Ben Long is our best player and should be made captain

[B.M]

Spinner, am i I really making up lies?

He averages less than 10ppg which seems to suggest he struggles to get 10 a game as I indicated, especially low output considering he got 18 (outlier) in one game. He also had a 4 disposal game.

Do some research

[Scollop]

Spinner, am i I really making up lies?

He averages less than 10ppg which seems to suggest he struggles to get 10 a game as I indicated, especially low output considering he got 18 (outlier) in one game. He also had a 4 disposal game.

Do some research

Compare Ben's disposal stats to Eddie Betts at the same stage of their careers. I just did in the previous posts

I think Ben is tracking along just fine. You have to show faith in the young blokes and actually play them. Ben is very green in terms of seniors experience

Hunter Clark was finally able to gain some continuity once he got a series of games in a row. Remember the coaches comments regarding Clark after we were a few games into the home and away season this year? They were very negative.

The youngsters like Ben, Nick Coff and Nick Hind as well as Doulton and a few others have huge upside.

Now that Cho is gone, I believe we will see our youngsters achieve their potential.

[B.M]

Langlands is a poor kick, will be a problem with his development

[groupie1]

Shows glimpses but too inconsistent, fringe best 22 on exposed form. Needs a few more games under the belt.

fair points

[groupie1]

Certainly not trade bait to me
He has a flair not seen with us for a few years
Someone to get excited about on game day
Train him correctly and and he may become anything, except captain

Lonie appears to be the one who shows leadership on the field
Trouble is he must be hampered lately as he is not going well

Respect all your points, but curious about what you see specifically that makes him not captain material?

[Yorkeys]

With Lonie we shouldn't confuse being chatty with leadership. Talk is cheap - kick goals, nail tackles, stay on your feet. If you can't do that leading is not your thing you will struggle to even get as game, JL.

[Spinner]

Spinner, am i I really making up lies?

He averages less than 10ppg which seems to suggest he struggles to get 10 a game as I indicated, especially low output considering he got 18 (outlier) in one game. He also had a 4 disposal game.

Do some research

Absolutely you do.

That’s the sole reason you don’t quote other posters in your replies. Covers your tracks in making up statements, guessing or just plain out lying.

Your post stated Long struggled to get 10 possession in his last 3 games, disregarding his 18 possession 6 mark game within this period.

Sounds a lot like lying to me, especially when trying to now pass it as an average.

[Ghost Like]

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

Post of the year Scollop. Nailed it! Then followed up with another post highlighting the upside of Clark, Coffield & Langlands. Please feel free to throw Paton & Parker.

Too many get blinded by stats, oohing & ahhing about all the shiny bells & whistles. This season especially highlighted those posters - Clark copped the wrath of the supporters following the GWS game (wrongly & ridiculously), posters even highlighted the fact he got the most tackles as a flaw because he was "obviously" 2nd to the ball. WTF??? Guess what? He was also the first Saint to the contest. Now, a dozen games later, he's our future, our Pendles, our Bont.

Similarly with Coffield, he copped a lot of misinformed, petulant posting by some following the Geelong game. WTF? A 19 yo with 20 games to his CV is the reason the most experienced team in the league beat us on their own sh1theap?

Apparently it's all about possessions & B&Fs, give me possessions & I'll give you kudos! Ignore the fact that disposal efficiency is poor & turnovers cost team mates because they are all now out of position. Well, either out of position or "lazy".

No wonder some who talk up McEvoy now and sook that he's at Hawthorn most likely bagged him when he was at StKilda. How can people with that mentality ever be wrong about a player. Throw in Cripps & Hutchings, I'm sure everyone believed they were premiership players, how obvious? Their stats would have been A grade when at St Kilda.

Thanks Scollop, finally some perspective in relation to our 1st to 3rd year players.

[SAINT-LEE]

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

Now that you have had your rant. Why not try to pick apart my actual comment? You actually failed to address anything relevant to the thread.

STATISTICALLY IS BEN LONG IN THE BOTTOM 10 PLAYERS WHO HAD A SENIOR GAME IN 2019?

The op claims he IS one the best players we have NOW and thus worthy of being made CAPTAIN.
I'm not talking about 5 yrs from now. There's about 6-7 players at Ben's level with enough potential to be great.
But right now he is not. He is not there. I know, we all know most players start slow and develop. But this thread is not about player development is about the worthiness of a player to be captain NOW.

You act like you sorted me out with your rant but you just made a complete side conversation not related to my comment about season 2019 and the evidence that Ben's effort in this season was not flash, not stat wise, not skill wise, not consistency wise....could he develop? Sure can and I hope he does. I hope they all do.

Also, I don't get around the players like I used to from 1999-2011. I do still catch up with a few greats from that era. Just had lunch with one on Sunday. No one thinks Ben is a loser nor do I think negatively about him. But no one is following his lead either.

He also has not been seen as a leader amongst the lads. There is a young player who certainnly has risen up and everyone in the club has noticed.

My final point is that I don't like taking the piss when it comes to important things that can shape the club like captaincy.
I believe leadership is critical to success. Not everyone can be captain. All teams have multiple leaders.

But Ben is no one at our club, not yet.

[Scollop]

Your attitude reeks of favouritism and cliquiness and that hasn't got this team anywhere in the last ten years.

Why not say he is one of our developing players instead of 'one of our worst'. And to insinuate that Ben and other youngsters are 'gifted' senior games is just overrating where our list sits

You are using negative words. Full stop! Also...I think there aren't too many that took this thread seriously...apart from you