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

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3051 said:
Atley seems like the type that has much more value in a good side than a bad side or a side that relies on him for too much. He's quite versatile too, in fact, I think he is super underrated for his versatility. I've seen him shut down small forwards, burst through packs, hit forwards lace out whilst running full pelt, and kick crazy goals as a forward. He just can't put it all together consistently. If we are good enough to play in a grand final in the coming years, I could totally see him doing a 'Freeborn' and provide a 10 minutes of match-winning play. If Houli and Johannisen can do it, I can totally see Atley doing it too.
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Houli didn't just produced a 10 minute play out of nowhere. He was an AA in 2019.

He's also averaged 20+ possessions a game for the last 11 years straight. With the last 2 x season being at 25+ disposals a game.


Atley has averaged 20+ possessions in a year once in his 10 years at the club and it was last year.
 
3051 said:
Atley seems like the type that has much more value in a good side than a bad side or a side that relies on him for too much. He's quite versatile too, in fact, I think he is super underrated for his versatility. I've seen him shut down small forwards, burst through packs, hit forwards lace out whilst running full pelt, and kick crazy goals as a forward. He just can't put it all together consistently. If we are good enough to play in a grand final in the coming years, I could totally see him doing a 'Freeborn' and provide a 10 minutes of match-winning play. If Houli and Johannisen can do it, I can totally see Atley doing it too.
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Agree about his versatility. Really, his greatest flaw for his entire career is that he just doesn't naturally accumulate a lot. He's no worse a user than guys like Johannisen or Houli, he just doesn't get as much of it to light up the stats sheet. I'd rate him a better 1v1 defender than either of those, too. And for all his run and carry, he's not a high metres gained player.

But plenty of good sides have given games to worse HBFs, and plenty of pick 17s have had worse careers.
 
I like Shaun, he has moments of brilliance, but with his output thus far it says a lot about our teams over the last 10 years that he is playing his 200th.

His panicking with the ball has taken at least 10 years off my life.
 

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RobZombie said:
Agree about his versatility. Really, his greatest flaw for his entire career is that he just doesn't naturally accumulate a lot. He's no worse a user than guys like Johannisen or Houli, he just doesn't get as much of it to light up the stats sheet. I'd rate him a better 1v1 defender than either of those, too. And for all his run and carry, he's not a high metres gained player.

But plenty of good sides have given games to worse HBFs, and plenty of pick 17s have had worse careers.
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I think the most frustrating aspect of his career to date is that he is pretty much the same player at soon to be 28 as he was when he was 19.

He just hasn't improved to any significant degree in any aspect over the majority of his career.

He averaged 18 disposals a game as a 19 year old in 2012 and the assumption was that he would naturally transition into the midfield in time given an output like that at his age and his physical gifts.

Every time we attempted it, he really struggled and was moved back to half back within a game or two.

He's pretty much hovered between 18-19 disposals for the entirety of his career, really no different to his second year.

I think he's actually looked the best at times playing forward or in a different role.


Not a bad career by any stretch, but with his pace and strength, the fact he only has 4 brownlow votes in his career probably sums him up. He's a non-risk taking player for the most part which is strange for a guy with his physical ability.

He's a guy that might produce a game worthy of being in the club's bests once or twice a season, he's probably hovered around 10th-15th in the B&F for most of his career and yet I can't ever recall him being dropped or talked about being dropped because of the sides lack of pace for the most part of the last decade.

He's had a very comfortable career as an AFL footballer to date, like quite a few others in our side.


Hopefully Shaw extracts something extra out of him in the next few years, otherwise I see him pretty easily replaceable in time.
 
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Pykie said:
I think the most frustrating aspect of his career to date is that he is pretty much the same player at soon to be 28 as he was when he was 19.
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Yeah, a good way of saying the same thing, I think. He was pretty bloody exciting at 19.
Pykie said:
Every time we attempted it, he really struggled and was moved back to half back within a game or two.
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"Within a game or two" can be as much an indictment of the conservatism of the previous coaching and development regime as Shaun himself. At least they had a go at swinging him forward with some success, I guess.
Pykie said:
Not a bad career by any stretch, but with his pace and strength, the fact he only has 4 brownlow votes sums him up. He's a non-risk taking player for the most part which is strange for a guy with his physical ability.
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The risk aversion is probably also showing up in his metres gained. At his pace he should be an 80m player but just isn't. Even Macmillan plays with more flair when he gets the chance, and has a handful of outrageously good offensive games off HB to his credit.
 
RobZombie said:
He's no worse a user than guys like Johannisen or Houli, he just doesn't get as much of it to light up the stats sheet. I'd rate him a better 1v1 defender than either of those, too. And for all his run and carry, he's not a high metres gained player.
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Neither JJ or Atley are in the same stratosphere as Houli in terms of ball use and decision-making. Come on now.
 
RobZombie said:
The risk aversion is probably also showing up in his metres gained. At his pace he should be an 80m player but just isn't. Even Macmillan plays with more flair when he gets the chance, and has a handful of outrageously good offensive games off HB to his credit.
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His meters gained is also a good indication of what he does with the football.

He kicks it sideways or backwards switching play in a chain, generally gives a quick handball alot of the time and might have 1 or 2 direct running plays a game where he racks up some bounces and generally tries to spot a 15-20m pass.

Very rarely runs, bounces and kicks long.

