Review 40 - Harrison Jones (2019)

[Roger Rogerson]

He gets to good spots Jones which is why he is promising. His kicking action is a bit slow getting ball to foot and he can shank a few but for mine once his fitness is up to AFL level this will improve to an acceptable level but will be something he has to watch as if it doesn't improve it will stop him from making the step up.

 

[Ordovician]

Cousins is probably better at the moment

That’s not great recommendation for Jones’ kicking.

Fortunately Jones has superior endurance inspire of all of his time lost to injury.

Footy is a cruel game for the kids as you look at our list and think there are so many who have enough talent to, in the right circumstances, make a decent AFL players but won’t succeed due to simple weight of numbers.

Thus we have lots of kids who have some talent and you’d love to see make the grade like Jones, Cuz, Harry, Moore, CJ, Reeves, Ollie, Glass, but the chances are only a few of them will ever be regular 22. Some may be go for years to be depth like Howe and TOB but most will be surpassed by younger higher draft picks who shoot right past them like Worpel and hopefully Finn and Day.

Footy is cruel game for the players who spent 4 to 5 years at a club, play some senior games but just aren’t good enough like Pit or Litherland. It must be worse for players like Langford who actually establish themselves in the 22 play some very good finals and then inexplicably lose the plot.

 

[Brishawk]

That’s not great recommendation for Jones’ kicking.

Fortunately Jones has superior endurance inspire of all of his time lost to injury.

Footy is a cruel game for the kids as you look at our list and think there are so many who have enough talent to, in the right circumstances, make a decent AFL players but won’t succeed due to simple weight of numbers.

Thus we have lots of kids who have some talent and you’d love to see make the grade like Jones, Cuz, Harry, Moore, CJ, Reeves, Ollie, Glass, but the chances are only a few of them will ever be regular 22. Some may be go for years to be depth like Howe and TOB but most will be surpassed by younger higher draft picks who shoot right past them like Worpel and hopefully Finn and Day.

Footy is cruel game for the players who spent 4 to 5 years at a club, play some senior games but just aren’t good enough like Pit or Litherland. It must be worse for players like Langford who actually establish themselves in the 22 play some very good finals and then inexplicably lose the plot.

I did some analysis a couple of years ago and not many players make it to 50 games under clarko who aren’t a part of premiership plans. At some point if they aren’t getting games we know they are there for depth/list management reasons only.

 

[Ordovician]

I did some analysis a couple of years ago and not many players make it to 50 games under clarko who aren’t a part of premiership plans. At some point if they aren’t getting games we know they are there for depth/list management reasons only.

Clarko has a theory or more a rule of thumb, that after three years and/or having played thirty AFL games, which usually takes longer than three years for non-Worpel types, the coaches have a very good idea how far a player will get.

For example Morrison has just hit the 30 game mark, whereas most of Lewis, the two Conors, Cuz and Scrimmers should hit this mark by the end of this season or early next season.

Once they reach either of these milestones the club is fairly confident they can make the correct call to either preserve with them or to let them go. Hence Pitto and Miles had five years with us but got no where near 30 games, playing 7 and 12 respectively, so the club was confident enough to let them go. Note: Miles had played his fourth year at the end 2018 when he was advised to seek interest from other clubs and only played out his fifth year because he was under contract.

By the application of this principle, one would think that Glass would be under intense scrutiny this season after 17 games in three afl seasons plus half a year in the BH DS in late 2016.

Thus your empirical observation that not many players make it to 50 games without being part of the club’s medium term plans, is a manifestation of this 3 years 30 games principle, as the players they are sure won’t make the grade, even if this means just providing ongoing depth like Howe and TOB, are cut well before they get near the 50 game mark.

Of course the coaches can always get it wrong as was the case with Hartung, who played 63 games across 4 seasons, but it is these exceptions who paradoxically “prove the rule”.