Wallis

[mjp]

Re: Wallis

Can't believe wallis is even being discussed!
FFS the kid's 19 years old! We all want a flag and let's be honest if flags were nourishment we would have fair dinkum starved to death 40 years ago.

I am surprised you are surprised! Cooney was killed by supporters in his first year!

I don't like him being called soft. I am a bit like SS though in that I wonder if he has a single elite skill - he is good at most everything but just lacks the 'WOW'...Libber has one - he wins stoppages. I wonder what sort of player young Mitch will end up as?

He does remind me a lot of Daniel Cross at this stage though. I think that is a good thing (the attack at the contest will come) and if all of our draft picks turned into 200-game players we would be in a pretty good spot.

[chef]

Re: Wallis

The worry for me is his lack of a weapon. Even if he gets enough of it he goes backwards more often than forwards.

A poor man's Daniel Cross, perhaps, without the marking or the rabid attack on the ball.

The best we could hope for would be a Matt Priddis type, right down to the hair.

This is who he reminds me of in the way he plays, moves and looks. He is Priddis's doppelganger.

If he ends up anywhere near as good I will be very happy.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Wallis

Wallis' game is better suited to at least 3 pre-seasons under the belt. As others have noted, he doesn't have an elite skill - but he's solid in most areas. He needs to develop a hard, competitive edge and then other areas of his game will float to the surface. However, because he hasn't got the physicality/body/endurance yet, he's a little bit in limbo as he can't play inside or outside at the moment. As a result, his confidence perhaps took a little beating.

Could Wallis be played off a half back? Purely from a learning perspective, of course.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Wallis

Well this is true Ghost Dog, but our club will not survive into the future if we continue to enjoy the next game. We don't have a god given right to continually play in this competition and I for one do not accept poor performance, I want to win and win premierships. Our very survival counts on it.

The gulf between the have's and have not's will continue to get bigger and who know's there may well be a break away formed as in 1897. Our club as it is doing needs to strive to attain premierships and the relentless pursuit of excellence otherwise, one day, we will find ourselves left behind. Premierships attract supporters, sponsors, money etc and we need to keep ourselves in the top bracket so we will always have our club to support.

I understand your frustration and concern.
Agree that by the time cross retires, he should have developed to a level where we can really scrutinize his game. He wasn't AFL standard this season and that's why we didn't see much of him. That's also why I feel it's a bit early to be looking for a scapegoat for our wayward season amongst youngsters.

[Before I Die]

Re: Wallis

Well this is true Ghost Dog, but our club will not survive into the future if we continue to enjoy the next game. We don't have a god given right to continually play in this competition and I for one do not accept poor performance, I want to win and win premierships. Our very survival counts on it.
The gulf between the have's and have not's will continue to get bigger and who know's there may well be a break away formed as in 1897. Our club as it is doing needs to strive to attain premierships and the relentless pursuit of excellence otherwise, one day, we will find ourselves left behind. Premierships attract supporters, sponsors, money etc and we need to keep ourselves in the top bracket so we will always have our club to support.

I want a Premiership as much as the next person, however, these statements that winning premierships guarantee everything else will be rosie are just not valid. Port Adelaide won a premiership, Nth Melbourne won a number of them, where is their guaranteed rosieness? The day I get no joy from a Bulldog victory is the day I think about giving it away.

Re Wallis, I get the feeling the club is very happy with his progress.

[GVGjr]

Re: Wallis

One question. Did Scott West have an elite skill (especially as a 18-19 year old)?
From the relatively few times I've seen him play I thought young Wally has fantastic hands/vision, is extremely tough and is actually a pretty good field kick. With some more time he can be anything.

You can always find exceptions from the past but it often has little relevance. If someone had a questionable training ethic or was a bit of a larrikin but an otherwise very talented player surely we can't use the Doug Hawkins example to minimise the initial observation?.
If someone is slow do we automatically say lets ignore that point because of Greg Williams?
The demands of the game change and while great players from the past could cover their flaws it doesn't mean all players now can do the same.

I'm more than OK with how Wallis is progressing but like every other youngster he does need to improve in a number of area's.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Wallis

You can always find exceptions from the past but it often has little relevance. If someone had a questionable training ethic or was a bit of a larrikin but an otherwise very talented player surely we can't use the Doug Hawkins example to minimise the initial observation?.
If someone is slow do we automatically say lets ignore that point because of Greg Williams?
The demands of the game change and while great players from the past could cover their flaws it doesn't mean all players now can do the same.

