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

[RedmanWasHere]

Can almost hear Sheeds whispering in the background..."At least he looks like a footballer now"

As opposed to:

Early career Harvs.
2001 Solomon.
Anderson, early career Grenvold and O'Brien.
Van Der Haar.

 

[rines]

Stats don't tell you the style of the way they play. Athletic profile? Who's athletic profile? Look at the way they play:

Griffen:


Heppell:


Pendlebury:

fine, you are right.

I did say that Heppell has to improve the penetration on his kick. I think IF he does that.. then we can revisit this discussion.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

For a good kick who never kicks long, he sure misses a lot of targets.

 

[Loonerty]

For a good kick who never kicks long, he sure misses a lot of targets.

I feel like he stabs at every kick, never actually follows through.

 

[SirJimi05]

For a good kick who never kicks long, he sure misses a lot of targets.

The kid was our best player today. For a guy that constantly defends Stanton I think this is not warranted.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Lol. Not a patch on Stanton or Hooker. Zero hurt factor.

 

[SirJimi05]

Stanton capitalized when the inside players were dominating....

Heppell willed himself into the game when the chips were down.

You can take the front runner

 

[Loonerty]

I would argue Stanton's first quarter is a big part of why we did so well in that period.

 

[OzBomber]

Kid has a permanent bent leg. I have never seen him follow through completely and straighten his leg. Loopy hospital kicks are just asking for trouble when there's pressure.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

 

[table tennis]

I mentioned years ago he isn't damaging by foot. People tried to run me out of town.

I am still to change my opinion.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Kid has a permanent bent leg. I have never seen him follow through completely and straighten his leg. Loopy hospital kicks are just asking for trouble when there's pressure.

That's because he's always under pressure.

 

[Bomberblitzer]

Stanton capitalized when the inside players were dominating....

Heppell willed himself into the game when the chips were down.

You can take the front runner

Calling Stanton a front-runner? What a ****ing joke...

 

[ghostdog]

Thought Heppell was definitely among our best today, but I am the only one who thinks he needs to learn how to sheppard? There were a couple of instances in the last quarter where he handballed to his nearest team mate only to then stand there and watch it unfold. Frustrating.

 

[Bomberblitzer]

Geez some of you guys are harsh on a 21-year old. He's a ****ing star and will only get better.

 

[Zach Package]

that's Dyson's next step, when he gets it 70 around from goal he should back himself to kick it 40 plus on an angle to the fat side of the ground (where ideally a forward will mark the thing) and not take the angled 18 metre kick.

Still, i thought we were gonna need a couple of 'god mode' performances today to get up, Hep's last quarter was pretty god mode ish, when we needed it the most.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

No one's doubting that, but he's not a "kid" in footballing terms. He's good enough to be judged among the best.

 

[yaco55]

Doubt that we can do much to quicken the trajectory of Heppell's kicking. Too much is made of his kicking. I would classify him in AFL standards as just above average. And we know that I am very critical of kicking standards in the AFL. How many in our team have real hurt factor with their kicking skills; Fletcher/Hurley/Goddard/Watson/Chapman/Jetta/Melksham, and probably two or three others.

I will now raise my hobby horse Heppell's speed - I want him to work with a sprint coach over the summer. You can improve your speed ove r the first 5 or 10 metres. This will allow Heppell's game to reach another level

 

[eth-dog]

Doubt that we can do much to quicken the trajectory of Heppell's kicking. Too much is made of his kicking. I would classify him in AFL standards as just above average. And we know that I am very critical of kicking standards in the AFL. How many in our team have real hurt factor with their kicking skills; Fletcher/Hurley/Goddard/Watson/Chapman/Jetta/Melksham, and probably two or three others.

I will now raise my hobby horse Heppell's speed - I want him to work with a sprint coach over the summer. You can improve your speed ove r the first 5 or 10 metres. This will allow Heppell's game to reach another level

Zaharakis, Stanton, Hibberd, Dempsey, Winderlich are hardly two or three players, and that's just off the top of my head

 

[vast]

Kicking lacks penetration always has always will. But at least he was one of the few that tried his guts out for the whole game especially in the last qtr along side watson. Also well done to Dyson for improving his defensive efforts especially tackling.

 

[Keystone agony]

Went at 67% efficiency not the end of the world.

I agree that he doesn't have a long penetrating, maybe damaging kick. However he is pretty good with his short passes most of the time and setting up play.

 

[blitzer]

People definitely set the bar higher with Heppell than they do with other players. He's still quite young and yet every year he manages to take his game a step further thus far. For comparison he's only a year older than Jackson Merrett who is probably having his breakout year this year and has only just forced his way into the best 22 in his third year (which is pretty standard for flankers/mids).

We have just been spoiled by having a player like Heppell come in and play like a 100 game player as an 18 year old - averaging 18 touches a game, never getting subbed or rested and playing 22 games in his first year. He has actually upped his game vastly since then - this year in particular he's become genuinely prolific and he's clearly working on some of his weaknesses like his defensive running and tackling.

Personally I think he's a terrific player that continues to just get better and better. Some people act on here as if he has to be elite in every category of the game before he can be a good player. The truth is he's an integral part of our team and will comfortably be top 5 or higher in b&f if he plays 20+ games. We've had a few losses in a row now sure, but its hardly as a result of Heppell's performances.

 

[EBCantona]

He is only 21 which i think a lot of us forget because he matured so quickly.

 

[rines]

No one's doubting that, but he's not a "kid" in footballing terms. He's good enough to be judged among the best.

I feel Heppell is, in one way, a victim of his own success and brilliance. Is only 21 but already feels like he has been there forever.. has got all the skills and attributes and from day 1 has been an 'above average' footballer.

I agree that no player should be a 'protected species'.. I agree that Heppell hasn't got enough on his kicks to be damaging and often handballs to the wrong option.

Right now I see Heppell as playing B+/A level football, I believe he has been very good in games. However I believe that he is capable of being an A+ midfielder, like top 15 in the comp and do make that jump he will need to improve his disposal.

 

[Ambrosia]

There's no reason why he can't improve his kicking given how hard he works and that he naturally makes good decisions with the ball. He should also work with a running coach there is no reason why someone with his leaping ability should be so slow off the mark.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

I feel Heppell is, in one way, a victim of his own success and brilliance. Is only 21 but already feels like he has been there forever.. has got all the skills and attributes and from day 1 has been an 'above average' footballer.

I agree that no player should be a 'protected species'.. I agree that Heppell hasn't got enough on his kicks to be damaging and often handballs to the wrong option.

Right now I see Heppell as playing B+/A level football, I believe he has been very good in games. However I believe that he is capable of being an A+ midfielder, like top 15 in the comp and do make that jump he will need to improve his disposal.

I think that he pretty much is a victim of his own success but that's no bad thing. You'd rather he's good enough to raise expectations than not.

Another way of looking at it that this is his 3rd full season since his genuine AFL standard breakout. He was just good enough to be a genuine AFL contributor in his first year.

The Merrett comparison is an interesting one. Yes Merrett is only a year younger, but this is his first year as a genuine week in, week out AFL standard contributor. Heppell's 3 years ahead in that measure.