#20 Ben Reid

[jeff corfe]

Dawes problem is his Footy Smarts as he does not know when to lead and where to lead

Wrong!

Dawes could be another Jason Dunstall.
He's explosively quick..Im afraid that the amount of time we take to get the ball down forward renders Dawes just about useless.

[Tannin]

Another eg: Presti, took 3 years before showing his capacity at FB.

An ain't dat the trufh! For the first year or two, Presti was a cast-iron dud. He played out on the wing or HBF, and he looked like a kid with a bit of talent but too awkward, too slow at times, and never stamped his influence on the game.

(And if we are going to tell the truth here, I have to admit that I liked him: I thought that the kid would come good. Not that there was any particular evidence there at the time, I just had a hunch. But I didn't for one moment think he would mature into the ultra-reliable human blanket he became. And .... I could tell you the truth about quite a few other players I though looked the hgoods early on ... and who have long since been thrown back on the scrap heap of the suburban leagues, where they are doubtless perfectly good plumbers and scholteachers and car salesmen. Still, I got Presti right.)

The point is, Reid shows as much now (maybe more) than the young Presti did. You have to be patient, especially with young talls. My gut feeling is that, eventually, Reid will be an absolute gun, But not this year, and not next year. It takes time.

Meanwhile, we have matches to win. With Rocca unfit and Rusling some weeks away yet, it's pretty much Reid or Dawes right now. There is no point in taking one raw kid out to put a differerent raw kid in un;less one of them has shown something special in the twos or on the track to force a change. Unless we want to go with a temporary fix (of questionable value) by playing a stand-in (e.g., L Brown, N. Brown, Bryan) as the third tall, we might as well stick with the one we've got. He probably won't win a lot of ball, but at least it will pump some more senior games into him. One either of Rocca or Rusling is fit, it's a different game.

PS: I hear that Zac Dawson is putting in some quality games these days. Remember Zac Dawson? The teenage full-back that got so throughly monstered by an in-form A Rocca that no-one ever forgot it? Well, apparently, he has come good.

Talls take time.

[melliot]

^ well put. We are still in semi development mode IMO. We still need to be playing kid like Dawes and Reid. But They need blocks of games IMO. Not 1 in 1 out. Give em a couple (at least) in a row. A Dawes for Reid swap seems a bit strange to me. Reid needs at least another opportunity, before being dropped. At least where we can give some reasonable supply.

[DaVe86]

Dawes problem is his Footy Smarts as he does not know when to lead and where to lead

Wrong!

Dawes could be another Jason Dunstall.
He's explosively quick..Im afraid that the amount of time we take to get the ball down forward renders Dawes just about useless.

Think you make a fair point Joff. I think we are all too quick to burn the forwards...but you have to put it into context.

Have a look at Hawthorn on the weekend.

For 3 quarters, Geelong dominated possession. Franklin and Roughead were barely even noticeable on field.

Come last quarter, hawthorn start moving the ball, Scarlett goes off meaning Franklin gets a favourable matchup and Roughead gets the useless Longergan.

They each go nuts. Kick a bag, nearly carry their side over the line.


Ultimately it comes down to delivery, ball movement and the numbers forwards have to contend with.

I think its very hard for young forwards to step right into the AFL thesedays. In the junior levels, they don't have to contend with things like zones or floods. Enter AFL and you have to beat better defenders, and contend with 2 or more on you at the one time.

[nulla]

To be honest was not much of a fan of Reid last year...

This year is a different story. I like his speed and approach and I have far more time for him... he will grow in confidence and stature given the chance and I reckon MM is going to do that

[TimetoFly]

I'll stick with Reid. I've seen enough in the VFL and some of the AFL games to say hell be a really good player.

Drafted at 17. PLayed a couple of games in the first season and showed real promise (kicking at goal is dodgy admittedly. Field kicking seems to be acceptable).

2008 was solid in the preseason games (like kicking 4 goals and getting a fair bit of it off half forward). Got injured preseason and when he recovered went straight into the seniors to play poorly (Should have come back via VFL!). Went back to VFL and got another senior spot only to break his foot.

2009 he still is only 19. How many other Tall forwards are playing good games at this age? While a few years in the system he is still nearly equivilant to first year draftees.

By all means if you think he's a dud, then great. But based on your logic, Dick & Russling should be put into the same boat?

Way way too early to call his future. Most here still think Wood will be OK in the future, and hes still rated "young", but is 3 years older than Reid. Yet you expect Reid (also a tall who has not matured at all yet) to be a consistant footballer. Go figure?????

I still think at worst he'll be a very good player. Maybe not the Gun I'd hoped. With his youth and immature body he WILL be inconsistant. A block of 4 games is needed to see where he is at for 2009. I hate it when we drop young guys after 1 poor game. But Reid may be dropped based on Team balance.

IMO can't make a call on this guy until his body matures a fair bit (21 at least). KPP need time and patiance. From what I remeber Buddy did very little till he was 20+. Fev even older. Cloke 20+ and they had more mature bodies than Reid

Great post! Could not have said it better myself........the KID is only 19 and playing in a KP.

