Saintsational Fan Forum - A passionate community of St Kilda Football Club fans discussing news, history, players, trade rumours, results, AFL stats and more.
Tex Walker is a fair limit (GUN!) and fair comparison as a player type.
If he was going to be a freak.... He would have shown something (just short snippets) of absolute class or raw talent in his first year... In the VFL/AFL/NAB/Intra Club he was not poor, but not great either... Just OK really. If he was going to be a Buddy Franklin or Matthew Lloyd level ... We'd know.... He'd have done something special.
He's shown enough to suggest he will make it as a player, it's just the level he can get to now.
IMHO
He will be a solid Key Fwd in the Jay Shulz range
BigMart wrote:Tex Walker is a fair limit (GUN!) and fair comparison as a player type.
If he was going to be a freak.... He would have shown something (just short snippets) of absolute class or raw talent in his first year... In the VFL/AFL/NAB/Intra Club he was not poor, but not great either... Just OK really. If he was going to be a Buddy Franklin or Matthew Lloyd level ... We'd know.... He'd have done something special.
He's shown enough to suggest he will make it as a player, it's just the level he can get to now.
IMHO
He will be a solid Key Fwd in the Jay Shulz range
And he has had all of one year and an unfit one to show that. I was thinking more of a Jodi Arnol type afterall he did bugger all.
BigMart wrote:So why after a junior career at the Elite level for 4 years and an AFL pre season was he unfit
How can a 18yo that trains 4 days per week be 'unfit'
Was he injured?
If so
That's strange because he played 18 games
If his endurance was so poor, as Chistian Petraccas was its interesting they went 1&2
Last player we drafted with poor endurance levels was Caydn Beetham
Interesting that you know the last player we drafted with poor endurance levels. Do you get info from the club for that comment? I think it was obvious to anyone who went to games that Paddy wasn't fit enough for AFL footy as probably 50% of players drafted aren't. Its just common sense because they don't train as hard in juniors. And you admit Petraccas fitness was poor but you seem to doubt Paddy's wasn't. That is again interesting considering we never saw one play a game in anger and some of us saw Paddy live many times. And if you think one year of training gets you fit for AFL footy then I'm amazed.
I think everyone expects too much for an 18 y.o. In his first season.
Tom Hawkins didn't set the world on fire on his first season and I can remember Buddy Franklin being dropped in his first year.
Even our greatest forward in Tony Lockett didn't star in his first year and the fitness and conditioning levels required were a lot less in 1983.
longtimesaint wrote:I think everyone expects too much for an 18 y.o. In his first season.
Tom Hawkins didn't set the world on fire on his first season and I can remember Buddy Franklin being dropped in his first year.
Even our greatest forward in Tony Lockett didn't star in his first year and the fitness and conditioning levels required were a lot less in 1983.
The instant gratification culture is in footy as well. Something / someone has to be awesome immediately or it's / they're useless.
I can remember watching Dal and Joey running around in the seconds at Coburg footy ground in their second or third years, thinking to myself, "they could become quality AFL players in time".
Give the guy some time. He's probably just stopped growing. And he's a big fella, not a nippy little guy.
Would also say that Arryn Siposs never had great fitness
Plugger
Everyone knows about Beethams endurance issues
BTW
I don't consider your comments about Paddy being 'unfit' as accurate
He was by no means AFL seasoned (like most draftees) but was not unfit ... Did you get that info from the club directly??
His endurance levels are obviously not the greatest... Something to work on, but if after years as a teenager in elite pathways he has low endurance .... It's something that he will never be great with... Must compensate by being elite in other areas.
Unfortunately for Paddy he is a number one draft pick. It comes with expectation. He will be scrutinized his whole career and there will be nowhere for him to hide.
He looks level headed enough to handle it. For our sake I hope he has a great career. Number one picks don't come around too often so I hope we nailed it with Paddy.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Don't argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."
Would also say that Arryn Siposs never had great fitness
Plugger
Everyone knows about Beethams endurance issues
BTW
I don't consider your comments about Paddy being 'unfit' as accurate
He was by no means AFL seasoned (like most draftees) but was not unfit ... Did you get that info from the club directly??
His endurance levels are obviously not the greatest... Something to work on, but if after years as a teenager in elite pathways he has low endurance .... It's something that he will never be great with... Must compensate by being elite in other areas.
Yes but you claim he was the last with poor endurance that we drafted. I would suggest White was later and had worse endurance. And I didn't get the info that Paddy was unfit from the club but I watched games live and saw his body shape and put 2 and 2 together and I reckon I got 4. I reckon you have got 3 or 5.
My point isn't to knock Paddy but its to knock people who put a ceiling on a player after one year and watching an obviously unfit player playing. Luckily you weren't around to see Loewe play in his first year. You would have rated him about the same as David Winbanks because that was how fat he was.
This pattern of negative reinforcement is pretty concerning. I wouldn't say this often - I'm usually quite brutal in my assesments - but I really hope Paddy doesn't read this forum.
He strikes me as the Gary Buckenara-type personality. A magnificent player, but needed loads and loads of positive reinforcement from coaches and players around him to get the best of himself. He ended up being a four-time premiership player because Jeans coached him superbly.
Paddy, hopefully, will be a late bloomer. Critically, he needs to get his body right to compete at this level. I have no doubt he will.
