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

 

[Alfred E Neuman]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...atson-to-play-on-in-2018-20170719-gxe2nw.html

Probably belongs in Jobe's thread.

 

[Runk]

No good, delist

 

[Lance Uppercut]

I think we have different definitions of 'solid' haha.

'Okay' footy is not something you get dropped for. It's not his absolute ripping best, but it's certainly not bad.
'Solid' is stable, as far as I'm concerned that means consistent.

So to say he is okayish or solid is to say that he's playing consistently at or above the minimum standard we've come to expect of him. He's not playing career best footy, certainly not week in and week out the way Hurls has been, but he's still a great player and one of the best we have, which is nothing to sneeze at.

If I said Jackson Merrett was playing solid footy, the benchmark would be considerably lower - consistently in approximately the top 30% of the VFL team.

no doubt it's sematics. I get that you can quite reasonably use "solid" to describe "inconsistent", for example. But it was never solid I questioned. More "hasn't been great", "been just ok", "something off", "not a good year" etc.

But Heppell has had some brilliant games where he has played as well as he ever has, and he hasn't really had any shockers. I still maintain, which is all I've ever maintained, that we clearly have some pretty high expectations of the guy because he's had a pretty darn good year of footy, and in many ways some of what he used to do is being done by other players now.

I think the thing we all want to see more of is that one single trait that Heppell has that makes him better than a lot of his peers. That is: demonstrate the capacity to lift at exactly the right moment. Insert himself into the broader team contest at that point where he can have the best effect. Do what one J Hird did right across his career.

I think that's what makes Heppell special above all else, and he's done it a few times this year but we all want to see more of it. And I'm sure we're all confident we will in the years to come

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

I don't think he has any stinkers...but he has been unsighted in a few quarters this year. We need him to be contributing at all times. I don't really see him as a match winner, but more of an accumulator that is real important in our fwd line supply. Need him busy when the match is up for grabs.

 

[Lore]

no doubt it's sematics. I get that you can quite reasonably use "solid" to describe "inconsistent", for example. But it was never solid I questioned. More "hasn't been great", "been just ok", "something off", "not a good year" etc.

Well I'm not going to defend the indefensible

But Heppell has had some brilliant games where he has played as well as he ever has, and he hasn't really had any shockers. I still maintain, which is all I've ever maintained, that we clearly have some pretty high expectations of the guy because he's had a pretty darn good year of footy, and in many ways some of what he used to do is being done by other players now.

I think the thing we all want to see more of is that one single trait that Heppell has that makes him better than a lot of his peers. That is: demonstrate the capacity to lift at exactly the right moment. Insert himself into the broader team contest at that point where he can have the best effect. Do what one J Hird did right across his career.

I think that's what makes Heppell special above all else, and he's done it a few times this year but we all want to see more of it. And I'm sure we're all confident we will in the years to come

I think you've pretty much nailed it there. He did that in Round 1, and a couple of times since. But it's mostly been moments; a captain's goal here, a nice passage of play there.

I think that's where the captaincy comes into it a bit though. I think he's concerned with what everyone else is doing and how they're tracking, giving players pep talks or directions or whatever. He has a lot more to responsibility for the way the group as a whole is tracking than he has previously. It's not a bad thing, he'll get better at being captain (delegating more or whatever) and balancing that with his own performances. But I think it's a learning curve which is probably taking the focus off his own game at the moment... like I guess taking his own game to another level isn't as important as learning to manage men and lead from the front. Once he gets that sorted he'll go from strength to strength.

 

[hurlygurdy]

I think the load is being shared around more widely this year. Plus all the returning players would be doing less minutes on the ground than the likes of Zach, BJ and Zaka...

 

[Despair]

SEN's aflplayerratings.com.au has him in the top 25 players for the year (aggregate score). Calling his season 'okay' is nonsense and fake news.

 

[eDPS]

SEN's aflplayerratings.com.au has him in the top 25 players for the year (aggregate score). Calling his season 'okay' is nonsense and fake news.

28th in the comp for disposals, hardly an okay year I'd say he has met my expectations going into the year.

 

[Lore]

SEN's aflplayerratings.com.au has him in the top 25 players for the year (aggregate score). Calling his season 'okay' is nonsense and fake news.

Who says 'fake news' anyway? What does that even mean?

The term 'okay' is clearly used in a relative sense. That's been explained multiple times.

 

[Capt Hindsight]

Heppell's best disposal avg year was 2014 with 28.4 per game, this year is his 2nd best disposal avg with 26.2, and 2015 was his 3rd best with 25.7.
So he is finding more of the ball than his last AFL season but not quite up to 2014 levels.

 

[Despair]

Who says 'fake news' anyway? What does that even mean?

The term 'okay' is clearly used in a relative sense. That's been explained multiple times.

Dangerfield is having an okay year

 

[Lore]

Dangerfield is having an okay year

I don't watch much of him but if that's you're opinion then fair enough. I know he's had a couple of quiet games earlier in the year when he was playing with broken ribs. 'Okay' form for him is probably still top 10 in the Brownlow though.

 

[Capt Hindsight]

Dangerfield is having an okay year

lol he'll be top 3 in the brownlow.

 

[freddy mercury]

Looks like a player, no doubt.

Seems to find the ball in space quite well, and looks calm in traffic.

Reckon this is a 200-gamer at the least on our hands here.

Yeah we do

 

[Despair]

lol he'll be top 3 in the brownlow.

But im using the term relatively.........

 

[Capt Hindsight]

But im using the term relatively.........

Even then compared to his career a top 3 finish is better than his average. The last 2 months of footy Dangerfield has played up there with the best he has produced.

 

[ezard15]

He's not having as much of an impact because he has actually has some decent fellow midfielders but that doesn't excuse his turn overs against the saints. He's had a funny year but


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[Despair]

Even then compared to his career a top 3 finish is better than his average. The last 2 months of footy Dangerfield has played up there with the best he has produced.

I'm clearly taking the piss.

Still maintain that Heppell is playing great. We have him ahead of Daniher in our board MVP thus far (maybe not after this weeks voting though). He just finally has some class around him and the workload has been lightened for him.

 

[JDavey]

Nearly his best game for the year. Most importantly he came up clutch in the moments that counted. The long captains goal before half time to help steady the ship was crucial

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Hasn't been great. Something off this year. Just been ok.

Right?

 

[daffo]

Very nice game by Dice but I think his round 1 game was better.

 

[Skipper_]

Surprised he hasn't got more recognition for his game. He was excellent and is building nicely for finals (hopefully).

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Yep encouraging return to form.

 

[Runk]

Past two weeks have been great. Silencing a few on here and that's never a bad thing.

 

[Laverde2Smack]

wow, seems the expectations for Heppell must be sky high if people think he hasn't been good this year.

You drunk BigFooty?

If you'd asked me preseason if I'd be happy with what he's done this year I would have taken it in a heartbeat and been thrilled about it

I agree. I think he has been very good overall and was very good again today.

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