Player Watch Flynn Appleby (Delisted 2020)

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Appleby seems a bit like Toovey-replacement. He can play on the smalls and talls. He played on Jarred Brander and did a good job. These mid-size defenders give us great flexibility not to get ripped apart by Gray, Betts and stevie J.
 
Appleby seems a bit like Toovey-replacement. He can play on the smalls and talls. He played on Jarred Brander and did a good job. These mid-size defenders give us great flexibility not to get ripped apart by Gray, Betts and stevie J.
They can beat them in the air and peel off and contest against bigger bodies, if he can keep a Betts or a Gray quiet, he'll need to be pretty good. Early days but a promising selection that fills a need but a long road ahead.
 

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Promote him to the senior list prior to the Port game so we actually have someone to put on Robbie Gray.
That rule has been changed.
Rookies can play from round 1.
(understand the sentiment though).
 
Appleby seems a bit like Toovey-replacement. He can play on the smalls and talls. He played on Jarred Brander and did a good job. These mid-size defenders give us great flexibility not to get ripped apart by Gray, Betts and stevie J.

I hope he has a long career, seems like a better player than Toovey at his age. Time will tell but will be given games early if he shows form in the twos.
Toovey was a very good servant, a premiership player in his prime, but didn't play beyond the age of 28. I am hoping him to develop from somebody like Nick Maxwell, who will be a role model for Appelby, if he can impart advice to the young man we might have a 200 game player.
 
I like the look of this kid.
Welcome aboard Stewie.

He's actually Stuart Appleby's cousin which I'm assuming is the source of the Stewie reference. Their respective parents owned adjacent properties.
 
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I reckon Crisp and Adams are tagging options if we wanted to go there. Crisp too valuable now off the half back though. Adams on the other hand is an intriguing option that we haven't really tried.

I suspect part of Crisp’s value off half back was because we were missing Varcoe. When we have everyone available we have more scope to use various players in various positions.

That rule has been changed.
Rookies can play from round 1.
(understand the sentiment though).

I know the changes were alluded to here : https://www.mix.com.au/sport/afl/news/afl-to-adjust-rules-for-rookie-listed-players
but do you have a link for them actually having gone through?

There's a lot more to speed than just 20m in a straight line. He's not super quick, which is why I said "quite" quick because he's still above average, without being elite. It's his agility and endurance that has him right up there athletically.
Your first sentence seems redundant given my 2nd sentence in post you quoted.
Love the profiling work you’ve done!

20 mtr sprint times don't measure overall speed, just explosive speed and Usain Bolt was often 2 or 3 metres off the leaders over 20, and i wouldn't call him slow.
That’s a good point about Bolt which I wasn’t aware of but explosive speed, repeat sprints, endurance and agility are most relevant for AFL given they are much more frequently used than 50-100m runs when fresh. Also worth noting my use of the word SUGGESTS in post you quoted.
 
I hope he has a long career, seems like a better player than Toovey at his age. Time will tell but will be given games early if he shows form in the twos.
Toovey was a very good servant, a premiership player in his prime, but didn't play beyond the age of 28. I am hoping him to develop from somebody like Nick Maxwell, who will be a role model for Appelby, if he can impart advice to the young man we might have a 200 game player.

When drafted, Toovey had played the last year and a half in the WAFL seniors as a fullback and had rarely been beaten.
 
He's actually Stuart Appleby's cousin which I'm assuming is the source of the Stewie reference. Their respective parents owned adjacent properties.
Yes I did know that and yes that was part of it.
Also not a bad way to eat your apples.

PS: On a side note, I once knew a bloke who named his rabbit Stewart:)
 

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When drafted, Toovey had played the last year and a half in the WAFL seniors as a fullback and had rarely been beaten.

Good research, pays to do my research before making a call either way. Tooves was a good player for Collingwood, I can't knock him except for his durability towards the end of his career.

To me it sounds like this kid has had a vast experience playing on several different forwards, big and small, and I would take a guess at the rate he played on to be quality bound but not there yet. My view stands on his ability to someday become a very good player with the understanding to stop forwards from having a big influence.
 
Good research, pays to do my research before making a call either way. Tooves was a good player for Collingwood, I can't knock him except for his durability towards the end of his career.

To me it sounds like this kid has had a vast experience playing on several different forwards, big and small, and I would take a guess at the rate he played on to be quality bound but not there yet. My view stands on his ability to someday become a very good player with the understanding to stop forwards from having a big influence.

Toovey Kicking was not Crash Hot either
 
Yes I did know that and yes that was part of it.
Also not a bad way to eat your apples.

