Player Watch #12 Angus Sheldrick

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First quarters have been a team-wide issue all year. One player in one role isn't going to make a difference.

And if it does then everyone else should be delisted.
There only seems to be one or two players each week standing up and trying to make a difference in first quarters.
Last week it was Campbell and Cleary, the week before it was Rowbottom. Where is the team wide effort
 
There only seems to be one or two players each week standing up and trying to make a difference in first quarters.
Last week it was Campbell and Cleary, the week before it was Rowbottom. Where is the team wide effort
Yeah it's frustrating.

We lament our slow starts but then we get sucked in to only hyping up the guys who show up to the party after half time, once everyone is up and about.

I think most concerning is that it's been an issue all year and Horse has seemingly no solution for it.
 
If he asks out instead of fighting his way into the side I would be bloody surprised
Would show a lack of common sense...

Parker, Cunningham, Adams all aging, one big injury away and team will reshuffle. If he's good enough he'll come in; then it's his spot to lose. If goes elsewhere to get a regular spot, so be it! It will show a lack of team first ethos, in which case we don't want him...
 

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I have watched more of the VFL this year than i did last year. Probably watched a good 3/4 of the season
 
Go on.

What do you see that everyone else doesn't see when they watch the reserves?
For starters, who is "everyone else"? The coaches haven't even named him an emergency and there's been a number of match reports where the VFL coach has cited others as impressing but not Sheldrick. (This is not to say there haven't also been match reports where Sheldrick was cited as impressing - I am not arguing that he's not good, just that he's not demanding selection in the way many of his fans seem to think he is.)

Regarding my perspective, I think Sheldrick is prolific but messy. He gets hands to a lot of balls and then they just inexplicably spill out. Handballs just randomly go to the wrong targets, he ebbs and flows between rushing his disposals and being too slow to get rid of it, and he runs himself into tackles so has to just dump kick the ball to nowhere and no one. (I will add the caveat that it's not always easy to find targets in our reserves side given the general lack of quality options - but guys like Cleary and Warner Jr. prove it can be done. Heck, even a raw bottom-ager like Joe Harrison has had ultra clean games and he only just made his debut a month ago.)

Many didn't want Parker in the midfield because our midfield had supposedly moved past his skill level. Sheldrick's form in the VFL makes Parker's ball use look like Scott Pendlebury.

Many also think Sheldrick is the logical replacement for Adams, but if Adams' ball use is a major flaw for him, then I fail to see how Sheldrick struggling with the same issue at the lower level is going to make him superior to Adams at the highest level.

It could maybe be argued that at least Sheldrick can find the ball, unlike Adams who has long stretches where he can go without seeing the pill, but then that wouldn't be telling the whole story.

Adams is playing as a forward/midfielder, averaging just 28% CBAs this year. Very different to the role Sheldrick is playing, which is basically the number one mid role in the reserves. So of course it seems like Sheldrick will have an easier time finding the pill. Doesn't mean it will translate to the highest level.

Despite this role Adams is playing, Adams has the second-highest rate of winning first possession at centre bounces for us, behind only Parker.

Finally, if Sheldrick is going to play a largely forward role - which let's face it, he will; he is still going to be behind Heeney, Rowbottom & Warner for midfield time at the very least - then he maybe needs to show more forward craft or form that suggests he'll go well in that role. He's kicked 1 goal in 10 VFL games this season, an average of 0.1 goals a game. He's a midfielder, so maybe that's unfair to expect of Sheldrick, but Warner Jr. has kicked 7 goals this season and Cleary has kicked 6. Sheldrick's had 5 VFL games this year where he's only had 3 or less tackles in a game, which is one more than Cleary has had and Cleary's played five extra games. So why would Horse & co think Sheldrick's going to offer anything in a scoreboard or tackle pressure sense?

Sorry for the rant. You did ask!
 
For starters, who is "everyone else"? The coaches haven't even named him an emergency and there's been a number of match reports where the VFL coach has cited others as impressing but not Sheldrick. (This is not to say there haven't also been match reports where Sheldrick was cited as impressing - I am not arguing that he's not good, just that he's not demanding selection in the way many of his fans seem to think he is.)

