Player Watch #10 Taj Hotton - Hip Stress TBC

[guruisatiger]

hotton and lalor are already busts.

Lalor heaps better than mill Park

 

[ShereKhan]

drafted too many injury prone in the one draft

all of them , all of them maybe apart from sims have potential career injury problems

insert serpell who was 6th in line at the scats, and here we are

Give me a list of highly talented draftees whose careers were completely ruined by constant injury ?

I can think of Freeman. Morabito. , Coghlan…. There’s obviously more, but not many. If anyone thinks we’ve drafted 3-4 cripples who never get their careers up and going in the 2024 draft you’ll be wrong.

louie sent clarke back on after his acl

serpell sends hotton back on after he experienced severe hip pain

you cant make this shite up

why make stuff up ?

You’re honestly telling me Hotton said to the club “Wow, I’ve got severe pain in my hip after that clash…. really hurts like hell”

And the club said

“Too bad champ … run it off …. you’ll be fine, just fight through the pain”

Let’s at least try to keep a semblance of common sense and logic and not lose our collective minds.

 

[ShereKhan]

LOTW is right, seriously

if you draft a bunch of injured players...what do you expect? Are you really going to get lucky with all of them doing a Grimes?

Reid was a Tigers fan, now trusted to move into Freo's midfield after one year in which he won the RS

Tauru...my god, jumps on heads and prints memberships

Yeah, stupid by the club given how badly we needed a KPD on the list…

 

[db26]

Pull your head in a few here injuries happen bunch of sooks

 

[Lord of the Wings]

Taken at Punt Rd today

 

[ShereKhan]

I feel like we tried to be a little bit too smart with our recruiting and so far it's backfired, they are still all young enough to turn it around, I reckon some will be guns for us but in a rebuilding side it is gut wrenching that we don't get to even enjoy watching these kids grow.

In regards to Reid we weren't the only team to over look him so it's a bit unfair to lump him as our mistake, it is annoying that this kid would have basically pleaded with the club in his interview and we just ignored it.

Reminds me a little of the draft we got Dusty, Fyfe was mad keen to be drafted by us and we could have drafted him but instead went with Ben Griffiths, guess who went the pick directly after? lol

FMD … are we seriously conceding that Murphy Reid is going to have a better career than Horton, Faull, Smillie and Lalor after one season?

Rayner looked a #1 ‘bust’ for his first 7-years. Then was absolutely instrumental in B2B flags. Hodge over Judd looked pretty diabolical for 3-seasons - one played 300+ has 4 flags and 2 Norms, the other 1 and 1 and never reached 300 games.

Lewy Taylor won the Rising Star over Bont. Andrew Raines came 2nd in a Rising Star. Rhys Palmer, McGrath and Stephenson won it… and Stephenson kicked 40-goals in his debut season.

The catastrophising in here is beyond belief. Can we just wait a few seasons before crying about everything? I am very happy with all of Lalor, Smillie, Hotton and Faull, as I’m confident they’ll eventually get their bodies right and be super players…. I can wait until they are 21yo and played more than 20-games.

I’m even willing to give Smillie a chance to play a game before stamping his papers. Novel idea I know.

 

[Lord of the Wings]

FMD … are we seriously conceding that Murphy Reid is going to have a better career than Horton, Faull, Smillie and Lalor after one season?

Rayner looked a #1 ‘bust’ for his first 7-years. Then was absolutely instrumental in B2B flags. Hodge over Judd looked pretty diabolical for 3-seasons - one played 300+ has 4 flags and 2 Norms, the other 1 and 1 and never reached 300 games.

Lewy Taylor won the Rising Star over Bont. Andrew Raines came 2nd in a Rising Star. Rhys Palmer, McGrath and Stephenson won it… and Stephenson kicked 40-goals in his debut season.

The catastrophising in here is beyond belief. Can we just wait a few seasons before crying about everything? I am very happy with all of Lalor, Smillie, Hotton and Faull, as I’m confident they’ll eventually get their bodies right and be super players…. I can wait until they are 21yo and played more than 20-games.

