Lets Discuss - Jason Tutt

[GVGjr]

I think Jason Tutt is seen by Bulldog supporters as a player that still hasn't gone close to reaching his potential.

Drafted at pick 31 in 2009, Tutt first played in 2011 with a stunning 3 goals from his first 3 kicks.
He has now played 19 senior games and from my point of view 2014 is shaping as the most important one for him.

At 177cm, Tutt has a lot of competition for the spots in this Bulldog side.
As a forward, he has Dahlhaus, Hrovat and Hunter to compete with and if used as a defender it's Johannisen. Even around the midfield he has Wallis, Libertore and Picken to contend with.

Tutt is a nice kick, very fast and seems to read the play well but as much as I'd like to see him succeed I find it very hard to find a spot in this team that he would be best suited to.

Can Tutt make it? What position would he best suited to?

I'd be very interested in your thoughts.

[LostDoggy]

I see him as a fringe player who will cover for injuries. As you stated, GVGjr, i think we have more than enough smaller size players who I see as being starters before him. That being said, it will be interesting to see if he is given a chance to prove himself next year, but I think more than likely he will be moved on.

[bulldogtragic]

With every draft he goes further in the pack. I'm hoping that doesn't happen again, but I haven't seen enough to confidently say he's going to be a regular player next year. It should be make of break next year.

[mighty_west]

He has everything we as a team have craved for over the past few seasons and that's pace and skills, his main issues to me is just finding the ball, similar in ways to Stack, Faulkner etc.

2014 is make or break for mine.

[1eyedog]

What's your thoughts on him playing wing? I like the idea of him running through the middle of the ground providing assistance to our rebounding backs but also being in a position to carry the ball and deliver to our forwards. Like you say his speed is a great asset and so is his ability to deliver by foot.

[GVGjr]

What's your thoughts on him playing wing? I like the idea of him running through the middle of the ground providing assistance to our rebounding backs but also being in a position to carry the ball and deliver to our forwards. Like you say his speed is a great asset and so is his ability to deliver by foot.

Plenty of competition for that spot as well but yes, I think it's probably one that he might get his best opportunities.

[Hotdog60]

My thoughts were on the wing, we seem to be gathering young players that have good vision, poise and disposal. If Tutt can utilise those traits to his advantage he could become a useful player, much like the Eagle did by creating space but Tutt needs to have the tank to burn off opponents to get that space. I think 2014 will be the make or break season also.

[SonofScray]

I like what Tutt produced in a few games this year, he didn't have super stats but he had some important moments. Kicked goals on the run and was effective with the footy in his hands, running forward.

I can see him playing a role similar to Eagleton did for us, assuming Mac wants that type of player in the team. He can gut run, use his pace both ways to get to the fall of the ball. If we persist with a lot of handballs through the middle he'll find his way into a role I think.

Not in our best 22 at the moment, but not as far back as I had him at the start of 2013. If he can improve on his games tally in 2014, fit the team structure more closely, we'll have a valuable contributor on our hands. Perhaps Hrovat is his biggest competitor at this stage?

[KT31]

After a cracking start he has fallen well in the pack, IMO he has a fair bit of work to do to catch up to others.
The wing may be a different opportunity for him and a spot he can have a decent crack at, certainly has the pace and skills.
If he is seen only as a small forward the only hope I see him getting is when we have injuries or are resting players.

[Greystache]

At the rate he's improved over the 4 years he's been on the list it's hard to see him having a break out season next year, and I think by then there will be too many ahead of him to justify keeping him on the list. What he does, he does well, he's just not consistent enough with his efforts or his output and is probably just a level below AFL.

I like his style as a player, and if he could have a break out season it would be a big win for the club, let's hope he can surprise us.

[LostDoggy]

I guess the question is can we make a team work with all of Dahl, Hrovat, Hunter and Tutt playing??

Geelong do set up with Varcoe, Stokes, Christensen and Motlop in their best 22 where they rotate through midfield and forward. Collingwood have also used Thomas, Elliot, Sidebottom and Blair in the same side in a similar fashion. The advantage these kinds of players provide is improved pressure inside 50, better conversion of inside 50's to scores as well as the ability to use that speed and agility in the middle as a counterpoint to the larger bodied contested ball winning mids.

I would say that we may only play three of them at any given time and that Tutt is likely the fourth picked at present. He does have the best endurance of the four, based on preseason training reports but is yet to show that he can exploit that across four quarters of football. I see his best place as others have said using his tank to work back into the half back line and provide a linking option running the ball up the ground. He is also a reasonably long kick so with his tank, speed and leg he could provide that fast break option to get out the back, giving Crameri, Dahl and Grant the option to score running back on to the ball.

When forward he needs to work on his tackling pressure as I have seen him get shaken off in the tackle a few too many times. Given he is apparently one of our more powerful players pound for pound (held the chin up record and the sub 80kg player bench press record along with Djerkurra and Hooper in 2011) hopefully this is just a matter of focus and technique.

Like others he probably needs a good year in 2014 to cement a spot on the list, possibly not a best 22 player but very useful both for depth and to hopefully keep pressure on Hunter and Hrovat to have to perform to keep their spots.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

If Tutt can develop the ability to overlap at speed a la Cooney (or Lally Bamblett) and receive a handpass at full speed then he makes best use of his speed. It's a very difficult thing to stop if a player has the anticipation and it is drilled at training. It means he bursts into space with ball in hand, clear of the congestion and then has time to deliver a pass or steady for goal. such a potent offence.