PS: On a side note, I once knew a bloke who named his rabbit Stewart:)

After Harvey the 6ft tall white pooka rabbit no doubt given Jimmy Stewart's role in the movie.

upload_2017-11-28_13-12-7.jpeg
 
I know the changes were alluded to here : https://www.mix.com.au/sport/afl/news/afl-to-adjust-rules-for-rookie-listed-players but do you have a link for them actually having gone through?
I think this bit from the CBA suggests they did make it official. It only applies to Category A Rookies (not Cat. B):-

Collective Bargaining Agreement
“2017 – 2022”

16. Player Lists – 2018 - 2022
(c) Players included on a Category A Rookie List shall be eligible for selection in a Match from 1 November 2017 notwithstanding any contrary provision in this Agreement or the AFL Rules. Prior to 31 October 2017, AFL shall make all necessary amendments to the AFL Rules so that they shall provide for a Player on a Category A Rookie List to be eligible for selection in any Match played after 1 November 2017.

http://www.aflplayers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2017-2022-CBA.pdf

Also:- http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-06-20/aflpa-statement-on-new-pay-deal

Category-A rookie-listed players will be eligible to play senior football from 2018
 
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One of the interesting things that happens in major national draft v rookie draft is how players are viewed.

Rookies seem to be about projects or positional top ups, the main draft about players for the longer term so to speak.
And really in a way the rookie draft is taking player 71 or 93 or whatever overall.
It's just a demarcation for some reason. Not that I'm not advocating the way it's done.
 
I think this bit from the CBA suggests they did make it official. It only applies to Category A Rookies (not Cat. B):-

Collective Bargaining Agreement
“2017 – 2022”

16. Player Lists – 2018 - 2022
(c) Players included on a Category A Rookie List shall be eligible for selection in a Match from 1 November 2017 notwithstanding any contrary provision in this Agreement or the AFL Rules. Prior to 31 October 2017, AFL shall make all necessary amendments to the AFL Rules so that they shall provide for a Player on a Category A Rookie List to be eligible for selection in any Match played after 1 November 2017.

http://www.aflplayers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2017-2022-CBA.pdf

Also:- http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-06-20/aflpa-statement-on-new-pay-deal

Category-A rookie-listed players will be eligible to play senior football from 2018

I wonder if there is a contrary provision in this Agreement or the AFL rules?
 
One of the interesting things that happens in major national draft v rookie draft is how players are viewed.

Rookies seem to be about projects or positional top ups, the main draft about players for the longer term so to speak.
And really in a way the rookie draft is taking player 71 or 93 or whatever overall.
It's just a demarcation for some reason. Not that I'm not advocating the way it's done.

The rookie has changed a fair bit. It used to be very much about the project player and that could be a long term thing. We had a lot of success when we treated the rookie list that way. You wonder if we should go back to that? Now we use it more as a cheap way to plug list holes with mature depth, which i'm okay with if that's balanced.

But frustratingly we've used it as a way to hide away poor list management decisions like Oxley on his big contract and the returning Keeffe and Thomas. Those decisions have robbed us of the opportunity to use it as a development list. If you get hits off the rookie that helps your list so much, unexpected gems. It advances your rebuild.
 
The rookie has changed a fair bit. It used to be very much about the project player and that could be a long term thing. We had a lot of success when we treated the rookie list that way. You wonder if we should go back to that? Now we use it more as a cheap way to plug list holes with mature depth, which i'm okay with if that's balanced.

But frustratingly we've used it as a way to hide away poor list management decisions like Oxley on his big contract and the returning Keeffe and Thomas. Those decisions have robbed us of the opportunity to use it as a development list. If you get hits off the rookie that helps your list so much, unexpected gems. It advances your rebuild.

There seemed to be more perseverance with rookies when clubs carried 6 but I think clubs are far more clinical with them with 2 less to play with. Our situation of recent times has also been a bit complicated by our support of Keeffe and Thomas. We have had a few who showed promise. Abbott, Hunter, and Blight come to mind. Sadly, for a variety of reasons, none have really come on to the point of cementing themselves in the 22 with prospective 100+ game careers like the Harry O, Maxwell and Wellingham types. Hopefully, Appleby and Mihocek break that trend.
 
It doesn't do to go overboard with comparisons. This guy will not be Toovey. Toovey had exceptional pace, on top of the characteristics that are similar to Appleby's. On the other hand Appleby kicks with both feet, which was not a Toovey strength. Some would say that he couldn't kick with one. I always thought that Toovey's kicking was fine, but his direction of it (the mental side) was fatally indecisive. On the highlights, Appleby's kicking looks nothing like Toovey's. There was nothing to show whether he actually gets the time to make a decision that Toovey was able to, and therefore nothing to show us what his decision making might be like.
Let's wait and watch to see what sort of player he actually is.
 
He looks like he's got some skill sets that we can work with but I've learned to temper my expectations when it comes to rookies now.

All the best Flynn and welcome.
 
At least we will know he might have the best nickname at Collingwood provided he starts to play well, The Big Apple, sounds very American.
 

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