One thing I've noticed recently is how many of our young players (whom lots of us often heap crap on) simply haven't been out on the park enough in their early years. Lots of them have spent significant amounts of time injured.

I think this is highly relevant in the development/recruitment debate. Are our players not developing because they simply aren't getting any games?

For example:

• Rohan Bail - 23 years, 25 games
  
• Sam Blease - 22 years, 2 games
  
• Lucas Cook - 20 years, 0 games
  
• Max Gawn - 20 years, 4 games
  
• Jack Grimes - 23 years, 39 games
  
• Jordy Gysberts - 21 years, 18 games
  
• Liam Jurrah - 23 years, 36 games
  
• James Strauss - 21 years, 11 games
  

I know some of them are very young, but if a few had 50 games under their belts, I think their development would be much greater. For example, I'm amazed that Jurrah has only played 36 games, it seems much more than that. A few of the above are real cornerstones of our future, and they just aren't getting any game time.

Even some of our older blokes seem not to have played all that many games relative to their time in the system (Sylvia - debuted 2004, 125 games, 17 per year; Rivers - debuted 2003, 136 games, 17 per year; Moloney - debuted 2003, 136 games, 17 per year; Jamar - debuted 2003, 117 games, 15 per year). Be interesting to see how the average games per year stacks up against other sides, but it seems odd that none of our leaders average more than about 75% of available games. Is that normal?

You will find that you have not had any/many replies to this because you have broken many of the cardinal rules of this board.

Your piece

1. Thoroughly researched

2. Logical in approach

3. A well thought out and expressed opinion

4. Lack of negativity

5. Non-emotive

6. Not derogatory, demeaning, condescending to anybody

Please don't let the lack of feedback stop you putting up more posts like this, I for one thought it was a pleasant change and it highlights one the many issues people tend to overlook 'in the heat of the moment'

This will bump it up to the top of the board so hopefully you will get more replies, but be careful what you wish for

Edited May 24, 201213 yr by satyricon

Think you can add Luke TAPSCOT to your list, Tynan and even Viney have got injuries early in their first year at the club. Col GARLAND too missed alot with a foot injury early on. Is this why players are not developing at the rate that players do from other clubs?

You will find that you have not had any/many replies to this because you have broken many of the cardinal rules of this board.

Your piece

1. Thoroughly researched

2. Logical in approach

3. A well thought out and expressed opinion

4. Lack of negativity

5. Non-emotive

6. Not derogatory, demeaning, condescending to anybody

Please don't let the lack of feedback stop you putting up more posts like this, I for one thought it was a pleasant change and it highlights one the many issues people tend to overlook 'in the heat of the moment'

This will bump it up to the top of the board so hopefully you will get more replies, but be careful what you wish for

Second this!

Iv mentioned this before, and questioned why almost all of our new recruits spend a majority of there first 2 years for the club off the park.

This has been a big problem and an issue I have had for a couple of years. Our development needs to come for the young players we draft and getting these guys playing footy together. I always ask the question how many games have Morton, Grimes, Watts, Blease, Strauss, Trengove, Tapscott and Gysberts played in the same team and to my knowledge the answer is none. All these players are in their 3rd to 5th season and due to injury we have never seen them all run out together. You can even ask how many weeks all these players played on the same weekend either MFC or at Casey, with out knowing it wouldn't be more than 10-12.

Add in Jetta he can't stay fit, Poor Evans played a great couple of games last year was moving well preseason then we hear he will only start running again next week on a tread mill. Maric and Scully both missed extended periods injured.

I'm amazed that Moloney and Jamar have such high game/year averages. I remember when Jamar was a dirty word and couldn't get a game, and Moloney would miss years at a time.

Your point is a fair one and well made. James Frawley and Nathan Jones' consistency actually supports your position: the only young guys to not miss games are the only ones firing.

Bartram and McKenzie have also missed their fair share of footy.

Edited May 24, 201213 yr by Geddy Lee

First post on demonland

I totally agree with the OP and the point on injuries has not been picked up in the saturation media coverage of the club this year. Young players can't develop at the expected rate if they can't get on the park. Players can't become predictable to each other on the field if they can't get on the park together. Pretty simple stuff.

Despite the injuries to their younger brigade, MFC have still pumped over 600 games into players under 25 years of age over the last 2 seasons (more than any other club). Think of how high this figure might've been if not for the injuries.

I thought the reason the OP got no reply because it has been covered so many times before..?

You could almost ad Petterd to the list. He very nearly died a few years ago. Missed quite a bit of footy.

