Cale Morton

[Guest Finnson]

Will be most improved this year

[monoccular 17,642]

Will be most improved this year

...and plenty of room for improvement. Coming of a dreadfully low base.

I doubt if Neeld will put up with too many "non contests".

Its time Cale - time to put in or move on.

NO MORE EXCUSES.

[sydneydee 697]

Will be most improved this year

If Morton is a regular member of the starting 18, I am confident that we will play finals. Morton has massive upside and when he is 'on' he is very damaging.

His height, speed and endurance will be hard to match up on the wing.

[sydneydee 697]

To be fair, Morton didnt play many consistent games in 2011 however he did do some good things in most games in played.

We desperately need a quality outside midfielder and Morton IMO has the tools to be in our starting 18. I am not saying he deserves to start round 1 on 2011 performances however if he builds confidence he could surprise.

As I said if he plays regular games under Neeld, I believe we will play finals. Morton is the type of player we need to be firing on all cylinders.

[rolly 149]

be a massive indicator of how the team is going if morton makes best 18...for better or worse

[Longsufferingnomore 1,670]

Oh and incidentally, as the players filed out of the Long Room on Wednesday night, I noticed a few changed body shapes. Cale Morton who I believe has undertaken additional work with a trainer looked in good shape without having put on that much weight. I've previously expressed the view that I believe the change in coach will do him no harm. Matthew Bate looked as if he's trimmed down a bit for his new role as a midfielder. I think these guys have been unfairly maligned in the past. I don't see the value of people being highly critical of players at training but if posters have something to say then get it off your chests but please back it up with facts and/or logic without going overboard and hijacking this thread.

(sorry if I sound a bit like a schoolteacher but it's that time of the year and there's probably a full moon coming up)

Jack you are right about Cale. After his very bad year last year he took on all the criticisms and got a personal trainer prior to the start of training. I think Cale will have a different year this year for a number of reasons and a few of you should back off with the comments or at least give him a chance. Go find another whipping boy.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Jack you are right about Cale. After his very bad year last year he took on all the criticisms and got a personal trainer prior to the start of training. I think Cale will have a different year this year for a number of reasons and a few of you should back off with the comments or at least give him a chance. Go find another whipping boy.

He did nothing to enhance his AFL footy for Years getting soft kicks.

Now it seems he needs to be ridden 'Hands & Heels' to get him to Improve, so for me, thats what it takes for him.

[monoccular 17,642]

?....Morton is the type of player we need to be firing on all cylinders.

Well, he will either be fired up, or be fired!

[Sideshow Bob 2,462]

Been mentioned a few times this thread and heaps over summer, and I don't want this to turn into a Morton bashing session, but am I the only one that finds it odd that a player would need to hire a personal trainer. We have coaches, fitness staff and world standard training facilities. Each player at this level has they're own specific training loads worked out with individual goals in mind. Why would anyone need a personal trainer??? I find it odd

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

Been mentioned a few times this thread and heaps over summer, and I don't want this to turn into a Morton bashing session, but am I the only one that finds it odd that a player would need to hire a personal trainer. We have coaches, fitness staff and world standard training facilities. Each player at this level has they're own specific training loads worked out with individual goals in mind. Why would anyone need a personal trainer??? I find it odd

He may just want a bit of extra attention to help him reach his goals. He has probably realized that he needs to step up his game if he wants to remain on our list, and so he has done what he believes is necessary to help him improve. I see no problems with it.

[Sideshow Bob 2,462]

I completely concur with a desire to get better, it's what professional sportspeople should constantly aspire to. But we are talking a fully professional sportsperson, who belongs to a fully professional organisation. It's not a local level sports person, or general public here. It is either a blight on our training staff (may well be a blight on the previous department), or a complete lack of trust from the athlete. I find it staggering that we as a football club haven't been able to fulfill his needs 'in house' - it baffles me.