I'm more than OK with how Wallis is progressing but like every other youngster he does need to improve in a number of area's.

Yeah, but the midfield position is one area where all things are forgiven if you can actually get the thing. I can think of a dozen Luke ball types in modern footy.
So, when discussing this role, I think you can safely support the above point with examples and say, give the kid a break.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Wallis

What is his elite skill?

Poise...............and with that he can overcome issues such as elite pace. Think Mitchell, Ball and Bartels.

[The Doctor]

Re: Wallis

One question. Did Scott West have an elite skill (especially as a 18-19 year old)?

yes, he could get it more often than anyone else

[1eyedog]

Re: Wallis

Well this is true Ghost Dog, but our club will not survive into the future if we continue to enjoy the next game. We don't have a god given right to continually play in this competition and I for one do not accept poor performance, I want to win and win premierships. Our very survival counts on it.

The gulf between the have's and have not's will continue to get bigger and who know's there may well be a break away formed as in 1897. Our club as it is doing needs to strive to attain premierships and the relentless pursuit of excellence otherwise, one day, we will find ourselves left behind. Premierships attract supporters, sponsors, money etc and we need to keep ourselves in the top bracket so we will always have our club to support.

No it doesn't. Look at the flags North won during the 90s and then the AFL tries to roll them out in the mid 2000s. Send them to Tassie, merge them etc.

One question. Did Scott West have an elite skill (especially as a 18-19 year old)?
From the relatively few times I've seen him play I thought young Wally has fantastic hands/vision, is extremely tough and is actually a pretty good field kick. With some more time he can be anything.

Uncanny ability to read the play and create space in an area the ball was going to be before the play unfolded. He carried this ability through his entire career and racked them up as a result.

This is who he reminds me of in the way he plays, moves and looks. He is Priddis's doppelganger.

If he ends up anywhere near as good I will be very happy.

This.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Wallis

What is his elite skill?

Poise...............and with that he can overcome issues such as elite pace. Think Mitchell, Ball and Bartels.

This.

He will be an accumulator in time (with size -- he was a big accumulator in his junior days), but his decision making is the big weapon in his arsenal that is not as obvious to observers looking for more flashy attributes. James Hird didn't have any particular weapons either other than a super football brain. Conversely, someone like a Justin Sherman looks a million dollars on the surface compared to a Wallis type, but the good decision makers (once physically mature) are rarer and more precious, and is what makes the current Geelong side great more than any specific physical attribute.

And I'm sure most of us on WOOF have been as long-suffering as Cowshed thinks he is, am I right EJ?

[Raw Toast]

Re: Wallis

Good thread.

Wallis should go ok, the question we're interested in is will he be elite. As a junior he was elite because he got a heap of the ball, used it to advantage, and stood up in the big games. Some recruiting types noted that while his kicking was not technically excellent, he almost always put the ball to the advantage of his team-mate.

This year Wallis struggled to deal with the pace of the game, and to find a clear role. He also might have felt a bit prematurely that he already belonged and so ruffled a feather or two. I think his workrate is excellent, and that he'll get a clear role soon enough and then his ball-winning and poise will start to shine through more.

Young Libba clearly projects better at the moment, but I think Wallis will become a very valuable player fairly soon, not sure it will be this year though.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Wallis

Young Mitch was on SEN tonight stock standard interview until my ears pricked that there had been a senior group and junior group that had happened and that the younger players didn't get much of a say. In fact they were seen and not heard,and under McCartney everyone was equal and will get a say.

[ledge]

Re: Wallis

Young Mitch was on SEN tonight stock standard interview until my ears pricked that there had been a senior group and junior group that had happened and that the younger players didn't get much of a say. In fact they were seen and not heard,and under McCartney everyone was equal and will get a say.

Im confused did you mean under Eade they had the split meeting or today?

[azabob]

Re: Wallis

Young Mitch was on SEN tonight stock standard interview until my ears pricked that there had been a senior group and junior group that had happened and that the younger players didn't get much of a say. In fact they were seen and not heard,and under McCartney everyone was equal and will get a say.

Im confused did you mean under Eade they had the split meeting or today?

I read it as under Eade they were in two groups.

Now they are one group and will each get a say.