I'm led to believe that Hislop is probably the most talented player in the PSD. He also fits our age criteria. I'm not sure why there is such angst around about him. Not long ago Essendon offered him a 1 year contract which he rejected. To suit their own needs and with the recruitment of Prismall they decided to cut him loose.

If we wanted to eschew every player that had some social issues at 20 you wouldn't be able to form a list. There are degrees of everything and I'm sure our club will do their due diligence.

On the surface of it I'm keen to look closely at him.

A slow injury prone nutter.

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And You would know this how ?

from a couple of posts from people who have no idea.

He is not that slow and I am sure he could beat nath jones in a footrace, he is tough as nails which is what we need at this club and has decent skills. I have played against Tom in Tasmania when he played for a club called Burnie and he is hard at the ball and will do anything in his power to get it.

As for injury prone that is crap he has only been in the system three years and most of them he wasn't injured. If a player picks up two injuries it doesn't mean they are injury prone. Every single afl player has injuries at some point even robert harvey missed basically 2 years with knees and hamstrings.

A slow injury prone nutter.

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The club said they would go for an untried youngster ahead of a reject in the PSD anyway.

Is that right?

By all reports he is definitely not slow. And did the club really say that they preferred an "untried youngster ahead of a reject" or did you just dream that one up?

IMO, Hislop is definitely an option, I'm sure the club will do their due diligence in the lead up to the PSD.

There are varying degrees of risk. Hislop has fundamental character and attitude issues at the bottom end of AFL population. And if we worked hard to get rid of Carroll, then I am not sure we would take on another culture problem. In addition, he has a number of fitness/injury concerns

I am sure the Club will do the sums on Hislop but I dont see a lot of other Clubs vying for him. Chris Johnson seems to be drawing more interest.

And there is no surety that Hislop has the strength of character and mind to focus on AFL after a series of really immature and stupid behaviours.

I see what you're saying.. but aren't these 'character issues' based on a lot of hearsay and rumors posted on Big Footy ??

Correct me if i'm wrong, but the only confirmed incident that has happened was when he failed to attend training. ONCE.

The rest appear to be fitness/injury issues.

think there has been more than one issue....

but he is young and i sure this might be a wake up call!!

i think we should definitely go after him in the PSD....... there is nobody else to get!!

we could get another kid but i reckon we should throw this guy another chance.... he can obviously play

think there has been more than one issue....

What then?? He missed training once. Is there something else?

I see what you're saying.. but aren't these 'character issues' based on a lot of hearsay and rumors posted on Big Footy ??

Correct me if i'm wrong, but the only confirmed incident that has happened was when he failed to attend training. ONCE.

The rest appear to be fitness/injury issues.

There's a lot of gossip and innuendo but nothing substantiated. We should investigate carefully but not discount him on the basis of scuttlebut.

And there's a fair bit of handwringing over him being delisted. Here's what Wisbey wrote about him:-

HISLOP, Tom (20 Essendon) [10]

Aggressive powerhouse. Plug n play. Versatile bullish onballer/flanker who can play small or above his height, has fairly good pace, takes no prisoners, always gives a contest and gets a lot of contested ball but currently doesn't look for, take or hit the right option often enough - too often kicks long instead of looking for short options (hand or foot). Other main concern AFL-wise might be over-aggression. Main selling points are physicality, competitiveness, courage, intensity, overhead, endurance, balance, strength, consistency. Trademarks are (1) Hardball get, then hurried disposal, (2) Crunch a pack or an opponent, perhaps taking a very strong mark that he has no right to take. Often clean, especially at ground level in "static" situations (although not "routinely: clean overall). If not for the somewhat high number of blind and other inaccurate kicks[/b], I would rank him about #5. I love his competitiveness and aggression at both man and ball but he must start getting better return from his possession tally. Kicking was better in VFL than at U18. He is not a bad kick per se. Good depth and dual-sided. The issue is reliability. Kicking style needs work. He tilts to the left, which limits your error margin over a short distance, and his arm movements need work. IMHO it is important for both arms to work virtually in sync, helping your body stay balanced, both laterally and vertically. Hislop's arms are way out of synch and affect his centre-of-mass transfer and his ability to kick directly through the ball. Left arm often spends time bent at 90 degrees upwards then comes forward and across his body, while his right arm stays back, hangs down and does nothing. By the end of his kick he is often off-balance. Those faults should be fairly "easily" fixed and will make a big difference to his kicking reliability. Hislop and Armitage are similar types, age, great endurance and both are virtually plug 'n play. Both courageous hardnuts with good work rate and both with sub-optimal disposal. Hislop has more pace, is a bit physically stronger, and is the better kick. Hislop arguably has greater impact too. I would definitely take Hislop over Armitage, much as I admire Armitage. Jetta is X-factor vs risk but is a very quick, electrifying magician and is capable of being a quality user (not that he is yet). Hislop is none of those but he will deliver for you every time, whereas Jetta will switch on when it suits him. Jetta's pace, daring, flair and disposal makes him potentially much more of an impact player. Hislop is more a player who stops the opposition having impact through his hardness at man and ball but he too can turn a game. Likes to take opponents on and carry the ball and is often, although not routinely, judicious. Astute in corralling an opponent but usually prefers the bone-crunching tackle or bump. I have been impressed re how very switched on and intelligent he is at the 1/4, 3/4 huddles. With ever-increasing sophistication of team game plans, being able to be on the same page as the coach is more important than ever. Exceptionally strong overhead for his size, especially the big screamer from behind but can mark from any angle/position and attacks his marks / hits the pack like there's no tomorrow. He is on the slower end of the "quick midfielder" scale rather than the quicker end of the "slightly slowish midfielder" scale. Probably best suited to HBF or onball but, despite being only 184cm, is versatile enough to play anywhere down the flanks. Could be exposed by a very quick or very tall opponent but, even then, is likely to be at least mainly competitive, such is his ability to play tall yet also have enough pace and smarts to know where to run, how to cut angles and how to pressure both aerially and at ground level. Has the motor and competitiveness to become an excellent run-with (in time) and that's the role in which I possibly favour him.

