Past #27: Will Walker - delisted end '21 - 6 NM games/4 NM goals - go well Walks

[Kimbo]

3/4 …also a very smart footballer but that was something Scotty had above (everyone) - it was everything - and he was a very good presenter, so he could get his point across well and was well-respected in that regard by the boys. Whatever he said, you would listen. That's...

4/4 ...the same with every senior coach but there was something about Scotty, I don't know what it was. Whenever he said something, and gave you a tip, it would sink in pretty much like that (clicking his fingers)."

Young Will didn't get the memo?

 

[Passmore]

Young Will didn't get the memo?

Looking for a job at AFL house?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[King Corey]

Will must've been late for training.

 

[GS WARRIORS]

Will must've been late for training.

7 months is very late.

 

[Tectonic]

3/4 …also a very smart footballer but that was something Scotty had above (everyone) - it was everything - and he was a very good presenter, so he could get his point across well and was well-respected in that regard by the boys. Whatever he said, you would listen. That's...

4/4 ...the same with every senior coach but there was something about Scotty, I don't know what it was. Whenever he said something, and gave you a tip, it would sink in pretty much like that (clicking his fingers)."

It's something I hear a fair bit when the topic of Brad comes up.
I can see it being accurate, but being super analytical is not always good in sport, especially AFL. There's so many moving parts on the field and relying on a predictive model of how two teams of 18 individuals will behave in the moment to get a good result seems very high risk to me. It would explain how we had such good 1st quarters under Brad and always struggled to adapt to changes in game though

 

[ferball]

It's something I hear a fair bit when the topic of Brad comes up.
I can see it being accurate, but being super analytical is not always good in sport, especially AFL. There's so many moving parts on the field and relying on a predictive model of how two teams of 18 individuals will behave in the moment to get a good result seems very high risk to me. It would explain how we had such good 1st quarters under Brad and always struggled to adapt to changes in game though

And his aversion to instinctive play.

 

[Ball Dont Lie]

Um Will I am your biggest fan but get on board. We need you

 

[DunderHead]

You don’t have to rubbish the last guy to respect the new one.

They will run through walls for Shaw. He’s creating a great bond between the players - a collective movement to being elite and winning a flag.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

I think we need to temper expectations for young Will. Considering the amount of footy he has missed over the past 2 years I doubt he will have much of an impact this year. You also, have to remember that prior to 2016 he was hardly playing AFL footy (focusing on Soccer). Over the last 4 years he has
Only played 46 games over the last 4 years.

What is with our club’s young kids getting serious injuries in their formative/developing years?

2016 - Shoulder 11 Games TAC Games
2017 - 19 TAC Games
2018 - Glandular Fever & PCL - 12 VFL & 4 AFL Games
2019 - PCL - 0 Games

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Be quiet and get on the park, Will.

 

[Caracas]

Will gives the impression of being a very well-rounded individual. He shows respect and appreciates people. Add that to the fact that he appears to be very talented footy wise as well. His soccer background could well prove to add an extra bit of X-factor to the mix. All this, wrapped up in the fact that he is obviously very coachable, means we could have somebody very special on our hands. However, everything always looks so rosy just prior to Christmas every year. Nekminit...


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[Hazey1977]

What is with our club’s young kids getting serious injuries in their formative/developing years?

2016 - Shoulder 11 Games TAC Games
2017 - 19 TAC Games
2018 - Glandular Fever & PCL - 12 VFL & 4 AFL Games
2019 - PCL - 0 Games

Injuries lead to players sliding down the order and we nab them thinking we got a bargain whilst hoping we can assist in getting their bodies right. Whether this approach over the last few years pays off remains to be seen.

IMO drafting is still a crapshoot after the top 3, so who knows.

On SM-G965F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Snake_Baker]

Will gives the impression of being a very well-rounded individual. He shows respect and appreciates people. Add that to the fact that he appears to be very talented footy wise as well. His soccer background could well prove to add an extra bit of X-factor to the mix. All this, wrapped up in the fact that he is obviously very coachable, means we could have somebody very special on our hands. However, everything always looks so rosy just prior to Christmas every year. Nekminit...

He's in the Jacobs category if he doesn't get any meaningful ground time this year.

 

[ferball]

You don’t have to rubbish the last guy to respect the new one.

They will run through walls for Shaw. He’s creating a great bond between the players - a collective movement to being elite and winning a flag.

It's not rubbishing Scott to point out his mistakes. No one is perfect.

In fact considering Scott's flaws as a coach the stuff he was good at must have been very effective. There was a period where we lost 2 or 3 games out of 25 games, it just happened over the last half of one season and the first half of the next. Over one season the last game of that streak would have been a GF. That wouldn't have happened if he was a useless coach.

 

[Snake_Baker]

It's not rubbishing Scott to point out his mistakes. No one is perfect.

