Nath has quit for good

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Re: Nath Is back

Ammo Man said:
Bit of arse protecting on Nate's part perhaps. Had he not shown some positive inclination to play again delisting was more than a possibility. Anyway, on displayed AFL form he's shown himself to be just a player. Potential means zilch.
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What do you mean by that? If that theory was applied to everyone then the standard of AFL players would be shocking.
 
Re: Nath Is back

c0ze said:
What do you mean by that? If that theory was applied to everyone then the standard of AFL players would be shocking.
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Not sure what you're talking about. Nate has been around for years and has been spoken of (and still is by some) as a star in the making yet his elite level performances haven't matched the rhetoric. He played almost every game last year yet only finished 13th in the B&F. He's been tested at the elite level but,so far,hasn't lived up to the "star" label. Simple really!
 

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Re: Nath Is back

Ammo Man said:
Not sure what you're talking about. Nate has been around for years and has been spoken of (and still is by some) as a star in the making yet his elite level performances haven't matched the rhetoric. He played almost every game last year yet only finished 13th in the B&F. He's been tested at the elite level but,so far,hasn't lived up to the "star" label. Simple really!
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13th in the B&F, with 9 All Australians I'm actually impressed with that and for me it has sparked that "star in the making" thinking again... Thank you!
 
Re: Nath Is back

JUBJUB said:
Remember when he debuted [Rd 20 or 21 2005] he only debuted because we had a long injury list at the time and NA was our only other option up forward [Ottens was injured the week before].At the time Bomber said they had no choice but to play him.He said he would've prefered to him to debut in 2006.

People who think he only got games because of his surname are either nuffies,________s or trolls.
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Hate to nitpick
But Ottens got injured in the same game that Nathan debuted in against Melbourne, because I remember we jumped them early and got out to a 4 or 5 goal lead and then as soon as Otto went down Melbourne came back and won by a point:(
 
Re: Nath Is back

cats2rise said:
I wish!
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That sums up this situation for everyone on here that thinks this kid is ever going to be anything but an average performing player at AFL level.

The situation was obvious. The club lured Nathan in, went easy on him... then post flag win in '07 put the pressure on him to get fitter / have a dam hard pre-season. He said nah, and walked away. This mentality won't change all that much. No elite sportsman today gets to be successful with any other attitude than to want it BAD!

Nath has everything in his favor, apart from 1 thing... The want to be there. The fact remains that off his own bat, he never would have played for Geelong at all. I don't want to see players like that running around in the team I support... I want a list of players without the silver spoon-in-anus thank you. :thumbsu:
 

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Re: Nath Is back

martyk said:
That sums up this situation for everyone on here that thinks this kid is ever going to be anything but an average performing player at AFL level.

The situation was obvious. The club lured Nathan in, went easy on him... then post flag win in '07 put the pressure on him to get fitter / have a dam hard pre-season. He said nah, and walked away. This mentality won't change all that much. No elite sportsman today gets to be successful with any other attitude than to want it BAD!

Nath has everything in his favor, apart from 1 thing... The want to be there. The fact remains that off his own bat, he never would have played for Geelong at all. I don't want to see players like that running around in the team I support... I want a list of players without the silver spoon-in-anus thank you. :thumbsu:
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Yeah I actually agree with you MartyK. I think the club will put the pressure on him now and if he has no inspirations to play AFL then he may be delisted still.
I think the comparisons to his old man are failry apt because Gary Snr didn't like to train either but could get away with that in his era due to his enormous talent. The discipline required to be at the GFC now would mean both he and Nablett would struggle to get a look-in at the selection table because they were/are simply not team focussed or committed enough. (before you jump down my throat let me just qualify by stating that this was what was reported re gary snr at around the same age).

It would be my wet dream to see Nath as committed as his brother because it would be a joy to behold watching him play....but I just can't see it happenning.
 
Re: Nath Is back

martyk said:
That sums up this situation for everyone on here that thinks this kid is ever going to be anything but an average performing player at AFL level.

The situation was obvious. The club lured Nathan in, went easy on him... then post flag win in '07 put the pressure on him to get fitter / have a dam hard pre-season. He said nah, and walked away. This mentality won't change all that much. No elite sportsman today gets to be successful with any other attitude than to want it BAD!

