Past #32: Mason Wood - 65 NM games/76 NM goals - delisted end '20 - SSP selection for STK '21 - GL Mase

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Heaps of fun

Goatered on the sticks
Sep 13, 2013
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It all seems to point one way. The only tempering bit is that Rhyce was quite coy in his reponses re Goldstein early on then switched to a "want to keep" narrative.

In this case it's not boding well for Mason though. Pity.
Get excited, mate. I know you've got wood for Wood but this is the sort of move we've needed to make for years. Trying to get value for players that are just as likely to rot on the vine than actualise their potential.
 

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I think Mason would be much better in a much weaker forward line, when Brown was injured and didn't play against the Swans in that SF he got to enjoy being the focus of inside 50 delivery and he showed how he could play. Our midfield is just poorly coached imo and we bomb it to Brown way too much, you can see at games he works hard, puts out some great leads and the mid just hacks it to Brown even when he is stuck in congestion.

I'd be happy to keep him in the hope that we improve in the midfield department under Shaw, however, we have good targets in Brown and Larkey. Without Wood we have more opportunity to push Ziebell forward or even play someone like Xerri if form warrants it who would have to play a third string forward role when not rucking. With Brown/Larkey/Wood it limits us having other options.
 
Oct 9, 2003
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Guess that is pretty obvious. We will see what we can get for him, if it helps us improve our list. If no worthwhile offer comes, he will be here next year.
Yep. But that fact we've heard of zero interest from other clubs, would probably indicate we won't move him on.
 
Oct 9, 2003
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I think Mason would be much better in a much weaker forward line, when Brown was injured and didn't play against the Swans in that SF he got to enjoy being the focus of inside 50 delivery and he showed how he could play. Our midfield is just poorly coached imo and we bomb it to Brown way too much, you can see at games he works hard, puts out some great leads and the mid just hacks it to Brown even when he is stuck in congestion.

I'd be happy to keep him in the hope that we improve in the midfield department under Shaw, however, we have good targets in Brown and Larkey. Without Wood we have more opportunity to push Ziebell forward or even play someone like Xerri if form warrants it who would have to play a third string forward role when not rucking. With Brown/Larkey/Wood it limits us having other options.
Maybe we don't need to have him in the F50. I'd be open to the idea of playing him up the ground, maybe on a wing (like an Isaac Smith), or even around the ball. He's the same height as Bont at 1.92m, and has a very good tank.
 
If there's discussions about Wood and a trade with other clubs, someone in the media would know about it, and they'd be reporting it.

They have. It's been reported on and off for weeks. Just nothing concrete - I suspect that's because no concrete agreement has been reached.
 
Oct 9, 2003
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They have. It's been reported on and off for weeks. Just nothing concrete - I suspect that's because no concrete agreement has been reached.
Yeah that's what I meant. Nothing serious. Just a couple of clubs kicking the tyres. No one banging the door down with a significant offer, keen to pry him out of contract and secure his services.
 

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Yeah that's what I meant. Nothing serious. Just a couple of clubs kicking the tyres. No one banging the door down with a significant offer, keen to pry him out of contract and secure his services.

Whatever, we'll see soon enough. I don't agree with your suggestion that he's staying because no other team else is interested, but that might yet end up how it falls out.
 
Maybe we don't need to have him in the F50. I'd be open to the idea of playing him up the ground, maybe on a wing (like an Isaac Smith), or even around the ball. He's the same height as Bont at 1.92m, and has a very good tank.

You never know, it might work. However, it would be unfair to Mason, who just turn 26, to experiment with his career at this stage when he would have some serious interest in playing the way he does at present by another club. We do that too much, threaten the livelihood of players due to immediate list needs and if it doesn't work we just jettison the player to the trash heap.

I think he is a good forward who would do a lot better in a team that will actually kick it to him when he is out on a good lead. If a club wants him and it can provide us with a player or pick for a role we have a need for then it's great if a win-win trade can be made.

