Nash I think you'll be genuinely surprised now the coaching shift in this regard. I got a glimpse into this in the NAB league where coaches are putting a huge amount of emphasis into what you're doing when you don't have the footy. They're big now on pressure acts, tackles, perceived pressure etc. How many kicks and handballs you get is almost irrelevant because now it's all about keeping your job simple, and nailing the basics.
I know this has been a challange for kids in the NAB league because they're so use to just dominating in their age group, but they're getting taught about the basic fundamentals of what you do when you don't have the footy and how that can still impact the team in a huge way. Recruiters and AFL coaches are big on this and its now filtering down the under 18's so that it's ingrained in them when they step into AFL environment.
This is why the coaches wouldn't give a stuff how many kicks or handballs Spargo gets. The bigger emphasis on him would be how much pressure and tackling he's applying and locking the ball in the forward 50. Imo Spargo is elite alongside ANB and Pickett in this area and this would be praised highly by the coaches when they're reviewing their games.
Spargo's role might also not be there to kick goals as well. If he's doing the defensive stuff right, he'sthen that allows the likes of Fritta, McDonald, Pickett, Petracca to do their work offensively.
Hope that makes sense.