Is Mooney something special?

[Markfs]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-03-04/tuohy-praises-irish-magpie

Carlton's Irish recruit Zach Tuohy gave his assessment of Caolan Mooney over the weekend. We know that the Irish boys are pretty tight but there was no one pointing a gun at Zach's head to make the following assessment of the Collingwood rookie

"He could be anything. I think he could be pretty special, actually. Hopefully he gets more games this year and continues to develop.”

"I think he'll definitely be a long-term player, unless he decides otherwise."

I bet Caolan got a real boost from his countryman's comments. Maybe he's been feeling a bit down trying to come to grips with trying to learn all the stuff that the coaches are trying to teach him. It must be a real help when opposition players boost your confidence like that. Caolan would be happy to improve enough to silence the endless stream of experts who give him the same obvious advice over the fence and in the forums...

So is Zach right or not...... maybe there will be a few out there who will be happy to see Caolan and Marty return home at the end of this year.......as the saying goes....Thoughts????

 

[HFF]

I'm still not sold. He has serious pace and does have uncanny goal kicking nous but his decision making is still a major worry. He needs to slow down and think. Too often he is one hundred miles an hour like Harry O and then gets caught out making the wrong decisions.

He is coming along ok but I wouldn't say he is something special just yet.

 

[blaze036]

I'm still not sold. He has serious pace and does have uncanny goal kicking nous but his decision making is still a major worry. He needs to slow down and think. Too often he is one hundred miles an hour like Harry O and then gets caught out making the wrong decisions.

He is coming along ok but I wouldn't say he is something special just yet.

He doesn't have elite AFL decision making after playing 20-30 AFL games in his life at an extremely high tempo? Well i never .

He was leading VFL goal kicking in his first year EVER playing AFL, his improvement has been rapid and once he gets accustomed to AFL speed and feels comfortable he will be something special in a few years.

I think if he keeps his head in the game he is a 200 game player

 

[Mungo Mulligan Stew]

Yes

Our Celtic Colt is special.

Caolan - along with the likes of Seedy and Billy Elliott, et al - has more upside than a Casino in Macau.

Aren't we the lucky ones - for having Derek Hine continually provide us with such a magnificent moveable feast of performances by these youngsters!

 

[Jelly Bean]

Possibly, but still a long long way to go. He still has no real feel for the game at this point.

As i said last year, I would like to see him get some exposure to other areas of the ground, perhaps a wing and/or small defender. I think he will benefit from getting the ball in more space, and can therefore use his pace with greater effect. Too often still, when he gets the ball (in the forwardline) his first instinct is to put the foot down and break away (which isn't a bad instinct) but since he gets the ball inside 50 most of the time, he has not enough space and ends up getting caught.

His kicking skills are average to above average, and his pace is exceptional. I am still optimistic.

 

[Scodog10]

He doesn't have elite AFL decision making after playing 20-30 AFL games in his life at an extremely high tempo? Well i never .

He was leading VFL goal kicking in his first year EVER playing AFL, his improvement has been rapid and once he gets accustomed to AFL speed and feels comfortable he will be something special in a few years.

I think if he keeps his head in the game he is a 200 game player

Could you please point out where DT13 mentioned that Mooney needed elite decision making??? I'd settle for below average because IMO it currently sits at poor bordering on very poor.

He's 19 going on 20 playing a completely foreign game in a foreign country and outside of the above is making a great fist of it! He'll get another year to develop in 2013 with no expectations so 12 months from now we may need a revisit, but for the time being its hard to comment on the long term with much confidence.

 

[76woodenspooners]

He's developing nicely.

But no way is he "something special" yet, and it's too early to say if he will be. I hope he will be.

For him to achieve "something special" status, his options are ...

(a) Master the dark art of the 'Krakouer role' of crumbing and creating goals out of nothing

... and / or ...

(b) Learn how to use his teammates (he's got a long way to go)

 

[wicksy]

No.

I remember everyone saying that Marty Clarke would win a Brownlow.

NEK YEAR

 

[jonbe54]

Has some special attributes but is coming from a loooooong way back in terms of experience and 'feel' for the game. It's easy to see the attributes that led the club to recruiting him but ease back on the expectations for a bit until he 'acclimatizes'.

 

[RuFiO]

That handball to no one when he was around 50 out was special alright.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

After the let down of Marty, I'm hesitant to jump on the bandwagon.

I'd put the output of Carlton's Irish boys above ours to this point in time.

 

[joefootylover]

I have been on the Mooney ( and the Witts) bandwagon from day one. Kid has incredible pace, good goal sense, a decent kick on him and ( we haven,t seen it yet) a massive vertical leap. he also has a good defensive mindset and lays tackles. He could absolutely break in to the 22 this year, as could Witts, and if either of them did it would be a year ahead of what was expected of them.

Thing with both of them is that they have attributes that put them way ahead of thier opponents on the field, once they fully realize this, they will start to exploit the opposition more effectively and you will see a transformation.

