Some interesting stats on Birdy this year:
Averaging 15.6 disposals per game.
Averaging 5 contested possessions per game.
Averaging 2.8 clearances per game.
Averaging just 58% TOG this year.
Bird is not quite fit yet, and Roos seems hesitant to play him for long periods. However, if we were to presume that in a year or two, he'd be at a good level of fitness in which he could maybe spend as much time on ground as, say, Jude Bolton or Kirk, he'd then be averaging about 84% TOG.
If that was the case, even if Bird's role didn't change, and he didn't learn anything as a footballer (in other words, his development was otherwise nil), his average disposals would still be 22.4, contested possessions would be 7.2, clearances would be 4.1, and inside 50s would be 2.6.
At the moment, Bird plays primarily on the wing, often more as a link man than a genuine clearance-winning centre-circle midfielder. I think we'd all agree that he is best suited long-term to playing in the guts and winning contested ball and clearances, but at the moment we have Kirk, Jude Bolton, Ryan O'Keefe (spending considerable time right in the guts) and Jarrad McVeigh (who is unfairly branded as a purely outside midfielder, when he is more than capable of winning contested ball when required), so Bird can only be rotated through there on occasion. Even Goodes has had to take a back seat in regards to stoppages. And yet, if we were to scale Bird's stats up to what they'd be with typical game time, he's still winning 4.1 clearances, 7.2 contested possessions, and 22.4 disposals per game.
Now let's move forward two years. Bird's in his fourth year, he has built up a fitness base allowing him to play 84% TOG, he has played two more years of footy at the highest level, has had two more preseasons under his belt, and Brett Kirk has (in all likelihood) retired
(). Bird steps into a more permantent ball-winning role. Then what happens to those stats? More contested situations = more contested possessions, closer to the ball = more disposals per game (let's face it, he's not the sort of player that best gets his possessions by running hard into space, so the more time spent close to the ball, the more ball he'll win), and more stoppages = more clearances.
Even against the Hawks last weekend (actually, this is what prompted the thread), I noticed Bird was rotated into the guts for a few minutes. He won three convinving clearances in a row, all within the space of about two minutes. I got chills just thinking about him doing that regularly in a couple of years' time.
I know this is all speculation, and that anything could happen from this point onwards, but the signs are looking very, VERY good!
Averaging 15.6 disposals per game.
Averaging 5 contested possessions per game.
Averaging 2.8 clearances per game.
Averaging just 58% TOG this year.
Bird is not quite fit yet, and Roos seems hesitant to play him for long periods. However, if we were to presume that in a year or two, he'd be at a good level of fitness in which he could maybe spend as much time on ground as, say, Jude Bolton or Kirk, he'd then be averaging about 84% TOG.
If that was the case, even if Bird's role didn't change, and he didn't learn anything as a footballer (in other words, his development was otherwise nil), his average disposals would still be 22.4, contested possessions would be 7.2, clearances would be 4.1, and inside 50s would be 2.6.
At the moment, Bird plays primarily on the wing, often more as a link man than a genuine clearance-winning centre-circle midfielder. I think we'd all agree that he is best suited long-term to playing in the guts and winning contested ball and clearances, but at the moment we have Kirk, Jude Bolton, Ryan O'Keefe (spending considerable time right in the guts) and Jarrad McVeigh (who is unfairly branded as a purely outside midfielder, when he is more than capable of winning contested ball when required), so Bird can only be rotated through there on occasion. Even Goodes has had to take a back seat in regards to stoppages. And yet, if we were to scale Bird's stats up to what they'd be with typical game time, he's still winning 4.1 clearances, 7.2 contested possessions, and 22.4 disposals per game.
Now let's move forward two years. Bird's in his fourth year, he has built up a fitness base allowing him to play 84% TOG, he has played two more years of footy at the highest level, has had two more preseasons under his belt, and Brett Kirk has (in all likelihood) retired
(). Bird steps into a more permantent ball-winning role. Then what happens to those stats? More contested situations = more contested possessions, closer to the ball = more disposals per game (let's face it, he's not the sort of player that best gets his possessions by running hard into space, so the more time spent close to the ball, the more ball he'll win), and more stoppages = more clearances.Even against the Hawks last weekend (actually, this is what prompted the thread), I noticed Bird was rotated into the guts for a few minutes. He won three convinving clearances in a row, all within the space of about two minutes. I got chills just thinking about him doing that regularly in a couple of years' time.
I know this is all speculation, and that anything could happen from this point onwards, but the signs are looking very, VERY good!
... I was staggered that Roos persisted with continuous games with his very slow debut start and mistakes. Not so now!
