Does Darcy play seniors in 2024?

[SharkMeister4]

Be great to see him get a bit of a consistent patch in the seniors this year, maybe a month on the back of some serious form. Like most people, I reckon giving him space to grow in the 2s will do him good, fingers crossed he gets more luck with his body.

I like having Lobb in the side as hes a better chop out in the ruck than Naughton, and lobb juh forward line up doesnt hit as hard as naughton juh

 

[The Inbetweener]

He shouldn't be playing back. Too slow and forwards these days are either mobile or monsters. He doesn't have that strength for the monsters yet.
Hopefully he takes over from Lobb mid year.

Not in a lockdown role, but I think he should be playing as our interceptor. We really don’t have anyone else for the role and he has elite traits to do it

 

[bobs head soup]

Max Gawn:

• 2010: 0 games (ACL recovery)
• 2011: 4 games
• 2012: 0 games (ACL recovery)
• 2013: 13 game (2 wins / 11 losses)
• 2014: 9 games (1 win / 8 losses)
• 2015: 13 games (4 wins / 9 losses)
• 2016: 22 games (All Australian)

Sure there are some injuries in there but it’s not like Darcy hasn’t been injury interrupted both years. Gawn spent the first half a season in his 6th year on an AFL playing for Casey and has turned out ok.

Another example closer to home would be Sam's father Luke.

He played 3 senior games in his first 2 seasons at Footscray and played AFL game #4 at 20y 262 days.

By the final round this year, Sam will still be younger than that and has already played 7 games, so he is tracking very nicely compared to his father.

By his late 20s, of course, Luke was at one point voted by his peers as the best player in the game.

Given Sam's extra height and late growth, he's entitled to take a little longer than his Dad, so anything we get from him this year is a bonus.

 

[Whoyagot]

Looks like Lobb and Darcy will be duelling for that forward/ruck role all season. Fingers crossed both can remain fit to put pressure on the other which will contribute to the best team performance.

 

[DognBones]

I have no doubt Darcy will play quite a lot of senior football next season barring injury. I think he has the ability to force his way into the team no matter who else is in it. If Lobb, for example, has to make way for him then so be it. He has the potential to be a match winner.

 

[hatescaptcha]

Darcy is way too good for VFL. He will force his way in very quickly. All class.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Libbaaaa]

Still think our best team has English, Marra, Naughton, Lobb and Darcy in it. Lobb must play to provide that extra ruck support, Darcy is years away from being able to do it.

 

[Palace03]

Darc Will a wonderful player for us but first things first, have to get continuity in his body before we worry about where he fits in.

Still think the timeline works in terms of phasing Lobb out after 25 and Darc in full time in 26. By then his body will be ready for AFL week in week out.

Darc will get plenty of opportunities in the meantime, we probably won’t get as lucky injuries wise as we did with Lobb,English, JUH and Naughts this year.

 

[Euku]

He absolutely plays , this is my team for next year

FF:Marra O'Driscoll Naughton
HF:Flea lobb West
C:Williams smith Sanders
R:English Bont Libba
HBCoffield JOD JJ
FB:Red Jones Dale
Int: Treloar,daniel macrae, darcy

 

[ringa5]

Darcy will be the most prolific mark since Gary Dempsey. Starting next season..

 

[Martyn_30_]

Josh Kennedy, Tom Hawkins, Tim English and many more big guys struggled playing consistently footy in there first 3 years and turned it around.

Sam Darcy will be a star if he gets his body gets right. He is dominant at VFL level.

Ayce was barely serviceable from what I saw at vfl (some say he was on the right trajectory before significant shoulder issues though).

I rate Darcy highly and would play him in round one next year as a high defender with the aim to intercept as much as possible, similar to the mindset of Collingwood’s backline.

In his third year English was a number one ruck, Hawkins a premiership key forward and Kennedy changed clubs so it’s a little different. I think the idea that Darcy can just be kept on ice in the vfl isn’t what has happened historically with top draft prospects. What if Lobb has a good season and English stays does Darcy then spend a fourth year in the vfl?


