Universal Love What's up with Wylie Buzza?

[Johnny Cattery]

Schroder for me was a safe pick at pick 54. Little criticism when he was chosen. Good background. Contested type. Good kid.
One of my boys who knows his footy very well was convinced he was going to be a very good AFL contributor. Then he does so well at VFL level that he wins the VFL B&F. He can play.

I just couldn't see the upside (pull up my comments re Schroder (and then tell me how to do it)) to check. I couldn't see an AFL footballer in that body. Next thing he is gone.
Why did Schroder go? - he was a good footballer - had all the basics, but he had no stand out skills to get to the next level. Unfortunately my boy was wrong for once.

Anyway when Buzza and now Ratugolea are selected I wonder what the scouts look for. I think its not the basics so much BUT a top attribute.
Buzza's top attribute (one that is seen in most AFL level players) is his competitive attitude, tackling and big body. Ratugolea has the big body, great hands (from limited vision) and some very good draft measurement figures. Both lack a history like Schroder of consistently good footy over a number years U15 - U18.

It seems to me that those who spend all working days looking at speculative draft possibilities factor in the need for something special that will enable the player to survive at AFL level - IF the basics can be learnt. A lot are destined to fail. But thats the same as a lot of Schroder type picks.

In fact Buzza and Ratugolea are in direct competition because we are searching for another KPF. Which is a third factor. Good talls (KPFs)who know the game do not go beyond 30 in a draft very often. We are trying to save having to mortgage another future first rounder to get the Hawkins replacement up and about by spending late picks now.

So i sit back and enjoy the next experiments. Those who attend VFL games I hope would agree that it is great fun and it is watching these mini dramas unfold that are the icing on the cake. Lucey did my head in and then improved but was shown the door. Gore excites and then is gone. Cunico steps up and then stalls. Kersten in the reserves looks like a VFL footballer skirting the packs, while Lang looks a class above. Parsons is the next one to catch the eye and Hayball teases .

Ruggles completely escapes your notice and gets a rookie listing and Stewart and House grow before your eyes - unmissable.

I guess I am just saying that I am pleased we have Buzza for one more year (do or die) and Esava has joined us. It won't be as smooth as the Blics experiment but if one stands up we are very much better off.

Great post, really enjoyed reading it. Goes to the heart of why I enjoy watching VFL as much or even more than the ones.

At this time of year anything seems possible, yet in the background the cold old story of the student's first day in class: "look right, look left, say hello, then goodbye. Because only one of you three will still be here at the end of the year." (Always best to sit on the end of the row.)

 

[Rockford]

i would like my geelong players to have good fundamental football skills, just as much as i would like my taxi drivers to have a car license

But you don't understand, if your taxi driver has never driven a car, and only crashes sometimes, what a story!

I think a better metaphor is would you prefer to have an experienced taxi driver with a license that slows down for every light hoping for it to go amber so they can milk every red light and gets you there 15 minutes late everytime or would you prefer to have a guy who might be new to the industry and just learning the ropes but potentially ends up competing in Bathurst one day? Still, not a great metaphor. I'd rather have the guy that might compete in Bathurst and in the meantime keep using the other 44 cabs on my list while we wait.

Realistically, the club would have done it's due diligence on every player available at each pick and if they went with Wylie then it's because they thought he was the best fit for our needs available.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Oh ok Mate - its a football supporters forum for goodness sake

Tell me mate - Hawthorn had all the knowledge - all the sports science all the access to the elite testing data and all the proven industry experts - yet they still picked Mitch Thorp ahead of Joel Selwood ?

With the later picks - its like buying race horses at the yearling sales - you can have all the knowledge expertise and all the rest of it - but its just a guess

This I don't agree with.

They aren't guesses, they know inside out exactly how good these kids are without any unturned stone, they spend 4-5 years following them before they draft them. That isn't in any way a guess.

A mechanic can assess a car and tell you it's in great shape, but you can't ever be certain that it won't break down or stuff up once you put it on the road. The difference with people who have no idea like big footy posters, is they are assessing the car by just opening the hood and quickly making a call or guess without much of the faintest clue. No different to recruiters drafting a kid. You know inside out the condition and talent of these players, what you can't be certain of is how they will perform once on a list.they are educated about the condition prior, we aren't.

 

[candiehappy]

he's about 20, played a handful of vfl games. Big kid who will take a bit of time. Talk about unrealistic expectations ...........

 

[candiehappy]

we just delisted or traded all of our key forwards

where have Hawkins & Menzel gone ?

 

[Frank Bunn]

Some spurious metaphors about taxi drivers and mechanics being thrown around. Reminds me of the schoolboy who wrote - 'The thunder was ominous sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play'.