Past #18: Shaun Atley - delisted end '21 - 237 NM games / 44 NM goals - thanks Ats

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Love the title change.
 
Benno_900 said:
Utter crap.

He averaged more contested possessions last year than any North player.
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Because loose ball gets count as contested.

Not a line breaker, not an endurance freak, not a contested beast, not a great tackler, not a silky mover or user. You know the mythical "80-metre player"? He's a classic 30-metre player.

Great accumulator but so vanilla, a fact which is overshadowed by his haircut.

And Atley has played in more winning finals.
 

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Just going nowhere atm. Itll be interesting if they make a call on him with McMillan coming back, he's just been really bad.
 
His disposal is always better when he gets time to run and make a decision, the problem is that in the midfield he is always getting the ball in spots where there is no room to run.

Either play him as an outside mid or in the backline. The modern game doesn't allow run and carry from an inside mid, too many players around the contest.
 
Reckon Shaun was in the car with Cunners a few months back, took a wrong turn, and they still haven't found their way back. Looks lost out there.
 
I suspect that sides marked him as "must quell" and it's affected his confidence. Another young player I hope will work through his difficulties and shine down the track. The meek tend to drop off and stay there but I reckon he's up to the challenge. BF wasn't happy with his start to 2014 either so maybe he has an attack of the Drew Petries, and will come into his own as the year progresses.
 
Mixed Results said:
His disposal is always better when he gets time to run and make a decision, the problem is that in the midfield he is always getting the ball in spots where there is no room to run.

Either play him as an outside mid or in the backline. The modern game doesn't allow run and carry from an inside mid, too many players around the contest.
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Keep him at HB FFS.

That's where he plays his best footy.
 

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I watched Atley closely at the Hobart match, and like always pick far more up live than you do on TV.

Things I noticed;
1. He was caught ball watching too often
2. Resulting in being flat footed rather than moving
3. He often runs to the wrong area to receive

In general play it's not as noticeable as there is more space to cover deficiencies, but at stoppages in particular it stood out. He too often reacts to what happens rather than be proactive, and therefore is chasing tail.....rather than getting there first, or even better where the ball is headed next (Harper had/has exactly the same problem)

This may be a by-product of the coaches if they are coaching him to be defensive first, and that's ok as not everyone can just chase the pill constantly. But if he is to improve his midfield game when he is further afield he needs to keep moving around around the contest to give inside players an outlet, and/or run hard into space by reading the next play to give himself more opportunity to find the footy.

I actually thought he was ok when he came on as sub, seemed to be working hard but considering what we hope he could become he is some way off that at the moment. Maybe a VFL stint to get more footy and confidence may be what he needs, but considering our outs I doubt we can afford that at the moment.
 
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Saintly31 said:
I watched Atley closely at the Hobart match, and like always pick far more up live than you do on TV.

Things I noticed;
1. He was caught ball watching too often
2. Resulting in being flat footed rather than moving
3. He often runs to the wrong area to receive

In general play it's not as noticeable as there is more space to cover deficiencies, but at stoppages in particular it stood out. He too often reacts to what happens rather than be proactive, and therefore is chasing tail.....rather than getting there first, or to where the ball is headed next (Harper had/has exactly the same problem)

This may be a by-product of the coaches if they are coaching him to be defensive first, and that's ok as not everyone can just chase the pill constantly. But if he is to improve his midfield game when he is further afield he needs to keep moving around around the contest to give inside players an outlet, and/or run hard into space by reading the next play to give himself more opportunity to find the footy.

I actually thought he was ok when he came on as sub, seemed to be working hard but considering what we hope he could become he is some way off that at the moment. Maybe a VFL stint to get more footy and confidence may be what he needs, but considering our outs I doubt we can afford that at the moment.
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Good observations Saintly. I would be curious to know who the midfield coaches have Ats studying....Dangerfield? Judd? He should be looking at footage of these guys, who are proactive, hit contests at speed, and mix their inside and outside games by being on their toes. I think it also comes down to the confidence of team mates in seeking out Ats as a playmaker, which may be one of the issues at the moment.

I wouldn't have a problem with him having a spell in the 2s to be chucked in the guts to build his confidence. The talk about not being able to afford to lose his run against Freo becomes redundant when he is ineffective anyway. He did ok as Sub but would rather see Wood picked to replace him in the 22 and give Ats a run in the VFL rather than getting the vest again.
 
Harris 10 said:
To me he is simply a rebounding defender, we've stuffed with him over the last 2 preseasons by trying to turn him into a midfielder.

Move him back, train him up as a back and he will quickly become a weapon for us again.
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I’m mostly inclined to agree. I’m not sure that I believe that it is really a confidence or form issue as such. I think he is just not a natural mid and either needs longer to learn the tricks or will always struggle to learn them. He is also getting sat on a bit with much of our line breaking talent out of the team (Wells / NDS). I suspect form would soon revert if we put him back in a similar role to his previous one more often.

Strikes me as a case of wishes and horses rather than understanding talents – a bit like Hansen a few years ago as a forward. We wanted a replacement CHF / FF badly so we tried to make it happen as it was such a weakness for us. At the moment we need a fast, evasive, powerful and skilled younger midfielder so badly and Atley has all the attributes so we are trying hard to make it happen. Maybe we just need to put him where he plays his best football and if over the next 10 years of his career he progresses into the midfield so be it.
 
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