Analysis Collingwood Almanac 2015

[WalterBlaknWhte]

That's going a bit too far back, the height of your average KPF has grown tremendously since even the mid-90s. It's still increasing now as Kappa has alluded to, but I'm a bit sceptical about players over 200cm actually being co-ordinated and athletic enough to really become a lasting trend.

Because the population in general has increased in average height we are likely to have more athletic 200cm+ players.

I wonder if the AFL trains for agility in a similar way to basketball?

 

[Dynamics]

Height is important but it has to be complimented by other attributes to be a CHB, for example. You still need good closing speed, good reach, strength in the contest and a decent leap. Mentally you have to be able to focus for extended periods, know how and when to leave your man to help your team mate or cover an area. Be able to read the play, the ball and your opponent for four quarters. If you're off for 5-10 minutes against someone like Josh Kennedy you can have 3 goals shoved down your gob.

Someone like Scarlett had all those non-physical attributes pretty much maxed out and was no slouch in terms of strength, so he could work as part of a defensive unit to just shut down the opposition.

I think Marsh is probably at the lower end of acceptable height, but does have the leap and speed. Can he get strong enough and nail those defensive KPIs? Not so sure. He'll be a player for us, no question. He's just one of those blokes who seems to need try on a few positions before he finds his niche.

 

[Knightmare]

The national draft component of the bigfooty phantom draft is complete.

I took the following:
32. Kieran Lovell (super quick, high production small mid)
60. Marcus Adams (strong, athletic, intercepting marking mature KPD)
72. Josh Wagner (tall skilled HBF)
78. Tom Phllips (medium midfielder/utility with good all-round game and strong production)
79. Christopher Jansen (tall, high production mid/def)

--
Rookie draft is next and probably take a combination of mostly general forwards with my three picks depending on how things work out with other teams.

 

[Soups]

The national draft component of the bigfooty phantom draft is complete.

I took the following:
32. Kieran Lovell (super quick, high production small mid)
60. Marcus Adams (strong, athletic, intercepting marking mature KPD)
72. Josh Wagner (tall skilled HBF)
78. Tom Phllips (medium midfielder/utility with good all-round game and strong production)
79. Christopher Jansen (tall, high production mid/def)

--
Rookie draft is next and probably take a combination of mostly general forwards with my three picks depending on how things work out with other teams.

Like the sneaky CJ pick at the end Knighter see he has moved into your top 30 power rankings. Hoping the Pies do have their eye on him.

 

[Knightmare]

Like the sneaky CJ pick at the end Knighter see he has moved into your top 30 power rankings. Hoping the Pies do have their eye on him.

I have yet to update my power rankings.

Phillips I currently have at 26 and was confident would be available with my final selection.

Adams I have at 39, Wagner at 42, Jansen at 44.

Player 41 on my soon to be updated power rankings (not currently listed in my draft thread) I have saved for my first rookie selection as a mature general forward.

And Lovell who being that first selection has been spoken about a lot I have at 17 on my draft board.

 

[TheWing121]

QUOTE]

Knightmare I am interested to here your thoughts about our Key Position players and our strategy. I noticed we did pick up any tall forwards. Do you think it is as simple as we didn't rate anyone or we are targeting someone next year? or do are we happy with White as a backup and believe Moore, Grundy & Witts will come on

 

[Knightmare]

Knightmare I am interested to here your thoughts about our Key Position players and our strategy. I noticed we did pick up any tall forwards. Do you think it is as simple as we didn't rate anyone or we are targeting someone next year? or do are we happy with White as a backup and believe Moore, Grundy & Witts will come on

I'd imagine the club understand that with key forwards most specifically (we're ok for key defenders unless we find a projected star standard key defender) that the good key forwards go inside the first round (other than father sons/academy type exceptions).

Given that understanding would you want another Paine or Gault with our selections? Keeping in mind that both of whom were relatively ok value selections? I can't say I'd support that.

So that key forward need will have to be met in a future year.

It has been stated that Darren Wyatt will develop at VFL level mostly as a key forward who can push into the ruck so that's another number if all we're after is another number. But getting a quality key forward with our picks just isn't a realistic hope or expectation to be something that you'd look to do something about this year given the clubs trade week activity in upgrading the clubs best 22.

 

[TradeDraft]

I'd imagine the club understand that with key forwards most specifically (we're ok for key defenders unless we find a projected star standard key defender) that the good key forwards go inside the first round (other than father sons/academy type exceptions).

Given that understanding would you want another Paine or Gault with our selections? Keeping in mind that both of whom were relatively ok value selections? I can't say I'd support that.

So that key forward need will have to be met in a future year.

