Hugh Dixon version two.

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At what point do we question our on going abilities as a club to develop KPFs? Pointing to individual players such as Dixon, McCarthy, Hogan and Apeness is not going to progress is. How much of Taberner developing is his work, and how much is it the end result of the coaching team?
Apeness had nothing to do with development, dude was/is broken.

The other 3 it sits squarely on them. For most people, the penny never drops and unfortunately for us, it includes Hogan and Cam (to a lesser extent Dixon).
 
There’s no doubt our development can improve and we seem to be addressing or have addressed that.

Hale is inexperienced and Eastaugh was the development coach for forwards up until this year I believe. Neither have achieved anything meaningful in their coaching career thus far if Tabs can’t be attributed to them.
 
I remember the first time I saw Hugh Dixon in a preseason match simulation. He scooped the ball up between wing and half forward in one hand at full flight and delivered a bullet-like pass to a leading forward. I thought "this kid is really going to be something".

Next season watching the 2km time trial I thought there is something seriously wrong here, from memory he was dead last and beaten in by guys like Scott Jones. I think he is one of those guys who (many years ago) could have gotten by on raw talent, but those days are long gone.

I'm not seduced by talent - if he's not prepared to work a lot harder - and that includes nutrition - then sadly I don't think he'll be playing AFL again.

Come on Hughy, YOU CAN DO IT!!!
 

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Great to read, personally I do not think it will click for him but considering our current list position in the tall forward department it's a great carrot to be dangling in front of him. He's had a 3 years with our group so the connection is there, has had a year with JLo and the new plan as well, and from all reports has all the talent to make it happen.

All it takes is 3 months of hard work to get the one year rookie deal, one injury to the starting line up and then one good performance to set him up and show himself that it's all there for him. Just need a few stars to align, not asking for that much ;)
 
At what point do we question our on going abilities as a club to develop KPFs? Pointing to individual players such as Dixon, McCarthy, Hogan and Apeness is not going to progress is. How much of Taberner developing is his work, and how much is it the end result of the coaching team?

Recruiting has been one dimensional, preferring to trade in ready made talls, and typically they have been available because they have flaws.
Urrrgh...don't make me think about it.

Our inability to draft/develop talls is requiring of a review similar to that conducted on the S&C team. I have no idea where things have broken down but the results speak for themselves and it's not pretty!

One of the joys of supporting an AFL team is watching a young, tall, gangly colt get drafted and following their development as they grow into their body and become dominant big men, who take marks, kick goals and generally impose their will on the game. I'd pay some serious money to have a young Franklin, Kennedy or Dixon on our list and watching them grow.
 
I remember the first time I saw Hugh Dixon in a preseason match simulation. He scooped the ball up between wing and half forward in one hand at full flight and delivered a bullet-like pass to a leading forward. I thought "this kid is really going to be something".

Next season watching the 2km time trial I thought there is something seriously wrong here, from memory he was dead last and beaten in by guys like Scott Jones. I think he is one of those guys who (many years ago) could have gotten by on raw talent, but those days are long gone.

I'm not seduced by talent - if he's not prepared to work a lot harder - and that includes nutrition - then sadly I don't think he'll be playing AFL again.

Come on Hughy, YOU CAN DO IT!!!
He is in a weak area of our list and a difficult one to fill. knowing from the before he was drafted that training discipline was his weak area I would like to know that the club tailored a program towards addressing that, especially off season focus. I know that the club has limits during off season, but providing him the opportunity to train with Fyfe or Pearce in an elite o/s environment is the kind of support I am envisaging. Valuing elite fitness.
 
Urrrgh...don't make me think about it.

Our inability to draft/develop talls is requiring of a review similar to that conducted on the S&C team. I have no idea where things have broken down but the results speak for themselves and it's not pretty!

One of the joys of supporting an AFL team is watching a young, tall, gangly colt get drafted and following their development as they grow into their body and become dominant big men, who take marks, kick goals and generally impose their will on the game. I'd pay some serious money to have a young Franklin, Kennedy or Dixon on our list and watching them grow.
It isn't a big secret that the best KPFs are grabbed early in the draft, or are f/s selections. We consistently prefer mids early (Logue a recent exception). We have stuffed up trading for them, sacrificing an opportunity to draft King. We won't get many opportunities.
 
It isn't a big secret that the best KPFs are grabbed early in the draft, or are f/s selections. We consistently prefer mids early (Logue a recent exception). We have stuffed up trading for them, sacrificing an opportunity to draft King. We won't get many opportunities.
Well some decent KPFs get taken early in the draft.

Some get taken between picks 11-20.

Some get taken with late picks or rookie picks
 
The best option for Hugh would be this Supplemental Selection process throughout the pre-season.

Get Hugh training throughout the pre-season and whilst he is training away invite some other boys for trials. All of them competing for our last rookie spot.

This of course likely means we don’t participate in the rookie draft at all except to select Banfield and Bewley. Although it does look like we will select 1-2 Cat-B rookies depending on what they do with Leno Thomas.
 

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No f***ing way. Embarrassing we're even considering this. Any mature age forward from any league would be better than him.

