Retired #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

 

[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.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Jobe was copping a lot of flak about his kicking early in his career.

 

[rines]

Yeah.. will be interesting to see if Heppell's kicking gets better with another year of fitness and strength in the legs.

This is the first season he has played near full time midfield, with a hard tag.. requires more running than he has ever done before.. perhaps that is effecting the quality of disposal a little too..

 

[Darealrath]

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

Totally agree - just seems to have no power in his legs.

That said, he was fantastic yesterday.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Jobe was copping a lot of flak about his kicking early in his career.

Jobe was just a poor kick from the start. Heppell clearly isn't, which is why it's concerning.

 

[JDavey]

Hahhahahahahhaa.

Heppell is currently rated #3 for disposals in 2014 so far (only GAJ and Beams ahead), and #6 for total effective disposals.
Ranks top 10 for disposals per game. and top 20 for average effective disposals per game.

At age 21?

I actually don't remember the last person to do that. I agree that he needs to be able to look up a bit and kick longer, and he should put some work into his top speed but far out with the way we've been playing he is the least of our concerns. Couldn't be asking much more of a 21 year old.

 

[Yoda_]

People want to just bitch & moan though. At least the kid is having a crack.

Can't say the same for some of his mates

 

[yaco55]

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

The only one of that group that may have HURT factor in their kicking is Hibberd.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Stanton and Dempsey are both 70m players as well.

 

[yaco55]

Jobe was just a poor kick from the start. Heppell clearly isn't, which is why it's concerning.

Jobe has improved his aerobic capacity and his outside play which has undoubtedly helped him with his kicking, not excluding the many hours of practice.

 

[Kong]

Even though he got a stack of it against Collingwood, I reckon that was one of his poorer games that I can remember.

 

[The Prosecutor]

Quite a few games this year I've been surprised to see his disposal count.

Just hasn't yet developed his kicking to levels where he hurts the opposition and is the big thing holding him back from being in the upper echelon of midfielders.

 

[Whispering_Jack]

Quite a few games this year I've been surprised to see his disposal count.

Just hasn't yet developed his kicking to levels where he hurts the opposition and is the big thing holding him back from being in the upper echelon of midfielders.

He's actually being playing more behind the ball this year than last I think. I have hardly seen him start a centre bounce in the centre.

 

[Keystone agony]

People also seem to forgot that huge hit he took earlier in the game. Bounced right back up Joel Selwood style and didnt affect one iota of his game in regards to gut running and still going in for the pill.

Alot of fans and non supporters were saying hes a soft outside type early in his career but he has put that to rest with efforts like that on Anzac day. A hit like that would usually really impact most 21 year old games significantly. Not Dyson.

We are asking too much IMO. Way too much.

 

[vast]

Even collingwood supporters on Bay 13 were praising his last qtr efforts. I wish some of our other players were too buggered to kick well.

 

[daffo]

another good game from Heppell. Can't ask for more than what he did on Friday.

 

[BrunoV]

Hahhahahahahhaa.

Heppell is currently rated #3 for disposals in 2014 so far (only GAJ and Beams ahead), and #6 for total effective disposals.
Ranks top 10 for disposals per game. and top 20 for average effective disposals per game.

At age 21?

I actually don't remember the last person to do that. I agree that he needs to be able to look up a bit and kick longer, and he should put some work into his top speed but far out with the way we've been playing he is the least of our concerns. Couldn't be asking much more of a 21 year old.

Agree that some of the criticism has been outrageous but the reality is that if he cannot flatten and lengthen his kicking he is not going to be a particularly dangerous player.

Though he was huge on ANZAC day.

 

[yaco55]

3 votes in the coaches award.

 

[Zach Package]

if he continues adding facets to his game every year as he has been doing, he'll iron this out and go from A grader to Godzilla.

Still really hard to be disappointed with his season so far. Become a fantastic volume ball winner while still maintaining efficacy

 

[SirJimi05]

Watson, Goddard and Heppell - 3 best leaders at the club. Heppell plays his best footy when the chips are down. The kid will be the next captain of EFC

 

[Big Fresh]

Watson, Goddard and Heppell - 3 best leaders at the club. Heppell plays his best footy when the chips are down. The kid will be the next captain of EFC

It's down to him and Myers.

 

[rines]

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

I thought he was poor in the first half but he battled on and by the end of the third quarter was close to BOG. Stood up when we needed him and made an impact. Sign of maturity I thought.

 

[Yoda_]

Loved the fact that Jobe got stuck into him a number of times about his positioning throughout the night