Player development and selection policy

[GVGjr]

Over the years I've been a strong supporter of the selection process rewarding players who are in form. I'm not sure the match committee always follows that logic but on face value it seems to makes sense.

This year a few of the younger players took a step forward largely due to some opportunities that arose from some injuries to other players.
If you assume we have a better run on the injury front in 2019 could the gains made by the likes of Lipinski, Lynch, Gowers and Greene plus Young be eroded due to the lack of opportunities?

Sure Footscray plays a huge part of the development of players but do we need to do something a bit radical in our match committee selections to continue to fast track the development of the younger group?

Of course common sense has to prevail and if the team is winning games then changes should be at a minimum but I think we could still possibly strike a balance that looks at picking our best teams but also maintaining an eye on the future.

Is there any merit in having the match committee looking to continue the development of the players I mentioned above by rotating them into the seniors throughout the season?

I get that the best players should play but I'm not sure that is always the case and I'd like to think we just strike a good balance between continuing to develop players next year.

[Ghost Dog]

I've always thought Luke has a really good nose for when to bump someone up the order a bit and when not to. Thought the promotion of Roarke Smith was premature at the time but loved the way he took the game on. Same with Baily Dale, who looked very skinny and raw, but was quite composed. I don't see enough Footscray footy to know if their selection was justified, but Luke is not afraid to rearrange the deckchairs and make bold moves. Well noted, despite an average season, the silver lining was watching Lipinski, Lynch and Gowers blossom. Almost got Richmond's scalp with a bunch of kids! I've become very wary of injury and some left-field selections are fine if we have bigger boddies on hand to buffer them.

[mjp]

Nothing annoys me more than players spending 2-3 years on the list and never being given the opportunity to PLAY. If they never play a game, how do they improve enough to get to the level required...

The youngsters need coaching AND game-time in order to progress. This isn't to say we 'gift' games to players, but they will more quickly learn what is needed if they get to experience it rather than just being told about it...

[GVGjr]

Nothing annoys me more than players spending 2-3 years on the list and never being given the opportunity to PLAY. If they never play a game, how do they improve enough to get to the level required...

The youngsters need coaching AND game-time in order to progress. This isn't to say we 'gift' games to players, but they will more quickly learn what is needed if they get to experience it rather than just being told about it...

I wonder if we set a number of say under 22yo players that need to be played form permitting?
For example Lewis Young made a lot of progress in 2017 but despite injuries to a number of players received very limited opportunities in 2018.
If that was to follow again in 2019 come the end of the year he will have been on the list for 3 years and we wouldn't really be sure if he's up to it.

So many of the youngsters made progress this year and I'd hate to think that comes to a halt next year.

[AshMac]

Interesting post. At best I hope some good returning players just intensify the competition for spots and were forced to make list changes based on best 22 rather than injuries.

All those you’ve named did enough at times to show promise, would hope they’re all in contention, though from the list I’d assumed a spot is safe(ish) for Lynch and Gowers for them to hold or play themselves out of.

Personally I’m a fan of how Bevo gives players a crack, compared to a coach like Richardson that seems to use the young guys as scapegoats, playing poorly performing senior players over developing kids.

[Go_Dogs]

Because our list is transitioning and weighted towards young players, it's definitely going to be a balancing act in2019, particularly if we have a better run with injuries. Hopefully we can keep rewarding form, and that coincides with more opportunity for our youngsters.