I’m even willing to give Smillie a chance to play a game before stamping his papers. Novel idea I know.

Smillie played VFL last year and looked disinterested. Refused to chase.

 

[ShereKhan]

Agree completely, though we can safely say Reid was a miss with the noises coming out of Freo as to how they regard him.

Tauru...cult hero early on, not necessarily a gun

Just so we have it on record. Which of Hotton or Faull are you not taking to get Reid, as he wasn’t really in anyone’s consideration for top-7? You can only pick one.

Then we can review their careers in a few years and see how things panned out.

 

[ShereKhan]

Smillie played VFL last year and looked disinterested. Refused to chase.

Dusty refused to chase or tackle much for 15-years. Worked out ok.

 

[Lord of the Wings]

Dusty refused to chase or tackle much for 15-years. Worked out ok.

Are u suggesting Smillie is at Dusty’s level?

 

[PetterdHoisted]

I felt the pain for freo never winning a flag … if they had passed on Fyfe and picked d.Ashbury they might have won a flag … if we picked Fyfe instead of Ashbury do we win 3 flags ? Playing this game is rubbish … who gives a shit that we didn’t pick Fyfe

give it 10 years and then we can discuss the 2024 draft … only nuff nuffs talk about who got better picks 2 years into kids careers

2009 draft round 1/2 is just the best for hypotheticals

-Melbourne leave Dusty to us at 3 and we arguably secure 3 flags right there

-but then we take Griffiths over Fyfe at 19/20

-and then Melbourne take Gawn over Astbury to us at 34/35

How would history be different if you flip those last ones?

Dusty - Fyfe - Gawn would have been the GOAT draft, despite what Astbury was for us.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Just so we have it on record. Which of Hotton or Faull are you not taking to get Reid, as he wasn’t really in anyone’s consideration for top-7? You can only pick one.

Then we can review their careers in a few years and see how things panned out.

Can I take a Smillie?

 

[Coach_Required]

FMD … are we seriously conceding that Murphy Reid is going to have a better career than Horton, Faull, Smillie and Lalor after one season?

Rayner looked a #1 ‘bust’ for his first 7-years. Then was absolutely instrumental in B2B flags. Hodge over Judd looked pretty diabolical for 3-seasons - one played 300+ has 4 flags and 2 Norms, the other 1 and 1 and never reached 300 games.

Lewy Taylor won the Rising Star over Bont. Andrew Raines came 2nd in a Rising Star. Rhys Palmer, McGrath and Stephenson won it… and Stephenson kicked 40-goals in his debut season.

The catastrophising in here is beyond belief. Can we just wait a few seasons before crying about everything? I am very happy with all of Lalor, Smillie, Hotton and Faull, as I’m confident they’ll eventually get their bodies right and be super players…. I can wait until they are 21yo and played more than 20-games.

I’m even willing to give Smillie a chance to play a game before stamping his papers. Novel idea I know.

These players might be better but it's not unrealistic to think that perhaps their bodies just aren't up to the rigors of AFL footy. It's a legitimate concern right now.

It would be diabolical for the club if we chose these players with known injury history and they all end up having their careers cut short due to continuous injuries.

If Reid ends up a 200 game player, are you going to argue that Smillie was better even though he played only 70 games?

 

[prodigy]

Still so flat. Bloody hell.

 

[RichmondEshays]

ChatGPT on stress injury -



Bone Stress Injuries Are Overuse, Not Trauma








Unlike a sudden break from a big impact (like a fall), bone stress injuries develop from repetitive loading — tiny micro-damage accumulating faster than your bone can repair itself.

• Each time a bone bears weight (running, cutting, jumping), it sustains tiny damage.
• Normally the body repairs this micro-damage in the rest periods between loads.
• If training is intense or recovery is insufficient, the damage outpaces repair and ultimately leads to structural “stress” damage visible on scans.

In other words: this isn’t usually a single acute trauma; it’s more like your bone finally reached its breaking point from repeated stress over time.

