Would like to see him play more of a forward role, he knows how to kick a goal.
Hartlett in 2014
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That's a textbook example of what I'm talking about. He didn't need to weight that kick delicately at all. Just kick it as long as possible to make sure it landed in front of Westhoff. There are plenty of examples of him trying to pinpoint a 30-40 pass and overcooking it on a regular occasion. You can't have this coming of half back where you need absolute premium ball users. Dew was a far more precise kick than Hartlett.
I'm not saying Hartlett's kicking is sub par by any means. It's good but just not elite. I can understand why people think so, including Mark Williams saying he was the best junior kick he'd ever seen or something. When his passes do come off, they blow you away because of their trajectory and speed. I'll never forget his pass down the wing in his ?first game over 55m or so. Went all the way about 10m off the ground in 0.8 secs. For pure distance and velocity, his kick is elite but for accuracy, it isn't.
Also exactly what I'm saying.
All of those goals, he just kicks the s**t out of it at goal, no precision or weighting required. Brilliant but no finesse in it.
Hence, play him at half forward or even better, give him free reign around there whilst on ball.
Show me his highlights package of precision field kicking cause that ain't his strength. Pretty sure ?Macca and/or ?REH will back me up here.
Here's his junior highlights which show he's a dead-eye dick for field kicking:
I'll admit that the couple of previous years his kicking has in a way, regressed. It's almost like he's trying to kick it too hard and he either shanks it or... just kicks it too hard. I have no reason to think that it won't become the elite kick that he showed as junior, with more strength now that he's grown into his body.
I'm thinking it ends up somewhere in between. Highlights packages are one thing (and Hartlett's are amazing) but I've watched him play his whole AFL career so far and you don't just pick up "feel" in your kicking overnight. You either have it or you don't.
Got to say, watching Hawthorn in the finals, I was impressed by how many of their "stock-standard" players in my eyes have brilliant skills. Lewis is the prime example. Also, Geelong in the semi final vs us. Their field kicking in the third and fourth quarters was exceptional. Remember Hinkley saying something like "the angles they were creating with their kicking in the last half were brilliant. We just couldn't cope with it."
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I was pretty happy with his 2013 and would be happy just to see a repeat in 2014. So long as he is used as a defender he's going to get pantsed occasionally but for the most part he gets the job done well. The occasional effortless goal from 55m can stay.
Jordan Lewis is not a stock standard player... He is a top 10 draft pick who has played 200 odd games. And his kicking is nowhere near as good as Hartletts....
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Dew was a rare talent but he was poorly managed by Williams in the end and his mind drifted. Won Hawthorn the 2008 GF. Any comparison I make to Dew talent-wise is favourable. and I don't expect Hartlett to turn into the Michelin Man.
So the second goal, on the boundary took no "precision" or "weighting". If this were the case wouldn't it have gone out on the full about 4 rows back? Like seedsman's kick in the elimination final against us.
His field kicking hasn't been that good in the last few years maybe injuries played a part. He does have his flaws just like any other player. I still remember him almost kicking himself in the head against the saints I think it was because he slipt whilst trying to get it forward.
Field kicking requires far more precision than goals doesn't it?
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If he plays every game next year, he will still not clock over 100 Games. Expect consistency from HH in 2015. Next year, hope for brilliance.
RussellEbertHandball
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Hartlett has a strong kick, he thumps it but is fine when short passing, but he is not a precision subtle kicker say like Simon Black is. If anyone saw the game where the Lions come back to beat Geelong from 52 pts down to win after the siren, they will know that the McGrath mark then goal after the siren started with a beautifully weighted precision kick form Black.
Black got a 15m chip kick from Yeo out of the back pocket. Black was in space at HBF on the grandstand side, took all his time to size up the situation, saw there was a zone and lot of players and put this beautiful pin point kick to Patfull running to the corner of the square, Patfull marks and kicks the ball and a Brisbane player slides to his knees right thru the centre circle and marks it and handballs straight away wide and back towards Geelongs goal and Zorko puts in a 30 odd metre pass to McGrath who has to jump and stretch high to mark the ball just inside 50m.
