AFL Player # 9: Dylan Shiel - Sticking around for 2025, training in the backline - 18/10

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It's the immediate blaming of Redman that doesn't it for me.

The footage on first crack showed there was a bit of signalling about a handover.
Redman has been applauded for the way he criticized Shiel but we also don't know the roles because Shiel may have been filling in for someone else that didn't do their role. That may explain Shield's reaction.

This is why I'm hesitant to smash him all the time. Yes there are moments where he has picked and chosen (more recently because he seems to be getting singled out as the issue) but we also don't know when he is trying to do the right thing and fill someone else's spot in a zone or cover someone else.
 

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360 vision of the parker mocking was left to run a few additional seconds.

Shiel sees it and laughs it off. Which seems about right given parker is acting like a dick.

Also for all the criticism about not going parker at the next contest, he blocks him and parish gets a ball to caldwell.

Narrative seems more about the club than shiel. Which is where it belongs.
 
What can we do.
There is no one in the vfl to come in for him
Im not necessarily saying to drop him but im sure we have 22 fit guys on the list that arent Shiel

I just dont know how you can defend it like many are, thats my issue

Fwiw every player that walks onto an AFL field is courageous. But im comparing him against his opponents

Really him being mocked is more an issue on the other 21 that didnt come in and fly the flag. Enough of the BS that no one knew about it or saw it. There were 3 players who were looking exactly at it
 
The footage on first crack showed there was a bit of signalling about a handover.
Redman has been applauded for the way he criticized Shiel but we also don't know the roles because Shiel may have been filling in for someone else that didn't do their role. That may explain Shield's reaction.

This is why I'm hesitant to smash him all the time. Yes there are moments where he has picked and chosen (more recently because he seems to be getting singled out as the issue) but we also don't know when he is trying to do the right thing and fill someone else's spot in a zone or cover someone else.

this is the footage:



the central problem is we don't actually know what has gone on and who is in the right, but we can play the 'effort' game and say Shiel isn't trying hard enough. But it seems to me we can tell the exact same story where Redman or Nick Martin is the bad guy.

This all happens at the 36:00 minute mark of the Kayo reply. It was a Swans free-kick from their goal square, not quite a kick in but basically one. Shiel was in the middle, blocking space in the corridor, and once the ball gets kicked to the flank and down the wing, Shiel is going to go to the contests there, which makes sense given he's an on-baller. So this free-kick from Lloyd goes to an even numbered contest on the flank which goes to ground, however Martin is a decent distance from his opponent...so when the Swans player gets the ball, they flick a hand-pass to Martin's opponent who gets an easy hand-ball receive and has the time to do the long kick down the line that Papley marks. Redman, meanwhile, is guarding on the other flank, where the ball is probably unlikely to go to ("skinny side"/"fat side" - the ruckmen were jogging to the flank opposite to Redman, always a good indicator to where the ball is going to) and even if Redman had chosen to leave the Swans player open and gone back to defence, and that Swans player got the ball, well who knows how that goes for the Swans player, particularly as Shiel is actually in the corridor, so that open Swans player may not have been able to kick into the corridor and instead would have probably gone down the line, or even backwards. Maybe Shiel is of this opinion: I'm in the corridor. Don't worry about that player Redman, because if that player then tries a kick into the corridor I'm in the way. You go to defence when you're needed.



And what was Redman doing near the F50 anyway? Upon reply, this is the play where Cutler does a long bomb from the boundary line of the 50 meter mark (a rushed play because he accidentally played on). When Cutler kicks the ball, Redman is literally walking along the 50 meter mark and once Cutler kicks it, Redman starts to jog back (so his push forward is as meaningless if not more than Shiel's push to the contest)...and then the footage above starts. Maybe it's Redman not trying hard enough? Maybe it's Martin hunting a goal and not paying his opponent enough respect. This is the problem with this shit. When you get your head kicked in like we are, you can find footage to justify any ****ing story you want. And I'm the guy who was saying last season that we should have a mature conversation with Shiel and try to move him on.
 
yeah seems like Shiel probably should run off after Papley and leave that space of the ground entirely open. Don't see much going wrong there, it's only Buddy Franklin a little bit up from that space if it's opened up. Someone was too far away from Papley. Probably wasn't related to Redman or Shiel. Some other **** is probably getting off the hook here. Could be related to the whole "the team sucks" thing. But like I said, you can tell a story here when there's a million bad guys apart from Shiel (for example, that number 21 guy for the Swans here. That's the guy who kicks it to Papley.)

1652710488993.png
 

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yeah seems like Shiel probably should run off after Papley and leave that space of the ground entirely open. Don't see much going wrong there, it's only Buddy Franklin a little bit up from that space if it's opened up. Someone was too far away from Papley. Probably wasn't related to Redman or Shiel. Some other **** is probably getting off the hook here. Could be related to the whole "the team sucks" thing. But like I said, you can tell a story here when there's a million bad guys apart from Shiel (for example, that number 21 guy for the Swans here. That's the guy who kicks it to Papley.)

