The 'Recruit'

[Powerstufff]

... That being said, having a go at him (Waylen) for quitting on the paddle board is real stiff. The blokes barely been in the ocean and he's asked to paddle 4kms in to shore ....

It's a reality show and there was always going to be this sort of stuff. In fact lots of clubs have this sort of thing in their pre-seasons too. Much as many of us liked the guy he quit the straight selection process in 2011, and this show now. Sorry, but he does deserve a paddling, an appropriate punishment.

.... In the end none of them were good enough at the challenge! .....

Not really true. None were good enough to beat an Iron Man, few surprises there. A reasonable number motored on OK but interestingly none mastered the kneeling on the board style of paddling. Also a few abortive attempts to keep the group together slowed down a few of them.

 

[Wiz_23]

Not really true. None were good enough to beat an Iron Man, few surprises there. A reasonable number motored on OK but interestingly none mastered the kneeling on the board style of paddling. Also a few abortive attempts to keep the group together slowed down a few of them.

I honestly reckon 90% of players in the AFL would have beaten them and given most of them don't have stand out natural ability, I reckon it's fair to say they were pretty poor.

 

[jacross]

Doing something hard when you're exhausted is what makes AFL football so hard.

Ding Ding Ding Ding!

 

[Lavan Ruban]

Manson unfortunately doesn't have the mental side to play at the highest level which cuts up his self esteem to. Would be a very good state level player but unsure if an AFL side would take the risk unless a rookie list pick is on the table. Even during his interview last night I don't know if anyone else noticed, but I could sense that he'd given up on any AFL career and was happy just to play state league like WAFL or VFL if his currently in the VAFA

I was a bit surprised at that too, almost gave away a professional or semi-professional career with what he said. Nonetheless, he's playing some good footy for Beaumaris and I wouldn't be surprised if a club used a rookie selection on him.

 

[NSWCROW]

Goss is a flog

 

[Taylor]

Is Manson living with Voss now?

 

[HBFlanker]

Is Manson living with Voss now?

Surely not

 

[Wiz_23]

Is Manson living with Voss now?

I heard he was living with Jason Mifsud

 

[getgaff]

I heard he was living with Jason Mifsud

Think he is in a mates and possibly living relationship between Manson and Misfud. Waylon recently nominated Misfud for the Ice Bucket Challenge

 

[Engimal]

I really do wish they'd (the AFL and clubs themselves) put as much effort in to acclimatizing indigenous kids as they do with "transforming" international players that have no idea just because they're tall and can jump.
So sick of seeing athletes rather than footy players.

Spot on. It'd be a hell of a lot easier going from a US city to Melbourne than it would be going from an indigenous community to Melbourne.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

I spoke to Chris 'spud' Moreland and he isn't giving anything away.

 

[eastfreo75]

Waylens the only one of these battlers who has the tools to ever be an AFL success. Doesn't have the mental side, but the other player don't have the athleticism / size / talent.

I think you're right, but I would risk a rookie list spot for him. Low cost, high reward.

 

[eastfreo75]

Waylens the only one of these battlers who has the tools to ever be an AFL success. Doesn't have the mental side, but the other player don't have the athleticism / size / talent.

I think you're right, but I would risk a rookie list spot for him. Low cost, high reward.

 

[TigerTime3]

Why do AFL clubs require indigenous players to walk in and become mentally, socially, and culturally in alignment with western big city values?

If they get the best out of themselves and get themselves in peak condition physically by following a professional diet and training regime on the track etc, why do they have to do anymore than that?

I think AFL clubs too often make the error of saying "if he's not mentally tough enough to do X, then he can't do Y at AFL level". There are too many hidden cultural variables muddying those waters. Yes, if a big city westerner failed those challenges, they're correct to say they're not mentally tough enough, but you can't apply that thinking to all cultural groups. It doesn't work.

There's assimilation and integration - the former being when you make people become like you, the later is when you allow them to co-exist with you while retaining their identity.

 

[TigerTime3]

They're also not paying enough attention to the psychological and emotional pain collectivist groups of people often feel when they think they're a burden to their group. The fact Waylen keeps putting himself down is partly a reflection of his acknowledgment of letting his teammates down in these abstract challenges.

 

[Big Bryza]

No. What interests me is that the winner of this show is guaranteed an AFL spot. How is that engineered? Does the winner get put in the draft pool and everyone cross their fingers he gets picked up? And if he doesn't is he put onto a selected club's list for say a 4th round pick? And if so how is that club selected? I'd say there may be an arrangement with Collingwood given a couple of instances of them being involved in this show.

Eddies production company run the show so that would be the Collingwood connection.

 

[Taylor]

It's the ability to follow the professional programme that they question.

Slugging it out running laps and in the gym isn't football but it's required.

If the coach knew that standing on his head would make the player better it's not up to the player to argue, they just stand on their head.

