Walker

[prO]

Originally posted by leonmagic
I think you've got to remember that;

a) Tex has only played 15 odd games, only a couple this year

b) He started playing the game at (around) 14 yrs

c) He's played his entire career, apart from about 7 mins V's Sydney last year, in defence.

He gave a good contest, took a lovely contested grab and knocked up 6 scoring shots on goal...

I say great game Tex - his best yet.

Couldnt agree with you more...

His kicking did let him down throughout the game... but he used his big frame quite well, presented himself and took some good marks... He will only improve. Big guys like that take a while to become stars... and there were some good signs when i saw him play

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by eddiesmith
Is there any doubt that he is the worst kick in the AFL

He's not even the worst kick at Collingwood.

I see walker like this:

A good athlete with a big body. He might be the next Croad or he might be the next Kouta. Right now I think we may as well play him for the rest of the year and see how he goes. Our tall options are limited with out three first choice forwards, two first choice backs and our first choice ruckman out. Walker is a good athlete who has a lot to learn about footy. At least he has the physical assets to be a player which are in short supply on our list. He will need time to learn what a guy like Cameron Cloke does naturally. He may as well learn that in the seniors this year and we'll see how they all line up next year. Personally I am looking forward to seeing him in a bit over a seasons time with another 2 pre seasons under his belt and 18 months of weights. He could be a seriously dangerous player in more ways than one.

 

[Murray]

EddieSmith like you I don't believe every player that pulls on a Collingwood jumper is a champion.
It gets me in trouble sometimes but so be it.

I agree Walker is a dud, and I would like nothing more than to be proved wrong.
Walker (4th year) was on the ground for 119 minutes and had 9 touches
Rowe (1st year) was on the ground for 22 minutes and had 6 touches.
Someone tell me who we should persist with more?

Cole on the other hand will be OK over time after he learns to stop falling over and give the ball off before he gets tackled.

Glad you have an opinion and are prepared to argue it out.

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by Murray
Walker (4th year) was on the ground for 119 minutes and had 9 touches
Rowe (1st year) was on the ground for 22 minutes and had 6 touches.
Someone tell me who we should persist with more?

Both. Rowe is a midfielder. Walker is a KPP. A decent KPP is worth 3 decent midfielders and generally takes longer to develop. Just for some perspective, have a look at the trade deals for Croad. Athletic tall with limited football nouse and he's worth early draft picks even after he has failed at Freo. Then take a look at our talls. How many have any pace? Hall and who knows whether he'll make it. Not Morrison. Not Cloke x 2. Fraser does but he can't mark. Tarrant does of course.

If Walker was dropped off the list he'd go second or 3rd round in the draft based on his potential and a club would give him a good 2 years before making a call on him. The difference between Walker and Kinnear is thet Walker is already better.

 

[Murray]

Originally posted by MarkT
Both. Rowe is a midfielder. Walker is a KPP. A decent KPP is worth 3 decent midfielders and generally takes longer to develop. Just for some perspective, have a look at the trade deals for Croad. Athletic tall with limited football nouse and he's worth early draft picks even after he has failed at Freo. Then take a look at our talls. How many have any pace? Hall and who knows whether he'll make it. Not Morrison. Not Cloke x 2. Fraser does but he can't mark. Tarrant does of course.

If Walker was dropped off the list he'd go second or 3rd round in the draft based on his potential and a club would give him a good 2 years before making a call on him. The difference between Walker and Kinnear is thet Walker is already better.

I don't disagree with any of the above Mark.
I guess I'm talking about the amount of time we at Collingwood put into certain players on the basis of perceived potential.
When at other clubs they draft for immediate (within 12 months) results.
I could list 50 players that are playing senior footy after only being at a club for a relatively short time and half of them would be KPP. Why is we tend to spend so much time on 'project' players with very limited returns.

You raised Kinnear - what an excellent example.