Player Watch #24: Tom Powell - signed thru 2026 - 7th highest ranked player league-wide after 3 rds - avg. 27.7d & 7clearances p/g

[apollo_creed]

Seriously what the fudge are we doing to this kid? 2 Centre bounce attendances for the game and he is left to rot on the half forward flank.

He isn’t a wingman and he isn’t a half forward flanker, if you aren’t going to play him in the middle (his most natural position) then allow him to play that position in the VFL where he can hone his craft. Meanwhile Greenwood gets 17 CBA’s and despite his 25 disposals has absolutely NO IMPACT on the game…

The kid’s confidence would be absolutely shot and that IMO rests purely on our development staff.

Plays 65 percent game time every week as well. Basically being set up to fail sadly. And playing him how and where we are playing him is not what a rebuilding club does. It’s really disappointing.

Sad thing is he is one of our only reliable kicks as well. The spearing pass (and confidence to do it) along the boundary line is something that none of our main mids (or half back flankers) are actually capable of executing.

His treatment has been poor. If any in our team actually have a legitimate and compelling excuse to sulk it up with the coaching staff it’s him.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

His treatment has been poor. If any in our team actually have a legitimate and compelling excuse to sulk it up with the coaching staff it’s him.

Absolutely robbing him of his natural footy IQ and ability.



As a comparison let’s look at the way Freo have developed Caleb Serong. We took Powell with the Serong pick that we traded the previous year. I love the way Serong goes about it and Freo backed him in as a genuine mid from
the get go. Now they are reaping the benefits. Played the midfielder as a genuine mid even though he tank and body wasn’t quite there yet.

If we did take Serong the year before instead of trading into the next year, I highly doubt he would’ve reached the heights of what he is reaching now. We would’ve pigeon holed him as a half forward or forward pocket and we would’ve crippled his confidence.

 

[shinboner spiggs]

I remember joking to a friend during his first two months of footy: “only we could **** this kid up.”

Honestly for a bit there thought he was the best midfielder we’d drafted since spitta.

 

[Billy Not Really]

It defies logic how we play this bloke, and he’s not the only one, but he’s a prime example.

Just put them behind other shitmen who get more game time, play ‘em out of position, instruct them to not play to their natural abilities etc.

 

[shinboner magic]

Absolutely robbing him of his natural footy IQ and ability.



As a comparison let’s look at the way Freo have developed Caleb Serong. We took Powell with the Serong pick that we traded the previous year. I love the way Serong goes about it and Freo backed him in as a genuine mid from
the get go. Now they are reaping the benefits. Played the midfielder as a genuine mid even though he tank and body wasn’t quite there yet.

If we did take Serong the year before instead of trading into the next year, I highly doubt he would’ve reached the heights of what he is reaching now. We would’ve pigeon holed him as a half forward or forward pocket and we would’ve crippled his confidence.

Why do we refuse to play mids in their correct positions

 

[shinboner spiggs]

If we did take Serong the year before instead of trading into the next year, I highly doubt he would’ve reached the heights of what he is reaching now. We would’ve pigeon holed him as a half forward or forward pocket and we would’ve crippled his confidence.

One thing I don’t blame noble on is the god awful list composition. With about 300 developing midfielders, we are bound to shun mid time to some, and thus we’re missing Powell’s development.

Honestly what ever, if He bobbed up and said I want out for a chance at a midfield spot, both the SA clubs would walk over hot coals for him.

 

[Mcarcherey]

one of the few players we have with vision and IQ.

so many of our players just handball (very low quality too) to another player under the pump, just bomb it forward and make the same old predictable moves. everytime powell disposes the ball or even just taps it, it's to players in space or at least puts the ball somewhere that's to his teammates advantage. Thomas used to be like this, i once got excited to see how he'd make an opportunity out of a 50/50 contest, now he just loses it or picks it up and immediately runs into his opponent to avoid HTB or get a high free kick.

no idea why he isn't played in the centre like he was last year.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

One thing I don’t blame noble on is the god awful list composition. With about 300 developing midfielders, we are bound to shun mid time to some, and thus we’re missing Powell’s development.

Honestly what ever, if He bobbed up and said I want out for a chance at a midfield spot, both the SA clubs would walk over hot coals for him.

Huh? We really don’t have that many genuine centre square midfielders. We just refuse to mix up the combinations around the stoppages. For the whole year we have persisted with Simpkin, Greenwood, LDU, Anderson and JHF. Any other player has been used sparingly. TT, Powell, Stephenson should all have had extended opportunities in there but for some ****ed up reason we refuse to do it.

Keep banging the same drum with Simpkin and Greenwood dominating the CBA’s and stoppage attendances and when they do win the footy they absolutely torch it, then we wonder why we can’t get any ascendency in the midfield.

 

[shinboner magic]

one of the few players we have with vision and IQ.

so many of our players just handball (very low quality too) to another player under the pump, just bomb it forward and make the same old predictable moves. everytime powell disposes the ball or even just taps it, it's to players in space or at least puts the ball somewhere that's to his teammates advantage. Thomas used to be like this, i once got excited to see how he'd make an opportunity out of a 50/50 contest, now he just loses it or picks it up and immediately runs into his opponent to avoid HTB or get a high free kick.

no idea why he isn't played in the centre like he was last year.

Yeah that pickup on back flank and he ran to his left side and hit that pass along the boundary was great.
Most players would of gone right and just pumped it long

 

[shinboner spiggs]

Huh? We really don’t have that many genuine centre square midfielders.

