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Past Josh Bootsma

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Very happy to have Boots signed for another two seasons.

We know he has some way to go but as it stands there is a heap to like about him. He's terrific defensively, is an excellent user of the ball and provides good run.

At times he gets lost out on the field but that can be attributed to inexperience and will no doubt improve as he becomes more confident and believes he belongs.

Looking forward to his continued development. Clearly gets along well with Malthouse and that alone will hold him in good stead.
 
Definitely happy to have boots around for a bit longer. Good speed and spoil. Few more games and kg and josh will be a very handy player.
 

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Certainly good at spoiling with his reach and closing speed.

Bootsma needs to..

Stop ball watching and improve his one on one defending. Like a lot of young players, he gets sucked into the contest, only for his man to end up with the pill.
Improve his decision making and second efforts.

Also needs to be cleaner below his knees, but this might come with added strength and confidence. Might be harsh considering Sydney's pressure and the wet conditions were too good for our more experienced players.
 
4 months on and I'm still not liking what I see.

Josh doesn't seem to like being on the park right now.
His body language says as much, he seems to have next to no communication with his team-mates and just comes across as devoid of confidence.

Sure he'll do the odd good thing on the field because he can but not nearly as much as he's clearly capable of.

It's still hard to say where Boots will end up although it really is his call.
 
I wouldn't be surprised should people take shots at Bootsma away from football.

For better or worse he's quite a recognizable individual and I'm sure there'd be members of the public having a little joke at his expense.
Who knows, maybe Josh doesn't even like going out any more and this is all just too tough and a quiet life may be more appealing.

I am just speculating of course, but some players do cop a lot more scrutiny and even ridicule than others and if you don't cope with it well, the life of a footballer may not be as much fun as it can be for many.
 
There are some pretty bad rumours on TC that Boots is ostracised from the playing group & feels totally alone.

Although they could be complete bull, they do sort of marry up to what we are seeing on field.
 
I did hear he was a pretty ordinary bloke and hard to get along with a while ago. If it's the whole playing group and not the influence of just one person isolating him then, well, as harsh as it is then he is doing something to cause that.

Footy clubs are ****ing hard places sometimes. Some blokes just do not fit in.
 

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I saw him regularly in the company of Menz last year, but with Menz virtually ensconced in the seniors & Boots a fixture in the VFL, he may be feeling isolated whilst running around in the VFL.

He also may be finding it a bit harder to fit in with the younger players now that he is an expectant father & therefore less able to hang around some of the boys outside of the football club.
 
It's a shame to hear that, because I feel he has a lot of potential and if he was in the right headspace (this is true of many young footballers) he could really be hitting his straps right about now. Has always had a lot of the athletic and technical gifts for a footballer - decent speed, tricky size, good skills - but there's that crucial bridge between talented junior and senior player, where he needs to 'get' what's required to make the most of his talent.

For what it's worth, I think the criticism he's copped has been grossly unfair. It's actually laughable that he cops so much flak. He was drafted at pick #22 in 2011 and has played 14 games. It's still early in that draft cohort's collective career, but surprisingly few have made a significant impact so far. I'd argue that a number of players in that draft have shown less than Bootsma, and I'm being conservative here:

#5 Matt Buntine (GWS) - 9 games
#10 Liam Sumner (GWS) - 10 games
#19 Elliot Kavanagh (Essendon*) - 4 games
#23 Murray Newman (WCE) - no comment required
#24 Henry Schade (GC) - 0 games
#26 Todd Elton (Richmond) - 1 game
#28 Fraser McInnes (WCE) - 0 games - also doesn't even have his own Wiki page, a common issue that holds young footballers back
#29 Alex Forster (Fremantle) - 1 game
#36 Rory Taggert (Melbourne) - delisted :eek:
etc etc

Hopefully whatever is causing this supposed rift with the playing group is remedied soon. I'm sure the Club is onto it, but whether it's the leadership group trying to get him more involved, or (if the rumours about him being a flog are true) for him to pull his head in. Maybe having a child will do something; he has an amazing opportunity to set his family up for life if he manages to forge a long & successful footy career - hopefully than taking it for granted, he realises that and seizes it. I mean, look how happy he is in my avatar!
 

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james Dean said:
West Coast were inquiring about him last year right? If they're still interested his value will be almost zilch so they might trade for him
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It was more that Bootsma wanted to go home, the dockers weren't interested and the eagles would take him for a nothing pick.
 
Cringle said:
He wasn't expected to be a best 22 selection by his 3rd year...
Click to expand...

He could have/should have been but he's gone now.

I guess most won't believe just how impressive Boots was in his first year on the track.

Marked everything.
Was the only player capable of running down Garlett and Yarran.
Spoiled just about every contest he had to.
Kicked 70 metre torps with ease.
Pin-pointed most passes.

.......................and now this.

Josh is going to regret not giving all of himself to his chosen field. Pity.
 

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Past Josh Bootsma

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