Who are the unexpected "footy smart" people?

[MaddAdam]

What is 'footy smart' anyway?

Some players just 'get' footy. They know where to position themselves around stoppages, they know when and where to lead at the ball carrier, they know how to pick the right option with the ball etc. Chris Masten would beat Sam Mitchell over any distance from a 20m sprint to a 10k time trial, yet he is caught holding the ball on a regular basis while Mitchell always just knew when he was about to be tackled and would swerve out of it. That sort of stuff is footy smarts in my book.

Someone mentioned Clarko. Was he footy smart as a player? I don't remember any of his career. As a coach he's clearly a thinker of the game. He doesn't just yell and scream and send his players out to get the ball the and kick goals, he has structures and strategies in place and more often than not they work (he did have good cattle for a fair period).

Short, fat and slow - and not blessed with Mitchell's disposal, but still got a senior career out of it. Yep, had footy smarts.

 

[This Is Anfield]

Greg Williams would be hard to beat in the footy smarts department I would think.
KB was bloody smart the way he went about it.

 

[RUNVS]

Also "footy smart" doesn't necessarily have anything to do with playing ability as sure someone could be smart in regards to where to run, and when they have the ball, but that does not mean they will have any clue about overall team tactics.

For all we know the 38th best player on Essendon's list could have the best tactical mind you imagine, it is just he can't kick and has the running ability of a pineapple. That does not mean he is not very gifted tactically and can see plays happening in an overall team sense that no one else can see, and thinks of ways to innovate new game plans.

It is one of the reasons why Buckley, Hird and Voss were failures because for too long the AFL community has equated being a very good player with being a very good coach.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Someone mentioned Clarko. Was he footy smart as a player?

A late bloomer. Not smart enough to avoid Barry Young's elbow though.

 

[Milanista28]

I'm surprised Andy McGrath is as smart as he is on the footy field already, I knew he was going to be a smart but he's already exceeded my expectations.

 

[Scotland]

Short, fat and slow - and not blessed with Mitchell's disposal, but still got a senior career out of it. Yep, had footy smarts.

And angry. Don't forget angry.

 

[Rotayjay]

Not sure longevity as an assistant means much by way of intelligence. John Barker has been duping AFL clubs for years.

Scott Camporeale says hi. Been in our coaches box since Neil Craig's decline and survived three changes of senior coach.

 

[HolyRioli]

Difficult one to judge isn't it?

Cameron Ling and Luke Darcy are two guys who were pretty smart footballers (Ling a tagger but to be that good at it you have to understand the game) and by all reports reasonably bright off the field in business and person life. Both pretty dumb when behind a microphone trying to describe football.

Clarko wasn't much of a player. When he speaks he mixes in a decent chunk of wisdom but there's also an edgy personality and he doesn't often expand many footy tactics or issues. But he clearly runs the smartest football program.

Bucks was an extremely gifted and footy smarts player. He's in the top handful of coaches when it comes to smartly talking about issues in the game. It might change but up until now as coach he hasn't been able to address a lot of the issues that have plagued his team.

With regards to Bucks, coaching is as much about teaching and communicating, as it is about understanding the game.

Bucks is extremely footy intelligent, and understands the technical or analytical sides of the game very well. However, my suspicion is his ability to teach younger players, and communicate what he wants in an effective manner, is his shortfall.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Also "footy smart" doesn't necessarily have anything to do with playing ability as sure someone could be smart in regards to where to run, and when they have the ball, but that does not mean they will have any clue about overall team tactics.

For all we know the 38th best player on Essendon's list could have the best tactical mind you imagine, it is just he can't kick and has the running ability of a pineapple. That does not mean he is not very gifted tactically and can see plays happening in an overall team sense that no one else can see, and thinks of ways to innovate new game plans.

It is one of the reasons why Buckley, Hird and Voss were failures because for too long the AFL community has equated being a very good player with being a very good coach.

Fair call but you have to think clubs are a awake to the risk in the modern game. Stevie J for example doesn't come across as a genius but he was on field coaching our forwards a last year, and I think is likely to be good. Lenny Hayes came to us one year from playing and with no coaching experience. The improvement in our mids tactically is pretty noticeable since he did. Your point is well made though.

 

[darcytiger]

I watched "The Grill: Coaches reveal their most challenging player" and was mildly surprised when Damien Hardwick named Jack Riewoldt and said it was because Jack probably has more footy smarts than himself.

Who are other players have surpised you with their football intelligence?

I always thought Peter Sumich was pretty dumb, (anyone remember those tip top ads) but have had this prejudice challenged with longevity as an assistant coach.

Shouldn't really surprise you that a guy who isn't overly tall, strong or fast has had such a good career as a KPF. He sees whats happening before his opponent and most others around him. Very good player

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Smart people find a way. Have had a couple of jobs where the smartest person in the team was the only one without a degree.

Martin's found a way.

Lol, c’mon. The kid hit the jackpot. He was blessed with superior strength, reflexes and talent that allowed him to dominate junior footy. Then he made his way into the most mollycoddled of industries on the face of the planet.

