Player Watch Sam McLarty (Delisted 2018)

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TheGreatGrundy

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Considering that he has a bionic ear that enables him to orally communicate very effectively, without knowing, I'd be willing to bet that well over 90% of his communication is done in English and has been for his entire life. Therefore I'd say yes, Auslan is his second language - if he is indeed capable of using it and if I was also to consider Auslan to be a language in the same sense as languages which have oracy and literacy.
Let's just give the guy credit for taking advantage of the system and move on. Personally, I hate commenting on any issue related to disabilities, race or ethnicity because I know that at some stage the PC police are going to have their say and are going to try and make you look the lowest of contemporary scum for daring to express an opinion. So long as McLarty can clearly hear teammates calling for the ball and knows the direction from which the sound is coming, I am more than happy to accept his VCE results.
 

Apex36

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Considering that he has a bionic ear that enables him to orally communicate very effectively, without knowing, I'd be willing to bet that well over 90% of his communication is done in English and has been for his entire life. Therefore I'd say yes, Auslan is his second language - if he is indeed capable of using it and if I was also to consider Auslan to be a language in the same sense as languages which have oracy and literacy.
He is capable of using it, and it doesn't really matter whether you consider it a language or not. It is an officially recognised language full stop.
 

Apex36

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So you're going to ignore my actual point to do some point scoring about an aside?
What was your point? Isn't the end result exactly the same whether or not English or Auslan is regarded as his second language? He will still have the implied advantage either way, just as other kids growing up in multicultural households have an advantage if their second language is a school subject.
 

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TheGreatGrundy

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So you're going to ignore my actual point to do some point scoring about an aside?
sr36 you will only sully your reputation by pursuing this discussion. As a person who grew up in the English teaching profession, I find the discussion interesting, but there is that treading on eggshells feel to the whole thing that tells me to keep my distance.

You should be able to discuss the merits of a VCE subject and its qualifiers, but though there is the time and this sort of seems to be the place, I don't think you are ever going to be declared a winner. Better cut your losses and find another thread of interest.
 

sr36

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sr36 you will only sully your reputation by pursuing this discussion. As a person who grew up in the English teaching profession, I find the discussion interesting, but there is that treading on eggshells feel to the whole thing that tells me to keep my distance.

You should be able to discuss the merits of a VCE subject and its qualifiers, but though there is the time and this sort of seems to be the place, I don't think you are ever going to be declared a winner. Better cut your losses and find another thread of interest.
Agreed. Must also be very boring for those who haven't worked in the field. After my initial posts, I decided to not add any more. I just find it very difficult to not respond to particular debating styles and techniques.
 

Vicky Park

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I can actually add something about McLarty to this thread. But this post comes with a warning - the following is not very interesting.

Saw him twice last Friday, when attending training at Olympic Park. First time when he came out of the Glasshouse, while training was going on, to sign autographs for fans standing at the race. He smiles a lot; maybe not as much as Steele, but he's definitely a smiler.:D

Second time was when I had left training, not quite before it was finished, and was crossing the road over to the river. I saw this tall guy in Pies training gear walking towards me, and it was McLarty. I asked myself - what are you doing outside the Holden Centre while the session is still going, even though you are not actually training? Surely you dont have to park your car along Alexandra Avenue, and have to feed your meter like mere mortals? If so, this is a shocking revelation...
 
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Apex36

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I can actually add something about McLarty to this thread. But this post comes with a warning - the following is not very interesting.

Saw him twice last Friday, when attending training at Olympic Park. First time when he came out of the Glasshouse, while training was going on, to sign autographs for fans standing at the race. He smiles a lot; maybe not as much as Steele, but he's definitely a smiler.:D

Second time was when I had left training, not quite before it was finished, and was crossing the road over to the river. I saw this tall guy in Pies training gear walking towards me, and it was McLarty. I asked myself - what are you doing outside the Holden Centre while the session is still going, even though you are not actually training? Surely you dont have to park your car along Alexandra Avenue, and have to feed your meter like mere mortals? If so, this is a shocking revelation...
What I got from this is that clearly you need to park on the tan instead of Alexandra Avenue. 2hrs free!
 
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Apex36

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LOL.. the discussion about English as a second language got heated. Some of your finest work there Apex!:thumbsu:
lol I wasn't even getting upset by it, more just trying to work out why people were getting so worked up over it! I'm still in the dark as to what difference it makes whether English or Auslan was studied as Sam's additional language. Like, how dare he take full advantage of the fact that he is bilingual to get him ahead in life! :drunk:
 
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Couple of points:
1. Wouldn't EAN be a standardized course at VCE? I am sure it would still be less difficult than normal English taken by all students.
2. Although many overseas/ESL students do well in VCE with poor English skills, I would imagine that most are doing science and maths rather than humanities subjects.
Otherwise I agree with your observations regarding the education system and how best to take advantage of it.
1. EAL is standardised, yes, but I'm not sure what it's like in high schools in Victoria ATM. Was speaking generally--relating it to your comments about other EAL/ESL courses, of which I've seen a wide variety. Of course, still room for individual teachers to approach it differently, albeit less at VCE level.

