Nathan Freeman 2

[damienc]

I know I have asked this question in the past but never really got the answer I was looking for.

I really rate him. However, he did not play for Sandy in the finals and you would expect someone of his calibre and ability to be starring in the two's.

But he apparently was not good enough to be picked.

The last mention of him in dispatches was for the development side and he picked up 28 possessions.

Is his rehab just slow? Is it a confidence problem? Has he dropped pace because of his dodgy hammies? Not wanting to rush him back into anything before he is ready.

Would just like to know that he is tracking as expected and will put in a big pre-season in time to play the first game or thereabouts in 2017?

If anyone is really in the know on this, I for one, would very much appreciate an update. Maybe we all would?

[Saint wagga]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

[saynta]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

[damienc]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

Thanks for the info. But I have to say I hope you are totally wrong about Freezer. If he can play to his potential he will be a ripper. But as you say he is coming from a long way back. Maybe we need to have some patience with him. I hope so. For his sake and the footy club because we desperately need guys like him who have outside run and carry.

[supersaints]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

[evo]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

Gold.

[realdeal]

I'm not surprised he's still a fair way off after not playing for 3 years.. That's a lot of development he has also missed. I've still got my fingers crossed but a 2nd round pick (regardless of where it ends up) was a steep price to pay..

But what can ya do.. Hopefully he now has a full off season to get on track..

[prwilkinson]

On the back of 7 games of decent footy, I think a full uninterrupted pre-season will do the guy wonders. Half his challenge might just be building trust and confidence in his body again. Ideally, by the time the NAB challenge rolls around, I hope his mind has become clear and he just runs at the footy without any thought of his legs.

[To the top]

The positives are that he was a top 10 Draft pick, may well have been on our radar with Pick 3 and is now on St Kilda's List.

From there he played consistently over the concluding weeks of 2016, albeit at a lower level and not contributing to any great level (absent his first game and then his last) maybe on instruction because they just wanted him on the park - and he would have been training.

I would not read anything into him not playing in the VFL Finals campaign - simply, a number of qualified players were not selected and quite possibly because focus is 2017 pre-season training from Session 1 - not 2 weeks later.

The VFL alignment side is what it is hence the selection criteria come finals time if St Kilda are not participating in the AFL finals.

The next step for Freeman is Session 1 of pre-season training and that his preparation is in no way compromised.

Has anyone watched him on the training track in the later stages of 2016 - because his management and inclusion would be indicative?

Obviously he was training because he was playing.

[BigMart]

I saw almost everyone of his games.

His 40 possession game where I though... Hang on, we've got something

Albeit he was handballing every possession and getting more 1-2s than Boomer Harvey.

Then I saw his senior games... He was awful, and did not deserve to hold his spot. The coaches were disappointed with his efforts... Especially his physicality. I would say shocking efforts.

The saw his remaining Dev squad games. He was OK at that level. Nothing about him stood out. The midfield he was in was well beaten, and he got a bit of the ball D50.

First year he gets an excuse ticket. For he is that bad next year, he should be delisted! But there's no way he could be that bad next year. He was as far off AFL as any other Dev Leagud player and was the 44th best performed Saint on the list.

[SuperDuper]

I saw almost everyone of his games.

His 40 possession game where I though... Hang on, we've got something

Albeit he was handballing every possession and getting more 1-2s than Boomer Harvey.

Then I saw his senior games... He was awful, and did not deserve to hold his spot. The coaches were disappointed with his efforts... Especially his physicality. I would say shocking efforts.

The saw his remaining Dev squad games. He was OK at that level. Nothing about him stood out. The midfield he was in was well beaten, and he got a bit of the ball D50.

First year he gets an excuse ticket. For he is that bad next year, he should be delisted! But there's no way he could be that bad next year. He was as far off AFL as any other Dev Leagud player and was the 44th best performed Saint on the list.

pretty clear that those last 5 games he played that he was not going at 100%, he was coasting as he had no confidence in his leg.
If he can have a good pre-season and really get confidence back.. he can then have a proper crack at it...

But... these are big IFS

I just think it is hard to assess his ability from this season..
it is easier to assess his hamstring problems and whether they are now phsyical or mental, they are clearly ``ongoing", unfortunately

[saynta]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

That's a pretty offensive comment mate. Might be okay if it were true but we were taught by brothers not priests and

I'm yet to see any one from the order that taught me and the guy I referred to involved in any scandals.

[saynta]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

Gold.

You probably think rape jokes are funny too.

[saintspremiers]

stinger why are you going into bat for the clergy???

Anyway, back on topic we all know AR will give Freeman at least 2 more seasons to prove himself, based on the Tommy Lee Theory of extreme patience.

[RodKeoghsLoveChild]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

Gold.

You probably think rape jokes are funny too.

Way to overreact Saynta.

