I’ve still got Fyfe ahead of Erasmus for round 1 assuming both are fully fit.
I like Neil but the cold hard fact is he’s done nothing at AFL level to suggest he’s deserving of a starting AFL place in his first 3 years at the club. I get the fact that he’s young and still developing, and I also think he’s been developed in a rather questionable manner by the club, with little continuity until very recently when he finally got a decent WAFL stint uninterrupted by sub appearances at AFL level.
However we have to judge players at AFL level ultimately and he’s done practically nothing at that level, YET.
There was one decent game in 2023 v Collingwood in Melbourne (a demoralising defeat - Daicos and Pendlebury having a big laugh on the bench 5 min into the 3rd quarter that day after they’d kicked 10 goals straight or something like that still rankles) but Neil was actually decent that day when most of his teammates were shite.
I thought he was ok v Essendon this year at the G (a 7/10 performance I’d call it before he was subbed out rather harshly, but the momentum sapping clanger that led to Essendon starting their comeback when he ran too far was a ugly blight on an otherwise reasonable performance).
Other than that He’s been pretty non relevant at the highest level. His biggest flaw is he thinks too slowly. With the ball in his hands, he does some nice things but he’s mostly a millisecond too slow in execution. At WAFL you get away with that. It’s no surprise he looks a gun at WAFL level, but for me that doesn’t mean much until we see it at the highest level.
He would also benefit significantly from having a secondary position, possibly as a HFF or something.
A lot are keen to write Fyfe off but despite an underwhelming season he did play some great footy v bulldogs (37 touches and 3 votes) plus he put Heeney in his pocket did a number on him at the SCG helping us to a big victory. Not a chance we win that match without Fyfe.
No doubt Neil will get a chance early next year at the top level and in his 4th season - there are no more excuses or hiding places. He’s got to grab that chance with both hands. Being the 19th or 20th best player on the field in a freo guernsey won’t cut it for him even if we win the games he plays.
I like Neil but the cold hard fact is he’s done nothing at AFL level to suggest he’s deserving of a starting AFL place in his first 3 years at the club. I get the fact that he’s young and still developing, and I also think he’s been developed in a rather questionable manner by the club, with little continuity until very recently when he finally got a decent WAFL stint uninterrupted by sub appearances at AFL level.
However we have to judge players at AFL level ultimately and he’s done practically nothing at that level, YET.
There was one decent game in 2023 v Collingwood in Melbourne (a demoralising defeat - Daicos and Pendlebury having a big laugh on the bench 5 min into the 3rd quarter that day after they’d kicked 10 goals straight or something like that still rankles) but Neil was actually decent that day when most of his teammates were shite.
I thought he was ok v Essendon this year at the G (a 7/10 performance I’d call it before he was subbed out rather harshly, but the momentum sapping clanger that led to Essendon starting their comeback when he ran too far was a ugly blight on an otherwise reasonable performance).
Other than that He’s been pretty non relevant at the highest level. His biggest flaw is he thinks too slowly. With the ball in his hands, he does some nice things but he’s mostly a millisecond too slow in execution. At WAFL you get away with that. It’s no surprise he looks a gun at WAFL level, but for me that doesn’t mean much until we see it at the highest level.
He would also benefit significantly from having a secondary position, possibly as a HFF or something.
A lot are keen to write Fyfe off but despite an underwhelming season he did play some great footy v bulldogs (37 touches and 3 votes) plus he put Heeney in his pocket did a number on him at the SCG helping us to a big victory. Not a chance we win that match without Fyfe.
No doubt Neil will get a chance early next year at the top level and in his 4th season - there are no more excuses or hiding places. He’s got to grab that chance with both hands. Being the 19th or 20th best player on the field in a freo guernsey won’t cut it for him even if we win the games he plays.
