Player Watch Will Hoskin-Elliott

Aishole

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If i remember correctly Will played a wing/high half forward role in his first year at the club. To great effect im pretty sure... I specifically remember him leading the competition in uncontested marks for a lot of the year.

So to say he doesnt have it in him... you have short memories
 

Aishole

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I've just never seen him play consistently well as a half forward. In theory, his skill set should make him a fabulous hit up forward who turns his man on the way back in - I've seen him do a bit of the latter, but not much of the hit up stuff or any other way of being effective in the role outside of winning the foot race back inside 50. He just doesn't seem to get very involved in the role. To me, he's really dangerous when playing deep, but seems to go missing when playing higher up the ground.

No doubt that recovering from injury doesn't help, I just don't think you can go back to his form of 2015/2016 when he was a highly talented kid without many runs on the board and then assert he has and will always struggle to return from an interruption. His struggles could just as easily have been due to the natural lack of confidence of a kid without enough runs on the board, rather than about him needing extra loading to perform.

Go and check his numbers from early 2017. Was consistently good up the ground from many weeks. Led the competition in Uncontested marks for a fairly long stretch
 
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He always has that ability to do that special something.

But it’s absolute, he goes far better with a proper full pre season.
This season he has to catch up and that’s not his preferred preparation.

This. I don't think WHE will reach any heights with his form given his interrupted preseason and injuries. But he's real quality and can turn it on with a few minutes of brilliance even on his bad days. I reckon its important to consider who out of the 22 offers a more dangerous match up. I don't think we have anyone currently
 

Vankri

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Apr 17, 2010
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Even at the best of times he has a problem in bringing intensity and intent into his game. And it costs us because he’s below Cox or Reid in terms of how much pressure he puts in once we lose the ball or when it’s a 50/50.

But with his injuries and fitness issues it’s magnified. He’s lucky Wells got injured otherwise I’d say he would have taken WHE’s spot.

I’m hoping the bye gives him a rest and he builds back at the end of the year. It’s been while since we’ve seen his best. Probably haven’t seen it since his leg injury last year.
 
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WHE's never going to be physical, he doesn't have it in him. A bit like Ryan Lonie. But both of them what they do bring to the table they are elite, although it's different things. Everything WHE actually does do is class. He needs to get more involved but he's a damaging player. Excellent mark and great kick. He won't be dropped.
 
Even at the best of times he has a problem in bringing intensity and intent into his game. And it costs us because he’s below Cox or Reid in terms of how much pressure he puts in once we lose the ball or when it’s a 50/50.

But with his injuries and fitness issues it’s magnified. He’s lucky Wells got injured otherwise I’d say he would have taken WHE’s spot.

I’m hoping the bye gives him a rest and he builds back at the end of the year. It’s been while since we’ve seen his best. Probably haven’t seen it since his leg injury last year.
He doesn't stick tackles, but he's actually a really good pressure forward. His chasing and harassment is first class.
 
Too classy to remotely think about dropping. Playing his role and will get better.. Genuine game changer.
I'd have no qualms about giving him some VFL time to get his mojo happening, but I have a different view about blokes playing VFL. And don't see 'being dropped' as significant.
 

Vankri

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He doesn't stick tackles, but he's actually a really good pressure forward. His chasing and harassment is first class.

Don’t know about that. As you say tackling is poor, and pressure is hard to gauge but he averages around 8 pressure acts a game which puts him in our bottom third most weeks.

Yes he does chase but at times it’s because he didn’t position himself on turnover to put frontal pressure and has to chase down from behind.

A few efforts stand out in particular in games to me, when he could reach a ball by accelerating but doesn’t, or could impact a defenders kick by trying to spoil the ball but doesn’t, or could go help a teammate but doesn’t.

Might sound like I’m hyper critical, I wouldn’t care at all if his pressure was off but he kept impacting the scoreboard through goals and assists each week like he was in the first part of last season, but the fact is currently he doesn’t.

Needs either better fitness or better motivation/direction.
 

jackcass

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Don’t know about that. As you say tackling is poor, and pressure is hard to gauge but he averages around 8 pressure acts a game which puts him in our bottom third most weeks.

Yes he does chase but at times it’s because he didn’t position himself on turnover to put frontal pressure and has to chase down from behind.

A few efforts stand out in particular in games to me, when he could reach a ball by accelerating but doesn’t, or could impact a defenders kick by trying to spoil the ball but doesn’t, or could go help a teammate but doesn’t.

Might sound like I’m hyper critical, I wouldn’t care at all if his pressure was off but he kept impacting the scoreboard through goals and assists each week like he was in the first part of last season, but the fact is currently he doesn’t.

Needs either better fitness or better motivation/direction.

You could just as easily be talking about Thomas or Phillips with much of that. Even Sidey and Treloar to a lesser extent. Ultimately though, it comes down to team balance and while we can cover them with the inclusion of the Varcoe and (more recently) Brown types, I think the collective works as a whole.
 

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Killing it today

Very very skilled
 
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