Rubbish Reid is a dud! He didnt play KP he played half forward flank... And yes I wil take into consideration that he is still 19, but you dont have to be 23 to be able to chase & tackle do you??

Last week I sat on the lower level right next to the fence & there were at leat 4 times when he just jogged on by as adelaide players run away from him... He is suppossed to be an athelete but he couldnt run or tackle & had no pace..

He also has no aggression about him, so to put it simply he is not going to make it & a waste of a pick 8 in a super draft!!! Selwood went at puck 7..arggghhhhhhh

[Rusling2]

[/quote]Rubbish Reid is a dud! He didnt play KP he played half forward flank... And yes I wil take into consideration that he is still 19, but you dont have to be 23 to be able to chase & tackle do you??

Last week I sat on the lower level right next to the fence & there were at leat 4 times when he just jogged on by as adelaide players run away from him... He is suppossed to be an athelete but he couldnt run or tackle & had no pace..

He also has no aggression about him, so to put it simply he is not going to make it & a waste of a pick 8 in a super draft!!! Selwood went at puck 7..arggghhhhhhh[/quote]

This. I don't agree with the whole quote, but I do agree that he didn't chase or tackle when he should have. On more than one occasion he just jogged away from the contest after losing out in a marking contest and should be dropped on that basis.

Hopefully he will turn out to be a very good player, but he needs to work on that aspect of his game.

[uuuuu..... The LoneSTAR]

Actually, i think Reid is showing to be more of a 'footballer' than Dawes!

[Trezegol]

Forget about the fact that Reid is 19.

Forget about the fact that he plays in a Key position.

What you want to see is a snippet of potential.

For example a great mark in a pack.....or a goal from 40+ metres....or maybe even a crunching tackle.

At senior level - and I stress 'senior level' - Reid has done nothing. Just because he is 19 it doesn't mean he can't show us some potential.

Whereas when you look at a player like Beams, he showed us plenty snippets of potential in his 3 NAB Cup games. He didn't get 30 possessions in a game or kick 5 goals in a qtr, but he showed glimpses of things to come.

The are certain things you cannot control on the footy field - endeavour is not one of them. This is something that comes from within. Reid doesn't have any endeavour...he has no intensity. You can't notice that lack of intensity at VFL level, but you certainly can at senior level.

He is fast becoming another Josh Fraser. A professional footballer who plays football because its his job, not for any thing else.

I'm sure he'll still be at the club at 23 - he would have played about 30 games by then and we'll still be hoping that a light will go on in his head and that he'll be ready for senior footy. Sounds familiar doesn't it??? Ah, let me think who else have we had on the list over the last 10 years that could be placed into the same bracket. Let me see - Ben Kinnear, Tristen Walker, Guy Richards.

[mattdally]

I agree. One snippet of potential would be great.

Although I'll stick by my original thoughts on the kid:

If he aint got it now, he aint gonna get it.

[BHPIE]

The kid WILL be a good player,mark my words.

[Dave The Man]

The kid WILL be a good player,mark my words.

Yeah he might be a good player but I can't see him coming a Star that some people have touted

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

Actually, i think Reid is showing to be more of a 'footballer' than Dawes!

I agree. Neither have set the world on fire but I believe Reid has shown a little more. I'd like to see him have one more game before Rocca returns.

[RudeBoy]

To be perfectly Frank, I'm not yet convinced that either Dawes or Reid will become established players. I certainly hope I'm wrong on both counts.

[jackcass]

I'll stick with Reid. I've seen enough in the VFL and some of the AFL games to say hell be a really good player.

Drafted at 17. PLayed a couple of games in the first season and showed real promise (kicking at goal is dodgy admittedly. Field kicking seems to be acceptable).

2008 was solid in the preseason games (like kicking 4 goals and getting a fair bit of it off half forward). Got injured preseason and when he recovered went straight into the seniors to play poorly (Should have come back via VFL!). Went back to VFL and got another senior spot only to break his foot.

2009 he still is only 19. How many other Tall forwards are playing good games at this age? While a few years in the system he is still nearly equivilant to first year draftees.

By all means if you think he's a dud, then great. But based on your logic, Dick & Russling should be put into the same boat?

Way way too early to call his future. Most here still think Wood will be OK in the future, and hes still rated "young", but is 3 years older than Reid. Yet you expect Reid (also a tall who has not matured at all yet) to be a consistant footballer. Go figure?????

I still think at worst he'll be a very good player. Maybe not the Gun I'd hoped. With his youth and immature body he WILL be inconsistant. A block of 4 games is needed to see where he is at for 2009. I hate it when we drop young guys after 1 poor game. But Reid may be dropped based on Team balance.

IMO can't make a call on this guy until his body matures a fair bit (21 at least). KPP need time and patiance. From what I remeber Buddy did very little till he was 20+. Fev even older. Cloke 20+ and they had more mature bodies than Reid

Too true.