night that he was a genuine bona-fide A grade mid, which I think is too early. That's the reason I think he is being overrated.
His kicking is hit and miss. Sure he can hit them from 55 like v Port, but he still has as many shanks as he does nailing a kick - and even v Brisbane one of his goals was actually a floater from 30 that almost got touched. A goal doesn't automatically equal good kick. His decision making is also poor. Note his shot at goal to end the round 23 match, more or less cost them a shot at top 4 and the opportunity to have a week off.
Just on that, it's not a criticism, he's only a 3rd year player. He shouldn't be expected to be a bona-fide complete player yet. Just that I don't think the Dogs get on the trade table what he's potentially able to produce down the track - his best is yet to come.
To answer the question, no they shouldn't trade him. He's a better age for JUH, Darcy, Naughton, Weightman - trading him now would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. They're in the enviable position of having a win now opportunity while having the draft picks of a bottom side.
They need to draft more mids - Libba 29, Treloar 28, Macrae & Hunter 27, Bont 26, Dunkley 25 by start of 2022. Not old by any means but they need to start planning the list for when they're lead by Darcy, JUH & Naughton. Come 2026 the young mids from 2021 and 2022 drafts will be 22-23, ready to take over and Libba, Hunter, Treloar will be gone, with Macrae, Bont & Dunkley 30+.
So the last thing they want to do is trade their best young mid, when the likes of Lipinski want out and West, Richards aren't guaranteed to hang around.
Overall, their biggest issue right now is height, they have a lot of quite short players around the ground and English impacts the game more as a player shorter than his height. But it's not enough that they should sacrifice a Geelong type sustained run by trading out their only good young mid, even if he isn't a complete player right now.
He’s 185cm and that’s not what I’d consider ‘tiny’. But sure, this poorly screengrabbed image of him and another AFL player moving vaguely near each other is unarguable evidence! Also good job trying to edit in other images after you posted and got a reply. Uppercut incoming!
