AFL Player # 1: Andrew "Pidge" McGrath (VC)

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2030
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 13, Vindicater

 

[eth-dog]

I reckon he's the new Stanton. Gets an enormous amount of shit get put on him for something out of his control (number 1 pick/got chosen to replace Hird for #5). Gets unfairly criticised despite being a very good player in their own right and his flaws are over stated (in particular their disposal) because despite the fact that they rarely make mistakes by hand or foot their errors are so bad that it's all that sticks in people's minds.

 

[Fayab99]

I reckon he's the new Stanton. Gets an enormous amount of s**t get put on him for something out of his control (number 1 pick/got chosen to replace Hird for #5). Gets unfairly criticised despite being a very good player in their own right and his flaws are over stated (in particular their disposal) because despite the fact that they rarely make mistakes by hand or foot their errors are so bad that it's all that sticks in people's minds.

Remember that time when people booed stanton when he was subbed

 

[andleanback]

I have this theory, I think bulking up made him lose his agility,
Look how good he looked in year 1;


Then we tried to bulk him up and play him midfield

he has lost his agility imo

He actually looked pretty good in 2020 and 2021 in the midfield, but the 2 injuries (knee and ankle) changed him imo, he hasn’t been the same since. He would’ve gone close to winning our bnf in 2020 but missed the last 3 ( 4 really got injured early) games with an ankle. Just a bit lost atm and plays a panicky game will ball in hand and has no confidence to beat opponents with ball in hand.

 

[ant555]

I reckon he's the new Stanton. Gets an enormous amount of s**t get put on him for something out of his control (number 1 pick/got chosen to replace Hird for #5). Gets unfairly criticised despite being a very good player in their own right and his flaws are over stated (in particular their disposal) because despite the fact that they rarely make mistakes by hand or foot their errors are so bad that it's all that sticks in people's minds.

He gets judged at a different standard because he was pick one for sure. The fact is unless he morphs into an absolute super star he will continue to cop it because most people do not want their number 1 pick to be a B grade 200 game player in the back pocket.

If people look deeper they will see that the number 1 pick has rarely produced a super star in the last 20 years and there are a lot of good players but very few A+.

I agree with you. He is the new Stanton because in peoples minds the number 1 pick has to be the best in the draft when your club has it. People know my thoughts. I was firmly Taranto on type of player we needed but I would say that it is still a win if your number 1 pick is not a supers star and plays 200 games as that does not always happen anyway.

 

[Snake Charmer]

I reckon he's the new Stanton. Gets an enormous amount of s**t get put on him for something out of his control (number 1 pick/got chosen to replace Hird for #5). Gets unfairly criticised despite being a very good player in their own right and his flaws are over stated (in particular their disposal) because despite the fact that they rarely make mistakes by hand or foot their errors are so bad that it's all that sticks in people's minds.

Or some people are just sick of seeing our clubs VC turn the ball over coming out of the back line so often.

 

[Runk]

Or some people are just sick of seeing our clubs VC turn the ball over coming out of the back line so often.

100%

If anyone is thinking this guy is anything other than a very good lock down back pocket who will guaranteed butcher the ball then I don't know what to tell you?

 

[boncer34]

100%

If anyone is thinking this guy is anything other than a very good lock down back pocket who will guaranteed butcher the ball then I don't know what to tell you?

Guaranteed is a little extreme.

 

[Runk]

Guaranteed is a little extreme.

I was born in the 70's. Everything is 'extreme' to me.

Especially my hip flexor range...

 

[eth-dog]

Or some people are just sick of seeing our clubs VC turn the ball over coming out of the back line so often.

Thank you for emphasizing my point.

 

[Foxx]

100%

If anyone is thinking this guy is anything other than a very good lock down back pocket who will guaranteed butcher the ball then I don't know what to tell you?

His career disposal efficiency is 77%.

Last year 80%. Kicking efficiency 72% which ranked very good by AFL average.

 

[boncer34]

I was born in the 70's. Everything is 'extreme' to me.

Especially my hip flexor range...

Fair point.