Regarding my perspective, I think Sheldrick is prolific but messy. He gets hands to a lot of balls and then they just inexplicably spill out. Handballs just randomly go to the wrong targets, he ebbs and flows between rushing his disposals and being too slow to get rid of it, and he runs himself into tackles so has to just dump kick the ball to nowhere and no one. (I will add the caveat that it's not always easy to find targets in our reserves side given the general lack of quality options - but guys like Cleary and Warner Jr. prove it can be done. Heck, even a raw bottom-ager like Joe Harrison has had ultra clean games and he only just made his debut a month ago.)

Many didn't want Parker in the midfield because our midfield had supposedly moved past his skill level. Sheldrick's form in the VFL makes Parker's ball use look like Scott Pendlebury.

Many also think Sheldrick is the logical replacement for Adams, but if Adams' ball use is a major flaw for him, then I fail to see how Sheldrick struggling with the same issue at the lower level is going to make him superior to Adams at the highest level.

It could maybe be argued that at least Sheldrick can find the ball, unlike Adams who has long stretches where he can go without seeing the pill, but then that wouldn't be telling the whole story.

Adams is playing as a forward/midfielder, averaging just 28% CBAs this year. Very different to the role Sheldrick is playing, which is basically the number one mid role in the reserves. So of course it seems like Sheldrick will have an easier time finding the pill. Doesn't mean it will translate to the highest level.

Despite this role Adams is playing, Adams has the second-highest rate of winning first possession at centre bounces for us, behind only Parker.

Finally, if Sheldrick is going to play a largely forward role - which let's face it, he will; he is still going to be behind Heeney, Rowbottom & Warner for midfield time at the very least - then he maybe needs to show more forward craft or form that suggests he'll go well in that role. He's kicked 1 goal in 10 VFL games this season, an average of 0.1 goals a game. He's a midfielder, so maybe that's unfair to expect of Sheldrick, but Warner Jr. has kicked 7 goals this season and Cleary has kicked 6. Sheldrick's had 5 VFL games this year where he's only had 3 or less tackles in a game, which is one more than Cleary has had and Cleary's played five extra games. So why would Horse & co think Sheldrick's going to offer anything in a scoreboard or tackle pressure sense?

Sorry for the rant. You did ask!
Fair point - I did ask.

I think you are way over the top with your critique of Sheldrick's game.

I don't agree with the stuff about his disposal. He is the only player who gets any attention paid to him at all in the reserves.

And for Sheldrick's disposal to keep him from even getting one opportunity, meanwhile Adams can't kick a drop punt 25m, makes zero sense.
 
Maybe getting the Tom Mitchell treatment.

Wins the ball and tackles but doesn't run defensively.

Meanwhile, he ignores his favourites and seniors, cooks his players, never rests anyone, played 3 talls for years but can't win it, senior coach for 10 years but selected a gumby in S Reid, two humiliation GF's etc, allows to ignore simple easy mistakes.

Effort, effort, effort.

He has massive blinkers, and he thinks the same thing will always work.

Just making finals is like playing pokies, if I just keep playing, I will get the jackpot.



Sent from my SM-G990E using Tapatalk
 
Fair point - I did ask.

I think you are way over the top with your critique of Sheldrick's game.

I don't agree with the stuff about his disposal. He is the only player who gets any attention paid to him at all in the reserves.

And for Sheldrick's disposal to keep him from even getting one opportunity, meanwhile Adams can't kick a drop punt 25m, makes zero sense.
I don't think my criticism of Sheldrick is over the top, he's a good player but if statements are going to be made inferring that us not picking him is going to lead to one of the club's great blunders, then it's inevitably going to lead to discussion of why he's not being picked, which will inevitably lead to criticisms being aired.

I think the core of the issue is what one considers to be "banging the door down." Everyone's probably got a different idea of what it looks like.
 
I don't think my criticism of Sheldrick is over the top, he's a good player but if statements are going to be made inferring that us not picking him is going to lead to one of the club's great blunders, then it's inevitably going to lead to discussion of why he's not being picked, which will inevitably lead to criticisms being aired.

