Player Watch #15: Dylan Stephens

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Anyone calling for Stephens to be dropped is missing the big picture. Over the last 7-8 years, whenever NM has recruited a player from another club, we have given them opportunity, after opportunity, after opportunity, after opportunity, to prove themselves. J Stepho, Tommy Campbell, CCJ, Tucker, Bonar, Corr etc are perfect examples. It's as if the club is so desperate for the trade to be seen as a "success", the players form becomes irrelevant. Even guys like Atu & Howe were given games.

Fisher, Tucker, Stephens - these guys ain't getting dropped any time soon. Sleevo just needs to train to get back in.
 
Is the cream on top in a good side. Potential match winner if I will, just that we aren’t a good side with any structure or senior players adhering to anything of the type. Look at how good Stephenson was playing in his first couple of years at Lollingwood. Playing for us he can’t get a kick.

We are fking terrible, but hopefully with Stephens contract length he’ll be with us when we are belting teams and we need the gut running goal kicking winger.
 
Is the cream on top in a good side. Potential match winner if I will, just that we aren’t a good side with any structure or senior players adhering to anything of the type. Look at how good Stephenson was playing in his first couple of years at Lollingwood. Playing for us he can’t get a kick.

Bro...he played for Sydney, couldn't get a kick and they traded him.
 

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Maybe it’s a system thing, maybe he’s running the patterns and to the right places and we aren’t using him correctly yet, but I will agree, he is soft but we got him for a reason and that wasn’t to be Glenn Archer. Swans did offer him two years as well, so it’s not like they were shoving him out the door. I also like to think of the big picture with Disco/the trade - he helped us get one of our 5 first rounders.
 
Maybe it’s a system thing, maybe he’s running the patterns and to the right places and we aren’t using him correctly yet, but I will agree, he is soft but we got him for a reason and that wasn’t to be Glenn Archer. Swans did offer him two years as well, so it’s not like they were shoving him out the door. I also like to think of the big picture with Disco/the trade - he helped us get one of our 5 first rounders.
Look our “system” at the moment does not protect any line of players in the team:

If the mids can’t get their hands on the ball:

  • we don’t have the defensive intent inside to stop them
  • our wings and half forwards are not moving in fast enough to impact the centre square contest
  • our HB line is put under immediate pressure as the ball is cleared. Being flat footed and generally not as strong (on average) in the marking contest, they are at a disadvantage
  • our backline now has to scramble to pick up the pieces which means that pockets of space are left as the structure is trying to be protected. In the process, the man is secondary and that half a second is all that is needed for mark and a shot on goal.
  • if it’s a goal, repeat the above
  • if it’s a point, the ball will be kicked either short to the pocket where it will be bombed to shorter north players up the centre who will lose the one on one, or kicked short up the wing. Stephens is successful at this as he is a neat kick and sticks to structures. Eventually there will be, however, a turnover and the centre line and hb line scramble again to keep the structure of protecting space.
  • all the while, our actual weapons up forward starve with lack of opportunity.
 
You said they don't let go players they want.
Well it wasn't me that said but I agree with it. Beatson said they were disappointed with the whole trade but had to eventually cut and run.

They didn't want to lose him and offered him a contract there's nothing else they could do.
 
Let’s not fluff around here guys. The career and season stats are just deplorable for someone 45 games into their career. The Swans have a history with their Academy and new recruits of just making better players once they are into the system. In 4 years as a club they get 48.5 wins in ~ 90 matches. So he plays in 50% of those and simply never got better.

So the recruitment brains trust get together and work off some wisdom that our player development is superior to the Swans, and we’re so confident we’ll double the offer to 4 years. It just defines logic. Is he the best possible option in their area we could have done? Its entirely different to the desperate KPD policy we implemented when Logue went down chasing Pink and Biggy (who might work out based on a 1 match sample).

Happy to call this a complete bust now. I thought after his 1st QTR last week against Geelong I went too early, but his next 3 QTRs showed me how bad this recruitment decision is.
 

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Let’s not fluff around here guys. The career and season stats are just deplorable for someone 45 games into their career. The Swans have a history with their Academy and new recruits of just making better players once they are into the system. In 4 years as a club they get 48.5 wins in ~ 90 matches. So he plays in 50% of those and simply never got better.

So the recruitment brains trust get together and work off some wisdom that our player development is superior to the Swans, and we’re so confident we’ll double the offer to 4 years. It just defines logic. Is he the best possible option in their area we could have done? Its entirely different to the desperate KPD policy we implemented when Logue went down chasing Pink and Biggy (who might work out based on a 1 match sample).

Happy to call this a complete bust now. I thought after his 1st QTR last week against Geelong I went too early, but his next 3 QTRs showed me how bad this recruitment decision is.

I endorse this 100%.

We were sitting there with a pick in the early 20's, a 4 year contract and outstanding money to throw around and the best we could come up with was a below average player from the best development program and overall footy clubs...and we expected he'd then become Peter Matera?

Some alarm bells there.
 

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