2. Some overseas students do take humanities subjects. I've seen second language speakers a couple of years in this country write better humanities essays than most native second-year university students (that doesn't mean most will, but some certainly can). To be fair, given the quality of our education system and university undergrads in general, they might not be up against much competition.
 

loki04

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Only seen that from MarkW. Have there been any others?
Pyeman said it pre draft that the knock on Mclarty is he is "lumbering" also reinforced it replying to Mark W. Someone also reported it in a training report on EBnW a while back.

MarkW is usually a decent judge.
 
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Found this https://www.afldraftcentral.com.au/tag/sam-mclarty/
Sam McLarty

Key Position Utility | Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro
11/05/1998 | 197cm |91kg
Player Comparison: Dan McStay

Snapshot:

After winning a TAC cup premiership last year, Sam McLarty has had an injury interrupted year for the Chargers this year. Sam McLarty, a key position player at the Oakleigh Chargers, this year has had a tough year as injury has cruelled his top age year after being tipped by many as a high selection for the 2016 draft. But his story to become a draft prospect is one of pure inspiration.

When Sam was nine months old, he was diagnosed with profound deafness seeing him fitted with a bionic ear.

This year between the Oakleigh Chargers and Vic Metro, McLarty played a total of eight games and impressed as a key position utility. In his games this year he showed off his vise like hands and athleticism in air. In his eight games this year he averaged 13 disposals, five marks and kicked four goals as a swingman.

A shoulder injury has seen him miss a large chunk of games this season, after tearing his labrum in April. Surgery in September ruled him out of the draft combine, but the school captain of Yarra Valley Grammar is still hopefully of a chance to be drafted.

Strengths:

  • Athleticism
  • Marking
  • Versatility
  • Rebounding
  • Decision making
One of McLarty’s biggest drawing points is his Athleticism. His speed and leaping ability is of the highest quality as a tall prospect. His speed is electric as a tall player which allows him unstoppable on the lead and allows him to take runs from defensive 50. His leaping allows him to take the ball at its highest point. This makes him a pack marking threat which in a draft that lacks height, might push him up the order.

Another trait that he has is his marking. McLarty has some of the strongest hands in the draft and it’s on show in contested situations. Whenever the ball is in his area you can see McLarty fly for marks fearlessly and usually pluck them in the air. McLarty in pack situations is very strong when he gets a run at the ball and can usually drag the ball down. On the lead, he is just as good as he takes the ball out in front and creates separation on his man. This marking ability keeps him in good stead as a key position prospect.

This year he has shown he can become quite an effective swingman when fit. After a good year as a key defender for the Oakleigh Chargers last year, he swung forward this year. This has allowed him to become a more effective player as he can be swung to the defensive end to have an impact if he’s struggling in the forward line or vise versa.

As a defender where he is most suited at this point has shown that he’s a threat on the rebound. This ability to grab the ball and go on runs makes him very effective key defender with ball in hand. Clubs would’ve taken notice of this and will be excited by the prospect of having a key defender who can run off like a halfback flanker.

Decision making is another thing that has impressed me – with ball in hand he is a calm decision maker as he often composes himself before dispose the ball to a teammate in a better position. This makes his possessions whether in defence or not worth more than most players as a key defender.

Improvements:

  • Forward smarts
  • Ground pressure
One thing he lacks despite being touted as a good forward is his forward smarts. As a forward, McLarty can look a bit lost as he tries to make leads to areas where he won’t get the footy. This really limits his impact as a forward despite him being a great mark of the footy. This can be fixed easily better coaching at the elite level.

McLarty despite being mobile struggles with creating pressure on the ground. This is something that will have to be improved as players despite getting taller are better on the ground then ever. This might have to do with committing in the air at every chance but it could do with a lack of work rate on the ground.

Highlights:



Summary:

A player Sam reminds me of is Brisbane lions swingman Daniel McStay. Both players have shown that they are adept at both ends of the ground and have great athleticism despite their size. McStay, like McLarty, doesn’t apply the best pressure on the ground and isn’t the smartest forward which overall limits their impact.

McLarty due to injuries looks like he will fall down the draft order and could be a valuable selection as a late pick or rookie, if clubs tick off his medical conditions. He has all of the raw talent for being a tall but will take time after showing that he will defy adversity to make it to the big time. He’s one of the few quality talls in the draft and could be a steal for a club who will be willing to take the raw tall prospect.
 
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