[Lutz 76]

I completely concur with a desire to get better, it's what professional sportspeople should constantly aspire to. But we are talking a fully professional sportsperson, who belongs to a fully professional organisation. It's not a local level sports person, or general public here. It is either a blight on our training staff (may well be a blight on the previous department), or a complete lack of trust from the athlete. I find it staggering that we as a football club haven't been able to fulfill his needs 'in house' - it baffles me.

What if Morton requires / wants more personal attention & feedback than can be provided?

The coaches aren't fitness trainers.

The fitness guys (Misson's team) have to spread themselves over a list of 45.

I don't think it's terribly unreasonable.

Btw, I recall an article about Tom Rockliff spending the majority of his offseason in St Kilda training at a gym to reach a new level of fitness prior to his breakout season.

Cale's brother Mitch spent weeks in Thailand at a kick boxing camp to seriously boost his fitness levels.

These sorts of things are not unheard of.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Been mentioned a few times this thread and heaps over summer, and I don't want this to turn into a Morton bashing session, but am I the only one that finds it odd that a player would need to hire a personal trainer. We have coaches, fitness staff and world standard training facilities. Each player at this level has they're own specific training loads worked out with individual goals in mind. Why would anyone need a personal trainer??? I find it odd

I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that he was getting some Judo (or another martial art) training to help with his core strenght, so it is fairly specialised training which he couldn't get from the staff at the club.

[jnrmac 20,276]

If Morton is a regular member of the starting 18, I am confident that we will play finals. Morton has massive upside and when he is 'on' he is very damaging.

His height, speed and endurance will be hard to match up on the wing.

When exactly has he been on? And BTW he has been a member of the starting 18 consistently.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

Unfortunately I think we failed Cale in his "development".

Letting a kid chase around cheap kicks in the seniors for 18 months as part of his "development" has not done him any favours, by the time Bailey began to force him to work on his contested game, he looked like a confused and sometimes disspirited player.

There is time to redress his development.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Letting a kid chase around cheap kicks in the seniors for 18 months as part of his "development" has not done him any favours, by the time Bailey began to force him to work on his contested game, he looked like a confused and sometimes disspirited player.

There is time to redress his development.

I am not sure that is the case. Given how bad our midfield has been in his first two years, his ability as an 18/19 year old to find so much of the football in heavy traffic without support was meritorious. There were every kicks being had by the MFC midfield and few of them were cheap. There are a number of reasons why Morton has not fulfilled expectations. At 196 cm his development is in the same boat as other players of that size regardless of the positions he has played. And I am sure the timing and impact of injuries could have had an impact.

There is no doubt that Morton needs to make an impact this year particularly under a new Coach but those closest to the Club will know his true disposition.

[jnrmac 20,276]

I am not sure that is the case. Given how bad our midfield has been in his first two years, his ability as an 18/19 year old to find so much of the football in heavy traffic without support was meritorious. There were every kicks being had by the MFC midfield and few of them were cheap. There are a number of reasons why Morton has not fulfilled expectations. At 196 cm his development is in the same boat as other players of that size regardless of the positions he has played. And I am sure the timing and impact of injuries could have had an impact.

There is no doubt that Morton needs to make an impact this year particularly under a new Coach but those closest to the Club will know his true disposition.

"So much of the footy" as you say is simply not supported by the facts. Which is why it gets people so riled. Here they are for you:

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-melbourne-demons--cale-morton

There is no column for hard ball gets but there doesn't need to be. He plays a free player largely so gets 'cheap' possessions in the backline. I can't see the elite skills that posters talk of here.

I agree with Dandeeman that his development has not been helped by getting games without merit. People will say the same of Jack Watts but I don't buy that - he has shown so much more commitment to a contest as well as elite skills.

It's just my opinion and I'll watch and hope that I am wrong.

Edited February 5, 2012 by jnrmac

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

"So much of the footy" as you say is simply not supported by the facts. Which is why it gets people so riled. Here they are for you:

http://www.footywire...ns--cale-morton

There is no column for hard ball gets but there doesn't need to be. He plays a free player largely so gets 'cheap' possessions in the backline. I can't see the elite skills that posters talk of here.

