Of course the big story in the off season was Dylan Shiel leaving. This will be highlighted when we see him line up against us in a few weeks for the bombers. So how much do we actually lose and how can we cover that loss?
Lets dig a little into the stats
- Shiel averaged 25.9 disposals last year with a good spread of inside and outside midfield time. His average of 4.7 I50's per game is a significant loss for us, as is his 4.5 clearances per game. His tackling numbers are reasonable (3.4 per game) and bely some of the ciriticisms we have had of his defensive game over the years. No doubt, his biggest asset is his ability to use pace out of a stoppage and we will certainly miss that rare trait.
But lets look a little deeper into what is actually walking out the door here. I for one was constantly annoyed at his propensity to bomb it in to get the I50 stat. Often he is under pressure no doubt, however his I50 entrances were rarely pinpoint and often left attacking players camped under a high ball. I won't miss watching that.
Hi 6 goal return last year (14 behinds) was poor- certainly his accuracy in front of the big sticks wont be missed.
Lastly, his clanger count is too high for a player who spent so much of his time as an outside midfielder in 2018. An amazing 86 clangers in 2018 meant almost 4 of his 26 average possessions a game were clangers. He also turned the ball over a lot. Of his 595 disposals he turned the ball over 104 times to the opposition.
Yes we lose a big name.... but does it really hurt us going forward? Can the positives of his stat count be covered by a young player in 2019?
Lets dig a little into the stats
- Shiel averaged 25.9 disposals last year with a good spread of inside and outside midfield time. His average of 4.7 I50's per game is a significant loss for us, as is his 4.5 clearances per game. His tackling numbers are reasonable (3.4 per game) and bely some of the ciriticisms we have had of his defensive game over the years. No doubt, his biggest asset is his ability to use pace out of a stoppage and we will certainly miss that rare trait.
But lets look a little deeper into what is actually walking out the door here. I for one was constantly annoyed at his propensity to bomb it in to get the I50 stat. Often he is under pressure no doubt, however his I50 entrances were rarely pinpoint and often left attacking players camped under a high ball. I won't miss watching that.
Hi 6 goal return last year (14 behinds) was poor- certainly his accuracy in front of the big sticks wont be missed.
Lastly, his clanger count is too high for a player who spent so much of his time as an outside midfielder in 2018. An amazing 86 clangers in 2018 meant almost 4 of his 26 average possessions a game were clangers. He also turned the ball over a lot. Of his 595 disposals he turned the ball over 104 times to the opposition.
Yes we lose a big name.... but does it really hurt us going forward? Can the positives of his stat count be covered by a young player in 2019?
