Delisted #4 Ryan 'The Clamps' Clarke

[Kennedy Parker]

Ryan Clarke

Player Profile
The Sydney Swans recruited Ryan Clarke from North Melbourne ahead of season 2019 and he’s since shown promising signs as a young midfielder. The number four is a prolific ball-winner and can also be used to blanket a star on-baller, which he proved last year in shutting down gun Kangaroo Shaun Higgins and classy Magpie Steele Sidebottom. Clarke played 14 senior games in a stop-start 2019 campaign and has set his sights on cementing a spot in coach John Longmire’s best 22 this year. Draft history: 2015 National Draft selection (North Melbourne), No. 31 overall

Ryan Clarke

4

Ryan Clarke

Age

26

Ht

186cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.8

5star

K

9.1

4star

HB

9.7

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.2

4star

G

0.2

2star

D

18.5

4star

K

8.8

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.5

3star

G

0.3

3star

D

19.6

5star

K

7.0

3star

HB

12.6

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.2

4star

G

0.0

1star

DOB:17 June 1997
DEBUT:2016
DRAFT:2015
RECRUITED FROM: Rowville (Vic)/Melb Grammar (Vic)/Eastern U18/North Melb

Ryan Clarke | AFL

Follow Ryan Clarke's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[caesar88]

OK, but Clarke getting more touches doesn't make the quality of those touches worse. So saying he should get fewer touches to improve his game makes no sense.

Clarke getting 20 touches is, all else being equal, better for the team than him getting 10 touches.

I don't rate many of his touches. So the more touches he has the more likely he is to amass mistakes that could get him dropped. What is so complicated about that? If you don't agree or don't see how this makes sense then it's probably because you rate his touches, and that's fine!

 

[BarneyBent]

I don't rate many of his touches. So the more touches he has the more likely he is to amass mistakes that could get him dropped. What is so complicated about that? If you don't agree or don't see how this makes sense then it's probably because you rate his touches, and that's fine!

The more touches he has the more chances he has to do good stuff as well!

Statistically this year he's averaging 1 clanger per 7 disposals. That's less than Papley, less than Heeney, less than many players.

I don't particularly rate his disposal either, but I don't think they're so bad that he would be better off not touching the ball! I don't think there's a player in the game with disposal that bad.

You seem to think his first 10 touches are less likely to have a mistake than his next 10 touches, which is not how probability works. He's just as likely to make an error between disposals 1-10 as disposals 11-20, so if his disposal is good enough to be a net positive for the first 10, the next 10 will also be a net positive.

It's really that simple.

 

[SSwans2011]

With all due respect, you lost me at "on numbers". I don't have any regard for disposal efficiency as a stat.

I only go on what I see with my eyes. He lacks awareness of the options around him and is slow to execute both a decision and a disposal. That's just my opinion, we don't have to agree.

Disposal efficiency isn't the most accurate metric, but for mine it's a pretty flimsy argument to say the man in the team that's on average least likely to give the ball directly to the opposition forward of centre this season getting more of the football is a bad thing.

For mine they do indicate that he's no more likely to turn the ball over than Gulden, McInerney, Buddy, etc...

The counter-point is that given the nature of his disposals, he's more likely to turn the ball over making a pretty basic error, but it doesn't matter how you turn the ball over (unless in D50). By and large, it hurts you all the same.

He's turning the ball over and responsible for clangers no more regularly per possession than the majority of the team, so I personally just don't buy into idea that him having more possessions would be a net negative.

 

[BarneyBent]

To add to this, our other role playing small/medium forward, Will Hayward

9

Will Hayward

Age

25

Ht

186cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.6

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.8

4star

G

1.1

4star

D

9.0

2star

K

4.3

2star

HB

4.7

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.7

4star

G

0.7

4star

D

9.4

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

3.4

5star

G

1.4

5star

, makes a clanger every 4 disposals, almost twice as often as Clarke. But I don't see anyone suggesting Hayward should cut down on his disposals for his own benefit. Because he's still doing more good than bad overall. Those other three touches are valuable! For Will, half of them are goals!

 

[caesar88]

The more touches he has the more chances he has to do good stuff as well!

Statistically this year he's averaging 1 clanger per 7 disposals. That's less than Papley, less than Heeney, less than many players.

I don't particularly rate his disposal either, but I don't think they're so bad that he would be better off not touching the ball! I don't think there's a player in the game with disposal that bad.

You seem to think his first 10 touches are less likely to have a mistake than his next 10 touches, which is not how probability works. He's just as likely to make an error between disposals 1-10 as disposals 11-20, so if his disposal is good enough to be a net positive for the first 10, the next 10 will also be a net positive.

It's really that simple.

You aren't getting it.

I don't like him using the ball. The more he uses the ball, the more he's likely to stuff up and put his spot in the team under pressure.

Again, if that doesn't make sense to you then it's probably because you like him using the ball - and that's your prerogative!

Not gonna comment any more on this because it's going nowhere.

 

[Jewelsbon]

Why the **** would I want to see Clarke not doing well Jewels?

