Richo doesn't come across as the type of coach that would pick a player just because he's 'shiny & new'. They'll earn their spots & I expect the much spoken about & rarely followed 'integrity of selection' to be firmly enforced.
I certainly hope so, on both fronts. I also don't reckon Richo would do that, but it may be that someone from higher in the food chain up is pushing for us to pick the youngest ones, because it's such good PR. The amount we're pumping them up and pushing their names forward in the media makes that a distinct possibility I reckon.
FWIW this early, Siposs is one who's career at StK is on the borderline. If his body is right he has to show a lot more intensity this year.
Pretty much agree with that. He's got a hell of a lot more competition for spots this year than he's had from those around his age in the past couple of years. I think he is an example of what can happen when you give someone really young games when they probably don't "deserve" them, as has happened with him at times in his 3 years. I think some can feel almost like they are "entitled" to them, as a result, rather than feeling like they have to really earn them and be legitimately performing better than the next guy to get them.
That depends a lot on their personalities as well though. It's not the sort of thing I'd expect to happen to a Newnes, or Saunders, for instance and I don't think it would be the case with Billings or Dunstan either, but I would still prefer for them to only go past the likes of Ross, Saunders, Webster, Wright, Siposs and so-on if they are legitimately better and more able to play a full game than them already. I don't think it would be right for them to push past them in the pecking order otherwise.
A lot of us maybe overrated Sippo as our cupboard of young players looked a bit bare 12 months ago & he looked most likely.
I don't think that's necessarily the case. I genuinely rate his games at the end of 2012 as the best games I'd seen from anyone under 20 years of age for us for several years (not that there's all that much to beat) and he just had so much going for him for someone that young, but he has just dropped off dramatically since then, for whatever reason/s.
Like I said this time last year, I also rate his best chance of really making it at AFL level playing that sweeping role across HB that he was playing so well at the end of 2012 and the start of 2012, as it is easier to really dominate across HB than it is to do so across HF, or in the 3rd tall forward role, but that opening across HB looks to have well and truly shut for him now, with Roberton coming in and doing so well there last year and with the acquisitions of Delaney and Bruce likely pushing the likes of Fisher and Dempster and co back to the flanks. So he's now got his work cut out for him to nail down a spot in the side, if he's to do it up forward, especially with his defensive pressure being so ordinary and that being a major focus under Richo. He is one that I could see us putting on the trade table at the end of the year if he doesn't really lift his game.
To be fair to him he's apparently only been back in full training for a few weeks though, so he may have been a bit underdone going into the intra-club game.