So I take it Carlton Chick and Fevolution that you think Kade Simpson has nothing to offer us, considering he failed to trouble the statistician in his first three games.

Oh and Jordan Russell - needn't bother with him - only 2 kicks and most of his first game on the pine.

Need to get real guys. While they are obviously not superstar material yet I think you have to give them a bit more time before saying they are not cut out for AFL - lucky to get 10 games out of Setanta is laughable - you'd need to give him at least 20-30 games to get him used to the pace of it. This for a team that has Prenda running around in it week in week out.

I never said anything of the sort. Quite the contrary - you must have missed the part where I said that Setanta has the potential to blossom into a great footballer. Like Diesel, all he needs is more time to be able to perform to the best of his ability at an AFL standard.

And 30 games? Hmm, I'm not certain about that. Imagine, if for some reason, he turned out to be as shit as Clarke, do you think we'd really want him playing in the 1s for that long, just wishing and hoping he could redeem himself?

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"David Teague, the most beautiful player in the AFL" - Dermott Brereton
~Something we can all agree on ~

From memory, that was his only contribution. And if he were that good, why did he play only 10 mins of footy?[/quote]

exactly[/quote]

And yet Simpson got messed around with Pagan in his first 2-3 years and it's only now that we are seeing Simpson get a lot of game time.

Perhaps you should come up with a solid base for your argument next time.

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

I just hope Setanta can show something.....just a little. I don't expect him to dominate I just expect to see some of his work ethic and all this athleticism they are talking up...

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...And yet you'd be quite happy to see Setanta 'messed around with' by Pagan for 2-3 years if it means he'll eventually get 'a lot of game time'.

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"David Teague, the most beautiful player in the AFL" - Dermott Brereton
~Something we can all agree on ~

he's already been messed around for 2 years. After one year on the proper senior list i think we can start being critical of him. He was a rookie for 2 years FFS, no-one can exspect anything of him yet. We'll just see what he can do this year and then you can make up your mind on whether he will make it or not.

Same goes for Aisake

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By the way, I don't know why anyone's giving my shit over this (unless of course you're illiterate and can't read my last few posts). I keep repeating the point I made about his potential to become a star. I never once said he was a lost cause.

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"David Teague, the most beautiful player in the AFL" - Dermott Brereton
~Something we can all agree on ~

Missed my point completely.

It's all about giving the new guys a taste. A taste here, a taste there. Once the begin to consistently show they are good enough to be out there and hold a possie, they will be in the side regularly.

Kade was given a taste here and there over the past 2-3 years and this year he started to play some good, consistent football. Jordan Russell will be dealt the same hand, as will Luke Blackwell.

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Spot on Deano

No-one thinks either is a superstar, and no-one talks about either as IF he is a superstar. Many think each has the POTENTIAL to become a superstar, or at least an elite player. Not all AFL players have that potential. I doubt any of us thought that of any of the players who arrived at the club alongside 1AW, Stevens, and Setanta. We were pleasantly surprised by Teague, but I doubt if we ever thought that Bannister or Digby, for instance, would ever give the Brownlow a shake. We were just hoping for some good 2nd tier players out of that lot.

Setanta has the ability to become a matchwinner. He is 198 cm and 99 kg, with the pace to be a fast-leading key-forward. This is exceptional in itself. He was an elite sportsman before joining us. He was a forward in Hurling, and forwards in Hurling employ the same strategies of leading and making space for each other as we employ in Aussie Rules - in many ways it is much closer to our game than Gaelic Rules is. He has a natural aggression and physicality that was always going to fit easily into our game. His dedication to succeeding at the Blues is second to none. He is already better than over 99% of blokes who have played the game. He is now an excellent kick and his marking is good. He has now had a couple of years in the system, and Tadgh Kennelly and Jimmy Stynes made their mark in their 3rd years. He is still developing an undertanding of the flow of the game, and he is improving rapidly. As he improves, he will become a fierce defensive forward in the mould of Waitey and a pack-busting forward in the mould of Earl. And that mark he took against Richmond was a contested leaping mark followed by a 45 m straight-as-an arrow kick.

I could go on, but I won't. I will just say that next year could bring anything from disappointment to ecstacy.

Maybe my initial post was misunderstood - I was suggesting we should be happy with 5 to 10 games next year. But I expect that he will become a fixture from 2007 onwards.

With Aisake, he too has massive potential. We can now all see very clearly how important a good ruckman is to us. He has the physique to excel. He is now 20 years old, is 203 cm and weighs in at 95 kg. He has grown 4 cm and put on 9 kg since he arrived as a 19 year old stripling. The weight he has put on is a testament to the hard yards he is willing to put in. It was not suprising that he would commence in the Bullants 2nds given his inexperience and his lack of bulk. Towards the end of this year, he improved his rucking dramatically. He is extremely fast and agile for his size and his skills are developing quickly. In 2006, I would think that he would have time in the Bullants' seniors to experience football at a higher level while playing in the 2nds to maximise his time in the ruck. At the end of the year, he should have developed to the point where he can be a dominant ruckman in the VFL in 2007 while being blooded with a few games for Carlton when needed. In 2008, he will be just 22 years old, but as with most ruckmen will improve dramatically over the following 3 years.

SOS for PM

Fevolution give him time to develop rather than riding him off. No one is expecting him to win a brownlow next year have a bit of patience.

I garentee 99% of the people on this site would rather Setanta to Zantuck, michael stevens etc.

The other 1 % are impatient hacks

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"Dont count the games, make the games count"

As far as I'm concerned, they've cost us practically nothing to date, their attitude and hunger to improve is exemplery and they've provided a heap of positive pubilicity for the club. The club is better off for having them even if they never add to Setanta's 10mins of senior footy. However, judging by Setanta's forward endevours for the Ants - the guy def has a future in AFL, his only problem will be the mass of tall forwards the club now has. From all reports Aisake is the more naturally talented of the two, he will have to be elevated eventually but I'd rather have a speculative talent like him on the senior list than a bloke who can't make the grade like prenda.

I think Denis should play Clarke, Bannister, Prendergast etc instead of Setanta. Afterall they're good for 10-15 match-winning possesions.

You think Zippy

Would have thought that playing Clarke might lead to us forfeiting any points we win because of playing an unregistered player ...

Good to see you're keeping abreast of developments.

:garthf#$#ingp:

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Oh yeah.

(Don't tell them you also had Johnson on that list).

Sister of Setanta?

No, XY I'm afraid. But IIRC, a photo I saw of the sister was pretty impressive.

Just checking.

The reality is that the odds are stacked against both. That's not to say they cannot make it. We have seen the odd Irish recruit actually make it and even win a brownlow but for every one that does make it, there are numerous international recruits who don't. No one questions Setanta's physical attributes. Nor do they question his desire and commitment. However, for those of you who actually watched him play last year for the Bullants, he only settled down when played up forward. In defence, he struggled to read the play in front of him. In the midfield, he struggled to release the ball when required and was swamped on many occasions. That's not a criticism, just something that happens when you haven't been brought up playing the game as a youngster. You naturally tend to hesitate when deciding what to do. The guys raised on the game just release the ball on instinct.

After one game, he was offered some advice to just go with his first thought. Hopefully, it's something he will learn with time.

Time is the issue. It will take both boys many years to learn the 'instincts' about the game that most of the others at that level take for granted. Yes, both cxan kick and mark and handball at training. Great. But, that's step one. Now, they need to develop the ability to read the play. To know when to hold on to the ball and when not to and then where to place it to be at the advantage of your team mate. Instincts that unfortunetly cannot be taught over night.