Grounds for concern.

[Axl the great]

It has been only 2 years since collingwood finished its association with Williamstown in the vfl competition.
We are constantly debating why our KPP have not come on as we would have liked players like Reid,Dawes,Mcaffer and others have not stepped up to the plate lets face it, and i beleive the fact that those players and our draftees from 2 to 4 years ago have not progressed that far is due to the fact they are playing basically on suburban grounds.

Williamstowns Ground is windy as all hell, doesnt drain well and is not suited to the grooming of future stars by any stretch, we have made the move now but when you restrict potential guns to suburban conditions ALL THE TIME then their development definatley suffers for sure basically they become no better than local comp players as the wind and ground conditions means that potentially good players are forced due to conditions to slog it out rather than develop in AFL standard conditions to become beter players.
I know most clubs have to deal with this but i only care about our guys and i really think this has impacted their development and it is showing now when they are called up to the big scene and are expected to produce?

 

[pipeline]

Don't think so. Visy is a great ground to play on and some of the others are excellent too - Sandringham, Windy Hill, Coburg's not bad for example. Most are at least adequate.I think the players have come on as well as anyone else's, particularly since we offloaded that idiot Gotch.

 

[The Dawes]

It has been only 2 years since collingwood finished its association with Williamstown in the vfl competition.
We are constantly debating why our KPP have not come on as we would have liked players like Reid,Dawes,Mcaffer and others have not stepped up to the plate lets face it, and i beleive the fact that those players and our draftees from 2 to 4 years ago have not progressed that far is due to the fact they are playing basically on suburban grounds.

Williamstowns Ground is windy as all hell, doesnt drain well and is not suited to the grooming of future stars by any stretch, we have made the move now but when you restrict potential guns to suburban conditions ALL THE TIME then their development definatley suffers for sure basically they become no better than local comp players as the wind and ground conditions means that potentially good players are forced due to conditions to slog it out rather than develop in AFL standard conditions to become beter players.
I know most clubs have to deal with this but i only care about our guys and i really think this has impacted their development and it is showing now when they are called up to the big scene and are expected to produce?

Fair enough, but every team is in the same boat.

Bear in mind Princes Park is a better ground with more football friendly conditions than Williamstown's.

The only solution would be for VFL games to be played as curtain raisers to AFL matches.... and I think we all know that's not going to happen.

 

[shawthing09]

Whilst we were linked to Williamstown we certainly had a problem with the kids being played in the best position for Willy to win rather then for them to develop.

That said the development of the players you have highlighted is actually rather explainable IMO.

Dawes came with a big body a good kick and lots and lots of faults in his game. He has come off a knee reco and is clearly a confidence player. The chances of him developing any quicker then he already has regardless is unlikely. He may have suffered a little last year from lack of oppertunities due to our poor VFL year. That said he was always going to take a lot of time.

Reid was better when we played with Willy because he had better delivery more often. His development has been stagnant because last year he spent the first half of the year as an emergency not playing VFL. Came in played o.k broke his foot and came back into the side as a defender. This year he started in the NAB cup as a defender. Was a foward the next 2 games and then played a game as half foward half defender in round 1.

Maccaffer has developed a lot in the last couple of years. From VFL 2's too best and fairest in our VFL side. He has been given oppertunitys at AFL level and if he didn't make it at AFL level I'd put it down to his limitations rather then his development. You can't make him taller or quicker or a bigger leap no matter how hard you try. That said as we speak his adding bows to his game playing up the ground getting high posie counts.

 

[Bonuspoints]

What about some of the other young talls in the AFL. Are there many who have taken a number of years to come good? I was thinking Mitch Clarke from the Lions looks like he's going to cement his place in the side this year and was wondering how long it has been for him to play good enough for this. I just get the feeling that Reid and Dawes are going to need this year and probably next year before they truly break through. What do people think?

 

[shawthing09]

I like to point out the fact that none of the KPP from that so called super draft have come on as yet but for some reason everyone is writting them all off. Soooo either all the draft watchers and recruiters totally misjudged the quality of the draft or the more likely one which is that Kpp take time and people lack patience.

 

[mattys123]

I still believe we have the best second tier setup of any Melbourne club, with the ability to play as many AFL listed players in the VFL as possible.

Geelong is the only other Victorian based side that has no restrictions, and you can see how this has helped them.

I remember our last year with Williamstown, when John Anthony and Nathan Brown were playing VFL seconds because of the 12-10 VFL/AFL players rule that exists.

KPP as a rule take longer, unless they are freaks like Franklin or J.Brown.

Our KPP are developing well, Dawes will make it, all he needs to do is improve his marking confidence. McCaffer is a rookie, so whether he makes it or not is not as important.

Ben Reid is the worry, but we are giving him every chance, and we wont know for 3-4 years if he is a total right off.

Plus I prefer watching Collingwood reserves then Williamstown, most Willie supporters hated our guts like anyway.