08-31-2020, 08:07 AM
(08-31-2020, 07:24 AM)townsendcalling link Wrote:Dow has played 40 games and O'Brien 35. Most of those were 'development games' in a crap team in the big league. Spots weren't earned because of outstanding form in the twos, they were given to fast track development. By all reports Dow has been really finding his feet in the scratch matches (best we can offer at the moment) and has, this time around 'earned his place'....a first for him! 12 disposals, 3 marks, 3 clearances, all on 67% game time is a pass mark for me and he will improve as he is given more opportunities.......like Will Setterfield.When you are a top ten pick you get more opportunities but are also judged more harshly, thats the reality.
O'Brien is not being given a free ride this time, he needs to earn it, or waits his turn. If he wants it enough, he'll keep working hard to get there. Not everyone is a ball buster after 35 games, especially some of the 35 that he experienced!
Dow's 12 possies are interesting, he only had 4 kicks with 8 handballs, I noticed he didnt want to kick the ball..DE was 67%.....by foot thats reasonable but the majority by hand thats not so flash and thats his problem. IMO he has been ordered to handpass more and kick less. At U18 level he would get enormous amounts of ball every game..35-40 was common but about 25-30% were no good but the volume of possies made up for it. At senior level he cant get the ball and if he goes at 67% with what I call simple kicks/handpasses he is a liability.
I liked Dow at U18 level and think he can still make it but its going to be interesting to see if the club can carry him long enough in the senior team for him to improve enough to become a fixture. The kids coming through like Kemp, Philp, Ramsay etc are all much better users of the ball and the latter two all have Dows pace, so he has two problems, himself and the competition from other younger players.
Obrien was pick 10 but IMO it was a weak draft and he was a poor pick for us and when the coach has labelled his attack on the footy etc needing work thats a label that sticks and is hard to shake. Not being contested enough is harder to fix because its instinct...Cottrell is raw as a piece of fresh beef but contests well and you can see Teague has preferred both him and Philp over Obrien for one main reason.
SPS is Yarran without the fire in the belly...when CY was wound up he was top shelf, pace, intensity, skill etc etc...we know his story and it was sad to watch his decline. SPS doesnt have the CY problems but he is just too laconic, lazy and inconsistent for a No 6 pick and we all know it. He can play the game and doesnt need skills training, just needs a can of "whoop arse" before each game to fire him up but so far neither Bolton or DT has found that formula...76 games is a decent sample too. Not sure we can continue too long waiting for him to become consistent, hiding him down back to protect him from critique has to stop as well.
He needs to be back in the midfield somewhere providing the run and carry we recruited him for or he will prove the " mugs to the backline theory" right...