Basically once a kid like a Williams or a Johnson realized; "hey, I belong here, I can do this" you get a good to very good player. When a Mooney or a Witts has the same realization you get an elite player. Hope it happens soon.

 

[3066]

I'm still not sold. He has serious pace and does have uncanny goal kicking nous but his decision making is still a major worry. He needs to slow down and think. Too often he is one hundred miles an hour like Harry O and then gets caught out making the wrong decisions.

He is coming along ok but I wouldn't say he is something special just yet.

Yeah pretty much agree although I don't think he needs to slow down. Of course I know where you're coming from .... it's just that this brilliant chase downs and tackles within the 50 seems to be his best (and only) trick at the moment.

Everyone would love an Irish 200 gamer in their team and heck I'm proud like everyone else to see him running around .... but he is a loooooooooooong way to go. If he becomes consistent and say kicks 2 every time he plays a senior game then he'll get more attention and that's a whole new ball game for him.

No.

I remember everyone saying that Marty Clarke would win a Brownlow.

NEK YEAR

(sigh) ... ah Marty. It's remarkable he came back but the time out really has made him look average. What the heck happened to his kicking?!? I'm hopeful for this year but was disappointed in some of the things he did in the Wet Toast game. Marty said ages back he wanted to have an impact on games like Didak. ..... hmmmm...... I'm glad he is on the list but he is a depth player. I always thought he'd turn into a very good wingman.

 

[Markfs]

That handball to no one when he was around 50 out was special alright.

Did you see the two screw-ups in 10 seconds by Pendlebury? I would hate to make a judgement on his value to the team based on those 10 seconds...

 

[RuFiO]

Did you see the two screw-ups in 10 seconds by Pendlebury? I would hate to make a judgement on his value to the team based on those 10 seconds...

haha, nah I wasn't making a judgement on him based on that. Was just kidding around.
Although when you see something like that it's hard to even question if he'll be something special down the track at this point in time, granted he has barely played the game.

 

[rand corp]

Love his pace and chase in the forward 50, really helping us lock the ball in our forward half. I agree, he could be a really special player in time but for now he isn't doing his chances any harm.

 

[Bay Pie]

I expect he'll really improve in the VFL this year. He has improved already very quickly considering the number of games of Aussie Rules he's played.

I like his chances of a sustained AFL career and like most small forwards, will have his quiet and freakish games throughout this period.

 

[Seldom Seen Kid]

At the moment the only special thing about him is his pace, which if harnessed correctly could prove to be a huge weapon. But the rest of his game is still developing.

As said above, I think a spell down back could do wonders for his development. Having seen him play Gaelic Football as well, he always wants to use his explosiveness and carry the ball, even when it isn't necessarily the best option. And when your playing against inferior opponents it works more often than not. But he needs to slow down and appreciate that there are other ways of making an impact on a game, particularly in the AFL where players will be smarter and faster.

A stint down back in the VFL would perhaps give him a greater appreciation of the overall flow of the game and would potentially slow his brain as well as his body down, both of which seem to be going at a hundred miles an hour when he gets the ball.

But having said all that, I was hugely encouraged by his performance on Sunday. A couple of goals and an assist, some great chases and tackles which led to free kicks. Sure he made a couple of poor plays but he'll learn from that. Where he's at currently reminds of Ben Sinclair at the start of last season when he was making some positive plays along with some shocking skill and decision errors. He eventually ironed those out and became a solid senior contributer. Hopefully Mooney can experience a similar learning curve and his upside is really limitless with the pace he possesses.

 

[ksardog]

he is not special yet. when he is better with the ball than without it [ ie his chasing and tackling pressure ] my opinion may change. playing the leon davis 2010 roll well at the moment and hitting the scoreboard which is important for him and the side. i think 2014 maybe when we will get a definate opinion about his ability. progressing very nicely though

 

[The Royal Sampler]

His attributes are special, his play is not (yet).

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Right now he's like Usain Bolt. Runs like a cheetah but put a ball in his hands and he seems to just guess. Knows how to kick a goal but his decision making is something I wouldn't want to take into a sudden death final. Seems like a good sub choice throughout the year because his pace could really help... if he can hit his targets.

 

[TradeDraft]

Has the Potetntial to be something Special but Will he come that Good?

 

[Markfs]

Has the Potetntial to be something Special but Will he come that Good?

if we all man-love him and encourage him.......

 

[RuFiO]

Has the Potetntial to be something Special but Will he come that Good?

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

 

[Gone Critical]

I think he is well ahead of expectations already. He has a feel of where to go to find the ball and where to go to chase down opposition. At the moment the defensive side of his game is ahead but he is already a regular goalkicker. The way he is going about chasing down backmen in the forward 50 I can see shades of Rioli developing. If opposition sense him around them they will rush for fear of being caught.

Playing senior footy last year was impressive and he should have more AFL time this year. Could see him establishing himself in the 22. 4 games last year hopefully 10+ this year. As he has adjusted quickly to the game and has elite athletic attributes mean we should be bullish about Caolan