Nath has everything in his favor, apart from 1 thing... The want to be there. The fact remains that off his own bat, he never would have played for Geelong at all. I don't want to see players like that running around in the team I support... I want a list of players without the silver spoon-in-anus thank you. :thumbsu:
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Some perspective...

(1) Club did work hard to get Nath to get involved, but why wouldn't they? His father was the best player in the history of the club, and his brother (even then) was showing very promising signs.

(2) Club did not go easy on him. It is clear that Nath only played seniors because there was no other viable player ahead of him for selection. He came in to the team at the end of '05 during an injury crisis, and showed enough to stay in front of others in the mix for selection. The longer he hung around and contributed (yes, he did contribute on most occasions), the more likely it was he was going to continue to be picked. It wasn't like anyone could point out the player/s that he was keeping out of the team through his inclusion each week. He was in and out of the team in '06 anyway - surely an indication that the club wasn't taking it easy on him. They were asking him to contribute more - if they truly believed that another player was ahead of him, they would have kept him in the twos, before delisting him when the chance arose. Club didn't give him games for just being an Ablett; neither did they accept that his output at that point was always going to keep him in the team in the future.

(3) Silver spoon analogy has no credence whatsoever, if by that we're talking of someone who is seen to have an over-inflated sense of entitlement. Nath was quite happy to play park footy with his mates; doesn't suggest he had any sense that he was entitled to come and play AFL with the Cats. Club sought him out (believing that there was a prospect of him being a player), and then he went through the same process as everyone else in preparing for footy.

Whether he put as much into that process as others is irrelevant. He was chosen to play for the club under the direction of a coach who epitomises hard work and persistence in everything he's ever done. To think that he was gifted an easy ride to senior games under a disciplined character like Thompson is just not credible.

'Silver spoon' mentality would have seen him despised by the rest of the team as well - you only have to look at the comments of Mooney at the announcement of Nablett's hiatus to know that Nath was considered an important contributor. Let's face it - how much would someone like the Moondog despise anyone presenting at the club with a 'silver spoon' attitude?

(4) Whether Nath 'wants to be there' to a level that satisfies all the supporters of GFC is another matter of insignificance. If he is judged by the selection committee to have an output in his position that is superior to that of others competing for his place, he wil get a run. No club is going to select a player that they believe 'wants it more' over one who can contribute more to the team's success.

The 'wants it more' mantra is completely subjective; performances on the field are the objective reality that clubs are drawn to. If Nath can perform at a level greater than his clubmate who 'wants it more', the club will continue to pick Nablett (and so they should).

GO CATS!
 
Re: Nath Is back

i am really happy he is back! i think by coming back to train he has realised that a footy career is what he wants and hopefully once he is fit enough and has played in the VFL will come back next year! He will have to work for it coz we have a super team right now and we already have heaps of talented players missing out every week so i don't think they will give him special treatment! he will have to earn it and if he puts the hard work in he will be just as good as his brother! Remember gary jnr afew years ago? he wasn't putting enough work in and they picked him up on that and now he is a superstar or a little genius take your pick but i think nath can do the same!
 
Re: Nath Is back

Not having a go at any player, manager or team, but it's interesting the difference in how situations are resolved. Nathan could identify himself that his mind wasn't in it, and instead of forcing himself to do something, he took himself out of the position and sorted things out.

Barry Hall, a more mature person, doesn't want to be where he is (the rumours are the boxing thing is becoming more and more likely) yet keeps going at it. Maybe for money, maybe to not let the team down, maybe cause he is proving something to himself. But for some reason, the club has made the decision for him to walk away for a while.

Like I said, I'm not passing judgment, just interesting how things work out sometimes. In all honesty I'm excited to have Nathan back, I think if he got a bit of real competitiveness in him, he could be elite. Just some of the skills he has just make you turn back the clock...... I said half-jokingly to a guy at lunch yesterday that he could be better than Buddy..... ;)
 
Re: Nath Is back

looked good at training
will play games soon
is happy to be there

afl by round 18

the bloke is back, killer vfl forward line of hawkins and ablett and gamble
 
Re: Nath Is back

I was loving it how, in the photo from The Age, Nath was casually kicking on his left foot. Raw talent!

I always thought that, beside Brad Ottens, Nath had the best kick in the side. I love it how the commentators always, whenever Otto has a set shot say "he's a beautiful kick of the ball", but he then goes on to miss! However, it must be hard for a man with such huge hands to guide a football down accurately onto his boot.
 

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Nath has quit for good

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