It has been stated that Darren Wyatt will develop at VFL level mostly as a key forward who can push into the ruck so that's another number if all we're after is another number. But getting a quality key forward with our picks just isn't a realistic hope or expectation to be something that you'd look to do something about this year given the clubs trade week activity in upgrading the clubs best 22.

What about not getting a Crumbing Forward that we Need - that we did not Draft?

 

[Knightmare]

What about not getting a Crumbing Forward that we Need - that we did not Draft?

A crumbing forward to our liking may not have been available, or we may just prefer marking (general) forwards (in Elliott, Fasolo, Howe and now Crocker), seeing marking ability in forwards as that most critical element to winning in the way we view contested ball winning that most critical element through the midfield.

 

[Bard]

Because the population in general has increased in average height we are likely to have more athletic 200cm+ players.

I wonder if the AFL trains for agility in a similar way to basketball?

Is the average height still increasing? As a 23 year-old I tend to find those 5~6 years younger than me are a lot shorter than me and my friends (and don't give me that growth spurt BS, most of us stop growing too much well before we're 18 ) Would be interesting to read a study on it anyway.

 

[WalterBlaknWhte]

Is the average height still increasing? As a 23 year-old I tend to find those 5~6 years younger than me are a lot shorter than me and my friends (and don't give me that growth spurt BS, most of us stop growing too much well before we're 18 ) Would be interesting to read a study on it anyway.

At a cracking party Bard, will revert tomorrow

 

[Apex36]

Is the average height still increasing? As a 23 year-old I tend to find those 5~6 years younger than me are a lot shorter than me and my friends (and don't give me that growth spurt BS, most of us stop growing too much well before we're 18 ) Would be interesting to read a study on it anyway.

Average height in humans in general has been consistently increasing since forever. If you've ever been to Europe and stayed in an old inn or pub that's a couple of hundred years old you'll notice that doorways and ceilings are significantly lower. It's because the average height of people in those days was about 5 ft nothing. A part of human evolution seems to be that we're getting taller and taller.

 

[Bard]

Average height in humans in general has been consistently increasing since forever. If you've ever been to Europe and stayed in an old inn or pub that's a couple of hundred years old you'll notice that doorways and ceilings are significantly lower. It's because the average height of people in those days was about 5 ft nothing. A part of human evolution seems to be that we're getting taller and taller.

Yeah you'd think so and I get where you're coming from but archaeologists have also found areas of Europe that historically had a very tall average height (comparative to now, not then) I believe... It's certainly public perception to believe we're constantly growing taller but Im pretty sure its not that simple. Anyway I have no actual science to back me up right now but maybe I'll look into it later

 

[Apex36]

Yeah you'd think so and I get where you're coming from but archaeologists have also found areas of Europe that historically had a very tall average height (comparative to now, not then) I believe... It's certainly public perception to believe we're constantly growing taller but Im pretty sure its not that simple. Anyway I have no actual science to back me up right now but maybe I'll look into it later

You're right, it's not that simple. Over the past 150 years in particular, humans have seen their average height in industrialized nations jump roughly 10cm. The dramatic jump is attributed to higher standards of living and medical advances, particularly in the case of infant diseases.

There is debate over whether or not we will continue to grow or whether humans in industrialized nations have now reached their optimal height and increases will taper off, but it certainly seems that in the case of professional athletes in particular, we're still getting taller. I know that my dad was taller than his dad, I'm taller than my Dad, and my son at the age of two is projecting to become a monster. Yeah, it's a small sample size, but I like to think that my family is an active participant in human evolution

 

[Bard]

You're right, it's not that simple. Over the past 150 years in particular, humans have seen their average height in industrialized nations jump roughly 10cm. The dramatic jump is attributed to higher standards of living and medical advances, particularly in the case of infant diseases.

There is debate over whether or not we will continue to grow or whether humans in industrialized nations have now reached their optimal height and increases will taper off, but it certainly seems that in the case of professional athletes in particular, we're still getting taller. I know that my dad was taller than his dad, I'm taller than my Dad, and my son at the age of two is projecting to become a monster. Yeah, it's a small sample size, but I like to think that my family is an active participant in human evolution

Other animals tend to grow to match the size of their habitat moreso than diet.

What iI'm getting at overall however is perhaps the possibility that throughout time we've grown taller and/or shorter as evolution has progressed to suit the needs of humanity. We've definitely been growing as a whole over the last 3 or 4 generations but what's to say there wasn't a trough somewhere in there? As I said, I have no science to back me up so I'll look into it later.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Evolution or not, mid filed players seem to be getting taller - and we are now tracking to have 6'2" plus players running through the middle.
Hence, Sier et al