Hislop's suspension confirmed

[Longy413]

You don't say..

Perhaps I missed the point, but mine was this: Week 1 or week 4, you'll still get a chance in the first team if you play well enough when you do play.

Meanwhile, you're giving someone else a chance to take your spot...

 

[Boris_Bewick]

I reckon Dyson's a hell of a lot closer to playing round 1 than he was before he played in the practice matches. Would have been pretty important to him.

 

[GmeUP]

The point is, and GmeUP read this closely because you have missed it as well, practice matches are important to the young kids partly because they are playing with the senoir team, and partly because they need to press for selection. Missing all of the practice games mean they can't impress and push for selection, as Houli has done. This is why missing all pre season games is a punishment.

My point remains about the point I apparently missed the punishment is also reflected on the team, firstly by not playing NAB we have no idea of where they sit in the pecking order atm because we haven't seen them compared to Jetta/Davey/Houli and the others. Therefore they are highly unlikely to be picked in Round 1 because we don't have the form to say they warrant selection. So basically they are also suspended for the first few weeks of the season proper anyway til we get a gauge on their form and they pick up the match fitness they are missing out on. However if they play these NAB matches and miss the first few rounds which they are going to anyway atleast the team a) knows where they are at in the pecking order and b) the players still get a severe punishment for their lack of respect for team protocol.

I just think he's used the double edged sword trying to get across a message and it's detrimental to the team.

 

[lamaros]

I just think he's used the double edged sword trying to get across a message and it's detrimental to the team.

Eh. As I said, the biggest drawback for players missing the pre-season is that they will be less likely to be selected for round one. That's about it. Knights is going to look at the pre-season performances and see if th players are doing what he wants them to do and how well they are doing it. He's not going to get carried away because it happens to be against other AFL teams as they are also messing about, nor is he going to get carried away if a player gets a lot of possessions. When he's looking at the games I'm sure he has a gameplan and style in mind and he wants to see how well the boys demonstrate their ability to fit into that plan. He will also look for this in training, from past seasons, and from the reserves (when they start playing). Thus, while missing out on pre-season games is a punishment of sorts for the players, it is not overly severe.

As for it being double-edged, that is only the case if the players beign punished are seen to be safely in the best 22 and that by missing the pre-season they will be worse than they would otherwise, and worse than anyone else who might come into their place if they need a game in the reserves because of this. In our case this only applies to Lovett, and I'm not so sure he's so much better than our other options that is he missed round 1 we'd be much weaker, nor do I think that he'll be a lot less fit for the role he will play in the game is Knights selects him: Forward and rotating a bit in the midfield doesn't necessarily require pre-season games to ensure you're up to the job.

It is a punishment to the player, but not a huge one top 22 or otherwise, and it's even less of a punishment to the team. Good discipline and a focused team is a better reward than a little bit more match fitness or one young guy getting the chance to impress a couple weeks faster.

 

[lamaros]

Meanwhile, you're giving someone else a chance to take your spot...

If you're good enough (better than the guy who takes your place) to be in the team then you'll take that spot back once to show your quality in the reserves. Knights doesn't seem so stupid that he's still going to pick a guy based on a little bit of pre-season form once the real thing gets going. If it's a 50/50 then you're unlucky, but that should just drive you to preform even better.

 

[Longy413]

Are you actually trying to say something or are you just posting for the sake of it?

 

[lamaros]

Is that meant to be ironic or are just one of those really stupid people?

 

[Longy413]

Speaking of irony...

If you bothered to read the context of what I was saying and took notice of where it was directed, you would have seen I was pro-punishment and deemed it suitable to the offence.

You started to go off on some tangent about him making it anyway if he was good enough and being pro-Knights.

I never spoke out against Knights and I never wrote this off as being the end of Hislop's career.

Take a deep breath and have another read...