Delisted #37: Dylan Clarke - End of the road, will not be offered a list spot in 2022

[Lore]

Contract Status: Not offered a contract for 2021
Last Game Played: Round 23, 2021 (omitted)
Injury Status: n/a

 

[YoboD]

Give him a solid run of games in the seniors. We already know he can rack up touches and clearances, give him some time to adjust to the level.

 

[Vander18]

Found it hard going but hey...you line up against Ablett, Danger and Selwood in your first game and see how you go!

Cracked in, tackled....he’ll find the footy in time, just need to get used to the speed at this level.

 

[naraku]

Found it hard as to be expected. Depending on who's available next game I'd send him back to the VFL but not for too long.

 

[quotemokc]

You keep him in over Myers surely

 

[Old Stuckup]

I will start a riot and march to Woosha’s front door with lit pitchforks if he is dropped for Myers.

 

[calyam]

Nobody who finds that much of the footy at VFL level will struggle to find the footy for long. With finals unlikely you lock him in for a lot of games.

 

[Vindicater]

He clearly came in not wanting to be beaten and he wasn't.

Loved watching him put a body on Selwood/Danger every ballup.

i watched him closely in the third quarter and was impressed with his blocking and sheparding for teammates.

Gets another game for sure.

 

[boncer34]

Found it hard as to be expected. Depending on who's available next game I'd send him back to the VFL but not for too long.

Ridiculous. What's he going to learn in the VFL that he already doesn't know?

 

[JDavey]

He clearly came in not wanting to be beaten and he wasn't.

Loved watching him put a body on Selwood/Danger every ballup.

i watched him closely in the third quarter and was impressed with his blocking and sheparding for teammates.

Gets another game for sure.

Thought the same thing. Didn't get much of it but didn't get beaten. Will be better for the run. Also hard when you're an inside mid that didn't have the ball tapped near him/plays run for him.

 

[naraku]

Ridiculous. What's he going to learn in the VFL that he already doesn't know?

3-4 touches shows me he needs a few more games there. Got his feet wet, but would prefer him getting touches in VFL then benching atm.
I heard Parish was near BOG in VFL along with Long. Also McGrath could be back along with Mutch.
Clarke will get more chances soon enough.

 

[Yoda_]

3-4 touches shows me he needs a few more games there. Got his feet wet, but would prefer him getting touches in VFL then benching atm.
I heard Parish was near BOG in VFL along with Long. Also McGrath could be back along with Mutch.
Clarke will get more chances soon enough.

To be honest, what is Clarke going to do at VFL level than what he will only improve on at AFL level? The kid averages over 30 in the VFL.


He did not look over awed by the likes of Selwood, Ablett or Dangerfield. One bit of play late in the last quarter and he simply kept going and going. Drew a Geelong player, handballed to a team mate then recieved back in space to kick down the line. Loved his second and third efforts.

Isn't the first debutante to struggle and won't be the last. The kid will certainly be better for the run that's for sure.

 

[citizen-erased]

watched the replay and had to double check if it was Guelf or Clarke who wore 37
what i noticed was a body blocking, battering ram mid. Does the things needed to let the rest of our midfield go about their business.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Ridiculous. What's he going to learn in the VFL that he already doesn't know?

To be honest, what is Clarke going to do at VFL level than what he will only improve on at AFL level? The kid averages over 30 in the VFL.

So are saying that a one game player has nothing left to learn in the VFL? I mean ok give another game or two if you have to but like any other one gamer has a lot to learn and refine.

 

[boncer34]

So are saying that a one game player has nothing left to learn in the VFL? I mean ok give another game or two if you have to but like any other one gamer has a lot to learn and refine.

I mean at this stage of his development. At the moment he's racking up VFL possessions at will.

Absurd to send him back to keep doing that. Leave him in the 1s.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

I mean at this stage of his development. At the moment he's racking up VFL possessions at will.

Absurd to send him back to keep doing that. Leave him in the 1s.

Still has to work a lot on his kicking, also his positioning, timing, technique etc like any young player. Deserved his chance and I’d give him another game and hopefully stays in for good. But way too early to say someone can't learn more at lower level.

 

[Knight Ryders]

As the game went on, he started to pick up the pace of the game. I hope he gets another chance this week because I think we will see a huge improvement

 

[Its Manbearpig]

No need to send him back, hes too good for the VFL and will adjust to AFL.

 

[mike14]

He'll learn and develop far more going up against players like Dangerfield (or the GWS midfield next week) right now than he will playing VFL. Keep him in

 

[Runk]

Absolutely no reason to drop him. None. To do so would be a massive step backwards.

His contested work yesterday was solid and of AFL standard.

 

[eDPS]

He plays at his best cracking in for every possession. He couldn’t do that with the likes of Selwood and Dangerfield, he has to keep his direct player honest which he did. Once the coaching staff has more trust in him and he gains that confidence he will rack up the ball sooner rather than later.

 

[Mercurial89]

Was probably given a defensive focus vs see ball get ball focus for his first game. As was Kyle.
With the limited impact Gaz, Selwood and Danger had id say tbe mid group of which he is a part played their roles well.

Next week another great opportunity to learn off ward, coniglio and Shiel and then the week after a real in the trenches baptism of fire against Tigers on the G in front of big crowd. Those are the two games i want him in for and then reassess on form after that.

 

[eDPS]

Clarke had the 2nd least time on ground behind Guelfi and he still managed 46 ranking points compared to Abletts 47

 

[BrunoV]

Some of you need to pay much more attention to what you see on the ground and also to stop applying blanket rules to players.

The only reason you could possibly make the observation that Clarke 'has nothing more to learn in the VFL' is because you're taking the piss and/or just assuming that he's in the same boat as Langford or Laverde and/or you're not really watching him play.

