Brayshaw and Cerra.

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For every late bloomer, you can find even more examples who regularly dominated by game 50. Fyfe, Martin, Bont, Oliver, Shuey, Treloar, etc.

Their draft class was very weak. The junior highlights of all the mids we had to choose from all looked very vanilla. Things are panning out at AFL level pretty much as expected. No surprises and they are tracking nicely to be good/solid players. If they are indeed late bloomers and become stars, I would view that as a bonus, not the expectation.

We actually chose the best two mids around our selections. Imagine if we had taken LDU and Dow, who look like complete busts to me. Even Rayner looks very bloody ordinary so far.
 

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Brayshaw is carrying something. Look at his time on ground stats. Cerra has looked good this year for mine. Nothing to worry about at this stage.

Brayshaw has the will to win that you can't train.

The issue with Cerra is he doesn't put his head over the ball too often. He might have some decent skills but he doesn't seem to want to put his body on the line. Thats a big worry for mine.

He played his best game when he was getting cheap kicks off the HBF.
 
Neale was drafted at 19.

We need to wait another year to compare with Neale.
I saw Neale training when he arrived at the club at 19. I saw Serong training when he arrived at the club at 18. For me, Serong looks a more rounded player now than Lachie was when he arrived. Let's hope his development is as good as Lachie's.
 
I like Adam and Andy, I think they were OK picks. So far they aren't a complete waste like so many of our other first rounders.

What I don't like is that they have basically been gifted their games to date. I know there's a lot of hype around players getting to 50 or 100 games but is Adams first 100 games the same as say, Matt de Boers or Mick Barlows? I don't reckon.

There would have to be players on the list like Valente, North etc. that know that the reason they don't get a game at AFL level is not necessarily based on their performance.

I think that subconsciously, the end result is Andy doesn't think he can lose his spot and North doesn't think he can win it.
 
I'm positive about both of them. I think they've both shown enough that they can make it.

It's now up to them and the coaches to get them more consitant. I think it will happen.

Hope they both stay injury free.

Remember the debate about Stephen Hill and Daniel Rich? But that's for another thread.
 
This is why I wanted Hugh Greenwood last season. We need Brayshaw and Cerra playing #3 and #4 mid behind Fyfe and another contested ball winner until particularly Cerra is able to win the hard ball himself.

But we will get best team results when the likes of Cerra and Walters aren't winning their own ball at all because Fyfe/Greenwood/Valente etc are winning it and feeding it out to them, and they started cheating wide and forward knowing the ball winner wouldn't let them down.

That's where football tips really, really fast.

Maybe we can play Fyfe, Conca, Walters. Or Fyfe, Conca, Cerra.
 
Funny how the gloss wears off a lot of the overhyped Vic Metro superstars and they get caught and often overtaken by the kids from the other states when everything is equal

Hopefully I'm just jumping the gun because we need them to be good

Yeah, I was thinking that too.

Bearing in mind we overlooked Naughton, Oscar Allen, Tim kelly and Liam Ryan - 4 of the first West Australians to be drafted that year. Not suggesting they're all better, but I really hope we haven't been sucked in again.
 
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There would have to be players on the list like Valente, North etc. that know that the reason they don't get a game at AFL level is not necessarily based on their performance.

I think that subconsciously, the end result is Andy doesn't think he can lose his spot and North doesn't think he can win it.
Valente was injured all of last year and the club clearly has a hard on for him anyway. Even Fyfe has talked him up in the past.

North put up some decent numbers in the WAFL in 2018 I think, but struggled a bit last year and only averaged 20 disposals in the WAFL (where Banfield and Crowden dominate). Hardly banging down the door. Both of those blokes have had a go at AFL level (clearly Mitch not enough) and haven't cemented.

The sad reality is we don't have bulk youth tearing it a new one in the WAFL.

If you want to make the case, its not that North hasn't got a game, its that Banfield and Crowden haven't had an extended run in the midfield (neither has Cerra).
 

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Yeah, I was thinking that too.

Bearing in mind we overlooked Naughton, Oscar Allen, Tim kelly and Liam Ryan - 4 of the first West Australians to be drafted that year. Not suggesting they're all better, but I really hope we haven't been sucked in again.
Naughton's still a bit over-hyped now. Been a bit more flash in the plan so far, which is absolutely fine, but not had a "career" as yet. Kelly, Ryan, Allen all came into established teams that were hitting their straps. It's a vastly different school to learn and display your wares in.

