Jones new shadow

[dtrinh 71]

Not sure if kicking efficiency stats are useless? It shows that the player can make good decisions during the game while also being able to hit up targets? A big reason why Melbourne played so average last year is because we can't hit targets, we turn it over by foot too much, can't take marks around the ground or be able to use the footy the way we want to play.

If you see all the top teams, they not only excel at contested footy but also are able to hit targets both in traffic and when they have time.

[Brian Wilson 331]

Do a search and you'll quickly find every post I've made on Watts and you'll have your answer.

But quickly - very different players, but Watts more valuable. Watts will play over 200 games and will most likely become a good to very good player, but he's a mistake at pick one and a major disappointment thus far.

*kicking efficiency stats are probably the most useless out of all AFL stats. Go to training and watch drills, or watch Tapscott at windy Casey Fields when he was lining up for the Scorpions to get an idea of his kicking ability. Technically there's no better kick at Melbourne. But even great kicks make mistakes while they're new to AFL footy as a young player. It's the tempo of the game they need to get used to.

I don't agree that Tapscott's kicking is in the same class as Watts' kicking at this stage. Hopefully it will develop but he has a long way to go before he can deliver in games. And this is where it counts.

I don't agree that efficiency stats are useless. On the contrary, given the massive gap between the efficiency of Watts and Tapscott at this stage, I think it is a good gauge of relative performance.

However, I appreciate your opinion when you provide some analysis, as the discussion benefits from it.

[ThreeOneSix 954]

Tappys skills as a junior look far superior than he has shown thus far.

I'd put that down to injuries and limited time on the park.

This kids going to be a very good player for the club.

If Tappy can rise like Blease did this year, then we are in good hands.

Wines, Viney, Tappy, Blease, Trengove is a hell of a base of kids.

Throw in Howe, McDonald and potentially Barry and we should all be very excited about the future, I know I am:)

[Pirlo 813]

I think that with Watts, Garland, Strauss and Nicholson all potentially back there, our backline is very timid. They are 4 blokes that the opposition would target physically. I'd have Tapscott competing with Joel MacDonald as that tough half back flank that the opposition forwards have in the back of their minds as they're standing underneath the high ball. I see Tapscott as a bit like a Campbell Brown wrecking ball.

I also think that with Watts, Tapscott and Nicholson back there we'd at least have 2 lovely kicks and one real line breaker. The days of Bartram and Rivers hatching the ball bringing it out of the backline would be long gone.

Nicho's not timid by any stretch mate.

[rjay 25,088]

Do a search and you'll quickly find every post I've made on Watts and you'll have your answer.

But quickly - very different players, but Watts more valuable. Watts will play over 200 games and will most likely become a good to very good player, but he's a mistake at pick one and a major disappointment thus far.

*kicking efficiency stats are probably the most useless out of all AFL stats. Go to training and watch drills, or watch Tapscott at windy Casey Fields when he was lining up for the Scorpions to get an idea of his kicking ability. Technically there's no better kick at Melbourne. But even great kicks make mistakes while they're new to AFL footy as a young player. It's the tempo of the game they need to get used to.

'Ben' I think Tappy lost a bit off his kick when he did the hammy, he still gives it a bit of a thump (probably not as flat as pre injury) and the mechanical side of his kicking is still spot on but the confidence is not back. In his first game he was pinpointing targets 50 to 60 metres and looked great but has probably lost 10 metres off his kick and the ability to spot up a target since the injury. A clear run this pre season and we might see him kicking a few from outside 50 and his kick being a real weapon around the ground.

[mordja 187]

I may have been unclear - but the point I am trying to make is that Tappy and Chapman have a similar size, shape and physicality. The difference is in the marking. Chappy became an outstanding overhead mark for a bloke his height. If Tappy adds this to his game it would be great to have a Chappy-type player in our team.

agreed, Chapman goes ok.....

[Ned 156]

I don't think seeing every glass as half full changes much.

For too long too many at the MFC saw every player as half full

The result was the 2012 season.

Not every player makes it.

It is a handy excuse to just blame ever player assessment you don't agree with as a half empty glass analogy.

This year we have taken I think 12 players off our list.

These were clearly half empty players

In the case of Tapscott I started by simply saying I have seen little to suggest he will be more than an average player.

I await the 2013 season to see if I am wrong.

Yeah, I don't view Old Dee as overly pessimistic, I see him as someone who tries to be realistic. There's been a lot of letdown over a lot of years. Let the footy do the talking, instead of pumping up players' tyres in pre-season. I'm easily seduced looking at Tappy's size -- but that's mainly because we have a team of kids. Having said that, I'd love to see him step up this year. I'd really like to be surprised at the start of the year for once, rather than the usual disappointment.

[Hannibal 5,814]

'Ben' I think Tappy lost a bit off his kick when he did the hammy, he still gives it a bit of a thump (probably not as flat as pre injury) and the mechanical side of his kicking is still spot on but the confidence is not back. In his first game he was pinpointing targets 50 to 60 metres and looked great but has probably lost 10 metres off his kick and the ability to spot up a target since the injury. A clear run this pre season and we might see him kicking a few from outside 50 and his kick being a real weapon around the ground.

I've been fortunate enough to go to 5/6 training sessions over the last fortnight and Tapscott's kicking, along with Watts, has been the standout. He missed a target today, but in the main it's been great. Kicked a goal from outside 50 this morning off a few steps.

[rjay 25,088]

I've been fortunate enough to go to 5/6 training sessions over the last fortnight and Tapscott's kicking, along with Watts, has been the standout. He missed a target today, but in the main it's been great. Kicked a goal from outside 50 this morning off a few steps.

Good to hear that, it is a real weapon. A full pre season and we will see why some people rated him a steal at pick 18.