Should they come back through the VFL

[seano1]

Should all players come back through the VFL after a lay off for whatever reasons no matter who they are ?
Yes they can be competitive beasts but looking at some wheres the drive ….hey i’m earning 800,000 a year and they put me straight in….then does fa

[Life Long Saint]

Should all players come back through the VFL after a lay off for whatever reasons no matter who they are ?
Yes they can be competitive beasts but looking at some wheres the drive ….hey i’m earning 800,000 a year and they put me straight in….then does fa

The short answer is "no"...The long answer is "depends".

[Scollop]

There's a difference between a young bloke and a seasoned campaigner.

Young blokes need a game or 2 in the VFL imo

Take Mason Wood and Liam Henry for example. Both injured in round 2.

One is an experienced senior player who came straight in and performed. The young guy had a stinker

[Scollop]

If the op is implying that Max King may have needed to gain his confidence at VFL level...well... I'm not sure

There's a few things to consider. One is the condition of the ground where VFL matches are played. Some are too risky to be trialling your number 1 key Forward. We've invested too much in him to risk getting his ankle or knee stuffed.

The other thing is whether the player himself wants to play any games at that level. Has he ever played a VFL game?

I think at the moment that Max isn't enjoying his footy. Wherever he plays that little man inside his head is still going to be with him

[Scollop]

That suspension to King messed with continuity ...and then the knee injury perhaps messed with his fitness

Max definitely needs to work harder and his attack on the ball needs work. He kicked a goal in the last quarter from an easy chest mark (nice pass from Garcia)

Our 2 goals in the last quarter were 10 minutes apart

He had a chance to mark straight after the Battle goal but he got spoilt with Frost getting his fist on the ball. He tried to jump and take a chest mark instead of meeting the footy at the highest point (arms outstretched) and Frost wouldn't have been able to reach it.

We didn't gain momentum. Max could have given us good momentum half way into that last quarter if we'd kicked 2 quick goals. Battle and then Max... wasn't to be.

[wally]

I think if they’ve missed more than 4 weeks defineatelely yes
Really I’d like to see all injuries play in seconds first

[WellardSaint]

There's 2 polar opposite theories

The Zebs are so bad at everything to do with our fave game, that every AFL-listed Sainter playing there, will go backwards
Imagine sending a police recruit, fresh outta the academy, to Darwin, Alice Springs, or Katherine in the NT.
Scarred for life.

The other theory is that (because the Zebs are so horrible) a guy will learn exactly how to play the 'Saints Way' (Trademark pending)
So they'll move seamlessly into the seniors.

The Saints Way : post a record low score by half time; turn the ball over a lot; handball behind your team-mate and/or when 3 oppo are <3m away; miss set shots from 25m out; pretend to tackle; drop head during marking attempt (Pou, don't blush mate)

The Saints Way is a globally recognised way of life, which celebrates underperformance, misguided confidence, gaslighting, obtaining large amounts of $ under false pretences, etc in not just sport, but many other scenarios.

The Vietnam War
Tesla car making
Jeep car making
Italian mass market cars up to about 2010
Catholic Church

You get the drift