It's three disrupted games in to one of the weirdest seasons ever and we're adding to that the adjustment to a new coach (who's finding his way) and a new game plan. I wouldn't be using things not ticking along smoothly this year as any substantial evidence just yet. Brawhaw's shown enough glimpses of his potential for it to be enticing. Cerra's probably not got as much evidence at the level, but he's also shown glimpses of his footy smarts being a weapon with a high ceiling of potential.
 
This is why I wanted Hugh Greenwood last season. We need Brayshaw and Cerra playing #3 and #4 mid behind Fyfe and another contested ball winner until particularly Cerra is able to win the hard ball himself.

But we will get best team results when the likes of Cerra and Walters aren't winning their own ball at all because Fyfe/Greenwood/Valente etc are winning it and feeding it out to them, and they started cheating wide and forward knowing the ball winner wouldn't let them down.

That's where football tips really, really fast.

Maybe we can play Fyfe, Conca, Walters. Or Fyfe, Conca, Cerra.

Greenwood would've been very handy this year! And probably the next couple.
 
Yep, i cant work out where this is coming from.
I think its coming from having expectations of a pick 2 and 5 being superstars which is made worse by 2018 being a once in a generation draft haul and Rowell being a once in a generation player.

Realistically, they are both tracking to be very good players - not superstars but very good, and that's a win. They are the best performed midfielders outside Kelly (who clearly shouldnt be compared to them) and Worpel from their draft year.
 
Valente was injured all of last year and the club clearly has a hard on for him anyway. Even Fyfe has talked him up in the past.

North put up some decent numbers in the WAFL in 2018 I think, but struggled a bit last year and only averaged 20 disposals in the WAFL (where Banfield and Crowden dominate). Hardly banging down the door. Both of those blokes have had a go at AFL level (clearly Mitch not enough) and haven't cemented.

The sad reality is we don't have bulk youth tearing it a new one in the WAFL.

If you want to make the case, its not that North hasn't got a game, its that Banfield and Crowden haven't had an extended run in the midfield (neither has Cerra).
Yeah I probably shouldn't have named North and Valente, I was speaking generally.
 
I think its coming from having expectations of a pick 2 and 5 being superstars which is made worse by 2018 being a once in a generation draft haul and Rowell being a once in a generation player.

Realistically, they are both tracking to be very good players - not superstars but very good, and that's a win. They are the best performed midfielders outside Kelly (who clearly shouldnt be compared to them) and Worpel from their draft year.
and the knock on worpel’s game at the time was his kicking, which in his u18 year was pretty horrific from memory
 
A few points from my perspective:
1. (Touch wood) They’ve both been durable and can handle the knocks off AFL and for high Freo draft picks this has been rare.
2. They’ve both been...ok. We’ve seen passages, even games that they have produced but then generally go missing for quarters or even weeks and this is frustrating.
3. They’re both still young and can learn and improve.
4. Who else? Such is the state of our list. Crowden, Banfield, North - no thanks. Valente - who knows? I’d argue Blakely deserves a 10 game bulletproof run like these 2 are given but he doesn’t seem to be the flavour of the current coach and I think that’s unfortunate but we don’t have much else. I’d prefer others dropped before these two.

I haven’t been that impressed but I live in hope.
 
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Naughton's still a bit over-hyped now. Been a bit more flash in the plan so far, which is absolutely fine, but not had a "career" as yet. Kelly, Ryan, Allen all came into established teams that were hitting their straps. It's a vastly different school to learn and display your wares

Maybe, but they all look like draft wins....even Naughton at 8 looks a very good pick.
It just adds to the narrative that Vic metro kids get overhyped compared to similar kids from elsewhere.
As I've pointed out many times in the past, our record drafting VM kids is ****ing atrocious. There must be a reason for it.
 
I saw Neale training when he arrived at the club at 19. I saw Serong training when he arrived at the club at 18. For me, Serong looks a more rounded player now than Lachie was when he arrived. Let's hope his development is as good as Lachie's.

yup lets not forget when Rhys Palmer arrived at the club he was basically a finished product. He had maxed out early and basically played the same debut game 100 times.

Serongs looks good but his development will come in the next 2-3 years hopefully.
 
They're both going to be fine mate, no need to worry. This board seems to have an issue and paranoia of constantly comparing our draftees to others in entirely different situations.
Totally agree.

Our team needs for them to be A graders but they are 3 year players.

People need to relax. They are developing pretty well.
 

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Brayshaw and Cerra.

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