Player Watch Pick #16 (2016) - Todd Marshall

[TeeKray]

Like it or not, Hinkley has to be credited for sticking with him when most wouldn't of. He obviously saw his potential early.. You could see always see it. Just took a little while to surface.

Imagine if the club listened to the Genius' here. Marshall would be playing in Vic right now...

Lol, we all know Hinkley only stuck with him because of his off field circumstances, no such charity being shown to MG who is showing far more at the equivalent stage of his career.

 

[El_Scorcho]

A lot of the criticism of Marshall among the Port Adelaide supporter base was along the spectrum from impatient to moronic. It showed a disconnect from the reality of what a developing key forward should be doing at AFL level. Most people who made those criticisms have now acknowledged that, and I think as Port supporters we can have a free pass because we have only developed 1 key forward in the AFL and he was a complete freak who would have been good anywhere, so we just simply haven't seen a key forward go through a development process that has borne fruit in 25 years.

Every single other club develops their key forwards as we have Marshall. Back them in and give them a run at it at AFL level. If they're doing the team things, excuse quiet performances and a perceived lack of impact. Don't rely on them to lead the line before they're ready, have experienced key forwards around him. Only the absolute freaks are able to come out of the blocks at 19 and run the show.

Lol, we all know Hinkley only stuck with him because of his off field circumstances, no such charity being shown to MG who is showing far more at the equivalent stage of his career.

Mitch absolutely, 100% shouldn't be in the 2s and only is because his coach is now panicking and coaching selfishly because he knows his job is gone.

But he's played 38 games in 2.5 years. At the halfway point of his 3rd season, Marshall had played 16 games.

In the 2020 preseason, the bouncing DVD logo that is the 1 brain cell in Ken Hinkley's head hit the corner perfectly and it flicked a switch that controlled his willingness to develop key forwards.

 

[Del165198]

In the 2020 preseason, the bouncing DVD logo that is the 1 brain cell in Ken Hinkley's head hit the corner perfectly and it flicked a switch that controlled his willingness to develop key forwards.

 

[afl2004]

 

[PJ Power]

Slowly but surely, Marshall is becoming the player I look forward to watching most in our team. Nothing is better than a key forward marking and kicking goals. With 10 games left in the season, I’d love him to kick another 25-30 to finish the year. And I don’t want to hear the typical defensive rebuttal about how rare that feat is. He can do it. He can be better than just average or above average.

 

[philthy05]

View attachment 1425069

That stat really flies in the face of the “he isn’t a kf”

And the

“He isn’t a good contested mark” Crowd.

He wouldn’t be #2 in the afl in that stat if he was getting out marked or getting beaten by his defenders.

 

[PJ Power]

That stat really flies in the face of the “he isn’t a kf”

And the

“He isn’t a good contested mark” Crowd.

He wouldn’t be #2 in the afl in that stat if he was getting out marked or getting beaten by his defenders.

He’s not getting outmarked or beaten anymore, not since the showdown.

 

[philthy05]

He’s not getting outmarked or beaten anymore, not since the showdown.

He wasn’t previously.

His detractors were making a big deal about something that wasn’t a problem

 

[Del165198]

He wasn’t previously.

His detractors were making a big deal about something that wasn’t a problem

I'm happy he's good now but this just isn't true

 

[malcheski]

The knock on Todd came from our smooth brained game plan of dump kicking it on Charlie’s head for every forward entry, and having him either push up the ground for link up play or have him compete against multiple defenders (and Dixon) for a mark in our forward line. He has always shown a knack for forward craft, it just took an extended layoff for Dixon to force the coaching to change


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[Del165198]

The knock on Todd came from our smooth brained game plan of dump kicking it on Charlie’s head for every forward entry, and having him either push up the ground for link up play or have him compete against multiple defenders (and Dixon) for a mark in our forward line. He has always shown a knack for forward craft, it just took an extended layoff for Dixon to force the coaching to change


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Let's not pretend it's all gameplan and he hasn't improved dramatically this year.

His marking and goalkicking are much improved, as is his contest and tackling.