I think the core of the issue is what one considers to be "banging the door down." Everyone's probably got a different idea of what it looks like.
I think people just get considerably frustrated because Wicks was getting the pass mark for doing nothing and Sheldrick could have played the exact role that Adams has played in portions of this year as alot of his 2023 work was off the back of between 30-45% CBAs in which Adams has had 7 games out of 18 in that CBA range. Also think that he could play decently well as a non CBA forward which is the role Adams plays when he isn't the 4th midfielder, so in general i think that next year i wouldn't mind Gus getting games in the role Adams has as an around the ground midfielder just think that he has been injured at the wrong times this year
 
For starters, who is "everyone else"? The coaches haven't even named him an emergency and there's been a number of match reports where the VFL coach has cited others as impressing but not Sheldrick. (This is not to say there haven't also been match reports where Sheldrick was cited as impressing - I am not arguing that he's not good, just that he's not demanding selection in the way many of his fans seem to think he is.)

Regarding my perspective, I think Sheldrick is prolific but messy. He gets hands to a lot of balls and then they just inexplicably spill out. Handballs just randomly go to the wrong targets, he ebbs and flows between rushing his disposals and being too slow to get rid of it, and he runs himself into tackles so has to just dump kick the ball to nowhere and no one. (I will add the caveat that it's not always easy to find targets in our reserves side given the general lack of quality options - but guys like Cleary and Warner Jr. prove it can be done. Heck, even a raw bottom-ager like Joe Harrison has had ultra clean games and he only just made his debut a month ago.)

Many didn't want Parker in the midfield because our midfield had supposedly moved past his skill level. Sheldrick's form in the VFL makes Parker's ball use look like Scott Pendlebury.

Many also think Sheldrick is the logical replacement for Adams, but if Adams' ball use is a major flaw for him, then I fail to see how Sheldrick struggling with the same issue at the lower level is going to make him superior to Adams at the highest level.

It could maybe be argued that at least Sheldrick can find the ball, unlike Adams who has long stretches where he can go without seeing the pill, but then that wouldn't be telling the whole story.

Adams is playing as a forward/midfielder, averaging just 28% CBAs this year. Very different to the role Sheldrick is playing, which is basically the number one mid role in the reserves. So of course it seems like Sheldrick will have an easier time finding the pill. Doesn't mean it will translate to the highest level.

Despite this role Adams is playing, Adams has the second-highest rate of winning first possession at centre bounces for us, behind only Parker.

Finally, if Sheldrick is going to play a largely forward role - which let's face it, he will; he is still going to be behind Heeney, Rowbottom & Warner for midfield time at the very least - then he maybe needs to show more forward craft or form that suggests he'll go well in that role. He's kicked 1 goal in 10 VFL games this season, an average of 0.1 goals a game. He's a midfielder, so maybe that's unfair to expect of Sheldrick, but Warner Jr. has kicked 7 goals this season and Cleary has kicked 6. Sheldrick's had 5 VFL games this year where he's only had 3 or less tackles in a game, which is one more than Cleary has had and Cleary's played five extra games. So why would Horse & co think Sheldrick's going to offer anything in a scoreboard or tackle pressure sense?

Sorry for the rant. You did ask!

Your honour, DQ appearing for the defence.

I would postulate that Mr Sheldrick obtains the Sherrin at VFL level in a heavily congested scenario, with his only viable options being to kick or handball to a cohort of suburban footballers (noting that his appearances have not always coincided with appearances by Mr Corey, Mr Sid and/or Mr Cleary).

Through his performances in the senior team in 2023, my client showed an ability to both obtain and dispose of the ball effectively, off either side of his body. When operating in a suitable environment, Mr Sheldrick clearly does have the skills and temperament to be a high caliber performer.

We note the prosecution's reference to a "Mr Joe Harrison" - and the intimation that my client is a lesser player than the aforementioned Mr Harrison. The defence takes umbrage with this clearly misguided assertion and requests it be stricken from the record.

The prosecution also references tackle numbers. Your honour, my client is most often found in possession the ball. It is not an acceptable practice to tackle oneself whilst in possession of a Sherrin. Those laying tackles are doing so only because they have not obtained the football themselves. The prosecution's reference to tackle numbers is irrelevant to the matter at hand.

Your honour, the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that Mr Taylor Adams is clearly in possession of certain photographs. The defence will be seeking to subpoena such photographs and requests an adjournment until such time as due process can be adhered to.

The defence rests (as per Mr Tom McCartin).
 

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Player Watch #12 Angus Sheldrick

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