Got a feeling about the kid after watching the drawn final yet again. He played one helluva game, damn near our best, only turned it over once from memory, but was courageous, flexible, intelligent, calm, going all the time and into everything. His second efforts were consistently first class. Reminded me how Swanny used to make mistakes but always gave 110%; he never had a lot of class to begin with but incrementally improved year by year. Now that Toovs has the sweet smell of Premiership success in his nostrils, well, it must do wonders for his confidence. After playing every game in 2010, 2011 could be a huge year for the kid. I'll bet on him as "most improved" through next year.
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Toovey the next Swan
- Thread starter Lenz
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You'd have to be a brave man to not even give Tooves a chance after the way he has driven himself with Malthouse's support throughout his career. What works out in his favour is that he has remarkably only played 67 games, yet plays like an AFL veteran. Of the 67 career games, 50 of them have come in 2009 and 2010, so he can explode in the next year or two if he is to become a star player of the comp. All we can do is hope, wait and see.
Quicky
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Not a chance. He has looked totally lost when played in midfield and has not shown the ability to win the ball that Swan had even early in his career. Toovey looks like he has no spatial awarness when in midfield with the play occuring in 360 degrees around him. Some players revel in that situation like Pendles. Toovey isn't one of them and looks much more comfortable with the play unfolding in front of him from defense. A very very good defensive player however and one of my favourites. Just no Dane Swan.
Bianconerri
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Is this the humour section of BF
Quicky
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Is this the humour section of BF
No you will find that here.
The Board Awards night, being held as we speak will also provide you with many LULZ.
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I remember that he was mentioned a lot in the West Australian before the draft and as probable draftee. If you have a look at this, its not surprising that people were giving him such a rap.
http://www.footydraft.com/players.php?player=alan_toovey
He looks to me like someone without much inner confidence...but I think he's overcoming that and the only way is upppp..
http://www.footydraft.com/players.php?player=alan_toovey
He looks to me like someone without much inner confidence...but I think he's overcoming that and the only way is upppp..
I agree with this. Add to that Swan has a much bigger kick and his contested work is miles ahead of Toovey.
Although I agree with you, (and I may be wrong here) but I think the OP is pointing out that if he works as hard as Swan, he can become one of the best players in his position in the AFL. In which case anything is possible.
Not actually become a midfielder...
I'd actually like to get an unbiased, opposition supporter to rate him on his playing ability. OR expert for that matter. I think I am blinded by his "token" factor and I can't actually rate him as a player.
IMO I can't see him becoming one of the best HBF in the league, but I do love him.
Quicky
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True. Sometimes it's too easy to read the thread title and miss some of the intention of the OP. Even so i'm not sure i'd bet on him being our most improved next year. Too many others with scope for massive improvement. Someone like Wellingham, Reid or Beams would get my vote.
Boris the Contradiction
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Lol at this thread.
Toovey is a VERY limited player, Swan is close to the best in the comp. Swan was (as opposed to the general public consensus) actually quite good from the start. I always thought he was very promising. Toovey plays his role very well but that's what he is, a role player. He is nothing more than this IMO.
Toovey is a VERY limited player, Swan is close to the best in the comp. Swan was (as opposed to the general public consensus) actually quite good from the start. I always thought he was very promising. Toovey plays his role very well but that's what he is, a role player. He is nothing more than this IMO.
If you said Swan was the next Buckley 5 years ago the BF hoards would have crucified you, anything can happen!
Two different players. very effective where they play but hard to compare. Swanny is fast of his feet and one of the physically strongest midfielders in the game. Rarely beaten one on one! In the prelim the Cats tried Selwood, Ling and even Ablett to no avail!!! Tooves is a different player ... agile athletic great hands and reads the play well: shuts down his opponent by getting to the ball first. I doubt Tooves will build a body like Swan but I have no doubts he will be a better footballer all round in the future. It goes without saying both are an integral part of our side
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You may want to read the OP again.
There is no comparison between them as far as their playing styles/position on the ground is concerned, merely that they've both come a long way through perserverence and continual improvement.
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I think he will keep on improving in slow increments only because he just doesn't have the scope to make a huge leap.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a Toovey fan and i think he is an integral part of our team. He has some great attributes such as atheleticism, pace and powers of concentration. I suspect that the coaches would absolutely love the guy because he will do everything asked of him all the time.
He just doesn't have the special something that you need to become a real star of the comp like Swanny does.
Still, he's already one of the better smaller negating backman in the league and comfortably holds his spot in the reigning premiership side.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a Toovey fan and i think he is an integral part of our team. He has some great attributes such as atheleticism, pace and powers of concentration. I suspect that the coaches would absolutely love the guy because he will do everything asked of him all the time.
He just doesn't have the special something that you need to become a real star of the comp like Swanny does.
Still, he's already one of the better smaller negating backman in the league and comfortably holds his spot in the reigning premiership side.
precisely.
unlike most clubs whose last 6-12 players of the key 22 are just hanging on, toovey represents why we won this year - solid contributions all the time, all the way to the 22nd on the list. no weak links.
