He is just so "young". Reminds me of McInnes two years ago. Bit like a deer in the headlights.

In 2-3 years i believe he will be a very good player.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Sweeping generalisation alert for you Psych. It's not meant to offend

Recruiters fall into the trap of making other player comparisons (my pet hate) and falling in love with certain players. This love causes a blindness to reality.


Comparing bootsma to McInnes is unfair to McInnes. McInnes has gun defender written all over him. In just 5-games of AFL he hasn't put a foot wrong. Is hard at the man and ball and has an AFL ready body. imo McInnes is one definite bright light on this season, and since Judd's suspension, mac is one prime reason our season is still alive.

Bell & Cas are others.

Not sure if Bootsma has played 5 games yet ... but I couldn't see what our faithful were so excited about in his first few games when you compare him to a guy McInnes, who got lumped with Cloke in his AFL debut and towelled him up.

One thing about Bootsma is, he debunks the myth Ratten doesn't play kids. Ratten identified Bootsma in preseason and said the kid would make his debut this season. And he did.

My comparison to McInnes was based on how young mentally and physically Bootsma is at the same stage. I am not at all comparing them as players as they are very much different.

2-3 years ago (and I met him several times) McInnes was very young and looked lost. He was still very much adjusting. He looked like he was 15 years old.

At that point having seen him play U18s and some reserves I was confidence he had the tools in 2-3 years. I am even more confident on Bootsma.

In have seen a lot of players develop and it amazes me how people criticise them at such a stage. Who knows what will happen as there is so many variables but Bootsma has as much potential as anyone I have seen at that age.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Yeah, that's all I'm saying too. At this stage all bootsma is, is potential.

It's way too early to be pencilling him into our 2013 plans. imo he's 2-3 years off being able to replicate McInnes output. And that is provided he beats the variables and turns his potential into a tangible product.

Braithy aside from physical size the difference between Mc and Boots is the systems they both came through to get to the AFL.

Mc had a full 2 years in the TAC system including playing in the U18 Champs. He was well drilled and Coached at the Dandenong Stingrays and Vic Country. He understood what was coming before he was drafted and he was half way to being as ready as he could be. Mc had some form of decent fitness level but Boots was nowhere near it.

Boots was basically a country kid running around with his mates before playing a handful of WA Colts games where he caught everyone's attention. Boots was barely ready for the draft let alone being dragged across the Country away from his family. Boots can play but he is still 18 months away from being mentally and physically ready to start taking the necessary steps to be a 1st 22 player. We knew all that when we drafted him and we think the rewards will be well worth it. He's quick, skilled, tall and footy smart. The rest is time and experience.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

I see Bootsma overtaking McInnes at a rate of knots.
With Henderson, Jamison and Laidler back, McInnes will struggle to find a spot.
Bootsma has many more tools to his armoury, but will need to be developed to utilize them to maximum effect.

Yes, I understand. I'm in no way condemning Bootsma or saying he hasn't got it. He does have a ton of potential.

All I was saying to Psych was for Bootsma (and a few other players he named) it's too premature to pencil them into having a deciding role in our 2013 tilt for a flag.

We need a few more AFL ready boys to step straight in. One avenue is trading one of our talls, which was reading in between the lines of SR's blueprint episode.

no offense harker ... that's about the silliest thing I've read here.

Apples to oranges comparison about a guy who's AFL ready right here today, and another kid from the country who is 2-3 years away at a minimum.

Henderson can and probably will go forward, and alotta the reason that we'd even have that flexibility is because Mc has come in and proven he's a legit AFL defender.

Where did I say that?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

I tend to agree. I see them both eventually being very good players but they both need time.

The basis of my comments is that we have potentially a very good top 30 with some real talent pushing them.

I also don't think McInnes will be competing with Hendo, Jamison & Laidler. I believe he will become a very good, tall, running HB ala Mackie type.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

lol ... it was implied among my long-winded rabble of a post.

I'm surprised you missed it, tbh ...

Really?

Bootsma was always going to get games this year and McInnes is there by default.
Won't take for one poor game from McInnes before many will want to see him out of the side.

How much of Bootsma have you seen? Don't worry, I know the answer.

A forward line of Hendo, Waite, Walker, Betts, Garlett, and Casboult would be almost impossible to contain.

The back line may need one more gorilla , but Jammo, Laidler, McInnes are a fantastic group of level headed types to base a defence around.

If we can keep them on the park that is.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Not sure I see it Harks. Boots is the running backman and McInnes is the wrestling backman.

Both required, but I don't reckon they'd be taking each others spot.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Whoops, Psych. I misread your last post mate.

where did you say it?

Just in your team list you gave for a possible 2013.

Lucas, ROK picked ahead of Garlett, and in your reserves you mentioned Bootsma.

Everyone sees spots for players until they add up how many players they actually have in their team.

There's talk of McInnes being a swing-man now on the back of spending 10 minutes up forward. Seriously now.

An average game by a rookie seems to get looked upon as 3 voter from a star. Just works that way.
Again, good luck to McInnes but I'd be surprised for him to be a regular should we have the fortune of a North Melbourne type injury list.

Just do the numbers cimm.

For starters I still want Henderson forward but alike Reid I think he's now made his bed, down back.

That leaves us three talls in Jamison, Henderson and Laidler (plays small and tall)
We still need a tough small down back if Joseph doesn't do enough.
We then have Tuohy and Yarran as the running backs. (Argument can be put forward to get these guys up the ground)
We'll need to get another tall down there in Watson also.
What about Ratts' favourites in White & Davies?

I think Bootsma will develop into a wing-man (for lack of a better term)
He'll be the one that can work between the forward and back-lines.
Has the punch, the kick, the awareness and the closing speed that will hold him in good stead, for years to come.

The WCE have a big bodied backline, but I get your point that there are only 22 spots at anyone time.

I think he's shown enough to suggest he'll be there long term.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

I really like McInnes the person.
Has a fantastic attitude and if he does indeed make it, it will be out of hard work and persistence as opposed to natural talent.

Again, it was interesting hearing Rogers calling for speed.
We'll need the meat and potatoes to release to the runners from the back-line and for that reason alone Watson had better clean up his hand-balling sklills.
Can't believe just how bad he can be connecting hand to ball.

Another good thing to start coming through this season is that it looks as though we're starting to take the VFL a little more seriously.
We just have to align our games from the two leagues as that looked far from the case early in the year.

We have one of the stronger lists in the league, but just haven't developed well enough deeper into that list to date.

I just did the list and I have 10 up for delisting. 5 are rookies.

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dane's trolling again