Easy in hindsight, but Nathan Fyfe was an extremely skilled young junior who was left behind physically during his teenage years because he was very late into puberty. He was tiny as a 16 year old and didn't even make his high school football side in year 11.

This begs the point about early talent identification. With recruiters ever keen to pick talent younger and younger, this strategy strongly favours boys who are early maturers for elite development programs. The bigger bodied have a huge advantage and often dominate elite junior competitions. Eg Tom Hawkins. It runs the risk of missing extremely talented pure footballers who if given opportunity and time to physically mature will surpass the "man child" types.

Nathan Fyfe is a great example of this. Has it all and can do it all, with some exceptions from yesterday.

I'm a big fan of Fyfe, but his kicking was ordinary yesterday

Reminded me of a better version of Robbo

No his contest and hunger for the ball and the quick dish offs to the waves running past was fantastic

Yes his kicking was bad.. they got stage fright.

Pearce can never play again though.

Weak in the physical stakes and his weak mind was shown up so his super kicking turned to shit.

Its why Lucas must be traded immediately... Pearces disposal in regular games are better....
And theyre both weak in the contest...

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Sandilands work around the ball during stoppages & link work was sensational yesterday .
I think he is Purples one of the most improved players this year.

Rhys Shaw says hello

Although Rhys did make amends years later at the Swans

Don't think Pearce will though

I'm a fan of Fyfe too but you highlight an interesting point

Fox Footy Analyst ‏@FoxFootyAnalyst:

Of the 90 players to have 250+ kicks this year, Nat Fyfe's kick retention of 46% was the worst. Tracked at only 23% in the GF.

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Maybe they would have had a field day...initially. But Freo recruiters saw something in him. Fyffe would have silenced the naive and ignorant TC keyboard recruiters pretty quickly if he had shown the same skills that he shows for Freo.

On the other hand, we all got excited with
McCarthy
Mitchell
Bower
Watson
Grigg
Yarran
Lucas
etc. etc etc.
because they "fell" to us on draft day. Now we have a field day discussing what wasted picks they were.

I, along with all CFC supporters would rather have a field day criticising a pick which becomes a gem (then openly admit we got it wrong) than celebrate one flowering false dawn after another after another, only to have egg on our faces

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Yes but look at his work and handballs

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anyone see Kerr cut it up in the WAFL Grannie? Think he kicked 4 maybe 5......... thought it was a great standard.........???

I get your point 99 but I think you miss mine but never mind. I'm not here to debate Fyfe I just find it fascinating that for every successful Fyfe there are many more like Fyfe as 18yr olds who don't kick on for one reason or another.

Regards Cazzesman

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Isn't that the recruiters job Cazz? To find a success story? I think you are missing the point.

There are jewels out there if we have vision and a bit of luck; E.G. Kade Simpson at pick 45 in the 2002 National Draft.

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I might be the only one around here but I'd prefer Steele Sidebottom to Nat Fyfe. At least he can kick goals in grand finals.

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

Where's our successful Fyfe?

Our best usage of the draft comes from the pre Hughes era and from when we had our backs to the wall. I think that says something. Too much control freakery going on and too self-congratulatory to go with it.

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I was amazed to be honest; at the quality of players that Hawthorn have extracted from opposing teams.

Yes; they've possibly/probably improved markedly since arriving at the Hawks; but that team yesterday played as if they'd been together forever.

The recruiters have got it right; and the whole backup team is obviously as one with them and Club Management.

Oh; that we could say the same....

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I totally get the 'it's not an exact science' argument Cazz

Our drafting in the last 5-7 years has been so heavily skewed toward 'misses' rather than 'hits' that the Nathan Fyfe stories really raise concerns about recruiting strategy and quality.

I haven't done the research but would love to know where we would be on the recruiting ladder just based on NRS nominations over the last 5-7 years. I dare say it won't make enjoyable reading

Would also like to see the total number of games played/year for all players at all clubs whose age fits the NRS criteria each year since 2005. Once again, I shudder to think where CFC sits on that ladder

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It is much easier topping up a list wheN you have an existing 5 or 6 players that can win you a premiership. Carlton did it to win the 95 premiership. Hale, lake and Gibson would not make carlton a top 4 team. The carlton problem has as much to do with not embracing the draft for 3 or four seasons as well as bad selection. We need to commit to 3 or 4 years of drafting and development for the daisy type trades to really reap a benefit above maintaining our middle ladder status

Sidebottom kicks 10 goals in a TAC Cup GF and he still falls to pick 11 in the draft.

Maybe these recruiters who had pick 3-10 were all busy on GF day? Surely kicking 10 goals in a TAC Cup gf is enough to get you as pick 3-9 at least.

He has already repaid the faith Collingwood had in him in 2010. It doesn't really matter what happens in the rest of his career.
He is one Collingwood player I admire. Gets the job done.