Player Watch Angus Litherland (2011-16)

[Bonscott1980]

Someone from back home was asking me if I knew this bloke. Turns out he's a country WA boy too from a town near mine and we have a bunch of mutual friends. I see he's been on the list for about four years now but only debuted this season. Why's that? Is he a chance to get another contract?

Boxer won the VFL BF still yet to make his first game,litherland will get another contract.strong club hard to break your first game

 

[Hawks1994]

In recent years the Hawks have insisted most players do a pretty lengthy apprenticeship. There are a whole strew of players like him at the moment.

And is the best way to give every player a chance to show their full potential, and clearly it is working wonders with some of our other youngsters, including Gus who will be a very solid player

 

[Ordovician]

Someone from back home was asking me if I knew this bloke. Turns out he's a country WA boy too from a town near mine and we have a bunch of mutual friends. I see he's been on the list for about four years now but only debuted this season. Why's that? Is he a chance to get another contract?

He had a few minor undiscolsed niggles and issues that prevented him doing a proper preseason until 2013. He started playing well at VFL level in mid 2011 and has gone on with it very well since then.

Young hawthorn players are generally not gifted games to fast track their development unless they have been identified to fill a pressing need (eg Schoey and Hill). Everyone else has to do their time, play well and wait for an injury to create an opening in their role. Unfortunaley, injuries have been flying thick and fast at the hawks this year so five kids so far, have got their chance to debut including Litherland.

Litherland is really a close checking running third tall, a old style HBF to use traditional terminology. He is just a bit too short and light to play a key defender although he plays short and tall fairly well he can't replace Gibbo. Given that lots of teams use mids as floating defenders rotating them between defence and the middle, the hawks use Burgs and Hodge this way, that does not leave many spots for pure defenders like Lake, Gibbo, Duryea, Stratts and Birchall. Given that Litherland is the best like for like match for Stratts, that does not give him much opportunity while Stratts is fit. But Stratts has had a two hammys so far this year so Litherland got a chance.

The Hawks have a lot of players filling the various defensive roles so the competetion is very stiff and that has limited his opportunities to date.

Litherland will be retained next year and the club will probably try and develop his running attack more so that he can play a Birchall style outlet running role as well as the playing the small/tall negating role that Stratts curently plays.

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

Gus could be the most intriguing guy on our list. Has serious speed, a nice step and a good user, his good stuff is easily AFL class. His bad stuff is he does not take the game on often enough, he seems to be too defensive/conservative. Dunno who is responsible for that, on Saturday he was on Aaron Edwards so clearly he had the best forward and a full on defensive effort would have been asked of him. Gus did manage to drift forward and kicked the first goal so maybe his game will be more balanced.

Gus has been dropped twice this year, both times on the back of massive victories. I reckon that is shabby treatment. He does warrant at least one more year on the list but why would he hang around?

 

[RedmanWasHere]

BUMP!

Career revival (of sorts) has happened with West Coast today.

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

Yep known as Angus Dewar these days. Good luck to Gus.

 

[The hands of stone]

Always thought he had some ability , just at our club at the wrong time .
Great he is getting another crack at it (even if just a game or two )