AFL Player #21: Dyson Heppell - Goodnight, sweet prince. What a legend! 🤙 - 24/8

[Lore]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 27, Highly Evolved

 

[Vander18]

I know where you are coming from. He was more a nice good bloke captain and in the last few years he has lacked the game to have an on field impact.
He was not at Selwood level but in fairness as a few have said in the posts above he has not had a support cast to work with. Selwood was an exceptional captain and was able to continue driving the standards but he came into a system that already had a shake up and had some very hard line leaders in it.
I think even Selwood would have had his issues with our playing group.

Yeah I don’t think anyone would have cut through the organisational issues we’ve had.

I just suspect Hep would have been an average captain even in much better circumstances.

 

[jmoo wan]

so let me summarise:

Heppel was a shit captain but our team was so shit that no one could have effectively captained this shirt truck of a team, except for a 19 year old Joel Selwood?

 

[DERO]

so let me summarise:

Heppel was a s**t captain but our team was so s**t that no one could have effectively captained this shirt truck of a team, except for a 19 year old Joel Selwood?

That's pretty much it!

 

[yodellinhank]

They were 2-3 and after they lost to north. That’s the point…
They would also expected themselves to beat north down there.

They were underperforming for the talent they had on their list and selwood was one that called out players to be better.

And told Hawkins to ease up on the scones. He went on to do alright. Jay Neagle not so much.

so let me summarise:

Heppel was a s**t captain but our team was so s**t that no one could have effectively captained this shirt truck of a team, except for a 19 year old Joel Selwood?

We needed someone needed to pull Neagle into line.

 

[blitzer]

And told Hawkins to ease up on the scones. He went on to do alright. Jay Neagle not so much.

We needed someone needed to pull Neagle into line.

Slight difference in talent between Hawkins and Neagle. Hawkins would have legitimately gone pick #1 in his draft if he hadn't been locked up as father son. He dominated the U18 carnival basically marking at will and it was only his wayward goal kicking that kept him from kicking massive bags each game. So there was a lot to work with there. Hell as a 1st year KP he was legit strong even at AFL level which is nearly unheard of.

Neagle had some talent but certainly he didn't have the point of difference that a Hawkins brought to the table.

Also good leaders can help a player sometimes get the best out of themselves but more often than not it comes down to the individual's desire to get better.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Slight difference in talent between Hawkins and Neagle. Hawkins would have legitimately gone pick #1 in his draft if he hadn't been locked up as father son. He dominated the U18 carnival basically marking at will and it was only his wayward goal kicking that kept him from kicking massive bags each game. So there was a lot to work with there. Hell as a 1st year KP he was legit strong even at AFL level which is nearly unheard of.

Neagle had some talent but certainly he didn't have the point of difference that a Hawkins brought to the table.

Also good leaders can help a player sometimes get the best out of themselves but more often than not it comes down to the individual's desire to get better.

It’s a good parallel.

The cats’ leadership got the best out of Tom Hawkins

We didn’t get the best out of Jay Neagle.

It’s always so hard to tell over the last 15 years where the talent stops and the leadership starts falling over.

 

[NAB777]

Joel Selwood at 18 is not the Joel Selwood at 34. He was a dumb kid too once.

Especially in 2007.

The Geelong hierarchy made a highlights package of that dumb kid's 4th game to show to his team mates at training.

 

[boncer34]

The Geelong hierarchy made a highlights package of that dumb kid's 4th game to show to his team mates at training.

Cool. Not the first or last time ever a side showed a young blokes highlights to give them a spark.

Also that was post round 5 yeah? Since he got dropped in round 3 and round 4.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Cool. Not the first or last time ever a side showed a young blokes highlights to give them a spark.

Im sure at some stage we made a highlights package of Kyle Reimers riding a skateboard, only wearing fluro undies and a sun visor

 

[DERO]

Im sure at some stage we made a highlights package of Kyle Reimers riding a skateboard, only wearing fluro undies and a sun visor

 

[Vander18]

I don’t think anyone has suggested Selwood alone would have somehow turned us into a powerhouse of the current era.

Some of us have used him as a reference point for where Heppell was lacking as skipper.

If anyone here actually believes Hepp is in the same stratosphere as Selwood for leadership….then they don’t understand leadership.

There is a reason that one of the most successful organisations in sport has employed him….with a specific focus on….you guessed it….leadership.

 

[ant555]

I don’t think anyone has suggested Selwood alone would have somehow turned us into a powerhouse of the current era.

Some of us have used him as a reference point for where Heppell was lacking as skipper.

If anyone here actually believes Hepp is in the same stratosphere as Selwood for leadership….then they don’t understand leadership.

There is a reason that one of the most successful organisations in sport has employed him….with a specific focus on….you guessed it….leadership.

He is not but you can not be a one man show either. Selwood was double the leader that Hep was / is for sure but he also had plenty of support.
I actually think Heppell would have been a better leader if he had a few hard edge leaders under him. Selwood would have had a harder style for sure but without support he could well have failed as well if he got the group off side because he was the one voice. It is not as simple as comparing one v the other.
There are more factors involved.
I think Heppell is too nice to be a great captain but you can not be too hard edge either if you do not have a few others on the same bus.