Multiquote warning.
This is a spot on assesment of his midfield limitations, which is a shame because he is has huge scope for winning clearances around stoppages. There have been a few games where he has been right towards our top clearance winners without having played midfield in the game at all.
The bolded is rubbish, Toovs is a fantastic one on one player, great in contests and would be ahead of Swan at the same stage in Swans career.
Up until a couple of years ago Swanny didn't have that special something. Swanny is one of the rare players that has just developed his own style of stardom despite not having many of the real assets you'd expect in a star player. I am guessing that is why the OP went with Toovey the next Swan because early days Swan was very vanilla, it would have taken a very brave man to predict this kind of rise. Swanny's stardom is built very much around his own hard work. He always had good pace and football smarts but he has developed a fitness base, work rate and strength to make him the machine he is now, a lot of his best traits are ones he worked on after being drafted, which is pretty rare in top line players.
Could possibly be the funniest thing I've ever read on here.
Been watching footy long?
Been watching footy long?
I think you've missed the point of the op. He doesn't mention that Toovs will be as good as Swan, or even the same kind of player, the comparison is made because if you had mentioned that Swan would develop the way he did at this stage in Swans career you would have been laughed out of town. Swan was a pretty vanilla kid who worked hard and had a funny looking run and poor kick early on. I think the OP was more trying to show how far a player can develop with hard work then anything else.
I don't think Toovey can get any better.
I like Tooves and think he plays an important role in our side, but he will always possess the flaws he currently has.
Dane Swan always had the ability to make decent decisions with ball in hand, work his way in and out of traffic and be instinctive in the spots where he receives the footy - the consistancy of putting all these things together took time and now that he has, he is one of the premier midfielders in the competition.
In my opinion Tooves possesses none of these characteristics.
I like Tooves and think he plays an important role in our side, but he will always possess the flaws he currently has.
Dane Swan always had the ability to make decent decisions with ball in hand, work his way in and out of traffic and be instinctive in the spots where he receives the footy - the consistancy of putting all these things together took time and now that he has, he is one of the premier midfielders in the competition.
In my opinion Tooves possesses none of these characteristics.
Fair enough, I certainly agree with Quicky on his inability to cope when the pressure is 360 and that will hold him back a fair bit because it restricts him from being able to play midfield. That said he has come along in leaps and bounds over the past 2 years and this year he started to add some good run and carry and better decision making to his game. I certainly think his offensive run off the half back line will continue to improve, you couldn't really improve the defensive side of his game because it's top notch.
Correct
mattys123
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While I agree Toovey won't become the "next Swan", he still is almost certain to get better in his career.
He has played 67 games, hasn't turned 24 yet (March 2011), and has played all his career in the one position.
He will improve, simply for the fact that he will be given the opportunity to show whether or not he can play in other positions.
Toovey's foot skills are highly under rated, simply because, like the great Presti, he doesn't get the ball too often, mainly because he is playing 90% of the game in his opponents back pocket.
Toovey will improve over the next 2-3 seasons, he has improved remarkably over the past 2-3, so I can't see any reason whatsoever why he wouldn't continue to improve.
I also don't see a "real weakness" in Toovey's game that would restrict him from developing further. He has pace, he is obviously tough enough, his foot skills are "adequate" if not better then that, and he reads the play as well as any defender we have.
Tooves will improve, we will hear the "tttttttttooooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvveeesssssssss" chant more and more over the next few seasons.
- Feb 19, 2008
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While I agree Toovey won't become the "next Swan", he still is almost certain to get better in his career.
He has played 67 games, hasn't turned 24 yet (March 2011), and has played all his career in the one position.
He will improve, simply for the fact that he will be given the opportunity to show whether or not he can play in other positions.
Toovey's foot skills are highly under rated, simply because, like the great Presti, he doesn't get the ball too often, mainly because he is playing 90% of the game in his opponents back pocket.
Toovey will improve over the next 2-3 seasons, he has improved remarkably over the past 2-3, so I can't see any reason whatsoever why he wouldn't continue to improve.
I also don't see a "real weakness" in Toovey's game that would restrict him from developing further. He has pace, he is obviously tough enough, his foot skills are "adequate" if not better then that, and he reads the play as well as any defender we have.
Tooves will improve, we will hear the "tttttttttooooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvveeesssssssss" chant more and more over the next few seasons.
Agree with most of this.
Toovey has shown real improvement every year and no reason why he can't continue that trend given his age and relative inexperience.
Like many rookie listed players, he gives me the impression he will keep working on his game to get the most out of himself and won't rest on his laurels. Reminds me a little of Nick Maxwell in this respect.
What I don't agree with is that Toovey's disposal is adequate - this is the area he can really improve and no doubt he'll get better through working at it, but at the moment he turns the ball over too often for my liking and undoes a lot of his great defensive/contested work with a crap kick or misdirected handball. If he can bring his disposal up to a solid standard he will take his footy to a higher level.