 

[lalorGOAT]

ChatGPT on stress injury -



Bone Stress Injuries Are Overuse, Not Trauma








Unlike a sudden break from a big impact (like a fall), bone stress injuries develop from repetitive loading — tiny micro-damage accumulating faster than your bone can repair itself.

• Each time a bone bears weight (running, cutting, jumping), it sustains tiny damage.
• Normally the body repairs this micro-damage in the rest periods between loads.
• If training is intense or recovery is insufficient, the damage outpaces repair and ultimately leads to structural “stress” damage visible on scans.

In other words: this isn’t usually a single acute trauma; it’s more like your bone finally reached its breaking point from repeated stress over time.

He has the same training program as everyone else. Funny how we don't have 44 stress fractures on our injury list.

 

[Jammo1111]

He has the same training program as everyone else. Funny how we don't have 44 stress fractures on our injury list.

Speculation is rife. Depends on diagnosis. Mild possibility it is independent of training load if it is transient osteoporosis. I have seen both of these in young people.

For a 20-year-old AFL footballer, the sudden onset of hip pain is likely either Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip (TOH) or a Bone Stress Reaction (BSI). Both conditions can occur spontaneously, meaning they do not require a specific fall, collision, or traumatic event to manifest. While they share similar symptoms and imaging features, their underlying biological causes and long-term management differ significantly.


Epidemiology


Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip (TOH) is traditionally rare in young athletes, typically seen in middle-aged men or women in late pregnancy. However, in the elite sporting world, it is increasingly recognized as a subset of "Bone Marrow Edema Syndrome." In contrast, Bone Stress Reactions are extremely common in AFL due to the high-volume running and "stop-start" nature of the sport. While TOH is an "idiopathic" (unknown cause) event that usually happens once or migrates to another joint, bone stress reactions are volume-dependent and frequently recur if training loads are not strictly managed.


Pathophysiology


Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip (TOH)


The pathophysiology of TOH remains somewhat mysterious and is often described as a temporary localized failure of bone metabolism. The prevailing theory suggests a microvascular disturbance, where a temporary "clogging" or impairment of blood flow to the femoral head leads to venous congestion and an increase in intraosseous pressure. This results in a rapid, reversible loss of bone mineral density. Essentially, the bone becomes "spongy" and weak for several months. Because the bone is chemically different during this phase, it is highly susceptible to "pathological" fractures from even minor weight-bearing.


Bone Stress Reaction (BSI)


A Bone Stress Reaction is the result of mechanical fatigue rather than a vascular "glitch." In an active footballer, bone is constantly undergoing a process of "remodeling"—breaking down old bone and laying down new bone. When the "breakdown" phase (osteoclast activity) outpaces the "build-up" phase (osteoblast activity) due to repetitive high-impact loading, the internal architecture of the bone begins to develop micro-cracks. This triggers an inflammatory response and bone marrow edema. If the athlete continues to play, these micro-cracks coalesce into a visible stress fracture line.


Comparison of Outcomes


While both involve significant bone marrow edema on an MRI, TOH is a systemic-local event that typically resolves spontaneously regardless of load (though load must be managed for safety), whereas a Stress Reaction is a mechanical-overload event that requires a direct reduction in training volume to heal.

 

[docko911]

He has the same training program as everyone else. Funny how we don't have 44 stress fractures on our injury list.

We don’t have 44 players coming back from serious injury in their first preseason.

Hotton was training the house down and then all of a sudden injured.

Smillie was training the house down last year and then all of a sudden injured. Noting he wasn’t coming back from injury but was still growing.

Bad luck, maybe, or are we seeing poor management. Almost every injury to a young player took longer than it should last year. Recurring injuries were also common.

