Oscar McDonald

[dazzledavey36 56,000]

If he hasn't been able to build his body over the past 5 years, what's 3 weeks going to do all of a sudden?

Bit confused by this but anyhow, each to their own.

Ps: why start another Oscar thread? Couldn't  just chuck this in the other thread thats active?

[dimmy 1,308]

5 hours ago, demonstone said:

Clearly carrying far too much weight at the moment.

Fair enough, I meant 100 kgs, I was actually thinking about my weight.

[Matsuo Basho 1,053]

It won’t matter how big or small they make his physique, he doesn’t have the agility and athleticism necessary to succeed at this level. He is a VFL or A grade amateur footballer. There is no shame in that. Everybody needs to accept it and move on. 

Oscar for me is Exhibit A on why you should never just automatically draft one of your better player’s brothers. He was never going to make it as an AFL key defender with his obvious limitations. Waste of a draft pick.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Matsuo Basho

[pitmaster 3,589]

2 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

 

Ps: why start another Oscar thread? Couldn't  just chuck this in the other thread thats active?

Already answered that, but if the mods want to merge sure, but this is news not speculation. It explains why he hasn't been seen at any level recently. The body building part of your question is resolved in the full article.

[Moonshadow 17,678]

2 minutes ago, pitmaster said:

Already answered that, but if the mods want to merge sure, but this is news not speculation. It explains why he hasn't been seen at any level recently. The body building part of your question is resolved in the full article.

Ouch!

[Lord Nev 13,512]

Imagine constantly potting a player for not developing, building his strength, having good form, and then an article comes out explaining he's been doing those very things midseason, in a club infamous for poor development no less, and you take the opportunity to pot him yet again (on the internet).

Our supporter culture is often as toxic as the club culture that's been worked on so hard.

 

[John Demonic 5,970]

27 minutes ago, pitmaster said:

The Demons pulled McDonald out of all playing for three weeks and put him through an intensive three-week weights and agility program to build his body and confidence.

The coaches, including senior coach Simon Goodwin, have joined him in doing extra weights sessions.

 

C'mon Oscar

[dimmy 1,308]

11 minutes ago, Matsuo Basho said:

It won’t matter how big or small they make his physique, he doesn’t have the agility and athleticism necessary to succeed at this level. He is a VFL or A grade amateur footballer. There is no shame in that. Everybody needs to accept it and move on. 

Oscar for me is Exhibit A on why you should never just automatically draft one of your better player’s brothers. He was never going to make it as an AFL key defender with his obvious limitations. Waste of a draft pick.

Cale Moton, Jimmy Toumpas, Judas Sculley plus a few others went a lot higher than Oscar, but then he is the current target since Frosty has come good and Jack W has left us.

[whatwhat say what 23,698]

Good idea I think, I’m sure as much about mental strength and resilience as physical capabilities 

[DeeSpencer 26,567]

I'm as critical as anyone with Oscar but the guy had a limited preseason and was then thrust in to playing 9 of the first 11 games underdone and low on confidence.

Obviously Lever and May were out and the decision was made not to risk Petty in to a bad side when he also had a niggling foot that cost him a week or two.

So Oscar kept going and actually played ok in rounds 7-9 before a couple of stinkers.

This seems like a smart thing to do to get his body and mind back on track and I expect he'll play well in the VFL from now. He might surprise a few as a depth player who can come in to the team and do a decent job once he finds some confidence and actually gets a run at developing his game at the right level for him.

 

[Demon_JB 1,389]

You can do all the weight sessions in the world, but if he isn't getting the right amount of calories in he will never put on size. The bloke needs to eat, eat and eat whilst training hard. 

[chook fowler 19,752]

Sounds like really good player management and development to me. Very reassuring.

[Little Goffy 14,830]

I wonder how many of the mystery injuries and unexplained absences even from the Casey teams might be something similar?

No harm trying it if the player is struggling to find form while playing. Clear their head, give them set focuses and no screaming gits each weekend.

[pineapple dee 2,892]

1 hour ago, Matsuo Basho said:

It won’t matter how big or small they make his physique, he doesn’t have the agility and athleticism necessary to succeed at this level. He is a VFL or A grade amateur footballer. There is no shame in that. Everybody needs to accept it and move on. 

Oscar for me is Exhibit A on why you should never just automatically draft one of your better player’s brothers. He was never going to make it as an AFL key defender with his obvious limitations. Waste of a draft pick.

He was pick 53. There have been some stars drafted after that number but not that many. Who exactly did you think you would get with 53 instead of Oscar, who was probably worth the gamble. Just hasn't worked out...........yet.

[CHF 2,822]

I like that the club are willing to do this. it seems they did something similar with Weideman. If it works with Oscar so much the better. if not, well, we have lost nothing. He was a pick 53 and is only 23 yo. I would give him another 2 years minimum to develop his body and skills. When he ha the ball he is usually calm and level headed and has good delivery when in form.

