2011 Player Review - # 46 Sam Blease

[Axis of Bob 10,379]

And it's now a different way people are going to have to start looking at football.

Once you could judge a player's performance on disposals, but as the game becomes more and more focused on 'playing your role' supporters are going to have to look at a player's performance in the context of the role they are being asked to play in the team.

For example, the easiest role in football is probably playing Full Back on Nathan Ablett. Why? Because your job at full back is to take your opponent out of the game, and taking him out of the game is very easy. But being an offensive half back on Clinton Jones i very difficult, because your role is to damage the opposition coming out of defence, so it is very difficult to perform your role when you have a good tagger on you.

It may be more fun to win the ball a lot, but it doesn't make the role easy. It's just that the parameters for success are different.

[Lutz 76]

I'd have to say that forward pocket is easier. All you need to do is float around, pick up other people's spills and take potshots at the goal. You don't have to create play and other people usually do all the physical work for you.

Surely you're kidding!

FP one of the hardest.

You've gotta consistently produce on limited opportunities and there's a fair reliance on your teammates to provide those crumbing opportunities.

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

Surely you're kidding!

FP one of the hardest.

You've gotta consistently produce on limited opportunities and there's a fair reliance on your teammates to provide those crumbing opportunities.

You're not saying I've oversimplified the role are you? Not at all like the people having a shot at the HBF?

[Lutz 76]

We have a plethora of candidates for the HBF; not so many suitable for the small crumbing FP role.

[Tim 2,944]

And it's now a different way people are going to have to start looking at football.

Once you could judge a player's performance on disposals, but as the game becomes more and more focused on 'playing your role' supporters are going to have to look at a player's performance in the context of the role they are being asked to play in the team.

Bingo!

I've given up arguing with people who say "yeah, but he had 27 possessions". And his role, and the damage he inflicted (net of his opponent's output)?

[Hobbits's 17]

Surely you're kidding!

FP one of the hardest.

You've gotta consistently produce on limited opportunities and there's a fair reliance on your teammates to provide those crumbing opportunities.

that's what makes someone like a Milne very relied upon. failure to kick goals he cops it, but more often than not he produces goals and in some games scores multiple goals and assists other teammates.

[rhaz 342]

With his speed, Blease will definitely get a "sam run like the breeze" pun used by at least one commentator if not more. I look forward to it.

[monoccular 16,394]

Poor choice of words perhaps.

Any numptie can play HBF, it is where you put the Chris Johnson's of this world to show some semblance of form, it is where you put good players who are out of form to regain that form, it is the easilest position to play on the footy ground.

That is all I am saying.

Blease can do well there and have a great effect, but I think he is better value up the ground.

But.....a good skilled HBF who can deliver with precision to the HFs as well as negating their opponent is a very valuable weapon. Sure you need mids too, but HBF is not necessarily a waste of talent. Can be a real positive.

[rpfc 27,637]

But.....a good skilled HBF who can deliver with precision to the HFs as well as negating their opponent is a very valuable weapon. Sure you need mids too, but HBF is not necessarily a waste of talent. Can be a real positive.

Yes, but I don't think you should invest a Pick 17 on a HBF.

I hope Blease is destined for bigger things than playing on the 5th best forward and rarely getting forward of centre.

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

Yes but if you perform a role well does it matter what number you were picked up in the draft?

[PaulRB 6,041]

I would have thought that breaking out of an oppositions's forward press and the ability to rapidly transition the ball into the forward like (before the opposition can flood numbers back) make Sam the ideal HBF for the modern game. He can cut through traffic under pressure and create options up forward.

[rpfc 27,637]

Yes but if you perform a role well does it matter what number you were picked up in the draft?

There are roles, and then there are roles...

The 1st round is where you pick up the talent, and that talent should fill the important roles in the midfield or in key positions.

Just my view.

[PaulRB 6,041]

I think the value of the role depends on the game plan of the team. I think Wojo (and others) at Geelong often plays the rebounding HBF, Shaw or OBrien at Pies, and it works because those teams will often start their attacks from the HB line. They even "retreat" to the HB line when under pressure so they can switch and reload... in that model Sam would play a critical role, worthy even of his lofty draft pick no#.

Edited November 3, 2011 by PaulRB

[rpfc 27,637]

I think the value of the role depends on the game plan of the team. I think Wojo (and others) at Geelong often plays the rebounding HBF, Shaw or OBrien at Pies, and it works because those teams will often start their attacks from the HB line. They even "retreat" to the HB line when under pressure so they can switch and reload... in that model Sam would play a critical role, worthy even of his lofty draft pick no#.

