2025 Pre-Season chat

[Mr Meow]

What if I told you Jhye Clark played more games and got more touches in his second season than either Joel Corey or Jimmy Bartel?

That's why I'm never keen to write off players early.

I'm more than comfortable saying "I've yet to be completely sold", but 22-24 is when a lot of these players start excelling. They need 50 senior games in their preferred position. If they aren't good or lucky enough to ever get those, it's a different problem. But it's one thing that has made the Bruhn hyper criticism a joke. At GWS he was a peripheral forward flanker. He's had 36 games/2 seasons in his primary position. Yet a few have tried to write him off from as soon as 5 games into that phase. So yeah, incredibly foolish to do the same with Clark. He has time on his side and needs to have another 20, 30, 40 senior games pumped into him on the proviso his VFL form warrants it.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Everyone is saying Edwards or Molier but I thought it was Knevitt

Looked taller than knevitt to me.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

I'm not sure why the negativity about Clark. He has had low numbers but also low ToG% and his involvements to me looked mostly pretty good. Effectively his first year last year. I mean not guarantees we get a player here but I think he's going OK. Big year for him.

It's not an issue unique to Clark IMO.

Guys like SDK, Henry, Neale, & Bruhn still get chastised from time to time despite proving they can actually perform at AFL level.

Atkins, Parfitt, Guthrie (x2), & Miers similarly in their early days, and who could forget the infamous Brad Close "shimmy" argument that went on for months on end.

Point being, that while there's probably a squeaky gear or two that have gone overboard at times, it's more just par for the course with how things go here, and how players are evaluated.

It can get annoying, but it does help the character of the board for mine. Too much of the same repetitive negativity or positivity does just turn into white noise eventually.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Clark in the backline should not happen ever imo. He'll be a decent midfielder either in seniors or vfl but put him in the backline and I think you'll get Tom Ruggles.

He's much better than ruggles and will play a lot of games but I agree midfield suits him better I'm just not sure he has the tank for it yet.

 

[Mr Meow]

He's much better than ruggles and will play a lot of games but I agree midfield suits him better I'm just not sure he has the tank for it yet.

The way Clark might break into midfield, once his tank is sufficient and his frame has filled out, would be Bowes shifting to half back or wing (replacing Duncan/Tuohy) and then Clark takes Bowes' midfield rotation. Around that time Dangerfield would probably also be out of the side and our midfield group may be something like Smith, Holmes, Bruhn, Dempsey and clark.

 

[CatRiot]

Do our players do this sort of stuff anymore?

Need Mitch Knevitt doing this stuff, in true Norman fashion.

 

[catswhiskers]

Edwards (or whoever) seems to be a a good amount ahead of the others and then there is the last tired ..probably Pike. I doubt we will see the best of the big young man in these type of tests

Not sure if it's Pike in the rear. His ability to get around , in his occasional VFL outing didn't look too bad.

Anyway, my WA mate rates Edwards highly and was disappointed we grabbed him before his Eagles. I do have hopes for him and I hope to be able to see a lot of him this year.

Pike can play.

Cats didn't hand him a list spot (even with Stanley, Blitz, Molier(?) Conway on board ) for no reason.

 

[iameviljez]

Do our players do this sort of stuff anymore?

Need Mitch Knevitt doing this stuff, in true Norman fashion.

I don’t have any issue with Knevitt’s attack on the footy.

 

[Lana]

What if I told you Jhye Clark played more games and got more touches in his second season than either Joel Corey or Jimmy Bartel?

And Ryan Clark average more than all of them

 

[iameviljez]

And Ryan Clark average more than all of them

Sign him up!

 

[Footy Smarts]

And Ryan Clark average more than all of them

Yep. Being underwhelming early doesn't guarantee anything.

But we write players off and put a ceiling on their potential very early around here. Then forget the times when young players, especially guys without the acceleration to play on the outside early, take time to come good.

I can see why he was taken early. But I can also see a lot of questions over what he'll become. We'll see what happens. Hopefully he explodes this year and next like Bartel and Corey did.

 

[iameviljez]

It can get annoying, but it does help the character of the board for mine. Too much of the same repetitive negativity or positivity does just turn into white noise eventually.

I completely agree with this - yes, sometimes I find the predictability of certain posters having a 'set' on certain players annoying, but then again, I guess my own opinion on Gary Rohan's play for a while probably grated on others.

That said, it's gratifying when someone's whipping boy comes good... you've been here long enough to remember Seeds and Blicavs?

 

[Lana]

Yep. Being underwhelming early doesn't guarantee anything.

But we write players off and put a ceiling on their potential very early around here. Then forget the times when young players, especially guys without the acceleration to play on the outside early, take time to come good.

I can see why he was taken early. But I can also see a lot of questions over what he'll become. We'll see what happens. Hopefully he explodes this year and next like Bartel and Corey did.

I was in the not draft him camp, he didn't really stand out to me. He had a few intangibles mainly around application of pressure around the stoppage but pick 8 was way too early for that. I don't like how he didn't really break away from or through congestition. His ball use wasn't particular interesting.

We have a lot of competition for inside mid rotations, and we already play an extra mid then most. Pulling him out of the midfield rotations is for the best, get him a little more well rounded, a hope with a few years on the running track and in the gym, he becomes useable at AFL level. I think he'll get games and like Parfitt, some of them will be good ones. Wouldn't surprise me if he is traded in the short term.

 

[Tony Barber]

Clark looks fine. Especially decision making.
Knevitt I will reserve.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Hey everyone, I hope you're all well. I just came in to check on some pre-season news.

Anything exciting?

 

[Pure_Ownage]

The way Clark might break into midfield, once his tank is sufficient and his frame has filled out, would be Bowes shifting to half back or wing (replacing Duncan/Tuohy) and then Clark takes Bowes' midfield rotation. Around that time Dangerfield would probably also be out of the side and our midfield group may be something like Smith, Holmes, Bruhn, Dempsey and clark.

I'm not worried about finding a spot as guys like Bowes are fringe and could easily be moves aside and as you say we have other mids that are ageing. There will be spots for Clark. I'm more worried about the mix ie unless Clark can improve his tank a lot, for him and tanner to both be in there you need tanner to up his TOG to 80 % or more and I'm not sure he can. Funnily I think if knevitt breaks through it helps Clark as once Mitch is settled in the side I can see him being a high TOG runner (replacing someone) which then makes it easier to have another lower TOG mid like Clark. It's hard to have 3 or 4 mids that are all lower TOG.
I hope we have chained Clark to a running coach this pre season as it's the main thing he needs.

But I'm sure we will find a spot for him somewhere as he's good enough.