I think there's a happy medium between your extreme and eth-dog.

For instance I think someone said in the match thread after one of his bad dump kicks the other day it was his 7th bad kick.... it was his 2nd kick of the game.

It's certainly a flaw of his but its probably not high on our list of flaws to fix.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Thank you for emphasizing my point.

Your point is based on a narrative

 

[eth-dog]

Your point is based on a narrative

Which you followed to a tee. Hence emphasizing it.

 

[eth-dog]

Take what you want from this, but according to the data, of the 50 players with most kicks this season, McGrath rates 17th in terms of effectiveness. He’s also 5th in terms of taking kicks that would most likely result in a goal and has a positive retention rating when accounting for the difficulty of the kicks he takes

Just going to bring this back over to point out how he's "guaranteed to turn it over". He has the 17th highest retention rate in the league and of the top 28 he's 4th most likely to convert into a score.

The problem is that his bad kicks are so bad that all anyone remembers are those ones.

 

[Runk]

His career disposal efficiency is 77%.

Last year 80%. Kicking efficiency 72% which ranked very good by AFL average.

Stats are great arent they!

 

[Runk]

Fair point.

I think there's a happy medium between your extreme and eth-dog.

For instance I think someone said in the match thread after one of his bad dump kicks the other day it was his 7th bad kick.... it was his 2nd kick of the game.

It's certainly a flaw of his but its probably not high on our list of flaws to fix.

I don't want to 'Stanton' him either so I'm going to stop and keep my opinions of him to myself when I'm at home screaming at him through the tv

 

[boncer34]

Stats are great arent they!

eth-dog thoughts on DE as a stat?

 

[andleanback]

He gets judged at a different standard because he was pick one for sure. The fact is unless he morphs into an absolute super star he will continue to cop it because most people do not want their number 1 pick to be a B grade 200 game player in the back pocket.

If people look deeper they will see that the number 1 pick has rarely produced a super star in the last 20 years and there are a lot of good players but very few A+.

I agree with you. He is the new Stanton because in peoples minds the number 1 pick has to be the best in the draft when your club has it. People know my thoughts. I was firmly Taranto on type of player we needed but I would say that it is still a win if your number 1 pick is not a supers star and plays 200 games as that does not always happen anyway.

I think it’s also that he’s only 1 of 2 leaders chosen, that is a huge reason. And at the same time fans see this leader constantly making mistakes with ball in hand and also slapping players on the back saying it’s okay after they’ve made the same mistake for the 10th time in a row

 

[eth-dog]

eth-dog thoughts on DE as a stat?

Shocking.

 

[Foxx]

Stats are great arent they!

Here's a couple more:

He averages only 1.2 goals a game against the oppositions most dangerous small forwards.
While also averaging over 400 meters gained in offence (at 80% eff)

Couldn't be too many small defenders in the league with that output.

 

[MightyDon]

For every ******* Carlton supporter berating the selection, hes not even in the top 5 worst no.1 picks in the history of the AFL draft #unhinged

Top 6?

 

[Runk]

Here's a couple more:

He averages only 1.2 goals a game against the oppositions most dangerous small forwards.
While also averaging over 400 meters gained in offence (at 80% eff)

Couldn't be too many small defenders in the league with that output.

He's amazing, I was wrong, you are right.

 

[faible]

constantly making mistakes with ball in hand

Little bit of mayo here...

His career disposal efficiency is 77%.

Last year 80%. Kicking efficiency 72% which ranked very good by AFL average.

He has the 17th highest retention rate in the league and of the top 28 he's 4th most likely to convert into a score.

The problem is that his bad kicks are so bad that all anyone remembers are those ones.

 

[boncer34]

Little bit of mayo here...

eth-dog attack

 

[Snake Charmer]

His short kicking under pressure is actually pretty decent: my main concern with him is when his back is to our goals he seems to panic and kick over his shoulder a lot, he has no game sense to actually turn and use his pace or turn and get him self out of trouble by hand or foot. My worry is when a player has no awareness like that is their bad disposal will result in turnover goals. Andy seems to be on the end of bad ones a lot.