Comments on: What Makes a Good Player into a Star?

By: Jermayn

Jermayn — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:20:53 +0000

@AussieRulesBlog – I agree that while he has played 1.5 excellent years, it does NOT yet make him a star. Definitely a star in the making but another two or three years like 2008 will make him the best forward since Carey imo.

In regards to his attributes, I disagree that his ‘footy smarts’ are ify, I watch him play and even with poor kicking and lack of strength in contested marks (not many are in todays game) he is just uncanny when the ball comes down in his area. He knows where it will bounce (most of the time) and he gets there faster than anyone else. With him only 21-22 these ‘footy smarts’ will only improve.

btw thanks for your opinion.

By: aussierulesblog

aussierulesblog — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:45:21 +0000

@ Jermayn: I don't think I can make a call on Franklin yet. His major attributes, thus far, are agility and speed (athleticism). Of the purely football skills, he's not a great contested mark (yet?) and his kicking is patchy. I'm also not convinced on his 'footy smarts' yet. Of course if you kick a ton, especially with Franklin's accuracy rate, you're not a mug, but his size and agility make him a compelling target and extremely difficult to defend against — more so with the current interpretations of the laws of the game favouring forwards to an unprecedented degree. Having Roughhead and Boyle in the same half also makes his life easier than if he was playing a lone hand. aussierulesblogs last blog post..Rags to riches. . .

By: Jermayn

Jermayn — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:58:53 +0000

I would agree with that, Franklin is first a footballer and then an athlete. He just knows when to move and lead, where to go and when to go for the mark or stay on the ground. A definite footballer, you cannot teach this... and yes Deano, Warner sure had his eye in, I like the top order of Australia now with Marsh as well. At the moment he is a 50/50 of making an impact, with confidence and experience he will be good. Jermayns last blog post..Lack of God is the Reason Churchs Dont Grow

By: Deano

Deano — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:24:26 +0000

Franklin is an instinctive and natural footballer who is possessed with sheer athletic genius. The guy could be so good that it is scary. By the way Jermayn i noticed Warner had his eye in this arvo.lol. sorry matei had to have a dig.

By: Jermayn

Jermayn — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:10:36 +0000

I hope you are right AussieRulesBlog, I really do…
btw would you classify Franklin as an athlete or a footballer? I personally would rate him as a footballer.

By: aussierulesblog

aussierulesblog — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:01:05 +0000

Since we're on more specific examples, what about the O'hAilpin boys? There's no question Setanta, at least, was a good athlete, but pretty clearly he won't be a top-flight AFL player. . . I wonder how many 'boom' Irish recruits there'll be to find another Stynes/Kennelly? And is it worth it in the end? Individualised examples can show anything. I think we're talking about a more general trend. I'd contend that the 'athletic' era is coming to a close and that 'footballers' are coming back into favour. aussierulesblogs last blog post..Rags to riches. . .

By: Jermayn

Jermayn — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:24:23 +0000

What about Nit Nat getting recruited before a pure footballer like Daniel Rich??

By: aussierulesblog

aussierulesblog — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:41:26 +0000

I think that recruiting pendulum is swinging again. There's less emphasis on pure athletic factors and more on footy-specific skills. In today's game, if you can't kick well, almost every time, you won't get many games. A 10.5 100m is still useful, but if the guy doesn't have footy smarts, you could be wasting your effort. Stynes, Croad and Kennelly were all recruited to the game a long time ago. aussierulesblogs last blog post..Rags to riches. . .

By: Jermayn

Jermayn — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:15:04 +0000

@Deano – I have to say that I agree with most of your comments hear.

I personally doubt Ablett snr and even Warne would play at the highest level with their same attitude in todays AFL and cricket but I have written an article about that – http://www.kick2kick.net/afl/would-gary-ablett-snr-get-a-game-in-todays-afl

I agree that the ability to play the game is the number one important factor but you look at Stynes (brownlow), Kennelly & Croad (premiership players) who have athlete ability and did play AFL as their first chosen sport (Gaelic & Rugby) and imo it shows a trend towards athletes than natural footballers like Ablett snr, Robo, Lockett etc.

I also thirdly agree that McGough was found out with his talent rather than hard work.

By: Would Gary Ablett snr Get A Game In Todays AFL? | The A to F to L of Australian Football

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:03:54 +0000

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