SAINT-LEE wrote: ↑Sun 25 Aug 2019 2:46pm
I get it, take the piss, just for a laugh. Pick one of our 10 worst players to have had a senior game and say he is the best we have. I get it. Classic.
2019
15 Games ( 29 career)
Disposals: 9.73 per game
Marks: 6.47 per game
Marks inside 50: 0.73 per game
Rebound 50's: 0.27 per game
Contested marks: 0.33 per game
Goals: 0.87 per game
Goal assists: 0.47 per game
Contested possessions: 4.53 per game
Not exactly flash, except that of his 9 marks a game 4 are contested, that is pretty cool.
There is upside but no more than possibly any player we gift 15 games to from the VFL. I don't see the facts equal the hype.
Pick some of the players who get regular games in the forward line with opposition teams and make sure they have played over 100 matches in their career and take a look at their stats in their second or third year. I'll guarantee you that they'd be similar to Ben's.
Here's a couple off the top of my head. Try Jamie Cripps or maybe try Tommy Lynch from Adelaide. When they had played under 30 games it would be interesting to compare their stats. The point being that people who are quick to write off inexperienced young players are just not looking at what history teaches us.
You are ignoring the fact that there are hundreds of AFL players drafted who go on to have decent careers and out of those hundreds, only a handful of players are superstars who impact in their first 2-3 years. The negative people who post on these forums and throw words around like 'our 10 worst players' are probably the same ones who think Eddie Betts was a jet as soon as he walked into the seniors.
https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_ ... 006&fid2=S (Ben has played 30 games. Eddie Betts had played 30 towards the latter stages of his second year of footy. Ben only played 4 games in his first year of footy because Cho thought like some of you blokes. Interestingly, Long had better disposal stat averages than Betts did in his first year. Once again, it's not what they do as they're learning the caper, but what they offer as they get experience that is important)
There's no f****** skill in watching someone get 30 possessions and kicking a bag of 5 goals and declaring him a jet. The skill comes in identifying talent and nurturing that talent so you can get a player to achieve their potential once they've played 100 or so games. You blokes get all snooty because Longy was 'gifted' games this year. It's called development numbskulls. It's called building a finals capable list