At the top level we’ve been exposed, but all of the following were drafted from their success playing midfield in u18s:
Mahony
Stephenson
Anderson
JHF
Ziebell
Scott
LDU
Cunners
Simpkin
Polec
Bonar
Greenwood
Powell
Thomas
Phillips
Lazarro

In 2023, we’ll likely get yet another midfielder. We’ve seen so many of the above play their best footy at stoppages but because of this horrendous list composition, almost all have had to be shoehorned into other positions, some successfully, most completely woefully. Powell might be the best we have, but because we’re all aboard 6 others in the mids he has to pave a way doing a s**t truck role that he isn’t suited to.

 

[Devington]

66% TOG and almost all of that rotting away far from the ball. I don't get it.

FWIW I think he might be well suited to the near wing role, or even trying to play him in the back half to supply some skill and creativity, but playing him forward is just for the ******* tip.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

The best pure midfielder we have apart from LDU.

Not including Cunners because he’s been out for quite some time.

He’s being destroyed by a bloke with less than no idea.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Seriously what the fudge are we doing to this kid? 2 Centre bounce attendances for the game and he is left to rot on the half forward flank.

He isn’t a wingman and he isn’t a half forward flanker, if you aren’t going to play him in the middle (his most natural position) then allow him to play that position in the VFL where he can hone his craft. Meanwhile Greenwood gets 17 CBA’s and despite his 25 disposals has absolutely NO IMPACT on the game…

The kid’s confidence would be absolutely shot and that IMO rests purely on our development staff.

Sorry mate but how TF do the development staff have anything to do with where Powell is selected to play in the seniors?

 

[Themanbun]

Sorry mate but how TF do the development staff have anything to do with where Powell is selected to play in the seniors?

Agree that it's more on the coach but shouldn't our dev staff be working hand in hand with the coach to make sure that we're balancing team/coach goals and individual development?

Even at SANFL and VFL level the dev guys sit down with the coach and work together on plans to optimise a player's development in a way that sits in line with team performance.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Agree that it's more on the coach but shouldn't our dev staff be working hand in hand with the coach to make sure that we're balancing team/coach goals and individual development?

Even at SANFL and VFL level the dev guys sit down with the coach and work together on plans to optimise a player's development in a way that sits in line with team performance.

I presume they do work hand in hand during the week.

From what I know they spend most of their weekend time with the VFL lads and have little input into the game day goings on at AFL level.

Powell being cast off to a flank isn’t their choice, which is the example sticking out like dog’s knackers here.

The dev staff built him back up ready to rip in in the midfield but Greenwood et al get priority. Not their fault.

 

[Themanbun]

I presume they do work hand in hand during the week.

From what I know they spend most of their weekend time with the VFL lads and have little input into the game day goings on at AFL level.

Powell being cast off to a flank isn’t their choice, which is the example sticking out like dog’s knackers here.

The dev staff built him back up ready to rip in in the midfield but Greenwood et al get priority. Not their fault.

Then I guess that speaks to how dysfunctional the coaching group is at the moment. Pretty much case in point.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Then I guess that speaks to how dysfunctional the coaching group is at the moment. Pretty much case in point.

Yep, you’re probably right there.

 

[Kanga Glory]

If not played on the ball seems a little lost or struggles to get involved

 

[the flying ham]

******* get jed and Hugh out of there and give Tom a run at it now

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Sorry mate but how TF do the development staff have anything to do with where Powell is selected to play in the seniors?

Probably a bit unfair that my post targeted purely development staff. It’s on the coaching staff as a whole as to how they develop him in the seniors.

Then I guess that speaks to how dysfunctional the coaching group is at the moment. Pretty much case in point.

This pretty much sums up how I feel as well.

I guess the thing is, we are at the start of a rebuild yet we are giving prime midfield minutes to guys like Anderson and Greenwood. Doing that isn’t going to increase the capacity of our young midfielders like Powell and to a lesser extent Stevo.

 

[shinboner magic]

You’d wear it if our mids were at least doing their jobs and winning their fair share of centre bounce clearances.
We get trounced in there week after week - other than LDU no one else gets a clean clearance.
Lunacy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

 

[Sphynx]

How to over complicate and destroy an extremely promising kid 101 - Author: David Noble.


The sequel?


How to destroy an extremely promising kid before he even gets a shot - The Josh Goater Story of being played at Full Back in the VFL - Author: David Noble.

 

[Gumble Frankieton]

I’d be strongly tempted to send Greenwood on an extended tour of the nearest Glue Factory and then say to Tom ‘we’re going to give you a run of games in the middle, show us what you can do’.

 

[Horizons_00]

Noble and the selection committee has destroyed his confidence and drive as a player

 

[shintemaster]

Noble and the selection committee has destroyed his confidence and drive as a player

He looks plenty confident to me - just needs more time in his core role. Personally I'd have him in there a lot more and be making space by pushing Jed more of HF (with our entries he can have a breather there and 5 min bursts per quarter in the middle as a close checking punishment machine) and also have Simpkin on the wing more and forward. It's fine to play senior players in the middle more with mature bodies but they still have to be capable of the football required in those positions.

Greenwood is a conundrum given his pace issues, gets his hands on it but seems averse to the handball. I don't know where he gets hidden on field if not in the middle but given we just took our slowing Captain out of the forward line due to injury I wouldn't be against Greenwood playing more of a fwd split where he has shown form previously.