[ROLS-LEE]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

Gold.

You probably think rape jokes are funny too.

Way to overreact Saynta.

Agree.

It's like the fastest animals in the world are in springvale

[Wombat15]

Im certainly buying real estate on freeman island. i know its all "IF'S" but the kids a gun. Was a top 10 pick for a reason in a very strong draft. Spoken to a number of credible sources that say that collingwood were the ones that stuffed him up by overloading him and being careless during his rehab. From what ive heard the club is doing everything they can to get him right and its just the media feeding off the negatives. He may not have played a game yet but i reckon we will reap the rewards from pick 28. The club want him to be a 10 year player and not a 10 game which theyve made very apparent with his rehab. Low risk, high reward.

[Enrico_Misso]

I which year will this well managed rehab be complete?

[stonecold]

I which year will this well managed rehab be complete?

Target has always been 2018!!!!!

[White Winmar]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

Gold, SS. Pure gold!

[White Winmar]

Happy to be corrected, but i think it was in Gary Buckenara's article on our list and he said he saw Freeman play for the devo squad late in the season and he looked way off the pace, not even looking likley at that stage...I'm not surprised given the amount of footy he would have missed...

And this is a point worth noting...For someone who's pace was a huge weapon, to have basically 3 years rubbed out of consistent training, and i'm talking about developing that pace, not even the footy side of things...going to be starting from a long way back. Plenty of talented sprint athletes in a track and field setting at a high school age (ie: Draft age) never develop into quality senior sprinters due to missing large chunks of training because of injury. It is in the long continuity of training at an elite level (which require above all else blessed good genes from a soft tissue perspective) that often seperates those that make it to those that don't.
Happy to go on record to say i tihink Freeman will be a bust for us. If proven wrong, will be very happy...but may vanish from this forum

So true.

I went to school with a guy who was the catholic collages champion sprinter. Best kid in the State over 100 metres

At Richmond, the coach, Hafey from memory said he was too slow. He ended up at either Fitzroy or the bulldogs.

His son went on to forge a good career at the doggies.

Champion sprinter, probably running away from the Priests...

That's a pretty offensive comment mate. Might be okay if it were true but we were taught by brothers not priests and

I'm yet to see any one from the order that taught me and the guy I referred to involved in any scandals.

I was taught by the Christian brothers as well, Saynta. Like any walk of life, there were great teachers, average ones and some dead set deviates, who in my day, were sent for a "sabbatical" in Orange, NSW, when there were "unusual activities" detected. Strangely, none ever returned from their sabbaticals. We all knew what was going in and one of the ways we coped was through humour. We even had a "shower monitor" in year 7. This was a brother who did not teach PE, but stood in the communal showers watching us and then made sure our backs and bottoms were dry as we left to get changed. It wasn't until a parent complained that the practice suddenly stopped and the brother in question was sent to Orange.

Personally, I was never molested myself. I enjoyed my time there, apart from the regular bashings, again from the same minority who were the wierdos. Maybe I wasn't attractive enough. It's always a minority of bad eggs that ruin it for everyone. Humour is subjective, and it's one of the reasons I come here. We have some very funny posters. At the risk of being labelled racist, the Springvale joke was also a pisser. I think most Asians would think so, too. Their cats, not so much.

[SaintPav]

Back to the topic.

Good chance Freeman will be a bust. Would be lucky to get a third rounder for him.

[barneyboyz]

If anyone thought that Nathan would be anything better than development squad this year, well they may have been misguided. I have got real hope for the kid, he's played more footy (of any kind) here than at Collingwood in his last year there.

Further, gaining confidence in working his body hard will be a slow, gradual process. Look at some of our other young blokes that have sustained injuries in the last couple of years, has taken plenty of time getting that confidence back (think Billings and Templeton) and we're not even talking about such debilitating injuries, as would be the case with hammies

[Saintberra]

If this counts for anything, I was a 200m sprinter at state level. Late last year I had a grade 3 hamstring tear, followed by two grade 1's (one in May, one in August) and I have not even been able to come close to my original sprint speeds.

For me, it comes down to getting the striding pattern right and initial acceleration. It's fine running at 70-90%, but pushing beyond that you start to second guess your strength (it weirdly feels as much mental as it does physical)

[barneyboyz]

If this counts for anything, I was a 200m sprinter at state level. Late last year I had a grade 3 hamstring tear, followed by two grade 1's (one in May, one in August) and I have not even been able to come close to my original sprint speeds.

For me, it comes down to getting the striding pattern right and initial acceleration. It's fine running at 70-90%, but pushing beyond that you start to second guess your strength (it weirdly feels as much mental as it does physical)

I expect that with time on the park, that 70 - 90% will gradually raise to somewhere near 100%. Much rehab will be required, it's going to be time (for Nathan at least)