Go back in this thread and you will see I was an early advocate of trying him as a defensive forward. I wasn't happy when he was dropped after the Saints game. I called for his inclusion to play on Hind against the Bombers. I said it was a mistake that we didn't play him. I embraced his growing list of half-back casualties. I defended him last week when people were calling for his head.

Not sure how much clearer I can be that I like the work he is doing and have full respect for it. We're going round and round in circles. I think we all want Clarke to stay in the team, we just have different ideas on how he can do so. Let's just leave it at that.

I didn't mean that you wouldn't want Clarke to do well (can't see how you took that from my post but whatever), you wrote "I only go on what I see with my eyes" and I retorted with "your eyes are seeing what you want them to see".
I took from your post that your eyes are seeing a player that lacks awareness of the options around him and is slow to execute both a decision and a disposal, but I just cannot agree and believe your eyes MAY BE seeing that, but I don't believe that's a reality.

 

[sataris]

His disposal has also improved.

Don't see many of those looping handballs that put the receiver under the pump.

Good work Ryan!

 

[BarneyBent]

You aren't getting it.

I don't like him using the ball. The more he uses the ball, the more he's likely to stuff up and put his spot in the team under pressure.

Again, if that doesn't make sense to you then it's probably because you like him using the ball - and that's your prerogative!

Not gonna comment any more on this because it's going nowhere.

So you would, ideally, have Clarke get as few disposals as possible? You'd want to see him get 0 touches, and he just do the shut down role?

 

[Deccas]

With all due respect, you lost me at "on numbers". I don't have any regard for disposal efficiency as a stat.

I only go on what I see with my eyes. He lacks awareness of the options around him and is slow to execute both a decision and a disposal. That's just my opinion, we don't have to agree.

Literally a third of the time he touches it we score. You're making up a nonsense scenario where he is actually damaging to our scoring opportunities if he touches it and using it as a reason to pursue a facile argument with a barely discernible point 'im not saying he should get it less, just that he should get it less'. It doesn't make sense unless your "eye test" is shaped by your prior conviction rather than what is actually happening.

 

[Deccas]

The more touches he has the more chances he has to do good stuff as well!

Statistically this year he's averaging 1 clanger per 7 disposals. That's less than Papley, less than Heeney, less than many players.

I don't particularly rate his disposal either, but I don't think they're so bad that he would be better off not touching the ball! I don't think there's a player in the game with disposal that bad.

You seem to think his first 10 touches are less likely to have a mistake than his next 10 touches, which is not how probability works. He's just as likely to make an error between disposals 1-10 as disposals 11-20, so if his disposal is good enough to be a net positive for the first 10, the next 10 will also be a net positive.

It's really that simple.

Good post.

 

[Wolfgang West]

So you would, ideally, have Clarke get as few disposals as possible? You'd want to see him get 0 touches, and he just do the shut down role?

He would prefer him to get zero touches so he loses his place in the side because he is not a fan. Cut and dry ? Anybody who thinks Clarke is not playing a decent role atm and having an impact with what he does is a halfwit. Less touches he has the less chance of stuffing it up ? We have more than Ryan Clarke in the side that would fit that bill. Some of the tripe a skilled player like McInerney is dishing up currently gets a pass though ? Fanboys still alive and well here.

 

[wizcapper]

He would prefer him to get zero touches so he loses his place in the side because he is not a fan. Cut and dry ? Anybody who thinks Clarke is not playing a decent role atm and having an impact with what he does is a halfwit. Less touches he has the less chance of stuffing it up ? We have more than Ryan Clarke in the side that would fit that bill. Some of the tripe a skilled player like McInerney is dishing up currently gets a pass though ? Fanboys still alive and well here.

I didn't think he was saying that at all. I thought that he was pretty clear that he was happy with Clarke's role in the team. I'd agree that Clarke has been a clunky player. Also, to your point, I think most would agree that McInerney is not playing amazingly right now should it get posted in his thread.
Funny. There you go, the internet hey? Different interpretations of posts.

Insofar as Clarke is concerned, good on him. Personally, I didn't think I'd see him in the seniors again, but he's made the most of his opportunity and given an extra dimension in the forward line.

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

I didn't think he was saying that at all. I thought that he was pretty clear that he was happy with Clarke's role in the team. I'd agree that Clarke has been a clunky player. Also, to your point, I think most would agree that McInerney is not playing amazingly right now should it get posted in his thread.
Funny. There you go, the internet hey? Different interpretations of posts.

Insofar as Clarke is concerned, good on him. Personally, I didn't think I'd see him in the seniors again, but he's made the most of his opportunity and given an extra dimension in the forward line.

The issue is some of it isn’t left to interpretation.

The fact is Clarke is actually more efficient than most of the current best 22 and turning it over less than most. You can’t just say it’s the vibe and the expect people to lay down because "we all have an opinion".

This isn’t a matter of opinion. The indisputable stats have been laid bare in this thread and still the eye-test argument is rolled out. Once you’re relying on your eye-test, which goes against fact, you need to stop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jeffers]

The other thing that Clarke is doing with his role is allowing Hayward more freedom to get in more dangerous scoring situations.
In the past we have used Wilbur for some semi negating roles but I feel he has extra freedom to do his thing and play a bit deeper too.