In fact considering Scott's flaws as a coach the stuff he was good at must have been very effective. There was a period where we lost 2 or 3 games out of 25 games, it just happened over the last half of one season and the first half of the next. Over one season the last game of that streak would have been a GF. That wouldn't have happened if he was a useless coach.

He came in as an assistant coach, he coached as an assistant coach, and he left as an assistant coach.

 

[Caracas]

He's in the Jacobs category if he doesn't get any meaningful ground time this year.

I’d argue he’d be more in the JWS category if he doesn’t get any meaningful ground time this year. Jacobs is in his own “Twilight Zone” category. Either way, I take your point, Snake. Hopefully, things don’t play out badly for Will in that regard.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Tas]

I think the analytical side is what make him a good assistant, I think he put too much faith in sports science and the analysing, and not enough on the basics of footy. He was able to orchestrate some fantastic wins nobody saw coming, but the lack of emphasis on the basics made us an inconsistent team that could lose to ordinary teams in an ordinary manner. I see Shaw as more of a basics man than Scott was.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

I think the analytical side is what make him a good assistant, I think he put too much faith in sports science and the analysing, and not enough on the basics of footy. He was able to orchestrate some fantastic wins nobody saw coming, but the lack of emphasis on the basics made us an inconsistent team that could lose to ordinary teams in an ordinary manner. I see Shaw as more of a basics man than Scott was.

Something we’ve been banging on about for a looooong time

 

[Billy Not Really]

View attachment 775202

Need a side my side on those arms/shoulders.

Because I recall his arms upon drafted were thing as twigs. Those are some solid gains from Willy.

 

[Kimbo]

You don’t have to rubbish the last guy to respect the new one.

A point that seems to escape most.

 

[The Nostradamus]

He's in the Jacobs category if he doesn't get any meaningful ground time this year.

Yep make or break year for both plus EVW

They need to get on the park for an extended time otherwise our list is now strong to the point where perennially injured players won’t be carried on the list going forward

 

[Tas]

Yep make or break year for both plus EVW

They need to get on the park for an extended time otherwise our list is now strong to the point where perennially injured players won’t be carried on the list going forward

I don't think it is that easy, you have to look at what calibre of talent you have coming in to replace them, how confident the medical staff are about getting a player back to 100%, how much time they have left and how much natural attrition there might be on the list over the next few years.

Walker is still 20 years old, he is only a few months older than LDU, LDU has played 17 more games but he has been carried a fair bit in lesser roles so I am not sure he is massively behind him in terms of development despite the amount of time he has been injured. I'd persist with him even if 2020 was a bust.

Jacobs turns 28 in January, he obviously doesn't have a massive amount of time left and his only full season was in 2015 and has played 20 games since that season, I think he is the most under threat but on the plus side for him we haven't been able to fill his role.

EVW is 23, turns 24 in March around the start of the season, but has only played 15 games. He would be in moderate danger if he struggles to stay on the park, especially if in his absence other players cement defensive positions. Most that are a potential threat to him haven't really cemented a defensive position, i think the biggest threat to him would be another serious LTI.

I think we will hit a hump in a few years time, 2-3 odd years, where we will likely have a lot of retirements in a relatively short period of time with the group that is currently 27-31. While people look at our injured players and say we hold on to them too long because there hasn't been a lot of pressure, the same can be said for our mature players who haven't been consistent to a high standard. We have 15 players 27+: Higgins, Goldstein, Tarrant, Hall, Ziebell, Daw, Pittard, Cunnington, Campbell, Jacobs, Atley, Polec, Walker and Brown. The teams that content tend to have a lot more younger players playing fringe roles, the squeeze should come more from low ceiling mature players rather than higher ceiling injured players imo. We went with safe under Laidley and Scott, it is why we ended up here.

 

[ferball]

Need a side my side on those arms/shoulders.

Because I recall his arms upon drafted were thing as twigs. Those are some solid gains from Willy.

At training on Monday morning he was running laps. He looked much bigger across the arms and shoulders. Not hige but big enough.

 

[giantroo]

'I haven't proven anything': Young Roo's mission

To Will Walker, you can't be forgotten if you're a never-was

www.afl.com.au

'I haven't proven anything': Young Roo's mission
To Will Walker, you can't be forgotten if you're a never-was

By Marc McGowan -

TO WILL Walker, you can't be forgotten if you're a never-was.

North Melbourne's four-gamer – on the way back from a long-term knee injury – says he hasn't "done anything" and doesn't yet deserve to be mentioned among the Roos' batch of young guns.

That group includes this year's four NAB AFL Rising Star nominees Bailey Scott, Cameron Zurhaar, Nick Larkey and Tarryn Thomas, as well as Jy Simpkin and Luke Davies-Uniacke.






