Player Watch #2: Jaidyn Stephenson - dropped vs Geelong & misses out again vs Hawthorn

[AnEmptyChair]

Had a good year last year and a good round 1. Yes, bad on the weekend but the reactions here are laughable

 

[Handsome.B.Wonderful]

Jaidyn is doing ok. He's toiling away, the returns often fluctuate for these mercurial types especially when the team at large is so flakey.

There's often a lag between effort and reward, particularly as a half-forward.

It should be evident to anyone at the game that Stephenson is a long-roaming half-forward who spends a lot of time trailing the ball up the field while we are defending or sprinting back towards goal when we are attacking. To a lot of people, this may seem like idle time on the field, but he's important to our forward structure.

If you don't know what that means, he's regularly our widest player on the fat side of the ground when we create a turnover. So often when we win the ball at half-back, the ball is a long way from him, and he's usually manned up so can't be used. What we do use him for in this scenario, however, is to keep width on the ground and keep the opposition's zone stretched so that we can move the ball through it.

He's a dangerous player: reads the play well, and capitalizes by losing his man when we get close to goal. Opposition coaches are well aware of this.

Half-forward is generally a position where you don't get many opportunities, so the fact that he bobs up for a goal or more each game is pretty important. There is no doubt he makes his fair share of blunders, but there's a good reason he has been kept in the side consistently since he got traded to North, and a good reason he's mentoring Duursma and Harvey at the club.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

I’ve seen enough.

A total bust of a trade (another one).

Never recaptured his early career form unfortunately.

Has had ample opportunity.

It’s time the club cut its losses.

We’ve got 8 other half forward flankers on our list we can try.

He is a handy player, who despite the haters, still kicks goals.

He is not my absolute favourite due to his defensive side, but if we build a side where he is pushed out of the 22 into a role he is perfectly suited for: sub, then we will contending for the cup.

Now that TT is gone, I don’t know if there is anyone I would rather have the ball in the hand of in 10 metres of space.

 

[Devil Fish]

I don't mind him.

 

[The acurate one]

Good news OOC in 2025, so surely will be gone.

 

[the big lebowski]

Should we have played him today?

 

[tricknologist]

I want him to succeed but he's looked scared to death of taking contact today (even more so than usual). He ****ed up two important kicks in that first half because he heard the footsteps.

 

[Cyber_punk]

Running out of patience with him tbh.

That performance against West Coast in 2021 feels like 10 years ago

 

[koshari]

Prolly worst on today

 

[Mute Point]

Confidence player, playing with zero confidence.

 

[the big lebowski]

Has to be dropped

 

[The Law]

oxygen thief. One of the biggest wasted talents the game has ever seen.

Just cruising and collecting a pay cheque.

 

[Reagan Smash]

Looks and moves like Cliffy Young

 

[ToxicMegaPunts]

The very definition of a cat.

 

[bennymate]

Good news OOC in 2025, so surely will be gone.

Oh dw, Rawling will give him a 5 year deal

 

[koshari]

Oh dw, Rawling will give him a 5 year deal

Was part of the deal to ply him across, iam not to bothered about the term because our list was seriously crap and we were struggling to meet the mon tpp at the time and collingwood took a salary dump on him anyway. But times are different now we have young raw hungary talent snapping at his heels.

 

[scottywiper]

Clogger of the list

 

[hotchilli]

Hasn't added anything as a player since his rising star year where he was still playing more on instinct.

 

[Ischenko]

Had a bad day. Obviously down on confidence. His best is very good. Fine with him being dropped but he’s in no way a list clogger.

 

[muttley45]

Back to VFL to find some form, and get a bit of tackling practice, no if's or but's

 

[Uncle_Leo]

Fraud. Drop him

 

[Kanga1996]

Not that it matters but he would have never played under Pagan, just isn’t hard enough in the contest.


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[datakid]

Hey, he's no Polec.

 

[Nylex]

Half the time, he hits the contest at 50 percent intensity, with no intent to genuinely win the contest. This makes me rage more than anything else. Would not get a game if I was Clarko.

 

[koshari]

Cat