Anyone can switch the footy.

Look, I know what you are saying, but I still don't see a HBF in any gameplan being more important the the midfield role that Sam could play if his fitness was good enough.

He was a Brent Harvey style mid as a junior and that would be much more valuable in the future than the best HBF.

[PaulRB 6,041]

Fair enough.

From the training reports it may be a couple of years for Sam to build the engine and physique to play full time in the middle. In the intrim, Sam playing as a creative HBF (with midfield cameos), allows Grimes to go into the middle..?

[Axis of Bob 10,379]

Yarran was a top 10 pick. So was Mackie. What would you pay for Heath Shaw? Corey Enright? Shannon Hurn was a first rounder.

You actually usually find that you need to spend first round picks on HBF because that's where you can find someone with the skills and decision making to play that role. That's where you find the 'talent', which is what a HBF needs.

Just switching the footy isn't enough. As you said, anyone can switch the footy. But in order for an attacking HBF to succeed inhis role he needs to do more than that. He needs to damage the opposition side, be it through damaging kicking (Hurn), damaging run (Gram) or both (McLeod).

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

And it's now a different way people are going to have to start looking at football.

Once you could judge a player's performance on disposals, but as the game becomes more and more focused on 'playing your role' supporters are going to have to look at a player's performance in the context of the role they are being asked to play in the team.

It's been like that for about the past 50 years, nothing new at all.

[rpfc 27,637]

Yarran was a top 10 pick. So was Mackie. What would you pay for Heath Shaw? Corey Enright? Shannon Hurn was a first rounder.

You actually usually find that you need to spend first round picks on HBF because that's where you can find someone with the skills and decision making to play that role. That's where you find the 'talent', which is what a HBF needs.

Just switching the footy isn't enough. As you said, anyone can switch the footy. But in order for an attacking HBF to succeed inhis role he needs to do more than that. He needs to damage the opposition side, be it through damaging kicking (Hurn), damaging run (Gram) or both (McLeod).

The players you have mentioned could not be in the top 5 mids in their teams (I question Enright as a HB...), Blease could be with his footy brain, awareness and pace.

He can be a HBF, that's fine. But he could play a bigger role in our midfield and I hope we groom him for that.

[Whispering_Jack 28,094]

I think Sam will be very good at half back as long as he keeps improving the defensive side of his game which is what he spent a great deal of time doing at Casey this year. If he keeps working on this aspect he can become a very damaging player for us and allow Jack Grimes to spend more time in the midfield where he is destined to play in the future.

[Barney Rubble 1,576]

Totally agree where this thread is going.

Sam would make an excellent outside mid fielder in time. (winger)

But he needs to get some games on the HBF to learn a bit more defensively.

Wingers these days need to play each way otherwise your opponent will kill you.

[Deeoldfart 7,820]

I was very impressed when I first saw Sam in the U18 Championships; delighted when we drafted him; devastated when he broke his leg; and pretty 'flat' about his future until late in season 2011. I'm happy to say that I'm back to being impressed, and the long wait looks to have been worthwhile. I agree with what some others have said about his need to improve the defensive side of his game and his endurance, but given that he has just started his first real pre-season, I'm optimistic on both fronts. He has the pace, skills and smarts to be a very damaging player of the HBF or as an outside mid. I recall from the U18s, that he made something happen just about every time he got hold of the pill. If he can consistently bring that quality to the AFL, we will have a very good player on our hands.

[Nasher 33,166]

I think Sam will be very good at half back as long as he keeps improving the defensive side of his game which is what he spent a great deal of time doing at Casey this year. If he keeps working on this aspect he can become a very damaging player for us and allow Jack Grimes to spend more time in the midfield where he is destined to play in the future.

Given the early reports of his fitness, I reckon there's a strong link between his fitness and his defensive efforts. I'm very "bullish" about the players who seem to have all the tricks except the conditioning like Blease and Gysberts. So long as injuries permit, fitness is about the easiest issue to fix with footy players I would've thought.

[daisycutter 28,684]

Given the early reports of his fitness, I reckon there's a strong link between his fitness and his defensive efforts. I'm very "bullish" about the players who seem to have all the tricks except the conditioning like Blease and Gysberts. So long as injuries permit, fitness is about the easiest issue to fix with footy players I would've thought.

Agreed, and it seems an issue that MFC has been deficient in with too many players.