Walker, a second-round draft pick in 2017, was tracking well in his first season last year, and had nine disposals and a goal inside a quarter against Adelaide in his most-recent match 16 months ago.

The 20-year-old soccer convert's day ended early, when he landed awkwardly flying for a mark.
Walker hyper-extended his left knee, suffering low-grade PCL damage, a compression fracture of the tibia and a joint capsule tear.


It was round 22, North didn't make the finals and the initial prognosis was he would be ready for the start of pre-season training. So, no big deal, right?

In hindsight, that was far too optimistic.
Walker progressed more slowly than expected on the AlterG anti-gravity treadmill but post-Christmas he started over-the-ground running and increased up to 4km a session.

"The specialist we saw was more focused on rehabbing the PCL," Walker told AFL.com.au this week.

"By the time the PCL had healed; we believed the bone and the capsule would have healed and be strong enough to train and do decent running loads. It wasn't the case in the end.

"The way it panned out was the PCL healed well … and it was actually the tibia bone, where the compression fracture was, that was the one holding it back.
"I pretty much got cleared to run, put it this way, too early, before my bone was ready to take the loading."
FULL FIXTURE Every round, every game
Walker, for his part, felt soreness for "probably one or two sessions" before he told the Roos' medical staff, and he says now what eventuated was "no single person's fault".
A subsequent check-up provided the bad news: he had developed a serious stress reaction in his tibia and was back to square one, only weeks out from round one.
"I remember the first week I did it. I wouldn't say I hated footy … but I just got very jealous of the boys who had it and I just wished that was me so badly," Walker said.
"I probably got over that stuff two or three rounds in. It was like, 'What's the point of sitting here getting jealous and worrying about what other people are doing?'.

I stopped looking at it so selfishly, because it wasn't going to help me, it wasn't going to help the other boys and it wasn't going to help the team.
- Will Walker

Walker's season wasn't over at that stage but he and North Melbourne learned from the first time around and were even more cautious.
They took a more objective approach, trusting the scans more than Walker's pain levels – although it was still a combination – and booking them in every six weeks or so.
A different specialist, Dr David Spurrier, also offered a different philosophy on running loads.
"We literally started in the gym, with very low-level stuff. I was standing on one leg, just moving some weights around," Walker said.
The forward-midfielder used this time to get stronger in the gym, and he's added about 3kg of muscle to what he concedes is still a slight frame, and watch a heap of game vision to develop his craft.

Walker even completed his level-two coaching accreditation with a handful of other Kangaroos, including practical experience with his local club Hampton Rovers' under-19 side.
He might even undertake the level-three course in the future, admitting he had caught the coaching bug.
Walker has also grown close with injured teammate Ed Vickers-Willis, who is on the road back from an ACL setback and has been a regular rehabilitation partner.
They went to Europe together in the off-season and just so happen to both be studying a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne.
WATCH The best match-winning goals of the decade
But, most importantly, where is Walker at now?
"I haven't had any knee or tibia soreness for probably a month, which is the first time since I've done the knee that I haven't been sore, which is really good," he said.
"We're getting scans every six weeks and the last two we've had have been very positive.
"I wouldn't say I'm 100 per cent in the clear, because I haven't started playing games yet, but I feel really good with my body and my knee's feeling very strong and my leg's feeling great."

Walker does stationary skills with his teammates, then transitions back to the rehab group, where he is again reaching 4km per session.
It's "unlikely" he will resume full training straight after the Christmas break but he hopes to by late January or early February and plans to be playing in the Marsh Community Series.
"By the time I'm fully training, I'd expect to play a full game," Walker said.
"The rehab program we do is so structured and well set up to build you to that.
"By the time you're building to a full pre-season session, which is anywhere from 10-15km, with a lot of high-speed running, change of direction and physical contact, that's almost the equivalent of what you get in a game."
Walker is proud of his four senior games to date but points out his first was dual Syd Barker medallist Shaun Higgins' 200th, so there is plenty more to do.

And don't coddle him about that breakout quarter against Adelaide.

"People say, 'You were playing so well'. I had a good quarter – who cares? People have a good quarter every week. People have four good quarters," Walker said.

"People like Dustin Martin have four good quarters 20 of 23 weeks, so who cares that some young kid's played one good quarter?

I haven't proven anything to myself or anybody else.

"But the biggest thing that drives me is to play with the boys. I feel like we have a great young core and a lot of success to look forward to."

 

[shimaburnsgrieg]

'I haven't proven anything': Young Roo's mission

To Will Walker, you can't be forgotten if you're a never-was

www.afl.com.au

'I haven't proven anything': Young Roo's mission
To Will Walker, you can't be forgotten if you're a never-was

By Marc McGowan -

TO WILL Walker, you can't be forgotten if you're a never-was.

North Melbourne's four-gamer – on the way back from a long-term knee injury – says he hasn't "done anything" and doesn't yet deserve to be mentioned among the Roos' batch of young guns.

