Don't give up on ...

[Austinnn]

You are a rude little twerp aren't you. I have watched him play smart arse, only not this year.

Only rude to clowns who absolutely have no idea about football, who have not watched a player in nearly a year and then tries to critisise someone who actually goes to Sandy games to watch the young players.

Go and watch him this year before you put your ignorant snout into discussions that are obviously over your little head.

Ctrl X "football"
Ctrl V "anything"

[Con Gorozidis]

I think the big fella might take some time. In this day and age the coaches arent just saying go out and kick 5 big fella.
They are teaching you running patterns and different scenario team zones and defence etc -Spencer might take a while to take all that in while still doing the raw things he does well.

Change of subject but speaking of young fwds GWS now have two of the best and that is after losing Boyd and Patton doing his knee.
Scary stuff

[plugger66]

I think the big fella might take some time. In this day and age the coaches arent just saying go out and kick 5 big fella.
That are teaching you running patterns and team zones and and defence etc -Spencer might take a while to take all that in while still doing the raw things he does well.

Change of subject but speaking of young fwds GWS now have two of the best and that is after losing Boyd and Patton doing his knee.
Scary stuff

I think that is fair enough but when you are only given a one year contract when Lee gets 2 then there must be some issues.

[Austinnn]

I think the big fella might take some time. In this day and age the coaches arent just saying go out and kick 5 big fella.
That are teaching you running patterns and team zones and and defence etc -Spencer might take a while to take all that in while still doing the raw things he does well.

Change of subject but speaking of young fwds GWS now have two of the best and that is after losing Boyd and Patton doing his knee.
Scary stuff

What I find scary is the lack of patience people have for our young prospects these days. I don't have stats to hand but as I recall, Brendan Goddard and Luke Ball both took ages to come through to the firsts, and they were both top 3 picks. Luke Ball went back to school for his first year with us. Imagine that happening these days.

Not so long ago it was such an anomaly that a draftee would play in his first year that if it looked like being the case, it would merit special mention. What changed?

Spencer White was a speculative pick that could end up being nothing, or something, like Jimmy Gwilt, Tommy Walsh, J-Pod and that 80-year old ruckman the Cats drafted a few years back.

The question is, Is he learning? Is he improving? What will unlock his potential? What does he want in life? It would be great if we could get honest answers from the club to those questions, that might encourage us, or at least prepare us for disappointment.

If we are pessimistic about Spencer, its just because we want to see progression and we can't see much from a supporter perspective just from his on field work.

[Devilhead]

Tony - any news on Roo? if he trained and how he was moving?

[realdeal]

FFS, play him in the seniors instead of trying to correct every little nuance and quirk the young guy has- he looked OK on debut last year, seemed ready for senior football and heaven knows we need an X factor tall mobile forward, and Paddy is clearly not ready yet. It's not like he is trying to break in to Hawthorn's senior side after all.

Spot on!

[saintsRrising]

Amazing how the "fate" of players can change so quickly...

Many on here were saying not that long ago that Bruce would not make a key forward. Now he looks to be a "lock".

White finished last season with several promising games, but now is supposesdly "finished".

White hasa lot of talent and was always said to bea project palyer even if he did havea great "highlights" real, so I would not be ruling him at ye.

[sunsaint]

I think it is more a frustration as to how many players we have signed on and kept that have not developed into... well im trying to be nice
sipposs, stanley ... etc etc
to be honest the focus has been too much on the forward end as the backline is now paper thin

[WinnersOnly]

I think it is more a frustration as to how many players we have signed on and kept that have not developed into... well im trying to be nice
sipposs, stanley ... etc etc
to be honest the focus has been too much on the forward end as the backline is now paper thin

Agreed sunsaint as a club we seem to become blinded in the hope these blokes will all of a sudden come good. White and Sipposs havent progressed due to one key ingredient - work rate. Neither work hard enough when we dont have the ball or to get to continued contests. If they havent improved after 3-4 years they are not going to!

Time to make some common sense calls at the end of the year and trade them, rookie them or move them on! Simpkin is the opposite works hard and has a go but doesnt have the natural ability and size to make it! Markworth has some tools but doesnt have the body to cope with AFL footy...all 4 IMO are list cloggers that needs changing IMO !

[cwrcyn]

Look at Ben Griffiths at Richmond. Just 39 games in five seasons. Looked hopeless in his first three seasons, and then had some breakout games at the end on 2013.

Just because they take a bit of time doesn't mean they're no good.

White's first two pre-seasons were a write off due to injury.

Let's just wait a bit longer

[plugger66]

Look at Ben Griffiths at Richmond. Just 39 games in five seasons. Looked hopeless in his first three seasons, and then had some breakout games at the end on 2013.

Just because they take a bit of time doesn't mean they're no good.

White's first two pre-seasons were a write off due to injury.

Let's just wait a bit longer

Look I understand everyones point on this and normally I would say he is young and tall so he has time on his side but and I reckon its an important the club only gave him a one year contract and looking at what has happened so far in the season he hasn't shown anything to suggest they will give him another year.

[cwrcyn]

Sounds by Tony's words that the coaches are working hard with him. That's a positive. I'm trying to be optimistic about his chances, and those who think he'll make it and those who think he won't are equally right about their assessment. It could go either way. It's frustrating from a supporter's view, just like it was waiting for the light to come on for Rhys Stanley.