I'll forgive him some fumbles and the few occasions on which he was found out by the intensity of AFL. Take that as a given, Ridley was shaky at the start of the game when he was losing his opponent and was well behind the play for the first 10 minutes or so.

Clarke is a very one dimensional play at this point in time. That's one dimensional because he's really just an inside midfielder and also because as an inside midfielder he has no real outside game. Do you really think that we're going to take the guy and turn him into Clayton Oliver over night? He's certainly no where near as big and powerful as Oliver is and Oliver handballs by choice not because he avoids putting the ball on his suspect boot.

Whether the lack of outside game is rolled up into an apprehension about kicking or whether it's simply a feature of his game that he hasn't worked on enough I can't say. Contrast his debut with Guelfi and Mutch who both had sustain impacts over four quarters. Clarke has to evolve the ability to play a second position and to play a more complete game as a midfielder - that's what the VFL is for.

There is no reason for us to further change our midfield set-up just to accommodate a one-dimensional 19 year old who is still very much a work in progress, particularly give his performance. Langford and Laverde, aside from having completed two more pre-seasons, both play dual positions and both dominate VFL matches when they play. Laverde's field kicking has always been a strength and last night Langford showed the quality of his vision and his potential class by foot.

Clarke is racking up very impressive numbers in the VFL but he's not influencing the game in the same way and I've certainly not seem him play a game in which he has been clearly a class above. Laverde, Langford, Redman, Ridley and Francis are the guys who basically just have to turn up to be the better players on the ground this year. Clarke is playing well and is genuinely VFL standard and that's completing step 1.

If Redman is fit enough (he had a problem in the last quarter and was noticeably struggling) he has to come in for someone and Clarke is absolutely at the bottom of the list. He's dominating matches and playing three different positions as a defender, as a wingman and now in the middle.

Redman is now at the point that he just need to be given the time in the AFL to adapt his game and to become an AFL player. That's the same story with Laverde and Langford. Francis is now peeling off high teens-low 20s in disposal, controlling the air and using the ball beautifully by foot. Post-bye he's definitely someone who will just need game time and who can play multiple roles in an AFL match (as a key defender, third tall and even forward). I think that Begley was doing nice things but that he was also one dimensional and that he would have ended up back in the VFL for midfield time to work on other parts of his game if he wasn't injured.


Edit: I don't want this all to be negative. I'm of the view that if it clicks for him he'll come good very quickly because he's a great runner, very strong, handles the ball well under pressure and he lives for the inside scrap. He has qualities that will translate to AFL and I'm confident about that.

He definitely deserved an opportunity but having done next to nothing, and comparing that with debut performances of other midfielders, he should be sent back to the VFL to work on his game.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Some of you need to pay much more attention to what you see on the ground and also to stop applying blanket rules to players.

The only reason you could possibly make the observation that Clarke 'has nothing more to learn in the VFL' is because you're taking the piss and/or just assuming that he's in the same boat as Langford or Laverde and/or you're not really watching him play.

I'll forgive him some fumbles and the few occasions on which he was found out by the intensity of AFL. Take that as a given, Ridley was shaky at the start of the game when he was losing his opponent and was well behind the play for the first 10 minutes or so.

Clarke is a very one dimensional play at this point in time. That's one dimensional because he's really just an inside midfielder and also because as an inside midfielder he has no real outside game. Do you really think that we're going to take the guy and turn him into Clayton Oliver over night? He's certainly no where near as big and powerful as Oliver is and Oliver handballs by choice not because he avoids putting the ball on his suspect boot.

Whether the lack of outside game is rolled up into an apprehension about kicking or whether it's simply a feature of his game that he hasn't worked on enough I can't say. Contrast his debut with Guelfi and Mutch who both had sustain impacts over four quarters. Clarke has to evolve the ability to play a second position and to play a more complete game as a midfielder - that's what the VFL is for.

There is no reason for us to further change our midfield set-up just to accommodate a one-dimensional 19 year old who is still very much a work in progress, particularly give his performance. Langford and Laverde, aside from having completed two more pre-seasons, both play dual positions and both dominate VFL matches when they play. Laverde's field kicking has always been a strength and last night Langford showed the quality of his vision and his potential class by foot.

Clarke is racking up very impressive numbers in the VFL but he's not influencing the game in the same way and I've certainly not seem him play a game in which he has been clearly a class above. Laverde, Langford, Redman, Ridley and Francis are the guys who basically just have to turn up to be the better players on the ground this year. Clarke is playing well and is genuinely VFL standard and that's completing step 1.

If Redman is fit enough (he had a problem in the last quarter and was noticeably struggling) he has to come in for someone and Clarke is absolutely at the bottom of the list. He's dominating matches and playing three different positions as a defender, as a wingman and now in the middle. Redman is now at the point that he just need to be given the time in the AFL to adapt his game and to become an AFL player.


Edit: I don't want this all to be negative. I'm of the view that if it clicks for him he'll come good very quickly because he's a great runner, very strong, handles the ball well under pressure and he lives for the inside scrap. He has qualities that will translate to AFL and I'm confident about that.

He definitely deserved an opportunity but having done next to nothing, and comparing that with debut performances of other midfielders, he should be sent back to the VFL to work on his game.

His one dimension is one that we are crying out for. This isn't an issue for me if he does it well, lets see if he picks up the pace of AFL over the next few rounds before chucking him out of the team. And if Redman is so versatile and banging down the door, I'm sure the coaches will find a spot for him and Clarke in the same team.

 

[Loonerty]

Does the things needed to let the rest of our midfield go about their business.

I think this is a good point worth considering.

Also, how many touches was it that Jobe got on debut? One or two handballs?