TheGame -- ..i agree, while many like myself watch Rich and are amazed how well and how fast he's come on.. ..who knows what may happen over a decade footy career wise.. ..but unless injuries set in, he's a good ten year player.. ..that's pretty much a garuntee [or as close as you can get].. ..and he's still gonna improve, and get better as he gets fitter and more experienced..

..if a young kid takes a few years to come good, then said kid is already behind the pace when you look at that ten year period.. ..and i don't really follow all this talk about 'upside'.... ..supposedly players like rich and j.selwood have less upside cos they're already physically developed.. ..and that's a crock to my way of thinking.. ..a player will always get stronger, fitter etc etc.. ..a teenager with some muscle is still only a teen afterall, and it takes years to get that real strong core body strength.. ..if the kid comes into an afl team already with some beefcake, they're ahead of schedule.. ..thats all. ..but learning gameplan, tactics, strategy etc etc will get better as they get experienced.. ..the kid with all the supposed 'upside' better have truckloads of it, cos they're starting from further back.. ..and have to make up alot of ground..

..in Yaz's case.. ..while he's young, i'd argue that physically he's already able to compete at AFL level.. ..and with the skill he already has, i don't know why he's talked up to having sooo much more upside than other players.. ..if anything, you could argue he has less upside than others cos he's got the skills and body to play now.. ..hell, if you look at some of the players we've used over the season so far, i reckon Yaz is on par if not already bigger.. ..garlett, robbo, even simmo and army are comparable or smaller than Yaz physically.. ..as a team we're screaming for a player with good skills off both sides of their body.. ..a player with some size, pace, creative footy smarts and good marking ability.. ..Yaz ticks all these boxes, hence why he was drafted in the first place.... ..but he hasn't shown much aside from the rare glimpse at afl level.. ..and when you consider ressies reports and even the early training reports there's definate question marks regarding his 'intensity'.... ..i do temper my opinion with the age he recruited him at, but he'd really be wanting to get a wriggle on over pre-season and start playing serviceable [doesnt have to be great] footy because the 'pressure' and 'expectation' is only going to increase for him, the longer/slower he takes to develop..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

..and those drafting blunders set us back.. ..we can't afford to be so blase about our top ten picks not working out.. ..especially with our list..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Reckon you've got this scenario played out in your mind when there's a very god chance it won't eventuate.....think you might have too much free time on your hands

You've even twisted your logic to convince yourself Rich has more upside than Yarran...when Yarran hasn't had an interrupted pre-season for a couple of years.....tell us what tricks you see in Rich's bag other than bang it on the left boot and kick it 50m?

Or more directly: Rich brings others into the game with his footskills, but Yarran can take the game on by himself.

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

..hell no Gilly, i've got nothing in my mind [haha],, instead i'm desperately hoping Yaz comes good, and soon [playing seniors next yr]..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Fair enough

Good deal BKB

....as for the talk of 'upsides', i don't really believe in it.. ..so i'm not saying rich has more, or less than yaz or others.. .i'm just saying that the talk of a kid that's already physically capable of competing at senior level automatically having less upside than a scrawny kid is in my opinion silly.. .i then went on to say that yaz is physically capable of playing afl senior footy, is creative, good pace, good hands, skills off both sides of his body.. ..umm, where's all his upside gonna come from..?.. ..and this is actually a v.serious question....

..as for Rich having a bag of tricks.. ..well, isn't a v.accurate penetrating kick [who cares what side of the body it comes off] already an extremely useful trick in modern footy..?.. ..throw in the fact he can kick reasonably well on his right [is two sided], the fact he's physically imposing [built and knows how to use it],, and the fact that being an in and under mid he's not exactly expected to have a big bag of tricks [those types of mids usually don't, hence why they need to be a-grade].. ..then i don't see the need for him to have a big bag of tricks like a flashy, creative flanker is expected to have.. ..right now we need a player to complete the midfield puzzle and give physical support to our other mids.. ..right now, thats the biggest trick we lack.. ..second trick we lack as a team, is a reliable, penetrating accurate kick..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

the world is a vampire, sent to drain
secret destroyers, hold you up to the flames
and what do i get, for my pain
betrayed desires, and a piece of the game
even though i know-i suppose i'll show
all my cool and cold-like old job

despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

now i'm naked, nothing but an animal
but can you fake it, for just one more show
and what do you want, i want to change
and what have you got
when you feel the same
even though i know-i suppose i'll show
all my cool and cold-like old job

despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

tell me i'm the only one
tell me there's no other one
jesus was an only son
tell me i'm the chosen one
jesus was an only son...for you

despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
then someone will say what is lost can never be saved
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

tell me i'm the only one
tell me there's no other one
jesus was an only son...for you
and i still believe that i cannot be saved
and i still believe that i cannot be saved
and i still believe that i cannot be saved
and i still believe that i cannot be saved

_________________
There's so much I could say...

I'm happy to have Yarran on board but lets not get carried away here.
Rich is an absolutely elite kick which is a huge weapon in todays game. To suggest he "bangs it on the boot and kicks it 50m" well and truly understates his abilities.
Lets not misrepresent or understate Rich to make a point.