I agree with Dandeeman that his development has not been helped by getting games without merit. People will say the same of Jack Watts but I don't buy that - he has shown so much more commitment to a contest as well as elite skills.

Your first sentence is ably backed up by your strange use of stats. It does not show hard ball stats so it hardly derails my argument. And for the life of me the "cheap" possessions you claim did not happen on the backline. Can you point me to the posts that spoke of Morton having elite skills? Thats certainly not the argument most have.

The ironic thing is that in the last 2 years Morton has been struggling to get games both through injury and lack of form and has been the first dropped for it too. And while Watts is a good prospect, both Bailey and Neeld have publicly spoken about Watts needing to lift.

There is no doubt that Bailey, rightly sort to put games into young players. It was critical to the development of the list and experience of the players. Its trite to try and claim that Morton was "gifted" games while Watts wasnt.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

I have a belief that both players were hurt by the "get games into young players" mantra and everything will turn out. Both Morton and Watts needed so much more than that.

I have been expressing this view all along.

Its one thing to give a young player a few tastes of senior footy early on, it is another to consistently play them week after week when they are incapable being able to match it with the big boys. It sends a very confusing message to both individual player and the team.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Its one thing to give a young player a few tastes of senior footy early on, it is another to consistently play them week after week when they are incapable being able to match it with the big boys. It sends a very confusing message to both individual player and the team.

I thought in a very poor midfield, Morton was very capable in his first year or two. Aside from the Collingwood debut game, i think the club have been very careful with Watts in their use of him. He was always going to take time. And I dont think he has been incapable but has warmed to the role being expected of him. I think his development is as expected.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

If it were really about development of the young guys it shouldnt make any difference how poor the midfield was, we needed to raise the standard, not lower it. Allowing this skinny fkid to play in the manner he did week in, week out and continue to get selected was disappointing. He needed to spend a couple of seasons getting stronger and honing his all-round game in the twos.

Watts has taken some large steps but in the early days it was much the same. I don't think it has hurt Watt's development in the same way it has Morton.

We wanted these boys to ease into senior AFL football, when the reality is there is nothing easy about it. I don't think that it would be allowed to happen with the current regime.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Kate Moss? That's be a good nickname for him, Trade bait only.

Or Jerry Hall, he's been knocked off his feet by a rolling stone.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I thought the issue of our midfield being poor was not an excuse to play Morton. It was more an assessment of how Morton performed creditably within a bog awful midfield. I dont think as a "skinny kid" Morton was flogged. The argument can be put that Morton could have coasted more in the lower pressure of the VFL. And I dont think playing him in the AFL denied him from getting stronger. Both could be achieved. Watts progress in his early years was slow. Firstly, Watts did VCE in his first year and had no pre season and limited training regime. Aside from the Collingwood error, he was given a very gradual monitored development path. And I dont think there is a proper way to "ease" into AFL football. The reality is there is nothing easy about.

And as for the current regime, all we know is they have picked a 20 yo and 22yo co captains (with less than 40 games of AFL) with a young leadership. You are not going to try and tell me they are being eased into their positions at all.

[Slartibartfast 17,994]

Nice to see Cale mentioned as our best in the Age article today and by the review in the training report. It's clearly not definitive and I'm not celebrating but it's a lot better than a negative report.

[Roost It 1,434]

For the club to take serious strides over the next 2 to 3 years Morton is a player that we really need to fulfil his potential. Talking about cheap kicks is laughable in the AFL. People who didn't know better said the same of Joel Bowden. Losing your man, making correct position and receiving the ball can either be called a cheap kick or clever play. I'd call it clever play but that's me. Yes Morton needs to exert more influence over contests and yes he needs to improve his disposal but at 196cm and 85Kg I'd say his development is on track. Remember he's suffered injuries in each of the last 2 preseasons which hasn't helped him. I'd be very surprised if 1. He's not in our best 22 going forward and 2. Many on this site aren't eating their words come the end of the season.