Hmmm ...

A slow injury prone nutter.

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And You would know this how ?

from a couple of posts from people who have no idea.

He is not that slow and I am sure he could beat nath jones in a footrace, he is tough as nails which is what we need at this club and has decent skills. I have played against Tom in Tasmania when he played for a club called Burnie and he is hard at the ball and will do anything in his power to get it.

As for injury prone that is crap he has only been in the system three years and most of them he wasn't injured. If a player picks up two injuries it doesn't mean they are injury prone. Every single afl player has injuries at some point even robert harvey missed basically 2 years with knees and hamstrings.

You have a difference of opinion to Wisbey's report on Hislop....

From Phantom Draft VII: 2006 phantom AFL draft:

http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tab...px?newsId=35868

"His hardness and attack on the ball would compliment the likes of recent draftees Brock McLean and Colin Sylvia.

Highlights/achievements: Robust and powerful player who is strong overhead and a prolific ball winner. All-Australian at U18 level this year averaging 20 disposals and ranking number one for tackles. Has an excellent speed and endurance combination being sub 3.00sec for 20m and mid level 14 for the Beep Test. AIS/AFL Academy graduate."

I see what you're saying.. but aren't these 'character issues' based on a lot of hearsay and rumors posted on Big Footy ??

Correct me if i'm wrong, but the only confirmed incident that has happened was when he failed to attend training. ONCE.

The rest appear to be fitness/injury issues.

My understanding was that there were a couple of training issues and a couple of after hours misdemeanors. And I dont read Big Footy.

What then?? He missed training once. Is there something else?

Two years ago he didn't finish his vegetables at dinner and he was sent to bed early.

Two years ago he didn't finish his vegetables at dinner and he was sent to bed early.

When he was 5yo he allegedly spent 5mins in the naughty corner.

I see what you're saying.. but aren't these 'character issues' based on a lot of hearsay and rumors posted on Big Footy ??

Correct me if i'm wrong, but the only confirmed incident that has happened was when he failed to attend training. ONCE.

The rest appear to be fitness/injury issues.

Essendon have openly stated one of the main reasons they let go of him was attitude problems.

They gave him 1 year to get his head and body right and he said no.

Loose cannon by all reports.

Essendon have openly stated one of the main reasons they let go of him was attitude problems.

They gave him 1 year to get his head and body right and he said no.

Loose cannon by all reports.

That's unfair. Essendon offered him a one year contract and he said no to that. It's improbable that he was told to get his head and body right and he refused to do that.

I would suggest that, like Chris Johnson, Tom Hislop was going nowhere where he was and needed a change of scenery.

The fact that he was offered a contract, albeit for only one year, suggests that he is probably not an horrific monster which is how some people are painting him.

It's also been suggested that Essendon would be prepared to rookie him and all this cr@p about his behaviour might be designed to throw others off track.

assesment criteria.

a) does the club think he has the footballing ability, potential or realised, to slot in with our current group of players?

(this includes the questions of 'how old?' 'do we have tons of this player?' 'realistic possibility of being among first picked vs fringe player at best')

b ) will he fit in culturally within the mfc rules guidelines and behavioural standards?

(this includes, assessing past behaviour and estimating future behaviour based on interviews etc)

if a) is a yes, the club will then consider b ). if b ) is a yes, the club will then consider player.

at the moment we, as a forum, know the answer to neither question. we can speculate about a based on under 18's and draft camp performances (very good) and performance at essendon (not so good, but hindered and therefore may have potential still). we can speculate on b ) based on rumour and innuendo.

IF essendon indeed offered him 1 year and he knocked it back, it would suggest he either does not want to play football, has received a better offer elsewhere, or realises that factors at essendon (such as staff, environment, mates) are restricting him realising potential. the latter is the best case scenario because it answers question b ). the middle answer means we may be chasing him, or someone else is chasing him. the former indicates we dont bother.

SUMMARY: We don't know, and we should wait and see what the footy club does, instead of debating rumours

EDIT: fwiw I like the discussion, and i want to hear more about hislop, but making judgements based on big footy rumours, or even drawing conclusions based on facts about pre season training sessions are laughable because we have no way of knowing.