View attachment 1401967
Shiels positioning there in that screen shot is fine
 
Shiels positioning there in that screen shot is fine
...yeah, and that screenshot is the spot he's in where in the video he starts telling Redman to go back, just from the other side. Note Shiel's arm. So if Shiel's positioning is fine and where he should be.....why would he give that up to shut down Papley? It seems the right thing to do is identify if anyone is in the wrong spot and tell them to move on. Let's say for example's sake...Mason Redman. Like I said above, shit like this is stupid. Get your head kicked in like this, you can find whatever bad guys you want.



1652711298857.png
 
...yeah, and that screenshot is the spot he's in where in the video he starts telling Redman to go back, just from the other side. Note Shiel's arm. So if Shiel's positioning is fine and where he should be.....why would he give that up to shut down Papley? It seems the right thing to do is identify if anyone is in the wrong spot and tell them to move on. Let's say for example's sake...Mason Redman. Like I said above, shit like this is stupid. Get your head kicked in like this, you can find whatever bad guys you want.



View attachment 1401976

Its what happens post kick in that is wrong phone
 
Anyone that knows football to any enth of a 1 degree knows Dylan is in the wrong there

Mason tells him to play on Papley, he refuses

He shouldve been 3-5m inside him not 25

Im glad Dylan is finally being watched closely. Been saying it for ages
He was actually fine with roll over defense in 2019. He often rolled back onto McKenna or Saad's man. Was the same in early 2020.
What you see now is the effect of a player who now does not care. Yes he was wrong and I mentioed his zone defense was crap in the Hawks game as well. Should have taken Papley 100% but a few things happened here.
First up for Papley to be free there was someone else out of position as Shiel had the mid ground slot. So Shiel then has a decision leave the middle open and go or stay. The mistake he actually made was tracking the ball and not picking up Papley on the way through. You can actually see three Essendon players slide over and do **** all.
Final mistake was having a crack at Redman as it was not him who was out of position in the zone. It was someone else or there was no roll over from the defenders.
 
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I will say this. You could look at vision of a few others doing exactly what Shiel did . The only difference here is the on field argument. There are multiple examples of our players zoning grass or a space.
 
I will say this. You could look at vision of a few others doing exactly what Shiel did . The only difference here is the on field argument. There are multiple examples of our players zoning grass or a space.

isnt that what zoning is by definition? zoning grass or a space

do we want to play a system that when it fails looks like witches hats or man on man, cant have both

or maybe we have got the zone right but are missing the surge pressure on the ball carrier to go with it

at this point id probably rather man on man, at least it gives you a chance to put forward some tangible pressure and aggression and urgency. But i guess doing that means you are throwing away a preseasons worth of work.
 
A lot less of it gets called out as armchair expertise. Is any supporter who hasn’t played the game, or any sport at a professional level not allowed to criticise?
Except I’m calling out a particular type of criticism. I take no issue with fans saying a player didn’t chase hard enough or could have gone harder at a contest. But the pejorative connotation of “soft” from hypocrites that would never be brave enough to set foot on the field is a bit much for me.
 
isnt that what zoning is by definition? zoning grass or a space

do we want to play a system that when it fails looks like witches hats or man on man, cant have both

or maybe we have got the zone right but are missing the surge pressure on the ball carrier to go with it

at this point id probably rather man on man, at least it gives you a chance to put forward some tangible pressure and aggression and urgency. But i guess doing that means you are throwing away a preseasons worth of work.
Zone is not just guarding an area. You are responsible for players entering your area .
Man on man can fall over just as easily if one or two players are not switched on in the same way as not being in the spot in the zone.
Zone defence was designed in AFL to be able to counter players being away from their direct opponent and have a team approach to picking up players.
Problem is when players literally just zone a spot and do not adjust.
You can get burned just as was easily man on man if players are lazy .
Man on man no longer works when you have sides attacking out of half back as it is almost impossible for the forwards to transition from attack to defend. Modern half backs zone off and intercept. That gives overlap.
 
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Except I’m calling out a particular type of criticism. I take no issue with fans saying a player didn’t chase hard enough or could have gone harder at a contest. But the pejorative connotation of “soft” from hypocrites that would never be brave enough to set foot on the field is a bit much for me.
You’re opening yourself up to a lot of assumptions here. Firstly, it’s a game of football which I would imagine many supporters have gone and played. And yes, there are a few professions I can think of that are braver than footy player.

It honestly just sounds like you don’t like the criticism being aimed at one of your players by fellow supporters.
 

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AFL Player # 9: Dylan Shiel - Sticking around for 2025, training in the backline - 18/10

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