“He found a way”... no, left to his own devices to find a way he would’ve made a shitload of terrible decisions that had a very negative effect on him. Numerous people at Richmond have said that.

Instead he was babysat to stop him making those decisions... and those he did make, he had resources not available to normal people to get him through the consequences. Because he’s a very good footballer.

He’s probably grown / growing up but to suggest he just found a way through is pretty funny. He’s been absolutely blessed in his time at Richmond to have so many people batting for him. 99% of people don’t get that, because they can’t kick a footy.

He owes a lot of people a hell of a lot.

 

[WWSD]

Ty Vickery.

Conned Hawthorn for 500,000.

 

[schmuttt]

Steve Johnson was one who used to come up in the 'players that could coach' discussions in the last few years.

Mate, you finish year 12 FFS....

Why should you? If it isn't for you then why force yourself through it?

 

[RUNVS]

Steve Johnson was one who used to come up in the 'players that could coach' discussions in the last few years.

Longmire hired him and has proceeded to completely ignore him.

 

[Sttew]

I'm surprised Andy McGrath is as smart as he is on the footy field already, I knew he was going to be a smart but he's already exceeded my expectations.

Considering he wasn't born in Australia

 

[SloppyJoe]

Actually, not all that unexpected.

 

[avishka5]

There is a massive difference between footy smarts and actual smarts too. Dustin Martin seems to be very footy smart, often sizing up situations in split seconds and making the right decision but I heard last week that he quit school to focus on football before being drafted, signaling to me he is most certainly not "smart" in the traditional sense of the word.

Jack Higgins did the same and i remember one of his strengths was his footy smarts.

 

[avishka5]

Luke shuey. He also has the skill to go with it.

 

[Toump Ass]

I think that played a part in Melbourne taking Scully and Trengove ahead of him.

Yeah I think it's more to do with the fact that his father is a career criminal involved with an organisation that imports narcotics and murders people.

Consdier this: despite the AFL's strong relationship with local and federal governments, and the fact that Dustin Martin is the greatest footballer to ever play AFL, there's no strings that have been pulled to allow his father back in the country. WHY IS THAT?!?!?!?

Richmond have made no secrets about the investment they've made into keeping Dustin Martin from turning into a piece of s**t like his dad. Good on them for doing that. Melbourne didn't have the finances. Just be thankful we didn't select him, or chances are he'd either be deported like his old man, or more likely, in jail.

Now tell us one more time about how AWESOME it is that GOAT DUSTIN MARTIN plays for Richmond and how STUPID Melbourne were for not picking them because 50 posts about it a day just isn't enough and I want to see more.

LOL this post amused me anyway

Edit: Oh yeah I completely forgot; we might have also taken Trengove and Scully before Martin because they were rated higher than Martin.

Scully was the unanimous #1 pick, no question about it. And Trengove was a very good player with tremendous leadership skills.

Stop trying to re-write history.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Lol, c’mon. The kid hit the jackpot. He was blessed with superior strength, reflexes and talent that allowed him to dominate junior footy. Then he made his way into the most mollycoddled of industries on the face of the planet.

“He found a way”... no, left to his own devices to find a way he would’ve made a shitload of terrible decisions that had a very negative effect on him. Numerous people at Richmond have said that.

Instead he was babysat to stop him making those decisions... and those he did make, he had resources not available to normal people to get him through the consequences. Because he’s a very good footballer.

He’s probably grown / growing up but to suggest he just found a way through is pretty funny. He’s been absolutely blessed in his time at Richmond to have so many people batting for him. 99% of people don’t get that, because they can’t kick a footy.

He owes a lot of people a hell of a lot.

I'm not going to claim that perspective's not valid. It's just another (more negative) way of looking at Dustin Martin.

A lot was made of the "I was born to play AFL" remark at draft time. Another way of looking at it is, he knew what he wanted to do well before most kids, and he went out and made it happen. Yeah he got the wobbles up once or twice, but he's never been involved in anything too serious. He's living his dream, which is more than most of us can say.

 

[skipper kelly]

Longmire hired him and has proceeded to completely ignore him.

How do you know this?

 

[Ron The Bear]

Edit: Oh yeah I completely forgot; we might have also taken Trengove and Scully before Martin because they were rated higher than Martin.

Haileybury and Prince Alfred Colleges v Year 8 @ Castlemaine High. No contest at Melbourne FC.

 

[RUNVS]

How do you know this?

Well our gameplan has not changed in any way.

 

[skipper kelly]

Well our gameplan has not changed in any way.

Well it must be that Stevie J is being completely ignored.

 

[Luv_our_club]

Smart people find a way. Have had a couple of jobs where the smartest person in the team was the only one without a degree.

Martin's found a way.

Aren't we talking about footy smarts off the field:

- ability to communicate abstract ideas
- to analyse the game trends and tactics
- to entertain and be interesting
etc

Martin is clearly a smart footballer, but not necessarily a "smart" football person. Time will tell.



And we are also talking about players who surprised us in their post football lives, not just our favorite footy analyst. So it is totally subjective.... requiring the subjective judgment of "idiot" and then the "surprise".

I don't understand people saying... "but he is a s**t commentator....."