When will sidebottom get a game????

[Professor Knowall]

FFS - Sidebottom was never a chance for selection for his first ever game after only a 5 day break from the slog in Bendigo. How can this obvious fact be completely missed here?

 

[footyfan_25]

Sidebottom could be a chance this week if Beams misses with injury.

Any update on the beams injury? Dont think Ch 7 even picked up that he didnt play most the 2nd half, or that he was in fact injured !!

 

[Quicky]

I don't think his form warrants selection simply because of his position in the draft, and lets be honest, that is where this drive for his selection comes from. If he was a mid ranged draft pick, this hysteria wouldn't exist around him...

I never said that and I never would. All I offerred were reasons for why I believed he was a good selection and why some other players weren't. I didn't realise it was a prerequisite to be an employee of the club to make a comment on selection decisions This is a fan forum and I have every right to express my opinion.

If his form warrants selection, as you believe, he will get selected... Simple. There is no vendetta against him or anything of the sort.

Don't put words in my mouth. I never said there was a vendetta against him at the club.

Like I said before, if you are expecting guys like Sidebottom to come in and fix gaping deficiencies in our team then you are sorely mistaken.
Of course he has attributes we view as desirable at the top level, we wouldn't have drafted him otherwise.
The exact same was said of Barham two weeks again, he has pace to burn, breaks the lines and puts his head over the ball. It is easy to put forward a case for these youngsters, they all have some outstanding redeeming factors, but more often than not they don't instantly flourish at the top level. I just don't see any need whatsoever, with the exception of pleasing the ever needy fan, to rush this kids development.
If he is good enough, he'll prove it over time, simple.

Again don't put words in my mouth. You seem to have a real problem with this. I never said that Sidebottom would fix the "glaring deficiencies in our list" merely that his attributes and form were valueable to the team and warranted selection. I'm not a needy fan who needs to rush the young players (I didn't say include Rounds or Blight or Blair did I??) I just suggested that Sidebottoms playing qualities and form deserved selection and that there was no need to hold him back based on his age - which I believe is a ridiculous premise. If you're good enough you're old enough.

The fact that 5 out of the 7 guys you said there are already regular fixtures in the side should probably tell you we are already well on the way to that goal (McCarthy would probably be playing injury excepting).
All of those guys were deemed ready to play, some sooner then others, and it goes to prove our selection committee and our club isn't afraid to blood them, so why are we ostracising them as if they never make the tough calls? It would be safe to say we were up there at the top of the lists for amount of youngsters, our playing group age and probably for the new players brought in this year.
This ever hungry fan group won't be pleased though. We blooded Beams very early, clearly we deemed him ready and rightfully so, so why so much doubt over the selection of Sidebottom?

Good point and it's great to see them getting played. All I was suggesting was that Sidebottom should also be playing. The reason I am ostracising the selection committee is because I feel they deserve it. We have played Fraser solo too long and it cost us last week. We continually select a team that is too tall. This was addressed before the game tonight when Rocca was dropped but again it cost us last week. We still have players that are either too willing to shirk a contest or whose disposals are not up to standard. I thought Corrie would fail to address this problem tonight but I was wrong and he was fantastic. I still hold to my argument that we have been too tall (a fact partially vindicated tonight I feel with the selection changes) and that Fraser is being needlessly exposed in the ruck(however it's hard to say this week with Woods injury). I think Frasers almost injury tonight attests to that. Where would we be if Fraser goes down??

It doesn't take long for the mentality of a group to change, it was only 6 weeks ago we were talking finals and how successful our year would be. Now the tone seems to imply we might as well tank and just play kids for the year.
It is pretty easy to forget we are a combined total of like 8 points (I forget the Crows margin) away from being 4-1?

I guess you're referring to the Collingwood board as a whole here?? Personally I don't think anyone is implying that we should tank - I certainly havn't heard anyone post this so I think you're wrong in this assumption. You put the argument that we could easily be 4-1 but the fact is we're not!!! The question that needs to be asked is why???

In saying all this I do think he will play in the coming weeks, I just don't understand the outcry for it to be put into motion. If this kid is going to play for the club for the next 10 years, surely there is no rush. The VFL is a brilliant stepping stone and provides a great transitional step for the kids, at the moment he'll be getting far more time of the ground and time with the ball in his hands then he would be at the top. It would be great experience and I'm sure he isn't minding it down though.

Fair enough. You're saying why rush him if it might be detrimental to him, I am saying why wait if his form is good enough. We'll just agree to disagree I guess.

In the end what it all boils down to, is there are blokes that have so much more knowledge on where Sidebottom is at then you or me and at the moment they believe the VFL is best for him. If you think they are doing it wrong, I urge you to go down and apply for a job, til then we probably just had to cop their decisions on the chin and support the 22 blokes that do roll out onto the field

Are you suggesting that I need to be an employee of the club before I make any comment regarding selection decisions??? I am a passionate Pies supporter and have every right to comment on this topic or any topic regarding the club. I think criticism if put forward in the right way is a positive thing for the club. We should be asking these questions lest we accept mediocrity. This is a fan forum and exactly the sort of platform where people have the right to comment and offer their opinions on everything Collingwood.

Sorry about the length of the post

No worries, sorry about mine

 

[DoubleO7]

When will Sidebottom get a game? Once he cracks the 40 possession mark, kicks 4 - 5 goals and lays about 11 - 13 tackles per game.

 

[MAKESHIFT]

When will Sidebottom get a game? Once he cracks the 40 possession mark, kicks 4 - 5 goals and lays about 11 - 13 tackles per game.

No why would he Stanners still has not. - He gets way more possessions each week and still waiting.
Siddy welcome to Stanners world....

 

[pipeline]

There are a lot of very valid reasons for a lot of our VFL players to be playing, just like there are a lot of valid reasons for them not to be. etc, etc

What an amazingly sensible post. Invig, you're going to damage our reputation on BigFooty if you keep doing this! Great work.

 

[swiftdog]

From what I've heard, Sidey seems to get most of his possesions during a purple-patch within the game as opposed to a solid 6-7 possesions per quarter throughout the game. Can anyone who's been to the games confirm this? If this is the case then I don't think he has warranted selection yet, he won't be able to have these purple-patches at AFL level and we can't afford to let another player go missing throughout a game.

 

[mattys123]

It is time.

Time for Rusty to make his debut, on the biggest stage, live around the country on a Monday night.

Beams will probably not play, and that gives us the perfect opportunity to debut Sidebottom against StKilda.

Don't hide him anymore, let's see what he can do against top opposition. Even if he under performs, the night will teach him more then 10 weeks at VFL level ever would.

He is part of success in the future, and has to come in this week. His performances compared to McCaffer, Dick, Barham and Beams at VFL level before they were selected has been superior, so it is time.

Plus, I need a midfield backup in SC now Beams and Ablett will miss.

 

[pipeline]

From what I've heard, Sidey seems to get most of his possesions during a purple-patch within the game as opposed to a solid 6-7 possesions per quarter throughout the game. Can anyone who's been to the games confirm this? If this is the case then I don't think he has warranted selection yet, he won't be able to have these purple-patches at AFL level and we can't afford to let another player go missing throughout a game.

Not really. He's pretty even although he tires a little towards the end at the moment. I think he's only really had 1 of those crazy possession quarters when he got 17 but a lot of those were dinky foot passes and handball swaps. I don't think you'll see it as a constant feature of his game.