 

[TigerTime3]

It's the ability to follow the professional programme that they question.

Slugging it out running laps and in the gym isn't football but it's required.

If the coach knew that standing on his head would make the player better it's not up to the player to argue, they just stand on their head.

Disagree, that's a western attitude only.

If Waylen can kick goals, lay tackles, follow the gameplan and have his teammates believe in him (ie. he's accepted), then he should try and do all those things but should not be banished if his mentality restricts him because he thinks they're stupid and pointless.

However, I doubt he thinks gymming is pointless, since there's a direct cause and effect with your performance on the field.

Hypothetically, if we found out that Gary Ablett wanted to be treated differently from the group due to cultural worldview and said he wanted to eat McDonalds every week, but kept up his form, what do you do? The only risk is for less talented teammates to follow suit... But what if they are accepting of him being different to them? We're taught to 'treat everybody the same' but what if they're not the same?

It's challenging, but at the moment I think AFL people oversimplify it by expecting indigenous players to conform to a western city culture way of living rather than allowing them to integrate.

 

[Taylor]

I question his ability to actually perform as expected if he gets to set his own routine.

Pilates is the reason Judd holds his strength in the tackle, how will it sound when the coaches ask their players to do the Pilates and yoga and they say no way I'm here to play football.

Effort is effort is results.

 

[Powerstufff]

Why do AFL clubs require indigenous players to walk in and become mentally, socially, and culturally in alignment with western big city values? ....

They require it of all their players. That is where they are based, where they play. White country kids have to adjust and there are other culturally/geographically different players in the mix too.

 

[TigerTime3]

They require it of all their players. That is where they are based, where they play. White country kids have to adjust and there are other culturally/geographically different players in the mix too.

Country vic to metro vic is not a worldview dissonant experience.

They're applying one set of expectations to all groups of people and this is fundamentally wrong.

 

[66sainter]

Went and watched Gossy play today and wouldn't have touched it more than 5 times, was very dissapointed in his performance. Makes me think about the standard of all 'the recruit' players if Gossy is meant to be one of the best.

 

[master bate]

Why do AFL clubs require indigenous players to walk in and become mentally, socially, and culturally in alignment with western big city values?

If they get the best out of themselves and get themselves in peak condition physically by following a professional diet and training regime on the track etc, why do they have to do anymore than that?

I think AFL clubs too often make the error of saying "if he's not mentally tough enough to do X, then he can't do Y at AFL level". There are too many hidden cultural variables muddying those waters. Yes, if a big city westerner failed those challenges, they're correct to say they're not mentally tough enough, but you can't apply that thinking to all cultural groups. It doesn't work.

There's assimilation and integration - the former being when you make people become like you, the later is when you allow them to co-exist with you while retaining their identity.

Did you see Waylen with his shirt off? He's skinny fat. No muscles and we know he doesn't have great endurance. So he's not in peak fitness. It would take a solid preseason for him to be able to get a kick at AFL even if he is as talented as Jurrah. Then he'd have to take it up a notch the next preseason and over and over to keep improving so he was a regular performer.

The thing for Waylen is Jurrah, his cousin Liam Patrick (GC), Amos Frank (Haw) and Zephi Skinner (WB) have all been remote community kids and have failed. You can probably add Josh Simpson (Freo).

It's why I think the whole pathway used for other kids probably doesn't work for remote community guys. Most under 18 draftees have already spent 12-24 months adapting to be elite athletes. You hear all the time about the kids getting drafted doing AFL style preparation and rehab for games and hiring additional fitness trainers and preparing for AFL fitness etc. Someone like Waylen has to adapt to being away from his community and then also come from a low base to elite athlete. Be it a school, academy or just a program at state league level post draft age I think there needs to be a way to transition these guys one step at a time.

Waylen was never going to go from remote kid to AFL player in 10 weeks. A club wouldn't take that risk. Him playing state league WAFL/SANFL/VFL would be a huge step forward not a disappointment.

 

[Torz]

Have they shown any footage of Padraig kicking the ball yet?

I'm not sure I've even seen him with a footy in his hands.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

The thing for Waylen is Jurrah, his cousin Liam Patrick (GC), Amos Frank (Haw) and Zephi Skinner (WB) have all been remote community kids and have failed. You can probably add Josh Simpson (Freo).

While I definitely agree with the overall sentiment, a lot of these guys had other issues as well. Jurrah is self explanatory. Patrick just wasn't very good. Frank could barely speak English and it made it incredibly difficult for him to learn team structures and be coached in general. Skinner may have been flashy but he was pretty well useless on a footy field. Simpson you have a point with if he isn't able to turn it around (although Walters was similar when he first came in). I can see the point you're making but I think Waylen's biggest issue is his defeatist attitude, rather than the fact that he's from a remote community.