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[cecil]

Just getting him on the park for 15+ games either vfl or afl should be the priority.

If he's fit I see him coming into the seniors whenever English, Lobb or Naughton miss. Considering how many niggles Naughton battles through, and English missing a few games most years, he could easily play 6-8 games as the next in. I could see us going with the 4 talls against a few lower teams just to get games into him too.

 

[Lex22]

I was at Launceston 2 year ago when he took 5 contested marks he's a lock for the Frwd pocket.
Lobb on the bench?.

Darcy could well end up a fwd/ruck, but I think we overrated his fwd strengths for the short term in that game.

Like he was pushed fwd vs a very undersized defence because no one down there could take a grab and then we plonked a few in his head where he a big height advantage.

It’s no crime, but I think most ruckman thrust fwd would’ve achieved the same.

 

[Al dente]

Another example closer to home would be Sam's father Luke.

He played 3 senior games in his first 2 seasons at Footscray and played AFL game #4 at 20y 262 days.

By the final round this year, Sam will still be younger than that and has already played 7 games, so he is tracking very nicely compared to his father.

By his late 20s, of course, Luke was at one point voted by his peers as the best player in the game.

Given Sam's extra height and late growth, he's entitled to take a little longer than his Dad, so anything we get from him this year is a bonus.

Luke took a little while to develop, then exploded.
He was unstoppable both forward one on one and in the ruck before the knee injury.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

It’s no crime, but I think most ruckman thrust fwd would’ve achieved the same.

He wasn’t most ruckman at the time. 18 year old playing his 3rd ever game. Couldn’t see most rucks at that age doing similar.

I’ve tempered my expectations for Sam next year. Would be happy with a clean run of games, dominance in the VFL playing ruck/fwd, with a few AFL games if form permits. If form trumps Lobb’s, then he takes that spot.

We’ve got the ruck chop out in Lobb so no need to throw him in out of necessity. I also don’t want him anywhere near the backline at either level. Get games in to him in the role he’s built for and the role he’s to play for the next 15 years rather than delay the development by playing him down back.

Get the Darc and English combo up and running. Will cause headaches for opposition teams.

 

[LondonBulldog]

If we get injuries to English or Lobb then yes, he could play a lot of games.

Eventually I think he will rightfully be pushing for 50% ruck time with English. When will that time come, who knows, but he is a great talent and has the special marking ability which means he will be pushing for games even he is injury free.

 

[stefoid]

Darce is the long target in the forward line that frees up naughton to play further up the ground.

Stiull cant stand that ex-GWS prick Lobb please replace him soon Darce

 

[doggies ftw]

At the very least Lobb knows he’s coming for his spot, so if there’s any time for him to bring his absolute best it’s now. Good to see him back from day one putting in the work, I’m expecting good things this year, like we saw with Bruce, he’ll be better for the run last year.

Whether that’s enough to hold out Darcy, well it’s only a matter of time - but until then at least we need some results from him and I think he knows that

 

[_Cerberus_]

Lobb still has a place on the team. The issue is, we are to focused on one or two players when belting the ball inside 50. There are other players in there aside from Naughton and Jamarra. Spread it around more, and we will kick more goals. And Lobb can get involved more instead of being ignored when in space or on the lead.

The fact he turned the game for us vs Geelong late in the season in the ruck, showed he has something to offer. Zero chance Darcy is yet ready to pinch hitting the ruck for long periods if English went down early with injury or is having a stinker of a game.

 

[Lex22]

He wasn’t most ruckman at the time. 18 year old playing his 3rd ever game. Couldn’t see most rucks at that age doing similar.

I’ve tempered my expectations for Sam next year. Would be happy with a clean run of games, dominance in the VFL playing ruck/fwd, with a few AFL games if form permits. If form trumps Lobb’s, then he takes that spot.

We’ve got the ruck chop out in Lobb so no need to throw him in out of necessity. I also don’t want him anywhere near the backline at either level. Get games in to him in the role he’s built for and the role he’s to play for the next 15 years rather than delay the development by playing him down back.