I'd spew if we wasted another year on him

So my understanding is that the club has discussed only the possibility of training with the team during preseason, not redrafting him in the upcoming draft. So I imagine the intention could be to draft him in the preseason supplemental selection period which normally happens in March, if and only if he absolutely trained the house down during preseason and proved his work ethic. If that's what the club is thinking I think they would have to delist another player like Banfield to leave an empty spot, and then it would be between Banfield and Dixon to fight for the last Category A rookie spot on the list?

There are much more knowledgeable people on here about these things, hope someone can shed some light about list sizes/rookie spots - and can Banfield be redrafted as a rookie considering that's how he was originally drafted?
 
Just spit-balling but is it possibly a bit of a hedge play? Maybe a bit of a contingency of sorts if the club believes they may not secure their ruck/forward prospect, whoever that may be, from the draft? Are they resigned to the fact they're going for the outside run and speed?
 
Just spit-balling but is it possibly a bit of a hedge play? Maybe a bit of a contingency of sorts if the club believes they may not secure their ruck/forward prospect, whoever that may be, from the draft? Are they resigned to the fact they're going for the outside run and speed?

Even if we draft a ruck/forward prospect like Nik Cox, they might not be ready for AFL level for a while. I see it as the club recognising that we've just lost alot of KPF depth in Hogan and McCarthy, so giving Dixon the opportunity to train with the club (and a last chance) is really a no brainer, we lose nothing if it doesn't work out.

Edit: haha I originally said Coxon instead of Dixon, guitarist for the band Blur.
 
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Even if we draft a ruck/forward prospect like Nik Cox, they might not be ready for AFL level for a while. I see it as the club recognising that we've just lost alot of KPF depth in Hogan and McCarthy, so giving Coxon the opportunity to train with the club (and a last chance) is really a no brainer, we lose nothing if it doesn't work out.
Hard to argue with that. In some way a potentially free hit for the club.
 
Many players can turn it around, but it's not the norm to be lazy and find inspiration.

Walters, McGovern 2 that spring to mind.

He's 21. If he's talented enough I'm keen to give him a shot, but he literally needs to be first in the gym and last out type stuff. If he drives through KFC he can pack his bags.
 
We idealy want a utility back-up tall Forward (& maybe it would be nice if he wasn't a complete spud when chopping out in the ruck), so leave a rookie list spot open and invite the WAFL options like Mason Shaw, Tyler Keitel, Zach Strom, Lachlan DeLahunty, and Hugh Dixon to do pre-season with us for the next 3-4 months, then either select the best of the group, or none of them if they don't cut it. They will all know there is only 1 list spot, and if they can't bust a nugget show something knowing that, they never will, so forget them.
 
Just spit-balling but is it possibly a bit of a hedge play? Maybe a bit of a contingency of sorts if the club believes they may not secure their ruck/forward prospect, whoever that may be, from the draft? Are they resigned to the fact they're going for the outside run and speed?
Love the podcast - listen religiously!
 
The club are giving him a second chance to prove that he wants to play at AFL level.It is up to him to prove himself.
In the recent West article about Hugh it was written such that Hugh had sent a request to train with Freo and the club were considering it.
Could be a sign he is ready to put in the work and it is not the club desperately looking for a KPF.
 
In the recent West article about Hugh it was written such that Hugh had sent a request to train with Freo and the club were considering it.
Could be a sign he is ready to put in the work and it is not the club desperately looking for a KPF.
It's hard to work out the set up. Bell said on 6PR some weeks ago that after being delisted Hugh had decided to stay and play in the WAFL to give himself another chance. Then Hogan left. And now weeks later, no WAFL club has announced him as joining them which I thought was odd when the West was all over the WAFL inclusions. Then the club came out and said this. Me thinks since Hogan left and they've had a good think about who may get drafted where and who we could potentially pick up, that Freo could have had another sit down with Hugh and said pull your finger out and you have a fair chance of being rookied for 2021.
 
We idealy want a utility back-up tall Forward (& maybe it would be nice if he wasn't a complete spud when chopping out in the ruck), so leave a rookie list spot open and invite the WAFL options like Mason Shaw, Tyler Keitel, Zach Strom, Lachlan DeLahunty, and Hugh Dixon to do pre-season with us for the next 3-4 months, then either select the best of the group, or none of them if they don't cut it. They will all know there is only 1 list spot, and if they can't bust a nugget show something knowing that, they never will, so forget them.

I don't think Shaw, Strom or DeLahunty would fit our age profile, but Tyler Keitel I wouldn't mind giving a crack at AFL level (24 years old), he and Tabs would make a pretty formidable combo with their strong marking - and on recent form Keitel would be a much safer bet kicking at goal than Lobb, unless he can sort out the stuttered set shot routine. We really need a mature KPF on the list like Keitel at the very least for depth if Tabs (or Lobb) gets injured, after letting Hogan go and delisting McCarthy.

Happy if Dixon can get a spot on the rookie list, still only 21 so plenty of room for improvement if he can put in the required work.
 

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Hugh Dixon version two.

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