Changes vs gws

[Old Skool]

Please explain how you KNOW he will be elite and not just mediocore. I find your blind optimism a little silly.

I find you lack of football nous even sillier.

Go back and have a look at Jobe Watsons and Sam Mitchells first 3 years, and then factor in the alteration in game style and fitness.

I saw Ben standing up dragging two bigger opposition players along with him on occasions on saturday night. In two years time he will be getting his hands free and dishing off on 90% of those occasions, with his excellent handball skills. In two years time he will still only be 22.

He's a natural pit bull.

However, as far as senior AFL football is concerned, he is still a pit bull pup.

He's just not ready yet.

 

[roospur]

I wish this was the case but the sad fact is that Cunnington is going to be a mediocore player at best. Not saying he was woeful on the weekend, but he just isn't the player we were hoping for.

Oh dear, yep you can tell that he is going to be mediocre at best from what the 30 odd games that he's played. He is playing in the guts against seasoned afl bodies and is holding his own. It would be great to see him have 30 touches and kick 3 goals every week but that is not reality! The kid has easily the best hands in the team especially in traffic. is a very good kick, is tough and courageous! He will be an elite midfielder in a few years. Bookmark it!

 

[ArjenTheGreat]

Why?

The guy has not shown that he can impact on games.

He constantly gets caught holding the ball.

Please explain how you KNOW he will be elite and not just mediocore. I find your blind optimism a little silly.

It's sort of like how people all pre season were telling me Tarrant would make and that he was the answer to our prayers despite having never shown anything.

But i digress. Arjen, please tell me why questioning whether Cunnington will ever be better than average is the worst post of the year, given what he has shown to date.

I hear ya mate... he was a top 5 pick, and we all hope that he will become the Lenny Hayes type we are looking for.... but some of the things he does reeks of 200 game premiership player - he does have time both in a game sense and in a career sense and importantly I do believe he makes good decisions too.

And yes admittedly he does probably get caught a bit too much, but at least he is trying to deliver to our advantage by hand... in some cases its actually better to be caught holding the ball than throw a hospital handpass up when we haven't had time to get back and set up defensively... ala bastinac on the weekend.

He is a boy playing a man's game... And as OS has pointed out, Jobe Watson, Brendan Goddard, Dane Swan and countless others had shown less then Ben10 at the same age.

Christ even Ziebell was pretty ordinary until last year.

Not everyone is Joel Selwood or Nate Fyfe TBL...

Thankfully Harper might just be one of those freaks.

 

[the big lebowski]

I find you lack of football nous even sillier.

Go back and have a look at Jobe Watsons and Sam Mitchells first 3 years, and then factor in the alteration in game style and fitness.

I saw Ben standing up dragging two bigger opposition players along with him on occasions on saturday night. In two years time he will be getting his hands free and dishing off on 90% of those occasions, with his excellent handball skills. In two years time he will still only be 22.

He's a natural pit bull.

However, as far as senior AFL football is concerned, he is still a pit bull pup.

He's just not ready yet.

Look we are all supporting the same side. I truly hope you are all right.

BUT

Is he a natural pitbull? i watched the replay a couple of times and watched Ben at stoppages, becuase lets face it his job is to win contested footy yeah?

He seemed to me to mostly be sitting around the edges of the pack. In a game where we got SMASHED out of the middle, he did very little. You can claim he was playing his own role and all that crap but the following is true:

a) His time on the ground was played mainly in the middle
b) he won very little footy out of the middle
c) we got smashed out of the middle

so if his role was to win the footy - he failed

if his role was to stop Essendon winning contested footy - he failed

People crap on about him playing his role to stop the opposition getting the footy....... ok let's say that's true. Did we use pick 5 on a tagger?

Against the bulldogs, he played in the guts. We got smashed out of the guts.

Against the blues, he played in the guts, we got smashed out of the guts. Some claim he played on Judd. I didn't notice it. Not saying he didn't but Brad Scott said the next day that Anthony played on Judd.

I also find the comparisons to Ziebell to be false. Jack won a rising star award in his first year, despite not being fit. He clearly had soemthing. Ben has not got Jack's kicking ability, or his kamakaze attack ont he footy

 

[the big lebowski]

Thankfully Harper might just be one of those freaks.

Yes, thankfully we can all agree that Harps is "the shit"

 

[the big lebowski]

i also really rate Ately TBH. Some on here do not seem as sold on him as me. But i for one think he will be a fantastic player for NMFC.

 

[Old Skool]

Is he a natural pitbull? i watched the replay a couple of times and watched Ben at stoppages, becuase lets face it his job is to win contested footy yeah?

People crap on about him playing his role to stop the opposition getting the footy....... ok let's say that's true. Did we use pick 5 on a tagger?

His current job is to build his experience and fitness at AFL level.

The coach has been following this tactic for the past two years.

It looks as though it's going to pay off fabulously with Ziebell, Wright, Harper, Bastinac, Mullet and Atley.

Mullet, Bastinac and Atley have the advantage of being quick players whereas Ben will never be quick, he'll be inside, and this explains his slightly slower development.

Have patience.

