Player Watch #15: Dylan Stephens

[ferball]

He's harshly judged on here.

He brought some of that on himself.

Sent from my CPH2069 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[amaz199]

If Stephens was 18 years old, we would be pretty lenient. However, he has been in the system for 6+ years.

I hope he goes to another level as a former top 5 pick. Simply has to.

 

[Lomas]

He brought some of that on himself.

Sent from my CPH2069 using BigFooty.com mobile app

I’ve been someone who has wanted him to succeed since hearing he was coming (insert self pat on the back for very rare early word), but you are totally right.
I still have hope, he did some better things late in the season, and has all the tools.

 

[Flawed Genius]

Unfortunately he's just not mentally tough enough to put his head over the footy on a consistent enough basis, and his kicking and running isn't enough to offset how much of a cat he is. He doesn't suck and he's not bad depth, but if McKercher and FOS and Scott can't kick him off a wing we are going like a busted arseh*le.

 

[Lomas]

Unfortunately he's just not mentally tough enough to put his head over the footy on a consistent enough basis, and his kicking and running isn't enough to offset how much of a cat he is. He doesn't suck and he's not bad depth, but if McKercher and FOS and Scott can't kick him off a wing we are going like a busted arseh*le.

TBF, he ran back with flight and got crouched, and put himself in tough spots a few times at the end of the year.
I’ll be with you if he doesn’t demonstrate improvement in the first half of the year.

 

[ferball]

TBF, he ran back with flight and got crouched, and put himself in tough spots a few times at the end of the year.
I’ll be with you if he doesn’t demonstrate improvement in the first half of the year.

Yeah. Late in the year he was putting himself in harm's way.

Sent from my CPH2069 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Northwards]

I will judge an AFL on many varied but have never (to the best recollection) criticised them on courage because I'm yet to be sold anyone could reach AFL level being "soft".

Might be wrong but can't mentally hold the thought that an AFL player could stay in the system as a squib.

Agree I don’t think they’d last long either. I wasn’t meaning he is a squib. I think he had some moments that he’d probably like back in his first stint in the side last year in that facet of the game. Got dropped and came back in and fixed it which was good to see.

 

[HugeJohnson1]

Good God!!!

What about the other 45 guys we’ve delisted over the last 5 years who have done absolutely nothing at other clubs?

Mason Wood is the only player to leave NM over the last 5-7 years and play decent footy at another club.

Majak, Dumont, B Brown, Mahony, Tarrant, R Clarke, Higgins, B McKay…….just to name a few…..have all been underwhelming at their new clubs.

But hey, let’s keep them all because of Mason Woods decent form????

Mckay Essendon best defender. Higgins played decent footy. Ben brown won a flag. Ryan Clarke played in a gf(I think?)

 

[zoomba23]

Mckay Essendon best defender. Higgins played decent footy. Ben brown won a flag. Ryan Clarke played in a gf(I think?)

Ridley is far and away Essendon's best defender. Don't recall Higgins doing anything of note at Shlong. The other ones, there's an argument, but even then their contributions are/were never gonna be long-term. How Ben Brown came within a whisker of three Colemans playing the way he did is a slight mystery to me. Incredible at a couple of things, whilst being rubbish-average at everything else, but those couple of things were quite useful for a key forward

 

[HugeJohnson1]

Ridley is far and away Essendon's best defender. Don't recall Higgins doing anything of note at Shlong. The other ones, there's an argument, but even then their contributions are/were never gonna be long-term. How Ben Brown came within a whisker of three Colemans playing the way he did is a slight mystery to me. Incredible at a couple of things, whilst being rubbish-average at everything else, but those couple of things were quite useful for a key forward

Just because he was north’s best player in that position doesn’t mean as soon as they leave they’re setting the world on fire. They were serviceable and played in grand finals. Something we could only dream about for North.

 

[Devil Fish]

Mckay Essendon best defender. Higgins played decent footy. Ben brown won a flag. Ryan Clarke played in a gf(I think?)

Poor post from you swaeney. You’re better than that. I think.

Did any play decent footy at their new club?
PS - Higgins didn’t.
PS - Mc Kay isn’t Essendons best defender.
PS - Clarke was a fringe player at best at Syd.

 

[Marstermind]

He's harshly judged on here.

No he's not. Based on the contract he has (which isn't his fault) and what he contributed last year, he's judged about right. Hopefully he can fix his game up and offer more over the next 3 years.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

100%
This kid can play
You don’t go top 5 for nothing

Elite endurance
Good skills
Good speed

Has serious upside

You can list failures in most draft’s top 5.