[Razor]

Spencer had his chance late last year and looked terrible. Cant mark, can't kick and can't develop a tank even after an extended preseason. Won't be on the list next year.

[mad saint guy]

Spencer had his chance late last year and looked terrible. Cant mark, can't kick and can't develop a tank even after an extended preseason. Won't be on the list next year.

Yep, 3 goals on debut in a losing side is a disgusting effort for a 19 year old key forward. Burn him

[Bernard Shakey]

He's just a boy. Others, better judges than I am , believe he has the ability to make it.

He has the ability, but has not shown the endeavour.
Needs to pull the finger out and show he can play four quarters and really care about it!

[lefty]

Play White over McCartin, he needs time.

White was pretty good at the end of last year, give him a go fs, I mean, Membrey hasn't been setting the world on fire, maybe he moves over for a bit. Meh.

[Zed]

I haven't given up on Spencer yet, but it's a bit like watching him run in the preseason time trials - he seems to be slipping further and further behind where he should be.

As for membrey- I'm not sold yet, but given he played In NEAFl last year which is probably not much better than A grade ammos, we probably should wait until he's got 20 odd games under his belt to see if he gradually adjusts and improves.

Paddy looks ok to me - hell of along way to go, but I don't think he will be a bust. Speaking of busts, Tom Lee - is there any chance he might actually become an AFL standard defender - or are we just repeating the Rhys Stanley experiment.

[Bernard Shakey]

Play White over McCartin, he needs time.

White was pretty good at the end of last year, give him a go fs, I mean, Membrey hasn't been setting the world on fire, maybe he moves over for a bit. Meh.

He needs to show he deserves a game! Not sure he's done that.

[Bluthy]

No offence Tony but saying the coaches haven't given up on Spencer is a meaningless statement. We're negative, snap judgement bastards on here but clubs will always take a positive approach to players. There is no point otherwise. You don't just kiss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in investments in a player without trying everything under the sun. They will certainly hit them between the eyes with truth bombs about where they are weak and need to improve but they constantly try to increase players self-confidence which separates those who make it from the also rans. You could make a case that the coaches doing so much work on Spencer now is a bit like one more try to get that bomb sitting in your backyard going before you call in the wreckers. I've felt this was a vital year for White and Lee because the club needs to know if it needs to draft another power forward or not while we have very early picks.

The thing I keep hearing about Spencer is he is struggling with getting a decent game day tank and his asthma isn't helping. They would love Spencer to be that guy who can push high up the ground to link up play but even in the Richmond game he seemed to be barely able to get out of the 50 and I think his goals were pretty cheap ones coming out the back to him when Richmond pressed up. I'm not giving up on him either but like Lee I do feel pessimistic about him when he can't even make the extended squads with Roo out of the team. And your comment Tony in another thread that coaches and players are showing him "where and when to run" is a real concern to me. I wonder if he has the necessary footy intelligence.

[gringo]

I hope like hell we haven't given up yet.

[Austinnn]

Fair enough. Sorry folks.

[WinnersOnly]

Its interesting that Tony says the coaches are all working with White. To me it seems like they are dragging him reluntantly along, like the naughty school child who takes up all of the teachers and school resources to manage while the other kids miss out!

Time to cut the unbilical cord Saints and let Spencer go!

[noob]

Why does he need to be a forward? Can we teach him to be a defender? At least that way he has to show responsibility to work for the team rather relying on others to chase etc.
Has the right attributes and the opposition forwards could help him build a tank.
Brent Guerra started out as a forward and we delisted him because we thought he was nothing else.. Hawthorn turned him into a gun back.

[Bunk_Moreland]

I haven't given up on Spence. I think there's still gold in these hills.

I have pretty much given up on Saynta though.

Throw. You go through a window. You throw a ball.
Sheesh. He'd say Sheesh because that's what he just did.
But hey this isn't a spelling forum is it?

Still, your opinions are ridiculously infantile and while you are certainly free to express them, you will have to get used to them being challenged by people with reason and logic and sense.

Redeemer didn't seem to grasp that basic concept so he bailed and this place will be better for his leaving. Are YOU going to whine and bite every time someone disagrees with your foolish posts? If so, remember to leave your cage now and then for meals and to go to the toilet, cos you'll be here for an unhealthy period of time.

Exactly right. Saynta and his increasingly infantile posting is becoming the new redeemer. Tries to critisise other opinions on a player when he admits he has not seen White play since at least August last year, which is at least nine months.

Then gets all personal when the fact that he is ignorant of the subject is pointed out. I dont know how old Saynta is, but he sounds very young.

It is recommended that when voicing an opinion you have an idea on the subject. Saynta has shown on numerous occasions that he is ignorant on many aspects of football and this is just one more example.

it is funny reading his post though, a bit sad, but quite funny.

[Dis Believer]

Anyone who think we should give up on White, right now, has no clue about list management. Players like Roo, Franklin, Hogan etc, are superstars exactly because they are no the norm, Most kids take some development time to be even able to play competent footy at AFL level, let alone play KPP in a team with the worst midfield in the comp.

Make your calls on White at the end of the season, not the start. We have invested too much to simply throw away several years development and start over again from scratch. Make no mistake, the kid can play. The ripple effect of making sure the White reaches his potential is that is one less pick we spend next draft on a key forward, and that pick can go to developing our midfield or finding another key defender.

And for anyone questioning his hunger, remember, White paid to go on a preseason altitude training camp by himself before our last preseason - doesn't sound like someone lacking motivation to me.