The thing about this is in most cases it hasn't been a matter of fitness or training loads. So many of them have been random impact injuries and things totally out of our control. Blease and Strauss have both had broken legs. Jetta's ankles the latest, but he's had other similar problems. Gys and his jaw. The only concern I have with these injuries is that we seem to have had a lot of lower back issues in our kids over the last 4-5 years. That indicates something wrong with the conditioning, but hopefully Misson will sort it out.

I've mentioned this in other threads as well. If our luck could change and some of these kids rack up some games, we might see a very rapid improvement in the team.

Sam Blease has played more than 2 games.

Gysberts is the man. Get some solid games into him and your going to be blown away. And you heard it first from me.

Gysberts is the man. Get some solid games into him and your going to be blown away. And you heard it first from me.

Umm, no I didn't. Everyone knows Gysberts will be a good player. That's why his continual setbacks irk me.

And nice research, OP. I support what Satyricon said - don't let the lack of feedback deter you; as it's generally only the contentious, controversial or outright stupid threads that get a lot of traffic (and the match day ones - they probably qualify as the latter). I don't reckon too many people will disagree with you on this one.

I think a relevant stat would be games played with both VFL and AFL combined. Because if blokes have been playing regularly in VFL then development isnt hindered but kills development when on sidelines

You will find that you have not had any/many replies to this because you have broken many of the cardinal rules of this board.

Your piece

1. Thoroughly researched

2. Logical in approach

3. A well thought out and expressed opinion

4. Lack of negativity

5. Non-emotive

6. Not derogatory, demeaning, condescending to anybody

Please don't let the lack of feedback stop you putting up more posts like this, I for one thought it was a pleasant change and it highlights one the many issues people tend to overlook 'in the heat of the moment'

This will bump it up to the top of the board so hopefully you will get more replies, but be careful what you wish for

Thanks for the positive feedback...

I thought the reason the OP got no reply because it has been covered so many times before..?

You're right Jose. Now that I think about it, I probably am the only person here who has ever posted on a topic that's been posted on before. Good pick up mate.

I'm relatively new, and didn't read the 449 pages of previous topics before I posted. However, now that you've pointed out my error, I'll check them next time I think about writing something I think is interesting.

Sam Blease has played more than 2 games.

You're right, typo on that one. Sorry, I think it is 7 (but haven't looked again, so could be wrong again!)

• Rohan Bail - 23 years, 25 games
  
• Sam Blease - 22 years, 2 games
  
• Lucas Cook - 20 years, 0 games
  
• Max Gawn - 20 years, 4 games
  
• Jack Grimes - 23 years, 39 games
  
• Jordy Gysberts - 21 years, 18 games
  
• Liam Jurrah - 23 years, 36 games
  
• James Strauss - 21 years, 11 games
  

I know some of them are very young, but if a few had 50 games under their belts, I think their development would be much greater. For example, I'm amazed that Jurrah has only played 36 games, it seems much more than that. A few of the above are real cornerstones of our future, and they just aren't getting any game time.

Just think how much better these guys (well, maybe not all of them) would be with 100 games under their belt. Free of major injury setbacks, playing together consistently, learning what's required to play at the top level....

I've read interviews with many of the Cats stars wjho say that playing together for quite a few years was a major key to their success.

There's nothing wrong with your OP.

It just has been covered before a few times in other threads.

So maybe that's an explanation for the lack of replies?

It doesn't make it any less valid.

There's nothing wrong with your OP.

It just has been covered before a few times in other threads.

So maybe that's an explanation for the lack of replies?

It doesn't make it any less valid.

Fair cop Jose - I'll take back the dummy spit.

And Moonshadow - in all the teams I've played in over the years (albeit mainly basketball), the best ones were the ones where we had played together for 5 years. Reactions become completely instinctive. The teams where they switch you around every season are hopeless, it takes at least half the season for everybody to work out where the other guys are running to, and to stop all being in the same place at the same time.

Think there's something in that and, although I'm sure this has been covered already too, I think that's the crucial missing ingredient in our team at the moment.

add jake spencer , 22 years, 8 games

as stated earlier , long term injuries of young players hinders the development of the player and the team . The older players getting to the end of the careers, davey, green, moloney, jamar wont be replaced with players with 80 plus games under there belts.

just some rough stats

2007 draft ave games played 25.4 includes, morton , grimes, martin ,spencer

2008 25.6 includes watts, blease, strauss, bail, jurrah, bennell, jetta

2009 19.8 includes, scully, trengove, gysberts, gawn, tapscott

very few young talls are ready to play straight away so the likes of spencer, gawn, have never got the development, experience etc to take over from jamar

our mids and defenders blease, strauss, gysbets, tapscott have not got the experience , development to takeover from, maloney, jones, sylvia,