Past #18: Shaun Atley - delisted end '21 - 237 NM games / 44 NM goals - thanks Ats

[Moti]

So we're supposed to risk games of real football only so we can trial a genuine spud in the middle in order to appease his fans?

His decision making is beyond awful when he has 10 metres of clear space coming out of the backline. What's it going to be like in traffic in the middle of the ground when he needs to display actual awareness of what's around him? The only benefit to him playing midfield is that his u18 level errors will be made further from our goal.

Because the current spuds are working

 

[Moti]

Correct. We did try him in midfield. He got lost in traffic a few times. Safe to say he wasnt happy and he wanted to go back to defence.
Atley lacks the peripheral vision and 360 nous to play in the guts. Hence why he plays halfback as he can use his speed to attack and not have to twist and turn. This isnt my opinion its straight from Shaun's mouth.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...mpressive-summer/story-fni5f986-1226821922722
Preseason of 2014 he was with the midfielders.

http://www.talkoftheturf.com.au/shaun-atley-focusing-on-return-to-defence/
Then start of this year its never again in the middle.

mehh

He barely touched the centre square and had some good and bad games on the wing. He stuck to the message in that interview, his instincts are good but he isn't a great free play player. He is the anti-Gibson. Gibbo gets free brilliantly but has zero idea what to do in traffic. Atley struggles to play a free role but relishes being in traffic.

 

[kangaspurs]

. Atley struggles to play a free role but relishes being in traffic.

There is no evidence of this at all. In fact, his performances over the last 2 or 3 years say exactly the opposite. He shits himself in traffic, often rushing his disposal or just handballing to no one. His decision making his seriously deplorable. I have no idea why you think that will improve when he's under even more pressure than he is now.

 

[Moti]

There is no evidence of this at all. In fact, his performances over the last 2 or 3 years say exactly the opposite. He shits himself in traffic, often rushing his disposal or just handballing to no one. His decision making his seriously deplorable. I have no idea why you think that will improve when he's under even more pressure than he is now.

Attack v Defence. Ziebell slams the footy on his boot in the centre, marked by opposition 40m from our goal. Atley slams the footy on his boot in defence, opposition marks 70m from their goal.

Players in defence are told to hold onto the ball and don't blaze away, mids and forwards don't have that issue. That is why there is far more scramble in the back 50 whereas people are much more likely to slam onto the foot when in the forward 50.

 

[tazaa]

He barely touched the centre square and had some good and bad games on the wing. He stuck to the message in that interview, his instincts are good but he isn't a great free play player. He is the anti-Gibson. Gibbo gets free brilliantly but has zero idea what to do in traffic. Atley struggles to play a free role but relishes being in traffic.

TBH I think Atley in the middle doesnt work because he only averages 18-22 touches. We already have 3 of his kind in there albeit without the pace.
Its simply that we need run at halfback as we have zero options back there.

 

[archereleven]

Atley is a spud. Genuine fraud.

Ship him off and get games into EVW and Hibbard

 

[Moti]

TBH I think Atley in the middle doesnt work because he only averages 18-22 touches. We already have 3 of his kind in there albeit without the pace.
Its simply that we need run at halfback as we have zero options back there.

Averages are at HB. I think in the guts he would hit around 25. Not sure the reluctance to try something, seems odd to me. If he is so bad in defence, what is the harm in trying him in the middle?

 

[Viper2Jester]

Would be nice if he decided to actually look up and scan the field before playing on.

Far too often he gets possession and takes off in a random direction.......only to look up when about to be tackled and as a consequence hit the opposition lace out, or blindly give it up in traffic due to having no composure.

I think he needs a spell in the 2s before I would be putting him in the midfield.

Strikes me as a very physically talented, but dumb footballer.

 

[tazaa]

Averages are at HB. I think in the guts he would hit around 25. Not sure the reluctance to try something, seems odd to me. If he is so bad in defence, what is the harm in trying him in the middle?

I think its pretty clear. His decision making under pressure is below par.

 

[Moti]

Would be nice if he decided to actually look up and scan the field before playing on.

