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- Mar 28, 2023
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- Collingwood
Give the kid a chance. He's improving every week, imo.
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Bear was fast and had great hands.maybe we should rename him bear mk 2....
Haha. Comparing his speed to one bloke who is below AFL standard due in no small part to his lack of speed (Lippa), and another who is a gun because of his absolute never-seen-before game and congestion awareness, disposal quality, and never-seen-before decision making, each of which can cover up for his lack of speed.
The trouble with Long is that he doesn't just lack speed, he also lacks disposal polish / decision making.
Bear was fast and had great hands.
Long plays more like Rupert Wills. Mainly just tackles.
Bear was fast and had great hands.
Long plays more like Rupert Wills. Mainly just tackles.
I don't tend to like comparing youngsters to bonafide stars of the game, but Ned's early numbers are fairly similar to Cripps in first few games, and although I highly doubt he ever becomes a Cripps caliber player, they do hold a similar body shape and skillset, so I could see Ned becoming a "Cripps-lite" for us.
Felt like his game against the swans was really promising, and the challenge for Ned is for that to now be his "minimum standard" game, especially for these last 2 rounds. I think for me it's pretty clear with Ned the required progression for him, he needs to go from an 8-13 possession/2-3 clearances guy into that 18-22 possession/6-7 clearances bracket.
This doesn't put him into an "elite" level bracket, as I don't think that's realistic - but it certainly means there a role for him in a midfield, especially one like ours that boasts such a rare talent in Nick Daicos. He can lighten the load on Nick a bit, particularly in that tough contested/clearance area, and allow Nick to get a bit more time and chances on the outside where he is at his most damaging.
Beyond that if Ned could develop/improve his aerial game further, it would add another string to his bow if he's pushed forward/around the ground, but for now I'd be content on him focusing on his body/ground work in stoppages and building that chemistry/relationship with the likes of Nick and JDG.
Top speed isn't necessarily game day speed - particularly for mids where it's usually more about short sprints.Gosh i love seeing stats/facts outweigh the eye test
And he’s had a couple of nice I50 kicks breaking from stoppage in successive weeks that resulted in goals.He got more kicks than normal last week. He got a goal too. Evidently, his top speed or his median speed or some other speed is improving. i'm hoping for more top speed and therefore more kicks....and more goals
The other thing that i worry about is he being played in the right position. Finn, for example, needs to be played on vfl grounds. It would be disappointing if Ned needed to be played at grounds other than the MCG
That sux if true.No announcement yet
He's not very likely to make it. Rupert Wills v2.That sux if true.
Seems strange. Why did we botherThat sux if true.
Bytel Sullivan before Long. Still a young big ladSeems strange. Why did we bother
Both might get the chop as wellBytel Sullivan before Long. Still a young big lad
Rather odd timing to do this a week after the exit interviews?Ned Long has been delisted.
Is it though? I would've thought they'd tell someone like Long "We won't be offering you a new contract. We suggest you check with your manager to see if there's any interest from other clubs" etc. Perhaps his manager has spent the week gauging interest?Rather odd timing to do this a week after the exit interviews?
Ned Long has been delisted.
That's what I'm hopingIf they have let him go now, we may just have a better option on the hook.