- Mar 21, 2017
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Didn't get to see any of the game, how bad was worpel's game ? Nowhere near it? Or got it enough but poor disposal/decision making?
Player Watch Welcome to Hawthorn, James Worpel, pick #43 2017 - Peter Crimmins medalist 2019
- Thread starter Dixie Flatline
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He’s never going to be a good kick, probably need to get that out of our heads. But plenty of good afl players have had decent careers while not having great foot skills. What he needs to do is be an animal at the contest, and be the guy who gets his hands on it first. It’s been a huge weakness for years now, our contested/clearance game is the worst in the league. I love the guys that we’ve taken in the draft the last few years but there’s no point having great skills if you’re getting destroyed out of the middle and at every contest. Our ability to win or even create a contest in the midfield and forwardline is one of the major areas for improvement. Obviously no stats today but I wouldn’t be surprised if newk and worpel won a majority of our clearances and 1st touches out of the contest
- Feb 8, 2017
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Why shouldn’t we be expecting him to get back to that level?? He’s shown in 2019 he’s capable of it! You would expect that the club should be helping him develop into an even better player- can’t believe how far backwards he has gone.. if it’s low confidence or the consistent injuries?? Or the fact that Titch and Jaeger came back as similar players and stole his mojo..
I remember it wasn’t that long ago he would consistently rack up 30 possessions a game to the point where clubs would tag him- can’t believe you just lose that ability…
The decline was a seriously hard to reconcile. Lost all his balance and power that he displayed in his first couple of seasons.
- Jun 4, 2016
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Worps had 6 30+ possession games when he won the PCM in 2019.
He's only done it once since then.
You are right plenty of good midfielders haven't had great foot skills (Dangerfield, Judd, etc) but there is no excuse for not being able to win the ball.
For me Worps only avenue to be a long term AFL player is to be that inside bull who can win plenty of the footy but the question is whether he has the size/core strength to do this role.
- Jun 11, 2013
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he got plenty of it in the first q and was doing some good things but once Geelong got on top he disappeared and i reckon had (a guess) less than 10 touches in the remaining 3 qtrs of footy
he needs to be a 20+D 5C 5T player to be effective given how bad of a kick he is. if he isn't putting up those stats he just doesn't provide enough to our side
what's weird is that his drop-off wasn't from 100 to 0 like we seem to think. it's been more progressive than that – he really wasn't that bad in 2020 and finished top 10 in our PCM while improving the defensive side of his game. But looking at his stats you'd think he was a 32-yo coming to the end of his career. each year he has progressively gotten worse until 2022 which looks like the year an old stalwart would call it quits as his body gives out.
he needs to be a 20+D 5C 5T player to be effective given how bad of a kick he is. if he isn't putting up those stats he just doesn't provide enough to our side
what's weird is that his drop-off wasn't from 100 to 0 like we seem to think. it's been more progressive than that – he really wasn't that bad in 2020 and finished top 10 in our PCM while improving the defensive side of his game. But looking at his stats you'd think he was a 32-yo coming to the end of his career. each year he has progressively gotten worse until 2022 which looks like the year an old stalwart would call it quits as his body gives out.
HedgeFund
Norm Smith Medallist
He was our #4 or #5 midfielder in his second year, so he didn’t get attention and wasn’t our “go to” at stoppage.
He played his (less central) role very well and did everything the coaches expected of him. So he racked up PCM votes as he did his job that year very well.
He has since filled out / added size and taken a more central role in the midfield. Then with the change of coaching staff he is now required to roll forward as well.
All of that combined means he is playing different roles under a different coach, with different expectations and more opposition scrutiny. In short he has been required to mature and adjust - but seems to have stagnated.
He is in his 6th AFL season and his kicking remains poor. If there’s one skill a player is responsible for developing himself (and not coaches) it’s kicking.
- Aug 31, 2008
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When did he ever consistently rack up 30 touches whilst being tagged? That never happened.
He's had one single game of over 30 touches across the last three seasons.