 

[the big lebowski]

Have patience.

I am certainly not saying we should drop him. He and the coaching staff will learn nothing by having him play VFL.

Unless he is injured or playing that poorly, i say he should play the whole year in the middle.

If he can't have a game where he gets 25+ touches, or 10 clearances the writing will be on the wall IMO.

 

[Saintly31]

I think everyone agrees Cunnington needs (and deserves) time. No issue there at all, young inside players against the best in the comp is much harder than getting cheap kicks in open play.

I think the difference in opinion lies in what he has shown so far. Its all well and good to raise Mitchell, Swan and Watson as examples of early strugglers that have blossomed, but for every star like them there is another 20 who simply don't reach the heights expected despite all the patience in the world.

I hope Cunnington becomes elite one day like all of us!! I just haven't seen any of those qualities yet - he is neither fast, tall, highly skilled or quick thinking. Hopefully confidence/fitness/maturity and/or experience will bring that out.....

 

[Only Forwards]

This thread is about the changes for the match this weekend against GWS not tit for tat crap.

 

[Old Skool]

Sweet, I'll use the ignore function. Carry on.

 

[sammie]

Apparently Levi had a corked buttock over the weekend. That would explain the poor showing for the 2s.

 

[Saintly31]

Apparently Levi had a corked buttock over the weekend. That would explain the poor showing for the 2s.

If so, shouldn't have played maybe?

Sounds right though - hopefully over it ASAP and back in the 1s to provide a bit more grunt in the middle.

 

[benno87]

If so, shouldn't have played maybe?

Sounds right though - hopefully over it ASAP and back in the 1s to provide a bit more grunt in the middle.

I want to see Greenwood go nuts in the VFL and get 30+ touches before walking him back in, he was left out for a reason.

The logical one at this stage appears to be replacing Tarrant if required, either Pederson to play a roaming CHF or Delaney to play FB and allow the ruckman both to play forward.

 

[LeFtBehinD]

I am certainly not saying we should drop him. He and the coaching staff will learn nothing by having him play VFL.

Unless he is injured or playing that poorly, i say he should play the whole year in the middle.

If he can't have a game where he gets 25+ touches, or 10 clearances the writing will be on the wall IMO.

At the moment none of our players can do that. So I don't know how you expect the kid to carry our midfield or its bust.

I'm embarrassed for our club when I hear this kind of crap from callers ringing radio stations when our games are on.

Most people can see he's on a similar form line to Ziebell from a year ago. God remember all the threads on here how we should have taken Sidebottom...

 

[The Filth Wizard]

I think we'll go in unchanged to be honest, injuries barring.

Still a lot of rust from an underwhelming pre season.

 

[sammie]

If so, shouldn't have played maybe?

Sounds right though - hopefully over it ASAP and back in the 1s to provide a bit more grunt in the middle.

If he could just sort out that cork, I'm sure he would find the 2's way easier.

 

[the big lebowski]

At the moment none of our players can do that. So I don't know how you expect the kid to carry our midfield or its bust.

I'm embarrassed for our club when I hear this kind of crap from callers ringing radio stations when our games are on.

Most people can see he's on a similar form line to Ziebell from a year ago. God remember all the threads on here how we should have taken Sidebottom...

This will be my last post on the issue (at least until next week )

Firstly, i don't understand why you say none of our players can get a 25+ possesion game or 10 clearances when Swallow had 26 sat night, Wells, Harvey, Ziebell, Greenwood, Anthony and probably even H jave done it over their careers. I didn't say he has to do it every week, just once in his first 3 years would be nice.

Your embarrassed about what? People questioning where a player is heading? Get used to it mate or don't listen to talk back radio

Yes, i do remember Ziebell's lack of progress this time last year. However i dispute that Ben has shown the same level of potential that Ziebell had at the same stage. Just my opinion though.

Anyways, here's to Ben smashing GWS this week

 

[nicko74]

Being from WA I don't get to see our VFL sides too much but isn't Cruize Garlett worth a chance to prove himself with a few games in a row. From what I've seen of him, his disposal seems quite good and the club has always said he's a very good clearance player. Not sure how quick he is but as long he makes a difference around the stoppages it can only help us?

 

[roos_fanatic08]

After his pre-season i though garlett would have been walk up start in the 22. Had a reasonable game on the weekend without being outstanding, but they did get flogged.

 

[Kimbo]

After his pre-season i though garlett would have been walk up start in the 22. Had a reasonable game on the weekend without being outstanding, but they did get flogged.

Had a late injury set-back I believe? Nothing serious, but it stopped his momentum.

 

[ozzyoslo]

I just got home from the Swedish mountains ( a few days early I might add) to read the team. Tarrant out- Young?? Keys in.
I´m pleased that Scott gave the team another chance to prove themselves. Interested in the article about the 2 rucks put on notice. And to those here canning Cunnington, will be eating their words shortly. I just can't see why there is no room for the lad to learn his trade. Bastinac, just to name one could easily be put in that basket where the player needs to lift in the output department.
And I have noted that Milky has been named as an Emergency. I hope he gobbles his chance when the time comes and kicks a bag.