That group includes this year's four NAB AFL Rising Star nominees Bailey Scott, Cameron Zurhaar, Nick Larkey and Tarryn Thomas, as well as Jy Simpkin and Luke Davies-Uniacke.






Walker, a second-round draft pick in 2017, was tracking well in his first season last year, and had nine disposals and a goal inside a quarter against Adelaide in his most-recent match 16 months ago.

The 20-year-old soccer convert's day ended early, when he landed awkwardly flying for a mark.
Walker hyper-extended his left knee, suffering low-grade PCL damage, a compression fracture of the tibia and a joint capsule tear.


It was round 22, North didn't make the finals and the initial prognosis was he would be ready for the start of pre-season training. So, no big deal, right?

In hindsight, that was far too optimistic.
Walker progressed more slowly than expected on the AlterG anti-gravity treadmill but post-Christmas he started over-the-ground running and increased up to 4km a session.

"The specialist we saw was more focused on rehabbing the PCL," Walker told AFL.com.au this week.

"By the time the PCL had healed; we believed the bone and the capsule would have healed and be strong enough to train and do decent running loads. It wasn't the case in the end.

"The way it panned out was the PCL healed well … and it was actually the tibia bone, where the compression fracture was, that was the one holding it back.
"I pretty much got cleared to run, put it this way, too early, before my bone was ready to take the loading."
FULL FIXTURE Every round, every game
Walker, for his part, felt soreness for "probably one or two sessions" before he told the Roos' medical staff, and he says now what eventuated was "no single person's fault".
A subsequent check-up provided the bad news: he had developed a serious stress reaction in his tibia and was back to square one, only weeks out from round one.
"I remember the first week I did it. I wouldn't say I hated footy … but I just got very jealous of the boys who had it and I just wished that was me so badly," Walker said.
"I probably got over that stuff two or three rounds in. It was like, 'What's the point of sitting here getting jealous and worrying about what other people are doing?'.

Walker's season wasn't over at that stage but he and North Melbourne learned from the first time around and were even more cautious.
They took a more objective approach, trusting the scans more than Walker's pain levels – although it was still a combination – and booking them in every six weeks or so.
A different specialist, Dr David Spurrier, also offered a different philosophy on running loads.
"We literally started in the gym, with very low-level stuff. I was standing on one leg, just moving some weights around," Walker said.
The forward-midfielder used this time to get stronger in the gym, and he's added about 3kg of muscle to what he concedes is still a slight frame, and watch a heap of game vision to develop his craft.

Walker even completed his level-two coaching accreditation with a handful of other Kangaroos, including practical experience with his local club Hampton Rovers' under-19 side.
He might even undertake the level-three course in the future, admitting he had caught the coaching bug.
Walker has also grown close with injured teammate Ed Vickers-Willis, who is on the road back from an ACL setback and has been a regular rehabilitation partner.
They went to Europe together in the off-season and just so happen to both be studying a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne.
WATCH The best match-winning goals of the decade
But, most importantly, where is Walker at now?
"I haven't had any knee or tibia soreness for probably a month, which is the first time since I've done the knee that I haven't been sore, which is really good," he said.
"We're getting scans every six weeks and the last two we've had have been very positive.
"I wouldn't say I'm 100 per cent in the clear, because I haven't started playing games yet, but I feel really good with my body and my knee's feeling very strong and my leg's feeling great."

Walker does stationary skills with his teammates, then transitions back to the rehab group, where he is again reaching 4km per session.
It's "unlikely" he will resume full training straight after the Christmas break but he hopes to by late January or early February and plans to be playing in the Marsh Community Series.
"By the time I'm fully training, I'd expect to play a full game," Walker said.
"The rehab program we do is so structured and well set up to build you to that.
"By the time you're building to a full pre-season session, which is anywhere from 10-15km, with a lot of high-speed running, change of direction and physical contact, that's almost the equivalent of what you get in a game."
Walker is proud of his four senior games to date but points out his first was dual Syd Barker medallist Shaun Higgins' 200th, so there is plenty more to do.

And don't coddle him about that breakout quarter against Adelaide.

"People say, 'You were playing so well'. I had a good quarter – who cares? People have a good quarter every week. People have four good quarters," Walker said.

"People like Dustin Martin have four good quarters 20 of 23 weeks, so who cares that some young kid's played one good quarter?

I haven't proven anything to myself or anybody else.

"But the biggest thing that drives me is to play with the boys. I feel like we have a great young core and a lot of success to look forward to."

The old 'I played a great 1/4 of footy ....

Sounds like the Garner and Lmac files ...but but but I played a great quarter ....remember when ....

WW sounds like he has his head screwed on properly and is not satisfied with 'a great quarter of footy every 5 years'.

I am happy to back WW in.