See I find this attitude really patronising toward Jarryn. There is this sense that this is his best and he's a great tryer and should be applauded for it. Why can't he aim higher? We are always putting the heat of Steven and Armo that they are now in the their prime and will they be elite or A-grade or b-grade and questioning their kicking and decision making. And yet Geary who's just hit 100 games and is one of the few players we have in his prime, somehow goes under the radar and if you dare question his skill set or his future then somehow you're being mean to good honest tryer. Its very patronising.gringo wrote: I don't think Geary needs to do too much more than play with intensity and help teach the kids to play with a zealous devotion to the game. He isn't a bad influence around a bunch of young kids.
I guarantee you what I'm saying is the exact conversation Richo and the coaches will be having with Gears. They won't want him resting on his laurels. They'll want him to go to another level and pushing him to work on his weakness and develop into a weapon. There are half-back players on our list, and more coming in each year, who will be getting lots of games under their belts and will get up to the same experience level that Geary has in a few seasons and a lot of them will have better disposal skills. And then Geary may very well find himself superseded. And its great that Geary is a leader and a fantastic clubman and teacher but there will be more players taking on those roles as they get a few seasons under their belts. His experience is extremely valuable now but maybe not so much in a few seasons with the likes of Dustan, Billing, Ross, Newnes, Weller getting up to the 100 game mark themselves.
Oh and the "Highly rated internally" thing is pretty close to meaningless. Richo said numerous times that Stanley was "a vital part of this clubs future" before he was traded out shortly after. AFL is a ruthless business and you need to keep sharpening your edges to show you are a weapon for the club.