[Matsuo Basho 1,053]

25 minutes ago, pineapple dee said:

He was pick 53. There have been some stars drafted after that number but not that many. Who exactly did you think you would get with 53 instead of Oscar, who was probably worth the gamble. Just hasn't worked out...........yet.

Someone better. Drafting a guy because he’s tall and his brother is good seems like an underwhelming set of criteria to recruit players by. And now five years into it he’s being put on a three week weights program to ‘bulk up’? C’mon let’s get real. 

Freo took Ed Langdon with the very next pick (54) by the way.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Matsuo Basho

[Matsuo Basho 1,053]

1 hour ago, dimmy said:

Cale Moton, Jimmy Toumpas, Judas Sculley plus a few others went a lot higher than Oscar, but then he is the current target since Frosty has come good and Jack W has left us.

Nothing current about it for me. I never rated him from day dot.

[DEE fence 5,051]

The thing that gets me is he plays off scratch at golf, this says some serious things to me about his skills. Basically brilliant eye hand coordination, and outstanding self control and definitely the right attitude and aptitude for hard work. I am happy for him to fill out, I reckon he will be huge like Stef Martin when he has hit his straps. For the knockers, don't let the fact that he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve mean that he doesn't care or isn't trying, you've got him wrong, he is a different sort of cat.

[Kent 2,920]

8 hours ago, CHF said:

I like that the club are willing to do this. it seems they did something similar with Weideman. If it works with Oscar so much the better. if not, well, we have lost nothing. He was a pick 53 and is only 23 yo. I would give him another 2 years minimum to develop his body and skills. When he ha the ball he is usually calm and level headed and has good delivery when in form.

Very sound commentary CHF We are losing nothing by encouraging  and facilitating a mini preseason for OM

It may pay dividends next year.I, for one, am impressed by the clubs proactive approach.

Although perhaps harder work earlier in his career may have helped. It may just be he is a body type that finds it difficult to put on muscle mass. I have played with people like that before.

[drysdale demon 4,837]

10 hours ago, Matsuo Basho said:

He was never going to make it as an AFL key defender with his obvious limitations. Waste of a draft pick.

 

8 hours ago, Matsuo Basho said:

I never rated him from day dot

Are these your opinions or do you have some expertise in this area ?

[Webber 10,650]

To state the obvious, this is an unpopular opinion on here, but I think Oscar is a more naturally talented ball player than his brother. He’s also subject to the same slumps of confidence, and we’ve seen what that’s done to Tom this season. People forget very quickly that for most of last year, he was one of the first ten players picked each week, based on form, and we played in a prelim. Finals-experienced 23 year olds having form slumps don’t just get tossed aside. Yes, he could be bigger and stronger, but that can be worked on. I don’t doubt he will be groomed as a key forward over the next couple of years. Thankfully the club has a more logical perspective than Demonland,  exceptions granted. 

[Deemania since 56 6,775]

41 minutes ago, drysdale demon said:

 

Are these your opinions or do you have some expertise in this area ?

It also would appear that whilst development of OMac has largely been both secretive and unnoticeable across the past two years, there have been some errors (that are now resident in the FD) in his selection, allocation in games and unchangeable, one-sided applications. Either fullback or chb. 

[La Dee-vina Comedia 17,101]

9 hours ago, Matsuo Basho said:

Someone better. Drafting a guy because he’s tall and his brother is good seems like an underwhelming set of criteria to recruit players by. And now five years into it he’s being put on a three week weights program to ‘bulk up’? C’mon let’s get real. 

Freo took Ed Langdon with the very next pick (54) by the way.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Ed Langdon has played 59 games to date compared with Oscar's 71. Are you claiming that Ed's a better player but has played fewer games because he's a slow developer?

[Matsuo Basho 1,053]

Just now, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Ed Langdon has played 59 games to date compared with Oscar's 71. Are you claiming that Ed's a better player but has played fewer games because he's a slow developer?

Ed’s definitely a better player. Games played doesn’t mean a whole lot. If you have a dearth of tall options in defence you have to play what you’ve got.

[Lord Nev 13,512]

9 hours ago, Matsuo Basho said:

Someone better. Drafting a guy because he’s tall and his brother is good seems like an underwhelming set of criteria to recruit players by. And now five years into it he’s being put on a three week weights program to ‘bulk up’? C’mon let’s get real. 

Freo took Ed Langdon with the very next pick (54) by the way.

Please post your full phantom draft, preferably up to at least pick 60, by the weekend. Might be great to CC it to Jason Taylor too, because clearly your credentials are imposing for him and he'll take notice.

I'll then look forward to waiting 3-4 years before we all utterly pull up apart your selections.

Cheers.