Why Don't Collingwood Ever....

[Maxyfan]

A really interesting point. I've sometimes wondered if draft camp results are more important for prospective KPP than midfielders. Provided a midfielder has decent pace (let's say, < 3sec 20m) and decent beep test, the rest aren't really relevant. I can't see Pendles, Hodge, Bartel, Mitchell, Kirk, Black, Power, Hayes, Ball etc. etc. having any outstanding attributes on draft camp testing. Provided they're within the ballpark, can find the pill and kick/handball efficiently and effectively, the rest is somewhat moot.

I realise that we are a Collingwood board but some things aren't just black and white. A lot of players that get drafted are pretty similar when you look at them in the TAC cup or equivalent. If the player that you are looking at has a better beep test it is more likely that the skills that they do have will not drop off as the game goes along.

In the TAC cup you might be fast enough to get to the ball and use it well if you aren't in the AFL you are useless. You might be big enough that you have the cocnfidence to go hard in U18's but not in the AFL. Is Hodge bigger than Lonie? Who goes harder?

There are no indicators for this in the draft camp or their footy to date but that is why you have to just cross your fingers and hope that your coaches get the best out of the players that they have. I think that our drafting has been ok but the players that have turned out to be the good ones have been the lesser skilled ones and the higher skilled ones have not been so good, so we have a back log of lesser skilled guys.

Its like natural selection, all are born with their different advantages but the ones that survive will pass on their genes to the next generation.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

I disagree, I think there's a lot more to be learned by watching players play in the TAC Cup/Champs/APS than by reading draft camp results. That's why we have such an extensive recruiting department, a full-time WA recruiter etc. Sure, if a player has strong athletic attributes then they're more likely to survive at AFL level, but athleticism alone won't get you very far. Tom Rischbieth springs to mind, absolutely dominated the testing but only managed a rookie spot at Port, and practically never heard of again.

 

[Lockyer24]

Thomas is certainly not as good a kick as I had hoped.

 

[Maxyfan]

I think there is huge reasons to watch but it won't necessarily mean that the guy who get 25 touches a game in U18's will be the same in the AFL. It is very difficult to find the guys that will be the whole package, when people in this discussion have said "good skills" they mean "Brownlow favourites."

The truth is that good skills are always accompanied by good physical attributes in the good players. A guy that can't run out a game doesn't play AFL at all, end of story. Unfortunately we have fit players that don't have the skills that we would like. Players without the work ethic get delisted or traded (Taz).

 

[alfiiee]

Fair assessment.

most of our poor skills stem from the same repeat offenders such as Johnson, O'Bree, R. Shaw and Maxwell.

forgetting Dane Swan. One of my favourite players but really let us down on the weekend. 14 kicks - 10 of them ineffective.

 

[Dave The Man]

What do people think of Wellingham Kicking?

I think it's average to above average because he does have a few Clangers

 

[kevind]

What do people think of Wellingham Kicking?

I think it's average to above average because he does have a few Clangers

No penetration in his kicking. A lot like Pendleberry and Thomas

 

[Kirby]

No penetration in his kicking. A lot like Pendleberry and Thomas

To be fair to all three of those (inc wellingham) they are young and they havn't yet developed their core strength. The more pre-seasons under the belt the greater the core strength and the ability to kick with greater penetration.

They are all lean players so this is an issue that just needs time.

A player like Clarke doesn't have the same problem because his core, and especially thigh strength, is already there naturally.

 

[FadeAway]

Why don't collingwood ever draft players that can kick?? we always go for the development over time types types, starting to really piss me off, sorry im still angry from the weekend, and the amount of clangers and shanks that we do is simply just annoying and frustrating....

Mate i second that!!! Under pressure we have NO SKILLS AT ALL!!!!!! So many times this year running players cant bloody hit the chest of an outside player with a handball!!! Very very depressing!