Far too often he gets possession and takes off in a random direction.......only to look up when about to be tackled and as a consequence hit the opposition lace out, or blindly give it up in traffic due to having no composure.

I think he needs a spell in the 2s before I would be putting him in the midfield.

Strikes me as a very physically talented, but dumb footballer.

Bigfooty - he needs to run and create more, that is why he is in the team.
Atley - better get moving quickly to provide run, move the ball quickly
Bigfooty - why did he play on like that?

The best HB defenders do not run and create as part of their job, they do it as part of their natural game. We are so static these days I think a lot of our ball movement is forced. We always look better on turnovers because we just don't create from HB naturally like the Dogs do. It used to be natural but I think it has been systemed out of him and the others.

He is and can be a weapon, but needs to be released now to see it, can't do it in defence any longer.

 

[Grogg]

So we're supposed to risk games of real football only so we can trial a genuine spud in the middle in order to appease his fans?

His decision making is beyond awful when he has 10 metres of clear space coming out of the backline. What's it going to be like in traffic in the middle of the ground when he needs to display actual awareness of what's around him? The only benefit to him playing midfield is that his u18 level errors will be made further from our goal.

Do you really think he was a genuine spud when he was drafted?

Is that how the club thought of him and thought if he was going to make it, it would have to be behind the ball?

I think the answer would be a resounding no to both those question.

I completely disagree with the notion that he was unsuited to a mid development at the time we drafted him. He possessed a lovely sidestep, great acceleration from a contest and his disposal was reasonable without being excellent.

So yeah, plenty to work with, it's just that the football department decided an attacking running half back was more valuable to the team than an attacking running mid.

A decision I disagreed with at the time and still do. You only have to look at our same/same but different set up in the centre square to realise that it was an area of deficiency.

 

[GarnerSmash]

I dont know about other track watchers but I'll post my thoughts on him in traffic here. We have had a drill over the last few preseasons where we put 10 or so players in a space about 15 meters by 10 meters. The players are in what looks like a 5-4 offensive overload situation. The goal of the drill is to play keepings off by hand only. As you can imagine ability to evade the tackle or get hands free in this situation are the primary focus.

Wells ****ing kills this and Basti was pretty decent too. Ats though. Deer in headlights stuff. Him and Jacobs were probably the two worst.

I base this off multiple sessions.

 

[Grogg]

I dont know about other track watchers but I'll post my thoughts on him in traffic here. We have had a drill over the last few preseasons where we put 10 or so players in a space about 15 meters by 10 meters. The players are in what looks like a 5-4 offensive overload situation. The goal of the drill is to play keepings off by hand only. As you can imagine ability to evade the tackle or get hands free in this situation are the primary focus.

Wells ******* kills this and Basti was pretty decent too. Ats though. Deer in headlights stuff. Him and Jacobs were probably the two worst.

I base this off multiple sessions.

I don't disagree with any of that, tbh. He has become what he has become and that is by and large mostly due to development.

His natural attributes were fine for a midfield development role, but we chose otherwise.

That's where most of my angst lies with him and I'm resigned to the fact that he will now only ever be a running back flanker and a bog ordinary one at that.

 

[GarnerSmash]

I don't disagree with any of that, tbh. He has become what he has become and that is by and large mostly due to development.

His natural attributes were fine for a midfield development role, but we chose otherwise.

That's where most of my angst lies with him and I'm resigned to the fact that he will now only ever be a running back flanker and a bog ordinary one at that.

Personally I reckon that his poor work in close is more innate that developed out of him. He play for Vic Country on the inside and did well as a reasonably tall and well developed kid comparative to his mates. For Murray he played off the back flank and was a real dasher. He has never been one to look to take the contact, then dish off. He always seems to panic a bit when the contact comes and isn’t prepared to ride it, or he almost freezes before it arrives.

Our poor transition has stunted his effectiveness this season because the layers of pressure are too close together for him to run through. I think that whilst he may not be much chop in the guts re getting it out to his mates he would be great in broken play when the ball is being pinged about outside the contest. It is then where his first step gets him the space he needs to clear the congestion, which we freakin suck at right now (other than throwing it on the boot) and that is why I think mid ain’t such a bad idea.

