Remove this Banner Ad

Opinion Sidebottom

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Collingwoodity

Collingwoodity

Brownlow Medallist
Veteran 10k Posts
Joined
May 29, 2008
Posts
10,489
Reaction score
9,145
Location
Australia
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
SS Lazio
The guy looked like he was going to be a superstar.

Dominated the Drawn Grand Final and Replay.

Played very well in 2011.

Started well in 2012 and tailed off. Ok, fine these things happen.

IMO he was poor for most of 2013. Did not put his body on the line (and I know it's not only about that) but he seems to be playing like Bryce Gibbs atm.

I am a little concerned. Overreaction or appropriate reaction?
 
He got third in the Copeland trophy last season. He's one of the most composed, fittest, consistent and durable young players on our list. I have no idea why people think he is in trouble or that we should trade him. He plays two bad NAB games and people panic.

Last year he played all sorts of different roles so I think this hampered his development a little, I'd hardly say he had a poor year though.

He was in career best form in 2012 at the start of the season because he was playing more midfield minutes due to lack of Luke Ball. He did trail off that form, but he was still in good touch towards the end of the season, just not elite.

He doesn't put his body on the line in terms of diving to the bottom of packs (except for early 2012) or going back with the flight because he isn't the kind of player that plays that way. He is rarely in those positions.

He is a skillful, endurance outside midfielder and one of the top ten players in our team and on top of that he is only 23.

I hope he is a pie for life.
 
Yeah think he is a bit deceiving, he got on the end of a lot of goals when we were awesome now he's a bit more workmanlike. Still one of our better players.
 
I think people expected him to be in the Pendlebury league

I do not think he will ever be elite just a very good player think players like

Jordan Lewis
David Mundy
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

Christ_JM said:
The guy looked like he was going to be a superstar.

Dominated the Drawn Grand Final and Replay.

Played very well in 2011.

Started well in 2012 and tailed off. Ok, fine these things happen.

IMO he was poor for most of 2013. Did not put his body on the line (and I know it's not only about that) but he seems to be playing like Bryce Gibbs atm.

I am a little concerned. Overreaction or appropriate reaction?
Click to expand...

He finished 3rd in the B&F last year - how was that a poor year? Some supporters just have unrealistic expectations of players. Not sure what else he could've done?

Easily a best 18 player any day of the week, with elite endurance. Sure I don't like some of his loopy handballs and kick but he's a gun, maybe not a super satr like Pendles / Swan, but equally important to the team IMO
 
Chilli Con Incarnate said:
He got third in the Copeland trophy last season. He's one of the most composed, fittest, consistent and durable young players on our list. I have no idea why people think he is in trouble or that we should trade him. He plays two bad NAB games and people panic.

Last year he played all sorts of different roles so I think this hampered his development a little, I'd hardly say he had a poor year though.

He was in career best form in 2012 at the start of the season because he was playing more midfield minutes due to lack of Luke Ball. He did trail off that form, but he was still in good touch towards the end of the season, just not elite.

He doesn't put his body on the line in terms of diving to the bottom of packs (except for early 2012) or going back with the flight because he isn't the kind of player that plays that way. He is rarely in those positions.

He is a skillful, endurance outside midfielder and one of the top ten players in our team and on top of that he is only 23.

I hope he is a pie for life.
Click to expand...

You raise some good points, but averaged under 100 dream team points last year. Can hardly call it a good year
 
This is my issue with Sidey, when he is good he is good but when he is poor he is Sh!th0use. Needs to be more consistent and needs to narrow the cavern between his best and worst football. He has great endurance but really lacks pace and today's game -whether we like it or not- really favours teams with plenty of dash, (out of defense, through the midfield particularly). I am also not too sure he likes to put his head over the ball and take the crunch when it has to be taken. He seems to be one of those players that is pretty good at everything but elite at nothing (ok he has elite endurance).
 
peter9789 said:
He finished 3rd in the B&F last year - how was that a poor year? Some supporters just have unrealistic expectations of players. Not sure what else he could've done?

Easily a best 18 player any day of the week, with elite endurance. Sure I don't like some of his loopy handballs and kick but he's a gun, maybe not a super satr like Pendles / Swan, but equally important to the team IMO
Click to expand...
This^

To suggest that Sidebottom had a poor 2013 when easily it was his best season to date is ridiculous.
 
I've been an advocate for him to just play on the forward flank and try and be a goal scoring threat, as his dinky modes of posession, watching on, onthe outskirts of packs and fumbling drives me spare. Does not do enough damage, does not bodyline the ball enough, does not pentetrate and does not try and and penetrate.

The forward flank idea was due to games against Richmond and North early last year when he actually hurt sides by kicking goals, he had some reasonable midfield games last year, but nowhere near enough and even in some games where he was decent, he made a crucial error where he was trying to be too much of a smart arse with the ball and it cost us. Freo game is a prime example of this.