Very rarely kicks long in general tbh.
 
I'd like to think he would be pushed out of the 22 in the next couple of years. Great servant of the club but an attacking weapon that actually attacks off halfback would be a game changer for us.
 
Thewlis Dish said:
Neither JJ or Atley are in the same stratosphere as Houli in terms of ball use and decision-making. Come on now.
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Well, last year Houli had a turnover every 5.5 possessions, Atley one every 6.1 possessions. Identical DE%. Of course, Houli had 200 more metres gained per game so he's certainly going for harder kicks, but ... *shrug*.
 
My impression of Atley is he needs to become a bigger seagull.
we need him when we switch, sitting in the opposite pocket, that last possession in the chain, before we go forward. It seems like we always set up for JMac. Atley dashing up might be quick enough to break the opposition setting up in front of the ball..


although in fairness slowly switching across the ground at every opportunity seemed to be the old game plan.
we like to keep it skinny side of the ground and protect the corridor now. So ignore me.
 
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To me, he's always seemed to lack urgency or confidence or both. He goes quiet for large patches of games. In fairness, I also think he's been played out of position. The guy's built for 666 with his twitch muscles and his breakaway speed but I can never remember him taking a centre bounce. He's accumulated 2 Brownlow votes over his career - which says heaps given how easily he can catch the eye.
 
RobZombie said:
Yeah, a good way of saying the same thing, I think. He was pretty bloody exciting at 19.

"Within a game or two" can be as much an indictment of the conservatism of the previous coaching and development regime as Shaun himself. At least they had a go at swinging him forward with some success, I guess.

The risk aversion is probably also showing up in his metres gained. At his pace he should be an 80m player but just isn't. Even Macmillan plays with more flair when he gets the chance, and has a handful of outrageously good offensive games off HB to his credit.
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Macmillan post injury last year since he’s come back into the side and into his 2020 form has gone past Atley.
McDonald also.
For whatever reason though Shaun has stagnated and lingered and fingers crossed he’s the next to up his game.
 

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Atley has been very consistent over the last 3 years and is rarely beaten. Very dependable across half back and integral to our set up in defence. Under Shaw he is more aggressive and attacking.

I'm actually really liking Atley at the moment.
 
shinboner magic said:
Atley has underachieved- due in part to system we have played and practically being our only fast player for a long time.
He lacks confidence and would be a much better if he backed himself. Hopefully Shaw can simply this him
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Pretty hard to run and gun when no teammates are giving options or support. Under Shaw that has changed which will make Atley a better player.
 
 
the flying ham said:
Strongly strongly agree SB
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Some folks arch up if we don't put 22 x Darren Jarman's on the ground. It's ridiculous. Who was the last opponent that toweled him up? FFS.
 
Snake_Baker said:
Some folks arch up if we don't put 22 x Darren Jarman's on the ground. It's ridiculous. Who was the last opponent that toweled him up? FFS.
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My sentiments exactly. It's either all or nothing, blokes have to be robbed of all Australian or on the scrap heap to make way for some untried talent.

Every club has foot soldiers, guys who roll up their sleeves every week and have a dip. People saying I wish he would take the game on - guy has had 1 senior coach for the bulk of his career going back to when he was a pup, perhaps that freewheeling risk taker who finished top 5 in the b n f has maybe been stifled a bit. But even if he hasn't, he is still a very serviceable defender who rarely gets beaten. It's s**t canning for the sake of.

Jack Ziebell cops the same garbage, as if 20 possession goal a game half forward hard nut who loves the rough stuff should get dropped. It's perplexing.
 


Milestone man Shaun Atley could easily be dubbed ‘Mr. Reliable’.

Not many players reach the 200-game mark early in their tenth season, but Atley has been a picture of consistency since his debut in 2011. Remarkably, he’s missed just nine games, with six of those in his first season. Atley’s statistics are also intriguing. In the last 106 games he’s never had below double-figures in disposals. As the Roos’ number 18 prepares to become just the 33rd Shinboner to break the magical 200-game barrier, he reflects on one teammate who helped set the standard.

“Early days I looked to ‘Boomer’, and he never missed a training session, he never missed anything,” Atley said. “I tried to model myself on that and never miss a session, and just get through, and eventually that leads to keeping playing games."

That mentality clearly held Atley in good stead. He’s known for his meticulous preparation and is hoping to influence the Roos’ younger brigade. “I draw on the experience of when I got first here and the guys I looked up to,” Atley said. “You probably watch those guys like Brady (Rawlings) and ‘Drewy’ (Petrie) and ‘Boomer’ (Harvey) and Spud (Michael Firrito), and they wouldn’t even know you were watching them.

“(I) try and make them (young teammates) feel welcome and to train hard out on the track, because I feel like they definitely watch the older guys doing that, and be consistent and perform on game day. I feel like I’ve really grown over the years I’ve been here.”

Atley said he was “very proud” to achieve such a significant milestone. “It can be a little bit embarrassing when you look at some of the names who’ve got 200 games, but what I’m most proud of is that it’s at North Melbourne. Coming in as a young kid you don’t really know much and how long you’re gonna be here, but I’ll never be able to repay the footy club for what they’ve shown in me and given me and helped me develop as a person. I love the place and I’ll be forever grateful to the footy club.”

Across 199 games, Atley has averaged close to 18 disposals, and played in eight finals.
 
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