His best attributes are withering on the vine. Time to get him going again. I think that there is still hope for him.

 

[shinboner magic]

Ats was given a chance in the mids when he first came in the side - not much of an opportunity since.

Think he should be given a chance now so we can see for the future.

 

[Grogg]

Personally I reckon that his poor work in close is more innate that developed out of him. He play for Vic Country on the inside and did well as a reasonably tall and well developed kid comparative to his mates. For Murray he played off the back flank and was a real dasher. He has never been one to look to take the contact, then dish off. He always seems to panic a bit when the contact comes and isn’t prepared to ride it, or he almost freezes before it arrives.

Our poor transition has stunted his effectiveness this season because the layers of pressure are too close together for him to run through. I think that whilst he may not be much chop in the guts re getting it out to his mates he would be great in broken play when the ball is being pinged about outside the contest. It is then where his first step gets him the space he needs to clear the congestion, which we freakin suck at right now (other than throwing it on the boot) and that is why I think mid ain’t such a bad idea.

His best attributes are withering on the vine. Time to get him going again. I think that there is still hope for him.

I think his poor work in close is primarily still poor through developmental neglect, rather than something that could not be amended.

His natural instinct was always evasion and one he was adept at just quietly. Composure was never natural. Where he needed schooling was on when to give off and frequently found himself in trouble due to trying to do too much.

Nearly all great extractors have the ; take possession, sidestep, release down pat. It's something I believe that with persistence and repetition can be taught.

By persistence I don't mean a Harper or Atley type of persistence as far as training/schooling goes either. I'm talking genuine persistence ala the Ziebell, Cunnington type of persistence that sees a sustained period plying the trade and not throwing it to the scrapheap when the results aren't immediate.

All water under the bridge now of course as the genuine midfield possibility for him is now done. As you suggest, there may be some hope as a wingman, but I seriously doubt if Brad and co will entertain that idea. It's just not their/his style.

 

[Viper2Jester]

Bigfooty - he needs to run and create more, that is why he is in the team.
Atley - better get moving quickly to provide run, move the ball quickly
Bigfooty - why did he play on like that?

Yeah, because that is exactly what I was suggesting

A composed, smart half back is what i'd be expecting after his development - knows when to go, know when to structure slowly. Instead we have a liability who is a deer in the headlights far too often, and his speed is rarely used to his or our advantage.

But unlike me, i'm not putting this one on Scott like others are.

I just don't think he is near as good as hoped - has no positional awareness, is as soft as butter as never takes a hit (and then give off like a class player as per a Lenny Hayes would), and generally has been very underwhelming.

 

[kangaspurs]

Yeah, because that is exactly what I was suggesting

A composed, smart half back is what i'd be expecting after his development - knows when to go, know when to structure slowly. Instead we have a liability who is a deer in the headlights far too often, and his speed is rarely used to his or our advantage.

But unlike me, i'm not putting this one on Scott like others are.

I just don't think he is near as good as hoped - has no positional awareness, is as soft as butter as never takes a hit (and then give off like a class player would like a Lenny Hayes would), and generally has been very underwhelming.

This. You can't lay all the blame at the feet of the coaches or his development. There has to come a time when the player actually contributes to his own development. Many still want to make excuses for him because of their initial expectations or because he's a favourite. The reality is that he's somewhere between poor and average as a footballer who just happens to run fast.

 

[Firestarter]

Got a Retweet saying that Atley won the AFL Live Radio GotY.

Does it mean anything?

 

[Quivorir]

Means he won the AFL Live Radio goal of the year.

 

[Firestarter]

I hate myself a lot sometimes.

 

[Mr Reliable]

I hate myself a lot sometimes.

Don't be like that, Firestarter. I'm sure it's a prestigious award. At least we won something!

 

[Firestarter]

Don't be like that, Firestarter. I'm sure it's a prestigious award. At least we won something!

I'm half joking since that kind of post was begging for its response.

 

[Mr Reliable]

I'm half joking since that kind of post was begging for its response.

Me too.

 

[giantroo]

Will play in the midfield in 2017.