Player Watch #40 Tyler Sonsie

[Phar Ace]

If we look at the senior side and count the actual mids either purely inside or both inside and out then there is normally about 7 picked most weeks.

Imo it is important we mirror what we do in the seniors with what we do in the magoos.
This gives us both a means to implement a succession plan and depth when injuries hit.

If all of Smillie, Lalor, Prestia, Hopper, Taranto McAuliffe Ross and Hotton are starters and they should be by years end then we are three or four mids short on our list. Some of Those named above will definately play dual roles and also provide rotations from the bench.The key point being they are all primarily mids.

Given lists of 44 then i think clubs need a minimum of 12 to 14 mids with another 4 to 6 pure outside mids ie wingers.
That is a minimum of 16 all types and a maximum of 20.

If those above all start in the seniors then the magoos only have Dow and Sonsie as afl listed mids. Where is the depth and the development its almost non existent.
What is going to happen when injuries hit is mayhem .Where is the longer term planning and where is the pressure from beneath.last year we were short of mids we then lost 4 and bought in three.The numbers are even worse this year.


I cannot push this point enough but we are still seriously short on for mids in various stages of development.
Personally i would like us at the end of this year take two in the draft and go and recruit a few mature types in a good age bracket. That is to replace the four mids we lost this year and get the numbers up to a manageable level for depth development and succession purposes.

Hope we uncover a good sized mid to add to the slim pickings with that train-on space we have for another.

 

[Dr Tigris]

Personal view is that 90% of Sonsie's issues are between the ears. He slid in his draft year because clubs felt he was sooking, and since then he hasn't really seemed like he was 100% committed or could deal with the crap of not being a walk up start in his favoured position.

People from the club have said he could be a star, but only via players saying good stuff, and coaches saying they see a lto in him. So I guess they see him in training and he does good stuff. If he can get himself ready physically and mentally he could/should be an AFL player. Some people just take longer to grow up. He knows now that he won't walk into a spot as players get older, the kids are coming and they are good and hungry.

 

[lizard man]

The kind of player who after hopper or Taranto win the ball from the centre comes charging in from the back of the square to receive the hand pass and blitzes through the middle and delivers a lace out pass inside 50 for a goal assist

 

[Groupie_]

shown nothing in any season

delist end of year

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

If we look at the senior side and count the actual mids either purely inside or both inside and out then there is normally about 7 picked most weeks.

Imo it is important we mirror what we do in the seniors with what we do in the magoos.
This gives us both a means to implement a succession plan and depth when injuries hit.

If all of Smillie, Lalor, Prestia, Hopper, Taranto McAuliffe Ross and Hotton are starters and they should be by years end then we are three or four mids short on our list. Some of Those named above will definately play dual roles and also provide rotations from the bench.The key point being they are all primarily mids.

Given lists of 44 then i think clubs need a minimum of 12 to 14 mids with another 4 to 6 pure outside mids ie wingers.
That is a minimum of 16 all types and a maximum of 20.

If those above all start in the seniors then the magoos only have Dow and Sonsie as afl listed mids. Where is the depth and the development its almost non existent.
What is going to happen when injuries hit is mayhem .Where is the longer term planning and where is the pressure from beneath.last year we were short of mids we then lost 4 and bought in three.The numbers are even worse this year.


I cannot push this point enough but we are still seriously short on for mids in various stages of development.
Personally i would like us at the end of this year take two in the draft and go and recruit a few mature types in a good age bracket. That is to replace the four mids we lost this year and get the numbers up to a manageable level for depth development and succession purposes.

Jeez let's see how the team goes first mate...we were sheet last last year...before we start organising wholesale changes...
Perspective...

 

[of unsound mind]

Personal view is that 90% of Sonsie's issues are between the ears. He slid in his draft year because clubs felt he was sooking, and since then he hasn't really seemed like he was 100% committed or could deal with the crap of not being a walk up start in his favoured position.

People from the club have said he could be a star, but only via players saying good stuff, and coaches saying they see a lto in him. So I guess they see him in training and he does good stuff. If he can get himself ready physically and mentally he could/should be an AFL player. Some people just take longer to grow up. He knows now that he won't walk into a spot as players get older, the kids are coming and they are good and hungry.

Agree, in numerous junior games and the vfl game as a 17 year old he showed elite skill, racked up clearances, burst from the centre, kicked goals and actually tackled. Seems like he thought it would all just happen, but lacking commitment and professionalism it hasn’t, and he’s also lost confidence. If he can gain those aspects, he has the talent to be a solid afl standard midfielder. Hoping, but they are big ‘ifs’.

 

[tigerfan1961]

Clearly Blair and the recruiting/list management team think we are ok for mids or we would definitely have drafted more of them in the last draft given the strong picks we held. We took so many talls instead, that tells me we thought that was a priority for the list and we were reasonably happy with our depth in the midfield, even after we lost the players we did.

No doubt if things don’t go as well as they hope, we will draft mids at the end of this season, and from what I’ve read, that’s the strength of this upcoming draft. Blair knows what he’s doing imo. Supporters need to keep faith and be patient, the last list build that got us our dynasty was many years in the making.