 

[edgie]

Marshall is clearly attaching the footy in the air with a strong body and strong hands, hitting it and the contest, and no longer just kinda jumping toward it. It's not about size or physical maturity, it never was. It's attitude and intent. A strong intent makes a strong body. It's noticeably improved a lot. He wants it now, rather than waiting for it. He looks like someone that wants to be better, and do better. He looks like a leader in the 50.

 

[Saltiga]

Lol had to search back a bit to find this thread lol.

Is one of if not the best story to come from this s**t year.


Everything he’s doing I called and steadfastly told everyone he would produce.

It’s not like this came out of the blue, he’s always shown this, from his draft year to his early days in the magpies where you could see he just needed a bit more bulk and strength that would come with a few years and some continuity with footy that will give him the experience fitness and belief.

He’s still years away from his prime.


Now we just need to back Mitch in and develop him so we have the awesome 1-2 punch!

View attachment VID-20220608-WA0000.mp4

In all seriousness though, you were steadfast on his ability when the rest of us were off him.

 

[edgie]

Anyone that doesn’t think there’s been a bit of attitude development with Marshall his year is blind, and that’s all anybody wanted to see. Not huge muscles or anything like that, just finding a little bit of commitment used right. It hasn’t been present reliably til this season.

 

[afl2004]

Anyone that doesn’t think there’s been a bit of attitude development with Marshall his year is blind, and that’s all anybody wanted to see. Not huge muscles or anything like that, just finding a little bit of commitment used right. It hasn’t been present reliably til this season.

No dixon meant the coaches had to tell him to be more commanding and more selfish which basset said a few months ago , especially with mitchy missing every shot at goal

 

[Powerage]

Marshall is clearly attaching the footy in the air with a strong body and strong hands, hitting it and the contest, and no longer just kinda jumping toward it. It's not about size or physical maturity, it never was. It's attitude and intent. A strong intent makes a strong body. It's noticeably improved a lot. He wants it now, rather than waiting for it. He looks like someone that wants to be better, and do better. He looks like a leader in the 50.

This is about the most accurate assessment I have seen about what Marshall's issues were previously, and what has sparked his improvement.

Some say Marshall's development was always on track, that he needed all the games he had at AFL level to reach his current level, that (and this has to be my favourite) he was not getting outmarked in previous seasons. Rubbish.

Many of the criticisms of Marshalls game prior to the Showdown of this year were valid. In short, his game was soft. That his game could reach a new level with a couple of weeks only proves that the deficiencies in his game were mental, and real.

It probably didn't help that he started life as a Dixon decoy and almost seemed content to stay in that role It had reached the point where even ardent Marshall lovers were suggesting he should be developed as a Westhoff type player as he would never be the type of contested marking, goal kicking forward we had hoped he would be.

There was no real gradual improvement in his game apart from 2021 probably where his goal kicking accuracy was consistently good and he started to take some contested marks inside 50.

Jump to round 3 this year and he has realised he needs to play as a strong target deep forward. His coaches were saying it, His teammates were saying it too. He has not got noticeably bigger or stronger, his ability to read the ball in the air hasn't changed. He now jumps at the ball with intent and uses the physical attributes he has to get in the best position he can to mark the ball. Still his stats show that he is taking more marks on the lead inside 50 instead of up the ground. His contested marks have not jumped a lot from 2021. It helps a LOT that he is having the goalkicking year of his life with accuracy that is at least 20% better than previous years.

I'm really happy that his newfound intent and confidence is allowing us to see his game at near full potential for his size and age. Does this void early criticisms of him? Absolutely not. Imagine if he had played with this intent and thirst for the contest for his entire career. The potential and the ability has always been there which is what has frustrated so many supporters.

 

[portly]

As I have said for some time, Todd's first effort should be his best effort. He should attack the ball with intent.

Instead of letting things happen to him, he now makes things happen to him.

Todd has flicked a mental switch, difficult to do, but possible for us all.

Out to you Kenny .....