Hartlett wouldn't have done the kick Black did, he is good enough to do the Patfull kick and the Zorko kick which was good but not great. Hartlett probably would have cut out the middle man and kicked it long and so McGrath could have run onto it and marked it 40-50m out.
Ok found the footage, look from 2:40. Adcock was the player sliding thru the centre circle. Watch the footage between Black kicking and Patfull marking, pausing it to see how little space Black had to kick the ball into, to find Patfull. The footage of behind the goals is even better - saw it on AFL Insiders but its not on the net.
Wingard and Neade are Port's best subtle kicks where they weight the ball correctly so players can run onto it. But as we saw a couple of times they can both bullet pass it, when need be, and usually to each other. Wingard and maybe Neade could have done that kick Black did. I want Hammer to play on the ball, wing or half forward not half back and use his weapon to maximum advantage.
Good post. Hammer on the half forward line imo, every time he gets the footy, he will be a chance to score.
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I'd like Hartlett to be a regular booming threat at half forward but i'd like him to play midfield predominantly.
If he can hit the scoreboard every game we'll be a very good team.
If he can hit the scoreboard every game we'll be a very good team.
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if you can't run and break lines, he is the type of player who can clear the pressure 65m in any direction
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Hartlett would be a waste playing exclusively on a HFF. He should however rest, and break a tag, there
Botmax
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Agreed. Once we are at hf alot of the work is done. We need him to help break the zone across half back.
Most important kick is the one going into 50. He should be in the guts or on the wing, depending on whether he is being tagged or not.
I just want to see him get thru the whole year unscathed again (incl the preseason) and for him to continue to work on his defensive game when in the middle.
For those wondering how important he can be, there are some good PTV equiv vids on the Geelong website. They 'analyse' who they intend to 'target' in their upcoming matches. Hartlett is mentioned more than once prior to them playing us.
He just needs health, fitness and work ethic. Talent is undoubted.
I just want to see him get thru the whole year unscathed again (incl the preseason) and for him to continue to work on his defensive game when in the middle.
For those wondering how important he can be, there are some good PTV equiv vids on the Geelong website. They 'analyse' who they intend to 'target' in their upcoming matches. Hartlett is mentioned more than once prior to them playing us.
He just needs health, fitness and work ethic. Talent is undoubted.
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
yeah thats what i meant. When he's not in the middle or bench, he should be at half forward.
Ken got him to do a lot more defensive work this year. I think it was wilbur15 who said we found out this year he is as much an inside mid as an outside one. He did a lot of heavy work compared to previous years. Ken has gone to him at 3/4 time several times this year pushing him to lift and get us over the line.
faquito
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I'm hoping Hartlett will that momentum breaker next year. Too many times this year we've had run-ons from midfield clearances..
I think his shoulder needs to hold up in order for him to play that role. Earlier in the year you could see him bullocking his way through the centre and using his neat side step to get it inside 50.
Also hoping Polec gets a full preseason and lives up to his potential to add another worry for the opposition in the midfield.
You could see from our year, when Boak got tagged Wingard and Hartlett stepped up (1st half of 2nd Showdown). When Hartlett got tagged Wingard and Boak (when Ebert gets tagged... LOL). 3 main targets in 2013, hopefully 4 in 2014.
I think his shoulder needs to hold up in order for him to play that role. Earlier in the year you could see him bullocking his way through the centre and using his neat side step to get it inside 50.
Also hoping Polec gets a full preseason and lives up to his potential to add another worry for the opposition in the midfield.
You could see from our year, when Boak got tagged Wingard and Hartlett stepped up (1st half of 2nd Showdown). When Hartlett got tagged Wingard and Boak (when Ebert gets tagged... LOL). 3 main targets in 2013, hopefully 4 in 2014.