[LostDoggy]

I think I remember reading that Tutt is one of the best runners at the Club? If he has the endurance to go with his speed I think he can certainly find a spot on the wing in our best 22. The main issue I see for Jason is his handling of the footy and bad habit of going to ground as soon as he's tackled. Hopefully with another good pre-season under his belt Jason can fix these two deficiencies and really take off.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I think he'll struggle to play 5-6 games, unless we're hit by injuries. His pace is impressive and he did start using it to his advantage at the end of the year, but his decision making and skill level is ordinary. Kicks the ball beautifully at training, but struggles to handle pressure (both real and inferred) in a game. His ability to win a contest is pretty poor too, to say the least, and he isn't clean with his hands.

[always right]

I think I remember reading that Tutt is one of the best runners at the Club? If he has the endurance to go with his speed I think he can certainly find a spot on the wing in our best 22. The main issue I see for Jason is his handling of the footy and bad habit of going to ground as soon as he's tackled. Hopefully with another good pre-season under his belt Jason can fix these two deficiencies and really take off.

Nailed it. For a small player his ball handling skills are poor...particularly below his knees. This is the area he really needs to concntrate on as he certainly has pace and kicking skills. Unless he improves this part of his game he will be delisted/traded at the end of the season.

[bornadog]

I think I remember reading that Tutt is one of the best runners at the Club? If he has the endurance to go with his speed I think he can certainly find a spot on the wing in our best 22. The main issue I see for Jason is his handling of the footy and bad habit of going to ground as soon as he's tackled. Hopefully with another good pre-season under his belt Jason can fix these two deficiencies and really take off.

That is how I see him as well. To retain a best 22 status he is going to have to perform, which is a good thing as we have players that can come in.

[The Doctor]

I think Tutt has actually reached his potential. Hard to see any further improvement. Hope he proves me wrong.

[LostDoggy]

Think he would have trade value as a minimum but I'd rather keep him. Without looking it up I'm going to guess he's played about 25 games and I can recall at least 3 very good ones in that mix. He's shown more than enough to persist with and to give me hope he can hold down a more regular slot. Will never be elite but good enough for a good 100 gamer? Absolutely could be. Wouldn't be in our bottom 10 and unlikely to ever be a top 10 player but I like him.

"Honest trier who has had injury issues that have ruined a couple of his campaigns. Must get out of the barriers cleanly. Coat looks good with increased muscle tone since last prep. Good top speed. One to consider for the multiples"

[Go_Dogs]

The problem with Tutt is he isn't good at racking up large numbers, which really needs to be his go because he has pace and skill but isn't a ball winner, a goal kicking small forward or a defender.

I like his skill set as a player and have seen him play a couple of good games down in Adelaide, once for Williamstown and his league debut against Port, but he hasn't been able to become a consistent performer yet.

I still think he has room to improve, but it needs to click for him this year. If he can get more easy ball by working hard to create a link up option he could turn out fine, but it's a matter of getting to better positions and running smarter.

[stefoid]

He's got 12 months to 'do a Grant'. Same as Howard.

[robb]

I think Tutt has actually reached his potential. Hard to see any further improvement. Hope he proves me wrong.

Agree. Next year will be his last year.

[LostDoggy]

I think people forget he's had his share of injuries to hold him back - not that it's the only reason but it's certainly a contributing factor. With his skillset, it could all click and he could have a great breakout year, but time is running out.

[bornadog]

Tutt in McCartney’s plans (http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2013-11-14/tutt-in-mccartneys-plans)

When Jason Tutt bursts down the wing, Western Bulldogs Senior Coach Brendan McCartney sees all the attributes of a long term AFL player - but he is urging the 22-year-old to add a more tenacious edge.

Coach McCartney said the key to the pacey midfielder’s growth over the next twelve months will be finding an inner belief to finish off his hard work.

"He had a nice, progressive season this year. He's a young man who's so close to being a good AFL player that he doesn't even realise it,'' McCartney told The Canberra Times.

"He just needs that little bit of belief and tenacity to take that extra bounce, grit his teeth and take that shot at goal when he's in range. It's just believing in himself and it's all upsides. You can never be certain as a coach [if someone will make it] ... but he's got the attributes to make it.''

While Tutt has made steps towards winning his own ball and adding a more physical side to his game, McCartney is confident he can improve further.

"He needs some development in the contested side of the game and getting involved when it's his turn,'' McCartney said.

Despite just 19 games to his name so far, McCartney sees the Canberra product as part of the Bulldogs future plans and will allow him the necessary time to develop on his potential.

"You have to make list changes and there is a ruthless element, but [Tutt] is part of where we're going and we want to give him every opportunity.'

[Remi Moses]

I agree^^
Has to remove the fumbling from his game

[bornadog]

I agree^^
Has to remove the fumbling from his game

Do you think its lack of confidence and nerves?

[Scorlibo]

He fumbles in the same way Cooney fumbles, everything is just happening way too fast for them. I can see him becoming a top quality player.

[SonofScray]

How many goals per game did Tutt have at senior level this year? I recall him hitting the scoreboard a few times when he came on, that ability to snag a goal without having to completely bust a nut for it is very valuable. In a side were we work incredibly hard for those opportunities, you want guys that can finish, or grab those half chances with confidence.