That's unfair. Essendon offered him a one year contract and he said no to that. It's improbable that he was told to get his head and body right and he refused to do that.

I would suggest that, like Chris Johnson, Tom Hislop was going nowhere where he was and needed a change of scenery.

The fact that he was offered a contract, albeit for only one year, suggests that he is probably not an horrific monster which is how some people are painting him.

It's also been suggested that Essendon would be prepared to rookie him and all this cr@p about his behaviour might be designed to throw others off track.

Someone on here (pretty sure it was here) also threw up him being admitted to hospital with slash wounds after he got into some kind of dispute involving a knife/blade.

It'd be interesting to see the comparison of people not wanting Carroll because of off field issues compared to those willing to be a bit more lenient on Hislop.

Someone on here (pretty sure it was here) also threw up him being admitted to hospital with slash wounds after he got into some kind of dispute involving a knife/blade.

It'd be interesting to see the comparison of people not wanting Carroll because of off field issues compared to those willing to be a bit more lenient on Hislop.

being slashed with a knife suggests someone else pulle dit on him, not the other way around. and getting cut up is probably one of the quickest ways of learning not to get in fights again.

hislop, 20 years old, potential to be a 12 year player, in the midfield, and possibly a good player, not just a bit player (just potential).

carroll, 28 years old, potential to play 3-4 more years, not a genuine full back, probably more suited to a 3rd tall role, proven he is not a great player, not in best 22, ongoing social problems throughout his career (not 1 or 2 incidents when he was 18 or 19).

and you still don't get the distinction?

I do.

I just see the irony in people bitching about Carroll's behaviour then saying Hislop's is ok cos he's young.

I do.

I just see the irony in people bitching about Carroll's behaviour then saying Hislop's is ok cos he's young.

so you claim you do get it, and then in the next sentence you admit you don't get it.

tbh I don't think you get it.

tbh I don't think you get it.

how could you have an opinion on the matter when you dont understand the issue?

carroll is old. he is going no where. he is not worth trying to rehabilitate as his behaviour has been consistantly poor, and he isnt that great a player.

hislop is young, could be a much better player and is still a possibility of putting poor behaviour behind him and having a successful afl career.

maybe you really just cant comprehend that, but im sure if you try hard you'll get it. im not sure how much more simple it can be.

I've already said I understand that in theory Hislop's AFL future is much brighter than Carroll's but given the current state of affairs it seems neither are going anywhere fast.

It'd be interesting to see the comparison of people not wanting Carroll because of off field issues compared to those willing to be a bit more lenient on Hislop.

hislop, 20 years old, potential to be a 12 year player, in the midfield, and possibly a good player, not just a bit player (just potential).

carroll, 28 years old, potential to play 3-4 more years, not a genuine full back, probably more suited to a 3rd tall role, proven he is not a great player, not in best 22, ongoing social problems throughout his career (not 1 or 2 incidents when he was 18 or 19).

and you still don't get the distinction?

I've already said I understand that in theory Hislop's AFL future is much brighter than Carroll's but given the current state of affairs it seems neither are going anywhere fast.

apparently you can't even remember what question you asked.

and if you realise the theory that hislops future is brighter than carrolls im not sure why you bothered to ask the question in the first place.

and your statement that 'neither are going anywhere fast' indicates that you either know direct behind the scenes information (which I doubt) or you are speculating based on what you read on big footy (which is highly likely, judging from the standard of your posting). you dont know jack. you know what you read on the internet, and are basing your assumptions on internet innuendo and preseason poor behaviour. maybe they are correct assumptions, you have a 50-50 chance of getting it right, but you dont KNOW, you guess. and you're clogging the boards.

stop wasting everyones time being a fool.

Hislop has fundamental character and attitude issues at the bottom end of AFL population.

You've come to this conclusion reading a couple of football forums and a news paper article stating he had some off field issues, this to you means he is at the bottom end of the AFL population? You are a complete and utter joke, you sit here and spout about that rubbish like you're some sort of authority on AFL footy behaviour when clearly your nothing more than an insidious internet sniper.

And there is no surety that Hislop has the strength of character and mind to focus on AFL after a series of really immature and stupid behaviours.

There is also a very real chance that he can....... I told his father today to read the crap you posted.... he had a chuckle and made the comment.. " That fellow played a bit of AFL did he.... "

I think you need to quit reading your own material Rhino because the junk you post as gospel is so far off the mark.

All the rumors and innuendo have to start from somewhere though. Besides that there is also factual evidence to support what I'm saying:

- Hislop was suspended for missing a training session

- Hislop was admitted to hospital and required stitches to a knife wound

- Hislop was offered a 1 year deal but turned it down

- Essendon refuses to budge on that and let him go, citing attitude problems as one of several determining factors in their decision

- Hislop trained with Essendon on Thursday and is likely to do so until the drafts roll around but Matthew Knights is adamant the club will not redraft him

- Since being drafted in 2006 he has played 7 AFL games owing to injuries at the end of 07 and start of 08 coupled with poor form in the VFL and a string of suspensions