He had six games of over 30 touches in 2019, and one in his debut season - meaning he's had only eight 30 touch games in total in his entire 79 game career to date.
I don't know how that stacks up against other quality midfielders of the same age, though I imagine it's not favourable.
Disposal looked worse than last year for mine. He's not in my r1 team if I'm going off yesterday's form.
Spanish Sahara
Brownlow Medallist
From the limited amount of the match I saw he also looked quite fumbly around stoppages as well.
I am willing to give him a shot against the pies to see how he goes before completely binning him.
He led the team in disposal, clearances (142), inside fifties, contested possessions, 2nd most effective disposals overall. Over 100 tackles for the year (3rd). We had a two man midfield of omeara and Worpel and he was very much a central part of it. I don’t think we need to dismiss how good that season was to explain his current performance.
Strapping Young Lad
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- Apr 19, 2006
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Just a reminder to all those who want to draw conclusions on whether Worpel will rediscover his form or not…. It’s February.
Dewnior
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HedgeFund
Norm Smith Medallist
It’s also his 6th season and it’s February for everyone.
HedgeFund
Norm Smith Medallist
There was also Burgoyne, Shiels, Henderson, Smith, and Impey rolling through our midfield.
Opposition mids were focusing on these guys moreso than James - for obvious reasons at the time.
Don’t think burgoyne’s 21 clearances were too big of a deal for the opposition…
Only two hawks in the past 10 years have topped 140 clearances. Tom Mitchell (2018) and James Worpel (2019). It wasn’t just because the opposition were ignoring him. You can’t really ignore people at stoppages. You are trying to win the clearance just as much as the opposition.
Millsie69
Club Legend
Obviously we were never not going to bring him back in, but would be great to have a crystal ball and see what kind of player Worpel could become had Titch not come back after his injury, effectively stunting Worpel's development.
H00t
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End of 2019 he had 5 out 6 games in a row with 30+ touches with some significant time being put into him from the opposition.
Including his best game of 34d, 13 clearances and 2 goals while being tagged from the opening bounce.
Then he’s never got back to that level.
Had glimpses the end of 2021 but it’s such a strange case as most players that drop off have off-field reasons. But from every account Worps is a super hard worker off the field.
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HedgeFund
Norm Smith Medallist
You might be missing the point.
Imagine you are an opposition mid and you go to a stoppage against Hawthorn in 2019. You look around and see O’Meara, Burgoyne, Smith and some kid wearing #38.
Who are you least worried about getting the ball? The kid wearing #38.
James wasn’t an offensive threat who needed to be nullified, those establish / experienced guys were.
Opposition players gave him a free run and he was able to play first receive (who then got the clearance) because he was the inexperienced new kid who didn’t have multiple flags and/or was a #1 draft pick.
After 2019, teams got to work on him, started pressuring him more, and he has slowly wilted as a result.
- Oct 17, 2011
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Teams haven't bothered to put work into him over the last couple years though. Not one team is worried about Worpel and haven't been since at least 2021 and he is still struggling badly.
He use to play with alot more run on the ball before taking his first touch, was it trained out of him or has his confidence taken that much of a hit he is worried about defending to much?
He isn’t strong enough to be the defensive mid so he needs to be ball first or what’s the point in playing him
The only player the opposition put time into in 2019 was omeara. Burgoyne and impey barely played mid
Honestly, he hasn’t had an opponent show him respect, let alone mark him closely, since 2019 and yet his numbers have fallen. They simply push him over and get the ball uncontested.
- Aug 31, 2008
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He did not have significant time put into him.
That was an excellent game though, and it would be amazing if he got back to that level. But IMO he won't, and he'll be moved on come season's end.
It’s weird how some people talk about Worpel ‘returning to form’ like 2019 is his norm and every other year since has been the outlier.
It’s not that weird considering the year he won it he was close to the number one midfielder whilst Titch was out.
I’m not saying he will recapture the form of 2019 with Titch gone but let’s at least give him a go.
So many are happy to write him off but if he can perform again then it’s a massive help to our rebuild.
Sam has faith so why can’t us as supporters at least try to have some.
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