Get the Darc and English combo up and running. Will cause headaches for opposition teams.

I agree with that, form likely dictates the Lobb/Darcy selection. We are hoping that Sam takes over that role come the start of 2025, but Lobb is good short term insurance anyway.

I wasn’t necessarily knocking Darcy in that Hawthorn outing, I’m just saying we sat it on the head of an extra option who had a big height advantage. There wasn’t that much to it.

 

[Dogsman16]

The funny thing is that the 4 tall experiment was only tried once last year. RD 1. Against Melbourne where our mids got blown off the park. Pretty sure Liam jones

19

Liam Jones

Age

33

Ht

199cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.4

2star

K

6.5

3star

HB

2.9

3star

M

4.3

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

134.5

2star

D

7.6

2star

K

6.1

3star

HB

1.4

1star

M

4.1

4star

T

1.4

2star

MG

116.3

2star

D

9.4

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

2.0

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.2

4star

went down pretty early with concussion as well. Lobb missed Rd 2 and Darcy was dropped after that. Never saw it again.

Think its reasonable to have another crack at it. The only other evidence we saw of that structure was against North in a trial and it set the world on fire.

Might even make more sense if we go small down back with just Jones and O'donnell which gives us the flexibility to shuffle the magnets in game a bit.

 

[doggiesin08]

The funny thing is that the 4 tall experiment was only tried once last year. RD 1. Against Melbourne where our mids got blown off the park. Pretty sure Liam jones went down pretty early with concussion as well. Lobb missed Rd 2 and Darcy was dropped after that. Never saw it again.

Think its reasonable to have another crack at it. The only other evidence we saw of that structure was against North in a trial and it set the world on fire.

Might even make more sense if we go small down back with just Jones and O'donnell which gives us the flexibility to shuffle the magnets in game a bit.

O'Donnell's early games last year were as a 4th tall forward alongside the main 3. Very different groups but we did also use it against Hawthorn in both games in 2022, the first time with Naughton / Jamarra / Schache / O'Brien and the second time around (although only for the second half) with Naughton / Jamarra / Bruce / Darcy.

If we're going to trial it again it shouldn't be from the starting setup, but mid-game if we've already developed a lead, either (1) Bont resting forward as the 4th tall, or (2) with Darcy swinging forward having started down back.

 

[Nat Fyfe]

He absolutely plays , this is my team for next year

FF:Marra O'Driscoll Naughton
HF:Flea lobb West
C:Williams smith Sanders
R:English Bont Libba
HBCoffield JOD JJ
FB:Red Jones Dale
Int: Treloar,daniel macrae, darcy

I love what O'Driscoll has to offer, but I wouldn't be banking on him playing any significant minutes in the seniors this year, let alone even debuting. I'd think Clarke or Arty would have to be ahead of him, or even McNeil

 

[Euku]

I love what O'Driscoll has to offer, but I wouldn't be banking on him playing any significant minutes in the seniors this year, let alone even debuting. I'd think Clarke or Arty would have to be ahead of him, or even McNeil

You may be right but his speed and natural crumbing ability is what our forward line needs, if I was coach I'd be setting him the challenge to be the best small forward in the league and give him a million footballs and say learn how to kick goals from anywhere

 

[stefoid]

You may be right but his speed and natural crumbing ability is what our forward line needs, if I was coach I'd be setting him the challenge to be the best small forward in the league and give him a million footballs and say learn how to kick goals from anywhere

possibly, but lets wait and see how good he is at footy, first! hes gone at a very late pick for a reason

very little footage of him, but his combination of endurance and burst speed means he should be a terror to opposition defenders trying to clear the ball.

No evidence of long/penetrating kicking in the vids, but his speed enables him to buy time to look for a target inside 50 and steady down and chip a kick.

but these are highlights... maybe we not seeing him bomb the ball to nobody 10 times for each time he finds a target? we need to get some WA watchers to give their opinion