Past #8: Daniel Wells - joins Collingwood as a FA - North get pick #32 as compensation

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Ahern2Boof

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#8 Daniel Wells



Games: 10
Goals: 4

Summary:
After his 'blaze of glory' finish to the 2013 season, a lot was expected of 'Wellsy' in 2014, especially after the acquisition of Nick Dal Santo. It was heavily foreseen that Wells would escape the attention of opposition taggers, with teammates Dal Santo and Brent Harvey to take up majority of their focus. However, it was a poor start to the season, collecting just 23 disposals in total from the first two matches, before lifting in Round 3 against Port Adelaide. A week later against Sydney at the SCG, the dynamic Wells returned with a vengeance, picking up 24 possessions, laying four tackles and kicking three goals.

In the week following this performance, there was heavy speculation that Wells had injured his foot. Nonetheless, he played in Round 5 against Collingwood, struggling through the match and unusually opting to handball at every opportunity possible. Initially diagnosed as bone bruising, scans revealed Wells had suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his right foot after teammate Drew Petrie trod on it at training. His return date was unclear, and it took until Round 21 for the dual best and fairest winner to return to the line-up.

His return was short-lived, however, after a bump on Shaun Higgins against the Western Bulldogs, his first game back, was deemed reckless, and he received a one match penalty from the Match Review Panel. He was back for the final game of the season against Melbourne, getting some vital run in his legs for the upcoming finals campaign. In what was a frustrating year for Wells, his Elimination Final performance was sensational. He amassed 28 touches along with nine marks, and set up four goals throughout the game, including Drew Petrie's checkside sealer in the final minutes. He was more subdued in the Semi Final against Geelong but still racked up 22 disposals, before ending the season with a quiet performance against Sydney in the Preliminary Final.

No one would be more disappointed with his year than the man himself, and Wells' main goal for 2015 will be to stay healthy and return to his very best form. If he can do that and maintain it for most of the year, North Melbourne looms as a big premiership threat.

When reigning North Melbourne best and fairest winner Daniel Wells heard talk at the end of last season that Nick Dal Santo was contemplating leaving the Saints for the Kangaroos, he didn't count his chickens.
http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2014-09-18/dal-a-key-to-success

Daniel Wells is as important as an other player who'll be running onto the MCG for tonight's blockbuster Elimination Final. While the Roos have had to play without him for the majority of the year, the 29-year-old dual best and fairest winner's return is, and has always been, critical to their chances of success.
http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2014-09-06/wells-a-master-key












 

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jlind78

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This is the price of softness and failure.
With a message -
You've left the soft stuff behind with the Doggies,
You leave behind quite a few floggies.
You will bleed white and blue,
Be buggered when you're through.
You've dropped the red out of your strip,
The only red left is the blood that you drip.
You better be Good,
You cost us Greenwood.
 

Kimbo

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On the front foot.

Daniel Wells is confident he can resume full training upon the players’ return to Melbourne.

The dynamic midfielder returned to training two weeks early for the club’s high altitude camp in Utah, and is desperate to make the most of his head-start.

“It’s always a great trip coming over to Utah,” Wells told NMFC.com.au. “Once you are over here, there’s no mucking around and you can really knuckle down on a few things.”

2014 was a challenging year, with a Lisfranc injury keeping Wells on the sidelines for 16 weeks.

Despite playing a vital role in the club’s finals’ success, he admits he’s still on the comeback trail.

“It’s still (his foot) a little bit sore, but it’s expected to be from the amount of pressure we put on it in the last six rounds that I played,” Wells said.

“This is normal. The club is not panicking. I’m not panicking. It’s just focusing on what I can focus on which is cross-training. I can still do skills, but nothing too over the top.”


North’s number eight hit the bike as his team-mates undertook a grueling conditioning session on Monday (Utah time), only enhancing his will to return.

“Watching the boys slugging it out today was great, and getting to know some of the younger ones, Kayne Turner and the like is one of the reasons I came over.”

The carat of success another driving factor heading into 2015.

“Especially with the players we’ve got in as well, with (Shaun) Higgins and (Jarrad Waite),” Wells added.

“The whole group has hopefully learnt from the last couple of years, and I’m not getting any younger so I want to make sure I can have an impact for the club next year.“


Interesting, and not a little disconcerting, to hear that he still needs to treat his feet with kid gloves. Gloves, feet, wtf?
 

Event Horizon

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It sounds like any decent footy from Wellsy from here on will be a bonus. Almost in the Narni bucket of "don't expect 20+ games".
Unfortunately I have the the same feeling.
The footy injury happened about 8 months ago. He took 16 weeks to recover from it. Played finals after that and now, 2 months later still feels sore? That is certainly a concern. Can it ever be 100% again? Does sound like 10-15 games per season is almost best case scenario for Wells from here...
 

the big lebowski

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Unfortunately I have the the same feeling.
The footy injury happened about 8 months ago. He took 16 weeks to recover from it. Played finals after that and now, 2 months later still feels sore? That is certainly a concern. Can it ever be 100% again? Does sound like 10-15 games per season is almost best case scenario for Wells from here...
I am not overly concerned. We are still just over 4 months away from round 1.

Even if they manage his pre season on delay, so that he is cherry ripe by round 5 onwards, he can come in fresh from then.
 

Kimbo

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Injuries and chunkiness aside, what do people think Wellsy's form will be like this year? Well, actually, we probably can't put aside injuries as he may well continue to be affected. It's bad enough it's affected his pre-season.

I'm a bit concerned that it is Wellsy, not Boomer, whose form may possibly drop off sharply as he nears the end of his career. May not be this year - I certainly hope it isn't - but I could see it happening.

Will he be at his very best? Spasmodic? Start to decline?
 

Higgins2Waite

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Injuries and chunkiness aside, what do people think Wellsy's form will be like this year? Well, actually, we probably can't put aside injuries as he may well continue to be affected. It's bad enough it's affected his pre-season.

I'm a bit concerned that it is Wellsy, not Boomer, whose form may possibly drop off sharply as he nears the end of his career. May not be this year - I certainly hope it isn't - but I could see it happening.

Will he be at his very best? Spasmodic? Start to decline?
I think he will be at his best next season (injuries aside). Doesn't have to deal with the best tagger and against *essendon showed he can be a game changer. Less pressure = better Wells
 

Mr Reliable

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Wellsy is all class, whether he is roaming the midfield or lurking up forward.

I was more worried by some of the inside exercises in the video:

1. someone accidentally standing on Wellsy's foot;
2. Wellsy doing an ankle on those upturned small cones.

Maybe I'm just a worrying kind of guy.
 
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I think he will be at his best next season (injuries aside). Doesn't have to deal with the best tagger and against *essendon showed he can be a game changer. Less pressure = better Wells
Completely agree with this. ^^^^^^^

Suddenly clubs will just let him run loose until he beats a few up.

That report was 4 weeks ago but i am worried he will never get fit enough to be D Wells of old.

Fingers Crossed !!!!
 
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