He’s a cat.

Going back to 2012 and up to 2022, every single draft bar one has a failed top 5 selection, some with up to three of them.

 

[backtothedraft]

For me it’s the commitment to the contest which makes him a challenging player to get around. Even yesterday it was evident. I’d like to see him trialled at half back in the VFL

 

[HugeJohnson1]

Poor post from you swaeney. You’re better than that. I think.

Did any play decent footy at their new club?
PS - Higgins didn’t.
PS - Mc Kay isn’t Essendons best defender.
PS - Clarke was a fringe player at best at Syd.

They were all getting games in much better teams than North?

 

[amaz199]

Mckay Essendon best defender. Higgins played decent footy. Ben brown won a flag. Ryan Clarke played in a gf(I think?)

McKay is not *Essendon's best defender.

Bizarre handballs to a stationary target or the opposition does not make you the best defender.

 

[Marstermind]

They were all getting games in much better teams than North?

They weren't picked up not to get games. Higgins was useful at best in his first year at Geelong, but a total nothing in 2022. Besides which, letting him finish his career somewhere else as we committed to being dogshit for whatever was left of his career was a decent and respectful move. Bombers fans are idiots but even they could see what we could as McKay leaked goal after goal last year with regular defensive brain farts. Besides, the compo we got for him was more than worth him leaving. And Ryan Clarke? To his credit he found something as a tagger at Sydney but not long and not for one moment have we pined for his heady days at North.

North's list management has been putrid for far too long, but if there's any credit to be had we haven't let much quality go. Probably because we haven't had enough quality to start with.

But if the argument against delisting or trading away ordinary players who continually let you down is "What if they become good somewhere else?"...that's kind of dumb. I've got a shit sandwich, but I'm gonna keep eating it because if I give it away, that bloke might like it. Duh.

 

[Ashley B]

McKay is a good stopper but not great with the ball in hand unfortunately for him and Essendon lol

 

[speedy]

As mentioned, he’s a cat not as physical as you would like.
Would want to be getting it 24+ on the wing, kicking goals and/or setting up goals with lasers to make the team.

Edited: “cat” is too harsh a word. It’s a tough sport.

 

[Horizons_00]

I don't see it in him. No real potential either, been playing afl for years now. Meh

 

[zoomba23]

McKay is a good stopper but not great with the ball in hand unfortunately for him and Essendon lol

He wasn't even a good stopper last year. Lost something like 36% of his 1-on-1s. I've got an Essendon neighbour who absolutely detests him lol. Thinks we unloaded him on them in the manner of a used car salesman.

For all of his brain fades, I think he actually played better for us in 2023. Though given two of his best games were against Essendon, you could mount a case that his good games were just auditions, and that that wasn't the real him. It's a mystery now whether he's actually any good. Total u-turn from 2021

 

[franjon]

He wasn't even a good stopper last year. Lost something like 36% of his 1-on-1s. I've got an Essendon neighbour who absolutely detests him lol. Thinks we unloaded him on them in the manner of a used car salesman.

For all of his brain fades, I think he actually played better for us in 2023. Though given two of his best games were against Essendon, you could mount a case that his good games were just auditions, and that that wasn't the real him. It's a mystery now whether he's actually any good. Total u-turn from 2021

His football nous has never been evident. He doesn't seem to know what to do once he has the ball and just looks for the nearest option to make it their problem. I'm still astounded by what Essendon paid for him. Not complaining , but a bit flabbergasted.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

I thought he (Stephens) was very good in the first half yesterday. Less prominent when he switched to blue.

 

[zoomba23]

His football nous has never been evident. He doesn't seem to know what to do once he has the ball and just looks for the nearest option to make it their problem. I'm still astounded by what Essendon paid for him. Not complaining , but a bit flabbergasted.

It rounds down to 800k per year. Still an overpay based on output, but the front-loading makes it look worse. Think there was a bit of wink-wink-nudge-nudging from the league there. Not a good result for us or the league, who currently are still in the camp of wanting us to improve, if we got band 2

 

[Blightys Barrel]

I thought he (Stephens) was very good in the first half yesterday. Less prominent when he switched to blue.

Some of his first half kicks were insanely accurate. Threading between 2-3 players and hitting his targets to be one of the better kicks on the field. If he can be consistent in a match for all 4 QTRs and play the role being asked……he might just make it.