• Clarke reinjured his ACL
• Lefau did a calf in his first game of AFL after coming back from an ACL
• Gibcus, probably understandable, looks to have no athleticism
• Lalor did multiple hamstrings
• Smillie had multiple injury set backs

The messaging from Yze is were fast tracking our rebuild. Well maybe we’re overdoing it.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

Too many hip thrusters! Slow down son.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

well yeah, talent comes first, but when you pass over a talented true believer...

tell me truthfully, didn't you feel the pain of Ben Griffiths over Nathan Fyfe even more deeply (is it even possible?!), knowing that Nate was desperate to play for his beloved Tiges? Went out of his way to be noticed by them, and we STILL couldn't see it.

the whole Reid family were the same.

if you don't feel that, you are a monk IMO.

these narratives are real, even if irrational

True believer recruiting lol

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

No but our 2024 draft is turning into a mess.

Lalor not match fit and still a major risk of re-injuring his hamstring

Smillie hasn’t played due to injury

Faull missed games early with injury in 2025 and may not be the best KPF in the draft while Reid looks like a jet.

Hotton to miss most of his first and second season with serious injuries

Armstrong missed half last year with a hamstring at training

Trainor still a risk of concussion issues and not exactly setting the world on fire based on his place in the pecking order.

Sims injured now

Alger just a chance of making it

Don’t get me wrong I love these guys and want them to succeed but when you’re taking so many players in the draft why take so many risks. We had so many KPPs last year yet we overlooked Reid and reached for Faull. Then we took Hotton knowing he couldn’t play most of the year. Both would’ve made sense, Hotton alone left us undermanned last year.

Smillie was probably an unknown injury wise but you could question why we took Lalor and Smillie in the same draft. Trading up for FOS may have been the better move. Hopefully Cumming and Grlj fill that void.

Anyways I’m sad because Hotton is the player I was most looking forward to watching this year. If Yze’s bullshit fast track rebuild is to blame for injuries then this club has learned nothing. We can handle a rebuild just don’t take shortcuts.

Overreaction too a hip injury
Now all the class of 24 have question marks
Good grief

 

[Truetiger]

What the **** is bone stress

Bone stress injuries (BSIs) occur when repetitive, high-impact loading (running, jumping) exceeds the bone's ability to repair itself, resulting in microdamage

 

[Drunken Wookie]

What the **** is bone stress

When you’re worried about getting random boners in public

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Overreaction too a hip injury
Now all the class of 24 have question marks
Good grief

I read in the Age yesterday that they are all going to Tassie anyway, so who cares

 

[Yze does it]

No but our 2024 draft is turning into a mess.

Lalor not match fit and still a major risk of re-injuring his hamstring

Smillie hasn’t played due to injury

Faull missed games early with injury in 2025 and may not be the best KPF in the draft while Reid looks like a jet.

Hotton to miss most of his first and second season with serious injuries

Armstrong missed half last year with a hamstring at training

Trainor still a risk of concussion issues and not exactly setting the world on fire based on his place in the pecking order.

Sims injured now

Alger just a chance of making it

Don’t get me wrong I love these guys and want them to succeed but when you’re taking so many players in the draft why take so many risks. We had so many KPPs last year yet we overlooked Reid and reached for Faull. Then we took Hotton knowing he couldn’t play most of the year. Both would’ve made sense, Hotton alone left us undermanned last year.

Smillie was probably an unknown injury wise but you could question why we took Lalor and Smillie in the same draft. Trading up for FOS may have been the better move. Hopefully Cumming and Grlj fill that void.

Anyways I’m sad because Hotton is the player I was most looking forward to watching this year. If Yze’s bullshit fast track rebuild is to blame for injuries then this club has learned nothing. We can handle a rebuild just don’t take shortcuts.

FMD
I. Lalor played the praccy match. kick to the nads came off. walked around getting selfies.
2. Smilie's VFL games were OK. He is the "worry"
3. Hotton ~ 8 great games. Missing the first 8 rounds of 26,
4. Armstrong, Faull young KPF. which we needed.
5 . Trainor has played a lot and been good. At the level.
6. Sims had surgery. he was at the level in his games.
7 Alger small fwd. ~ looks great at VFL level.


we have drafted 14 kids to contend in 5 years.

they all won;t make.