_________________
Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Well I might have left out some minor details, like him hitting a 20c coin from 55m, but what's good for the goose

I just don't see him as necessarily see him as the ideal fit to our midfield that everybody is circle jerking over.

..umm, not sure if yer sayin' i'm the goose there, cos i've never undersold Yaz's skill, it's always been more the time-frame attached to getting good service.. ..as for Rich being the missing ingredient to our midfield, we'll most likely never know for certain.. ..but what our midfield lacks is a big body doing the bullocking and in and under work.. ..a long penetrating kick coupled with a-grade talent is also missing [fev excluded, not like we're using him elsewhere].. ..so, a player like Rich or Selwood, that not only plays the role we lack but has a mature body to give good footy service right away is what i think we lack, and what we should be aiming for with our first pick this draft [provided said a-grade talent is available]..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

@#$%&! Rich! @#$%&! ziebell! @#$%&! NicNat! @#$%&! em all!!!

I think it’s extremely exciting that the blues have identified enormous untapped natural talents in Yarran & Garlett and have challenged themselves as a club to develop these young 18yo kids with a history of challenging issues into elite AFL players able to deal with the enormous baggage that goes with the AFL lifestyle.

It’s a journey I’m proud my club has had the guts to take on and I’ll be watching intently the journey in its initial route down the bumpy road full of pot holes and look forward to seeing them inevitably hit the highway to glory.

Go blues!!!!!!!!!!

_________________
There's so much I could say...

Great post

_________________
When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way!

Rich is not and never will be a Carlton player. Stop torturing yourselves about Rich and rejoice in the discovery of Joseph and the delight Robbo gave us early in the season. Young blokes who will be good players for us. And Yarran hasn't exactly been a waster.

Support the team we've got.

Ummm exactly what part of "hasn't had a pre-season" don't you undertand?... you keep going on about him being "physically capable"? How can you be physically capable when you haven't had the opportunity to build a fitness base?


I've been hearing stuff throughout the year (not necessarily TC) comparing him to Cyril and why Yaz isn't having as good a first year as the Hawk's prized recruit.... well let me see...

- Cyril was already living in Melbourne the year he was drafted IIRC... Yazz never had that prior opportunity to acclimatize
- Yazz is 18 months younger (!!!) than Cyril
- Yazz had no pre-season... not only did Cyril have a pre-season, he went on the bloody Kokoda trail straight up

Bit of perspective isn't it ?

_________________
When Dick became President, it was as if everyone at Carlton came out of the hailstorm and into the sunshine - Stephen Kernahan

YARRAN!!





.

a double album that should have been a single one.


nice touch.

Didn't he go home earlier in the season as well

_________________
If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

..don't think i've ever compared Yaz to Cyril, for me one's a HFF and another a FP, they're both different body shapes/sizes and would play different roles.. ..i don't think that they're comparable.. ..and yes i realise that he has had an interrupted pre-season, but there's a world of difference between thinking a player should play out a year with no pre-season, and a player to get some game time.. ..sure his fitness base isn't up to afl standard yet, but we've played robbo and garlett on and off thru the year and they're not afl fit.. ..his ability to play out a game doesn't seem to be the major factor holding him back, but rather his accountability and defensive aspect,, plus his intensity.. ..and in regards to accountability and intensity, that's completely under a player's control.. ..pre-season or no pre-season..

..but either way, i was talking about upside [in the post you quoted] and i questioned where all of Yaz's upside is meant to come from, considering he's already got a body that can play afl, he has the skills and creative spark.. ..it seems that his 'upside' would mostly be from an improved fitness base, which is pretty much standard for the majority of kids drafted, so why's he got oodles and oodles of upside compared to others..??..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

BKB read my post again... I never said you compared him to Cyril (it was an aside more than anything)

It's pretty hard to sustain intensity and defensive aspects throughout a game when you fatigue quicker due to the lack of a preseason- more seasoned players than Yarran struggle when they haven't had a full pre-season. Look everyone agrees he's got a lot of improvement to make up in this area but there are mitigating factors you also have to consider.

And if you can't see his upside then sorry I'm not even gonna bother explaining it... been a tough Monday at work and I can't be arsed tbh

_________________
When Dick became President, it was as if everyone at Carlton came out of the hailstorm and into the sunshine - Stephen Kernahan

YARRAN!!





.