 

[Westozswan]

The other thing that Clarke is doing with his role is allowing Hayward more freedom to get in more dangerous scoring situations.
In the past we have used Wilbur for some semi negating roles but I feel he has extra freedom to do his thing and play a bit deeper too.

Not only that, but he is having scoreboard impact. And some ripping goals too!

 

[Kirkswan]

Clarke's ball use is bad for the team. Not his fault, just has to play within his limitations.

I would want him either to give off quick handballs OR go for goal, he's never going to be a play maker, but he's a wonderful tag, and a very important position.

No offence but that's just rubbish!

He's travelling at about 76% DE which is more than acceptable, whilst playing a shut down role, accruing possessions and scoring a goal a game.

What were you expecting from him?


Edited: my percentage was off...

 

[Kirkswan]

Clarke is doing the role that I suspect nobody else wants to (or even can).

Sticking him on the oppo's best hbf is a great win for the team overall.

Unless someone comes along with a great tank and the discipline to do it for 4 quarters, he's probably one the first selected.

Agreed.

Hayward has been making HB's accountable together with who ever is the other small forward. Clarke playing a lockdown role frees Hayward to become more involved.

 

[Kirkswan]

The other thing that Clarke is doing with his role is allowing Hayward more freedom to get in more dangerous scoring situations.
In the past we have used Wilbur for some semi negating roles but I feel he has extra freedom to do his thing and play a bit deeper too.

This! Can't be underestimated in my opinion...

Clarke plays his role... he is disciplined and team oriented. This allows the rest of the forward line to expand their roles.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Clarke is a horses for courses player. He will be used when there is a shut down job for him. This may not be every week.

It may come down to whether he or jpk is needed.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Clarke is a horses for courses player. He will be used when there is a shut down job for him. This may not be every week.

It may come down to whether he or jpk is needed.

JPK might be needed?

Ok, who has hacked Grand Uncle Horace ’s account?

 

[BarneyBent]

Clarke is a horses for courses player. He will be used when there is a shut down job for him. This may not be every week.

It may come down to whether he or jpk is needed.

To be honest - I'm not sure there is a team that doesn't have a HBF or two worth shutting down. As a team, it feels like we get killed on the rebound. We're OK losing losing the stoppages, because our defence sets up really well and Paddy in particular is an excellent interceptor. But when we don't have time to set up (such as from forward half turnovers) we are vulnerable - there's only really Tom McCartin I'd trust to acquit himself well in one-on-ones at the moment.

So HBFs that break the game open and don't give us time to set up are a particular weakness for us. I can't think of too many sides we wouldn't want to negate that against - certainly not in the top 8.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

JPK might be needed?

Ok, who has hacked Grand Uncle Horace ’s account?

on a muddy track in torrential rain he would be picked.

 

[dosser]

Agreed.

Hayward has been making HB's accountable together with who ever is the other small forward. Clarke playing a lockdown role frees Hayward to become more involved.

Good point - I hadn't thought of this. Is it coincidence that Hayward's renaissance just happens at the same time that Clarke is performing the shut-down role? Well spotted, Kirkswan.

 

[Kapers]

No offence but that's just rubbish!

He's travelling at about 76% DE which is more than acceptable, whilst playing a shut down role, accruing possessions and scoring a goal a game.

What were you expecting from him?


Edited: my percentage was off...

Do you know what DE means?
A 40m kick to a 50/50 is counted as an effective disposal.

I saw him kick to a 50/50 on the 50 line 40m away when he had a 20m kick to a guy out on his own in the forward pocket.

Against Freo he gave Warner a terrible handball that forced Warner to fend off and kick it back to him.

It's not his disposal I have an issue with, it's his decision making.

I'm not expecting anything of him, I think he's best 22 and is currently doing better than Wick and Ronke, and deserves his spot, but the stats ignore the fact that a better option could've been made.



I'm not here to talk about everything bad Ryan has done, he would understand more than anyone how important his role is, but it's also vital he plays within that role.

 

[Deccas]

Do you know what DE means?
A 40m kick to a 50/50 is counted as an effective disposal.

I saw him kick to a 50/50 on the 50 line 40m away when he had a 20m kick to a guy out on his own in the forward pocket.

Against Freo he gave Warner a terrible handball that forced Warner to fend off and kick it back to him.

It's not his disposal I have an issue with, it's his decision making.

I'm not expecting anything of him, I think he's best 22 and is currently doing better than Wick and Ronke, and deserves his spot, but the stats ignore the fact that a better option could've been made.



I'm not here to talk about everything bad Ryan has done, he would understand more than anyone how important his role is, but it's also vital he plays within that role.

Is there any serious argument that he isn't playing within that role?
As far as I can tell everyone agrees he's a limited player ball in hand but is doing a great job. So long as no one makes absurd claims that he should try to get less of it less he harms the team don't think there is really any disagreement around him.