I didn't agree with the best and fairest result and I will continue to be harsh on the guy, mainly because I think he often gets too easy a ride/ does not get enough scrutiny.
 
Has to play as a forward flanker to have the most effect. He's great around goals and can hit up a leading target. Forget about playing him as a mid/half back, it's not playing to his strengths.

He's never going to be a superstar player. He's just about hit his peak already but that peak makes him a very good player.
 
TheWing121 said:
You raise some good points, but averaged under 100 dream team points last year. Can hardly call it a good year
Click to expand...

Lies, damn lies and statistics. Could not be further from the truth. There are so many things that the club will rate in terms of their own KPI's against the team plan, that dream team points would not account for.

When you look at a players performance, most people will look to their own B&F as the best measure as it is the context of how they are asked to play a role within the team, and not just how many possessions they get.

For me finishing 3rd in the club B&F is a strong pointer to Steel having his best season yet. Make no mistake I think he has upside and believe he can become elite in the Pendles / Swan bracket but that will come with a bit more time and experience.
 
peter9789 said:
Lies, damn lies and statistics. Could not be further from the truth. There are so many things that the club will rate in terms of their own KPI's against the team plan, that dream team points would not account for.

When you look at a players performance, most people will look to their own B&F as the best measure as it is the context of how they are asked to play a role within the team, and not just how many possessions they get.

For me finishing 3rd in the club B&F is a strong pointer to Steel having his best season yet. Make no mistake I think he has upside and believe he can become elite in the Pendles / Swan bracket but that will come with a bit more time and experience.
Click to expand...

Haha I was joking mate I know DT doesn't mean anything, I am a big Sidey fan think he is well and truly in our handful or most important players
 

Remove this Banner Ad

He can accumulate the ball, but is too slow and not damaging enough on the wing playing between the arcs. Needs to be a high half forward, he'd be in the top 3 crummers at the club, is really creative in the forward half and could even be a 20 and 3 type player. ;)

With JT and Adams coming into the side, and Young injury free, I think you can afford him less midfield time without impacting the team. He's a good link up player, but I'd rather have him delivering inside 50 than from half back.

That said, he was a bit of a spare parts player last year, playing where he needed him and this idea that he was poor is kind of weird. He wasn't in blistering form like early 2012, but he had some ripping games. Consistency is a worry with Sidebottom, but again, I think having him at half forward will help with that.
 
His progress has always been pegged against Beams. In the early years he looked the more likely to become the better player but Beams is far ahead now. Good player but definitely needs to step up to the next level in 2014
 
Christ_JM said:
The guy looked like he was going to be a superstar.

Dominated the Drawn Grand Final and Replay.

Played very well in 2011.

Started well in 2012 and tailed off. Ok, fine these things happen.

IMO he was poor for most of 2013. Did not put his body on the line (and I know it's not only about that) but he seems to be playing like Bryce Gibbs atm.

I am a little concerned. Overreaction or appropriate reaction?
Click to expand...
The one things that's gone out of his game is the goals. He used to kick 2-3 goals a week. S.Sidebottom 4 goals is one thing I'd like to see on the stats sheet again. Hell he kicked 10 in a TAC GF. With him kicking goals out of the middle again would ease of the crap about us having to be so reliant on Cloke and Reid as key position players. We didn't need Cloke to kick bags to win games in 2010.
 
Last year, he was far and away our best midfielder in terms of deffensive running. In terms of Bucks's plan to defend through continual pressure on the ball carrier, defensively, he's just about our most important player.
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

He is a brilliant player yet the role he plays doesn't allow him to 'shine' like the others. There is no doubt he will be a very very good player for our football club in the years to come.
 
I might be going against the grain a little here but I must say I find him one of the most frustrating of players on the field regularly - the way he hesitates at times, comes across as so indecisive and that allows the opposition to man up/lock down options. Opportunities for quick ball movement down the ground lost.
 
Buckley has stated that 2013 was a year of experimentation for Sidey.
He did throw him around in various roles just to see how he coped. He has seen enough I would suggest and 2014 should see him in a role that is an important cog in any Premiership tilt.
Testament to the man is his 3rd place finish in the Copeland in a year that he was used as a pawn in the greater game.
If/when he becomes a free agent we will have to fight to keep him. 17 other clubs would love a player of his ilk.
My wife works with his mother. The family are mad keen Bombers fans......
 
When Beams and Ball was out he didn't step up. I remember a question being asked if Collingwood play well off the back of Sidebottom or if Sidebottom plays well off the back of Collingwood. It seems clear to me now that he plays well off the back of Collingwood. Has all the right stuff but doesn't use it consistently enough.
 
mike123 said:
When Beams and Ball was out he didn't step up. I remember a question being asked if Collingwood play well off the back of Sidebottom or if Sidebottom plays well off the back of Collingwood. It seems clear to me now that he plays well off the back of Collingwood. Has all the right stuff but doesn't use it consistently enough.
Click to expand...

He played every game for the year with an average of 24 disposals. If that's not consistent what is?
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top Bottom