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Josh Simpson 'debut'

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Feel good story of the day. Seemed to fit in. loved watching the team get around him on a few occasions. Hopefully around for a long time not just for a good time.
 

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JunglistPosse said:
What a great "feel good" story. Loved see his face light up during the team song.
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Made me shed a tear or two
Great to see the joy on his face .The other half said it felt like one of our kids getting a game of AFL and being so happy just being part of it and wanting to share the moment with anyone who was in reach of a hug:rainbow::rainbow::rainbow:
 
After watching Simpsons tackling pressure last week for peel translate into afl form today all I can say is you bloody little ripper!!! When I saw him run onto the ground I was stoked then once I saw Mundy was subbed out became concerned it might allow essendin back into the game without him. Q the rest of the young midfield stepping up and Simpson providing the cherry on top. He has the ability to bring the best out of the players around him..... And that smile.
Can't wait for Kep to get back into the side so I can see my two favorite players compliment each other. :D
 
It's funny how there are certain players on your own team you just have an instant affinity with - josh is one of those for me.
Just great to see a natural footballer compete with the athletes by training as hard as and applying himself like a true athlete rather than just 'getting by' on the back of his skills.
I think a little something clicked for him today and he'll understand, enjoy and appreciate those extra laps, those extra gym sessions, the extra rehab.
He's got some great role models at our club and that fills me with as much satisfaction knowing he's being spurred on and encouraged by the others.

Looks like the joy was reciprocal today - such a great thing for all involved
 
salim malik said:
Made me shed a tear or two
Great to see the joy on his face .The other half said it felt like one of our kids getting a game of AFL and being so happy just being part of it and wanting to share the moment with anyone who was in reach of a hug:rainbow::rainbow::rainbow:
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His reaction after the team song showed that he now knows that he belongs and the way the players embraced him shows appreciation of his journey to becoming an AFL footballer.
This will be the catalyst for a great career if he keeps on track and puts in the work required.
 

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What a great debut. I felt so proud for the kid. I was worried he might drop his head after his 1st kick went OOTF, but he put his head down and just got to work. Half a game and 13 possies, 5 tackles - from a purely statistical perspective other maligned guys in the team often garner these stats from a FULL game. He did a great job today and it brought a smile to my face to see him fully embraced by the team after the song.

I just hope he doesn't get too discouraged when the likes of Fyfe, Mayne, Barlow come looking for their spots in the next few weeks, but going by today I think he'll be in safe hands.
 
Blokes bright,committed to Freo developing rapidly,won't resent sitting out for a better or more valuable player for team balance;but won't be sitting out cos he's slack.
Looks like a competitive beast to me;he'll be claiming a spot.
Sylvia probably should have a gink.
 
slicedndiced said:
'ken aye, that's a bloody good observation.

Benny could play a bit.:thumbsu:
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They say Benny was from Darwin and though he did come to South from St Marys, I always remember him being from WA, maybe a bit more north than Yalgoo but up that way. Then again could just be my memory trying to fill in the bits alcohol has forever taken. Anyway, dead ringer.
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Mockcockpit said:
They say Benny was from Darwin and though he did come to South from St Marys, I always remember him being from WA, maybe a bit more north than Yalgoo but up that way. Then again could just be my memory trying to fill in the bits alcohol has forever taken. Anyway, dead ringer.
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News to me. I always thought that Darwin was home base for him.

You are dead right though. Very similar players.
 
scon said:
Shucks salim malik you'll have me shedding a tear next.
But I agree it was friggen special and I ain't even sure why?
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I agree it was special, for a whole bunch of reasons - but primarily for the things he had to overcome to be there:

Firstly Josh got a lot of undeserved stick all through last season and this pre-season for being unfit, uncommitted, slack and effectively being a flash in the pan waste of a pick. His personal life came in for a lot of unfair scrutiny, numerous unfair comparisons were made between him and other troubled AFL players based on nothing but race, and some of the things said about him on this board in particular frankly turned my stomach.

Secondly, the guy got a lot of deserved stick for not running hard in *both* directions, not putting in enough defensive effort, not tackling hard and not winning his own contested ball. This was fair comment at the time, directed at the deficiencies in his training and his skill base, all things he had to correct to survive at AFL level.

Thirdly the guy was a teenage father suffering from a number of considerable off-field issues, with a lot of clubs staying away from him during the draft for this very reason.

To his great credit, the guy ignored and overcame the unfair and racist crap and got to work, with Freo giving him the support, training and structure required to get his shit together and work on his weaknesses (Michael Walters deserves special kudos here for being both a mentor and role-model in this respect).

Today his hard work and perseverance paid off and he got his shot. And as shots go, his was a pretty bloody good effort - According to AFL stats, playing only 44% game time:

- He racked up more contested possessions (8) than either Elvis (7), MJ (7) Suban (6), Tendai (6), Crowley (5) or Duffield (5)
- Matched the full-game contested ball stats of Clancee and D Pearce in nearly half the time
- And Laid more tackles (5) than any other player on the team, barring MTB (8) and Suban (5)​

He didn't just hold his own, he out-performed other star players in the same areas of weakness he had been copping flack for over the last 18 months.

Granted it's just one game and he still has to keep his spot. I wish him luck.

All that aside, for me personally the thing that delights me most is that this was a childhood dream come true for Josh. WE - for the most part - are all old buggers who started bleeding purple as adults. Josh however has supported Freo all his life and grew up itching to run out on the field in a Freo strip and give a fair account of himself.

Today he did that in the best possible way: living a dream that was earned, not granted. Couldn't be happier for him.
 
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Mockcockpit said:
They say Benny was from Darwin and though he did come to South from St Marys, I always remember him being from WA, maybe a bit more north than Yalgoo but up that way. Then again could just be my memory trying to fill in the bits alcohol has forever taken. Anyway, dead ringer.
10154161_632807023456899_1691493298_n.jpg
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This picture brings a little bit of extra joy to my heart! <3 :)
 
DMan 11 said:
It's funny how there are certain players on your own team you just have an instant affinity with - josh is one of those for me.
Just great to see a natural footballer compete with the athletes by training as hard as and applying himself like a true athlete rather than just 'getting by' on the back of his skills.
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Long way to go but so far its going to be an exciting ride.
 
Great effort by Simpson. Really made me smile.... Let's bit all get too over the top though. It was one, good solid half of afl footy. I'm sure Ross will be tempering things and telling him that yesterday's effort is just the beginning


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The way he talks about his kids, there's his motivation right there to keep performing. Great story


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