News National Draft - Pick 33 - Welcome Bradley Hill

[pantskyle]

haha

Are you laughing at the way I drive my automobile?

 

[essaynode]

Did anyone actually read my post? I wasn't having a go at Hill. I was pointing out that there were good reasons he slipped to pick 33, and that he has developed more since being drafted than a lot of the other guys in that draft. He has weaknesses people, even now, and his tackling is one of them. Granted, he is a primarily outside player, but one tackle does not make it a strong point.

As for his kicking, as i've mentioned several times now, i don't think he is the greatest kick of the ball, but he makes up for it with his decision making and smarts. I never said he wasn't a good kick, just that compared to his running, speed, evasiveness, etc., that it is not his strongest point.

Not attacking here, but you wrote that Brad Hill's kicking is "not fantastic". I think it's pretty close to fantastic as I don't recall all that many clangers. (Selective memory of course). Isaac Smith would seem to kick more clangers if my selective memory serves me correctly.

A fantastic kick for me therefore is someone who is able to spot up a target reliably under a reasonable amount of pressure with a reasonably difficult or accurate kick that makes you applaud when you see it happen. Spotting up a target reliably also means that the player doesn't cough up the ball frequently when making those kicks and having supporters rue the times the player has the ball (think Young). I recall myself applauding frequently watching Brad Hill play.

My questions for you Prudster are: what is a fantastic kick to you and what does Brad Hill need to do to make his kicking fantastic?

 

[Hawkas1988]

I think Prudster was just stating that Hill's kicking technique isn't exactly ideal and it was his biggest weakness upon being drafted. He is one of the best players at playing to his strengths and taking the right option practically everytime.

What has occurred between 2011 and now is quite incredible IMO. Hawthorn's ability to work on a player's skills and technique is really impressive. Hill however has shown rapid improvement in this area and something even Hawthorn officials would be surprised by.

His kicking isn't of Mitchell or Burgoyne's standard (not many players are) but he chooses the right options most the time and is a great disposer of the footy now due to this and working his absolute backside off.

 

[MrFujiMoto]

Hill still misses the odd pass and it seems to be when trying to hit players on the lead. He is FAR better than we he came to the club though. Very good by foot compared to the day he was drafted

 

[Prudster]

Not attacking here, but you wrote that Brad Hill's kicking is "not fantastic". I think it's pretty close to fantastic as I don't recall all that many clangers. (Selective memory of course). Isaac Smith would seem to kick more clangers if my selective memory serves me correctly.

A fantastic kick for me therefore is someone who is able to spot up a target reliably under a reasonable amount of pressure with a reasonably difficult or accurate kick that makes you applaud when you see it happen. Spotting up a target reliably also means that the player doesn't cough up the ball frequently when making those kicks and having supporters rue the times the player has the ball (think Young). I recall myself applauding frequently watching Brad Hill play.

My questions for you Prudster are: what is a fantastic kick to you and what does Brad Hill need to do to make his kicking fantastic?

I think Prudster was just stating that Hill's kicking technique isn't exactly ideal and it was his biggest weakness upon being drafted. He is one of the best players at playing to his strengths and taking the right option practically everytime.

What has occurred between 2011 and now is quite incredible IMO. Hawthorn's ability to work on a player's skills and technique is really impressive. Hill however has shown rapid improvement in this area and something even Hawthorn officials would be surprised by.

His kicking isn't of Mitchell or Burgoyne's standard (not many players are) but he chooses the right options most the time and is a great disposer of the footy now due to this and working his absolute backside off.

This pretty much nails what i'm saying. If you break it down into decision making and executing the kick, then Hill is fantastic at the first, and good at the second, but not at a Mitchell level. As i mentioned with Hill earlier, you don't really see him attempting difficult, long kicks to players under pressure, while being under pressure himself. To me, a fantastic kick is someone like a Mitchell who can be dodging tackles, kick it 45 metres and have it land centimetre perfect to a forward surrounded by defenders.

If you asked Hill to take a kicking test, where you take out any notion of decision making and just ask him to hit a series of targets, especially while under pressure, he wouldn't be as good as he is on game day, imo. Hill's strengths of decision making and outrunning everyone else to find space means that his kicking doesn't need to be the best of the best, because he has time and space to execute, and can choose an option which is realistic, and if possible, an easier kick.

Comparing him to guys like Smith and Young doesn't really show anything. Young's decision making and execution was generally poor, and if it wasn't for his booming left foot, his kicking would be absolutely useless. Smith tends to play a slightly more contested game, and is not really considered one of the best kicks in the team. Compare Hill to a Grant Birchall type, who tends to kick it slightly more, with longer kicks, and imo, slightly more difficult kicks, and his efficiency is quite a bit higher. Not a perfect comparison, but comparing him to the very best kicks going around shows that Hill is just a bit below them.

Like i said, it's not a crack at Hill, and it is certainly something he has improved, but imo it's his decision making and relatively uncontested game style that are bigger factors in his efficiency, rather than pure kicking ability. Again though, i'm certainly not saying he is a bad kick, just that it's not his biggest strength.

 

[pacman]

Are you laughing at the way I drive my automobile?

All good fun mate amazing the perceptions at 18 then into a good system what improvements can be made.
His run and carry is brilliant but I'm not sure how good it would be at a lower club.

Des Headland was a gun at the Lions yet struggled at Freo.

 

[hfc70]

The scary thing about Brad Hill, is that he could end up with a 4th Premiership with less than 100 games under his belt !!!!

Has any other player come close to this ?!

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Hopefully Freo tanking makes him think he should stay with us and his brother joins us !!!

 

[Pessimistic]

The scary thing about Brad Hill, is that he could end up with a 4th Premiership with less than 100 games under his belt !!!!

Has any other player come close to this ?!

Theres a few of them whos winning ratio is about 80%

Of course this years is running at.......80%

 

[crazywildhorse]

Hopefully Freo tanking makes him think he should stay with us and his brother joins us !!!

Does he want to go to Freo? Seems to have settled well in Melbourne.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Does he want to go to Freo? Seems to have settled well in Melbourne.

I heard a rumour he is contracted til 2017 and not been prepared to consider an extension at this stage.

Could mean anything, but he has had some off field issues too.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Hill is indeed contracted to the club to the end of 2017 (signed a deal back in 2014).

 

[HODGEYROAD]

What was the handball he did in the middle of the ground to avoid being tackled ? one of the softest things Ive seen on the football field lol.