While I think the club should always come first, I don't think we should be reckless with the management of players if we want other players to want to come to the club, we want them to know that we will do the right thing for us and for them.
 
Oct 9, 2003
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Whatever, we'll see soon enough. I don't agree with your suggestion that he's staying because no other team else is interested, but that might yet end up how it falls out.
If he stays, it will be because the interest from other clubs is not serious enough to warrant us letting him go for well below he's worth.

Is what I'm suggesting.
 
Oct 9, 2003
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You never know, it might work. However, it would be unfair to Mason, who just turn 26, to experiment with his career at this stage when he would have some serious interest in playing the way he does at present by another club. We do that too much, threaten the livelihood of players due to immediate list needs and if it doesn't work we just jettison the player to the trash heap.

I think he is a good forward who would do a lot better in a team that will actually kick it to him when he is out on a good lead. If a club wants him and it can provide us with a player or pick for a role we have a need for then it's great if a win-win trade can be made.

While I think the club should always come first, I don't think we should be reckless with the management of players if we want other players to want to come to the club, we want them to know that we will do the right thing for us and for them.
Fair enough.
However for years we tried to make a key forward out of Maj. That didn't work out, so in the space of one pre-season we groomed him as a defender and had his best ever year, which probably saved his career.
 
Yeah that's what I meant. Nothing serious. Just a couple of clubs kicking the tyres. No one banging the door down with a significant offer, keen to pry him out of contract and secure his services.
A 26 year old who has played 50 games and averages less than 14 possessions and 1.5 goals a game hardly warrants a bang on the door. I would suggest a polite note stuck under the door is more than sufficient.
 
Fair enough.
However for years we tried to make a key forward out of Maj. That didn't work out, so in the space of one pre-season we groomed him as a defender and had his best ever year, which probably saved his career.

I think the change of roles does sometimes work, it is worth pursuing if the player in question hasn't established himself as AFL standard in any particular position or role. Tarrant worked out well, people called him concrete hands as a forward, it saved his career. Wright from a half-forward to a half-back. Jacob's significant role change was huge.

I do not think you should base your development decisions around what are immediate needs, it is something we are guilty of and it is why we rarely have much if any trade value, because we will turn a potentially good player in role X into a shithouse player in role Y and then that player is of little to no trade value.

The irony with Maj was that we made the call about him should going back years before it happened. It was a captain obvious call because he often looked lost as a ruckman or forward. It wasn't until Scott's ex-team mate Lynch hassled Brad for 2 years about Maj before he decided to give him a go.

Wood is a different scenario, he has value as a forward, he is mature aged so he doesn't have as much time to make the most of his career now, he has value now, if we try him as a wingman and he fails then that value is going to be zero, his career will be over and everyone loses. If we need a wingman then trade him out for someone who is a great young prospect or someone who has runs on the board in that role. The opportunity cost of failure is too high when it comes to a player like Wood in his current circumstances.
 

Thewlis Dish

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One of the ITKs on here suggested Mason struggles to follow instructions? Has all the talent in the world but if it's not going on upstairs then no surprise he has never put a consistent stretch together. Talent only gets you so far.
 
Fair enough.
However for years we tried to make a key forward out of Maj. That didn't work out, so in the space of one pre-season we groomed him as a defender and had his best ever year, which probably saved his career.

True. But Wood is a good forward but he's behind some other players. Maj had a history of doing good thing running at the ball from the defensive side too. He's a better forward than Maj was before he went back. Not saying it wouldn't work tho.
 
Sep 11, 2014
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One of the ITKs on here suggested Mason struggles to follow instructions? Has all the talent in the world but if it's not going on upstairs then no surprise he has never put a consistent stretch together. Talent only gets you so far.

He hasn’t had a injury free run at it

That’s all it is. Continuity. He gets that, confidence in his body will come

He may never get there
 

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