 

[Vander18]

He is not but you can not be a one man show either. Selwood was double the leader that Hep was / is for sure but he also had plenty of support.
I actually think Heppell would have been a better leader if he had a few hard edge leaders under him. Selwood would have had a harder style for sure but without support he could well have failed as well if he got the group off side because he was the one voice. It is not as simple as comparing one v the other.
There are more factors involved.
I think Heppell is too nice to be a great captain but you can not be too hard edge either if you do not have a few others on the same bus.

We are in fierce agreement mate - have said as much above and in other posts.

 

[boncer34]

I don’t think anyone has suggested Selwood alone would have somehow turned us into a powerhouse of the current era.

Some of us have used him as a reference point for where Heppell was lacking as skipper.

If anyone here actually believes Hepp is in the same stratosphere as Selwood for leadership….then they don’t understand leadership.

There is a reason that one of the most successful organisations in sport has employed him….with a specific focus on….you guessed it….leadership.

Who said he was?

Double the leader though..... wowser.

 

[fairbump_playon]

He is not but you can not be a one man show either. Selwood was double the leader that Hep was / is for sure but he also had plenty of support.
I actually think Heppell would have been a better leader if he had a few hard edge leaders under him. Selwood would have had a harder style for sure but without support he could well have failed as well if he got the group off side because he was the one voice. It is not as simple as comparing one v the other.
There are more factors involved.
I think Heppell is too nice to be a great captain but you can not be too hard edge either if you do not have a few others on the same bus.

100% and a lot of Heppell’s foundational years were immediately after a year where nearly every senior player had been suspended due to the club’s poor behavior. You can’t get the Cats hard edge vibe when your oldest and best players are as inclined to burn the jersey as die for it. Add in years of Worsfold in full “whatever happens.. happens” mode and it’s such a different scenario that Selwood is almost a meaningless comparison.

Feel like him moving on as skipper is a very significant post saga milestone. His approach was forged at a time we needed harmony over brutal feedback. Yes that suited his natural style.. chicken & egg.

 

[Bombers36]

Geez I love the bloke but he looked very rusty in the match sim. against GCoast....
Not sure he can play a wing in front of Durham or Martin, and he's too slow now for the backline...is he playing out his last year in the reserves?

 

[ant555]

I may well have got this prediction wrong.

 

[Lore]

Geez I love the bloke but he looked very rusty in the match sim. against GCoast....
Not sure he can play a wing in front of Durham or Martin, and he's too slow now for the backline...is he playing out his last year in the reserves?

Looks this way from what we’ve seen over the last year.

Somehow we always seem to carry a veteran in the 22 for 3/4 of their last contract purely so they can yell and point at the kids around them. We did it with Jobe and Goddard and plenty of others. Now it looks like Heppell’s turn.

 

[JT_the_Man]

I don’t see how he possibly fits into our 22, but considering it seems like Scott wanted him to stay on as captain we will probably find a way.

 

[Lore]

I don’t see how he possibly fits into our 22, but considering it seems like Scott wanted him to stay on as captain we will probably find a way.

It doesn't have to be the best 22 on the list, just the best 23 available each week. Given the dearth of leadership he'll be in on that basis, probably the bench rotation for the wing

 

[JT_the_Man]

It doesn't have to be the best 22 on the list, just the best 23 available each week. Given the dearth of leadership he'll be in on that basis, probably the bench rotation for the wing

So that leaves the question of who's going to spend less time on the wing out of Martin/Durham/Langford.

 

[Lore]

So that leaves the question of who's going to spend less time on the wing out of Martin/Durham/Langford.

Whoever is injured.

All three push forward as well, and may spend more time there than otherwise if everyone is fit.

Langford could also end up in the middle as an alt for Setterfield or Caldwell when they're on the bench, injured or pushing forward themselves.

And there's also Perkins, ditto all of the above.

 

[yodellinhank]

So that leaves the question of who's going to spend less time on the wing out of Martin/Durham/Langford.

Langford. Next question?

 

[MightyDon]

I don’t see how he possibly fits into our 22, but considering it seems like Scott wanted him to stay on as captain we will probably find a way.

Scott not wanting to do anything to radical at the club straight away so the token senior list clogger position at the dons to be there in place of games for young talent, why change something that’s been the cornerstone of our success for the last decade?

 

[Lore]

Scott not wanting to do anything to radical at the club straight away so the token senior list clogger position at the dons to be there in place of games for young talent, why change something that’s been the cornerstone of our success for the last decade?

hahaha but also

We spend all off season worrying about how we have so few leaders at the club, and then the couple we do have we don't want to actually play on the day.




Kids learn more when they have someone who knows the thing who can advise them when they're in the wrong spot, or how to deal with particular strategies from their opponent. Otherwise they just run around like headless chickens and lose all their confidence.