 

[philthy05]

His former detractors will spin it anyway they like to say they weren’t wrong.

He went from good to better, a jump in his what has been a slower but steady improvement of the past few years.

Not the near delistee waste of a spot in the 22 to what he is now that these people would have us believe his journey has been.

He was not getting out marked in previous years and was competitive in aerial contests. The days of having key defenders take near record intercept marks against us dropped away to become much more rare when we brought Todd into the side. That’s not a coincidence.

Our forward gameplan was to blindly dump it on Dixon’s head and we actively avoided going through Todd.

What has eventuated with Todd is exactly, mother****ing exactly word for word what several of us have said would happen if we allowed him time to put on more size and strength (and he is noticeably bigger now, he’s put size on through his core - thighs hips area) and if we started playing to him like every other team plays to their kfs. Looking for leads etc.

Yes there has obviously been great improvement this year, but it is just a continuation of his journey, not a sudden u-turn.

 

[afl2004]

 

[Powerage]

His former detractors will spin it anyway they like to say they weren’t wrong.

He went from good to better, a jump in his what has been a slower but steady improvement of the past few years.

Not the near delistee waste of a spot in the 22 to what he is now that these people would have us believe his journey has been.

He was not getting out marked in previous years and was competitive in aerial contests. The days of having key defenders take near record intercept marks against us dropped away to become much more rare when we brought Todd into the side. That’s not a coincidence.

Our forward gameplan was to blindly dump it on Dixon’s head and we actively avoided going through Todd.

What has eventuated with Todd is exactly, mother******* exactly word for word what several of us have said would happen if we allowed him time to put on more size and strength (and he is noticeably bigger now, he’s put size on through his core - thighs hips area) and if we started playing to him like every other team plays to their kfs. Looking for leads etc.

Yes there has obviously been great improvement this year, but it is just a continuation of his journey, not a sudden u-turn.

So you don't credit any change in atitude and desire for marking contests, especially in the forward 50, as being a factor in his improvement this year?



His statistics don't show gradual improvement in many areas. He is taking a lot more marks, on a lead, inside 50. He is also the most accurate goalkicker in the top twenty goalkickers in the league. The combination of those marks and where he takes them, and his goalkicking accuracy has meant he has kicked a lot more goals.

He WAS consistently getting outmarked in contested situations. Only you and his mum would try to suggest that he wasn't. He wasn't even getting his hands to the ball in many contests. That's when he decided to contest a mark, instead of roving the ball. He now gives a much better contest and is taking more contested grabs, although his marks on a lead, as evidenced by today's performance, are where he is taking significantly more marks.

The Port forward gameplan has been criticised by all and sundry so suggesting that players need to lower their eyes and look for players to kick to so if several of you suggested that it doesn't exactly make you Gandalf. You also don't need to be Gandalf to see that the improvement in Marshall's play since round 3 of this year comes from his desire to want the ball in his hands when playing as a forward and his confidence in himself.

The 3-4 kilos that he has put on his 198cm frame over 6 preseasons doesn't hurt his contested work, but it is not the most significant reason why he is now a presence in the forward line. He could have been a similar presence from game one if he had played with the same desire and hunger for the ball that he now plays with. Even his goal assists have gone done as he seeks to play as a more traditional tall forward who wants the ball in his hands and wants to be the player taking set shots at goal. It is mostly mental, not physical. Always has been. Deal with it.

 

[JimmyBC]

Imagine doubling down instead of enjoying how Todd is developing STFU you complete bore.

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

It's a bit ironic that Dixon is having the same issues that Marshall had when not the first option in the forward line.

Georgiades misses frustrates me like everyone else but at least he still finds a way to actually get shots at goal.

 

[TazD]

I think we should name him "The Present"

 

[davesnothere]

Todd is probably the best forward in the AFL.
When we stop messing Finlayson around they will be the best combo in the AFL.

 

[JohnHinckleyJr]

First to put my hand up and say I doubted him shit canned him wanted him to join chocco in Baghdad..

Glad he has become the Todd he is now..

**** he is impressive keep it up