The Beard on SEN Now. (1.34pm)

[bornadog]

On now.

[Cyberdoggie]

What has been said?

[Murphy'sLore]

Aargh! Thanks! (scrambles for the radio)

[bornadog]

What has been said?

* Talked about Cooney - Very competitive

* Sees Sydney as a tough opponent this week.

* Pyke is athletic so will be still tough.

* Stoppages are where it will be won or lost

* Beard will be shaved when he has to renegotiate contract (look younger....lol)

* Played with Pods and thought he should have been picked up earlier.

* He started late, and thinks there would be other mature age ruckman out there that could be ready for AFL

* Asked the teams to beat this year - Geelong, Swans, Freo, Collingwood.

Can't remember much else

[aker39]

You can listen to it here

http://www.sen.com.au/audioplayer/Audio/Ben-Hudson-in-the-Centre-Square/345

[LostDoggy]

* Played with Pods and thought he should have been picked up earlier.

* He started late, and thinks there would be other mature age ruckman out there that could be ready for AFL


Interesting that he nominated Freo as a team to beat. And that everybody is jumping on the Pav-train now. He's always been Riewoldt's equal (and superior) in many ways, glad to see that he's getting the recognition.

Re: Huddo's comments ^^, there would definitely be other mature age ruckmen that would get a chance .. I'll bet Hawthorn or Sydney (this week) would love to get their hands on a couple of ready-to-go ruckmen to chuck onto their rookie list.

I'm surprised that Pods has been such a surprise -- anyone who knows their football is probably MORE surprised that it has taken clubs this long to wake up to the fact that a mature age player with clear strengths, a mature disposition, and leadership qualities can offer a lot more despite their weaknesses than a flighty, immature kid at pick 60 with a body that may or may not ever make it -- this is definitely the case in most sports, but there has been a weird obsession with youth over the past couple of decades of AFL. If AFL clubs were investing houses it would be like having a portfolio with only promising start-ups and hoping that they all/most of them turn into blue chips (a speculative, gambling type model), rather than having a spread of consistent, solid and proven midrange stocks to go with your blue chips and start-ups, which is a far more sustainable model for long-term success.

[bornadog]

Interesting that he nominated Freo as a team to beat. And that everybody is jumping on the Pav-train now. He's always been Riewoldt's equal (and superior) in many ways, glad to see that he's getting the recognition.

Re: Huddo's comments ^^, there would definitely be other mature age ruckmen that would get a chance .. I'll bet Hawthorn or Sydney (this week) would love to get their hands on a couple of ready-to-go ruckmen to chuck onto their rookie list.

I'm surprised that Pods has been such a surprise -- anyone who knows their football is probably MORE surprised that it has taken clubs this long to wake up to the fact that a mature age player with clear strengths, a mature disposition, and leadership qualities can offer a lot more despite their weaknesses than a flighty, immature kid at pick 60 with a body that may or may not ever make it -- this is definitely the case in most sports, but there has been a weird obsession with youth over the past couple of decades of AFL. If AFL clubs were investing houses it would be like having a portfolio with only promising start-ups and hoping that they all/most of them turn into blue chips (a speculative, gambling type model), rather than having a spread of consistent, solid and proven midrange stocks to go with your blue chips and start-ups, which is a far more sustainable model for long-term success.

I wonder how Pods would go in any other team.

I would take Pav anytime over Riewoldt. Pav can play just about anywhere, including Midfield, forward and back. I dont see Riewoldt being that versatile.

[strebla]

I wonder how Pods would go in any other team.

I would take Pav anytime over Riewoldt. Pav can play just about anywhere, including Midfield, forward and back. I dont see Riewoldt being that versatile.

I too would take the Pav he is my favorite non-bulldog player since James Hird

[mighty_west]

I wonder how Pods would go in any other team.



Probably alot better than many younger, quicker, more mobile tall forwards no longer on an AFL list......:p

His main attribute is his footy brain, his overall footy smarts, knowing exactly where to run, how to position himself, and is able to take contested grabs, and lots of them.

How fast or how mobile a player is can be so overated, same goes with how tall a player is, mr 196cm must be better than Mr 191cm tall, cos he's taller...or Mr runs like the wind must be better than Mr just gets going, but gets the ball out 30 times & hits targets.

So far, he has made Tom Hawkins look second rate, and has probably been more consistant & more dangerous at times than Mooney.

[Mofra]

How fast or how mobile a player is can be so overated, same goes with how tall a player is, mr 196cm must be better than Mr 191cm tall, cos he's taller...or Mr runs like the wind must be better than Mr just gets going, but gets the ball out 30 times & hits targets.
Pods isn't any shorter than Fev or Bradshaw anyway; I think we are starting to see a trend towards guys who are footballers first, athletes second which is a change from the past few years.

I wonder if Scott West would have been drafted as a youngster a couple of years ago; he's slow, short and his kicking wasn't great :p

[mighty_west]

I wonder if Scott West would have been drafted as a youngster a couple of years ago; he's slow, short and his kicking wasn't great :p

It's funny you mention that, i was going to add, having hearing some debate a few years ago, think it might have been on the AW sports tonight with Healy, and would players like Westy be drafted these days, and the overall opinions were they wouldn't, which i thought was staggering.

Even today, there are so many footballers than athletes dominating, in & under players don't need to be lightning quick, Cal Ward isn't exactly quick, Jordy McMahan is, who would we prefer? Selwood, not quick, Marc Murphy is small & not quick etc etc.

Give me a real footballer over an athlete anyday.

[Mofra]

Give me a real footballer over an athlete anyday.
On the same topic, two players who may have been rookies at best these days; Greg Williams and Peter Bell

[mighty_west]

On the same topic, two players who may have been rookies at best these days; Greg Williams and Peter Bell

They could very well have, depends on how good a players they were at junior level, especially Diesel, if his hands were at the elite level & ball getting abilities at the elite level at 16 or 17, i have no doubt he would be selected.

Crossy is arguably a poor mans Scotty West, isn't quick, has never booted 6 goals in a game, yet is one of the first selected each week in the 2010 Doggies line up.

[Sockeye Salmon]

They could very well have, depends on how good a players they were at junior level, especially Diesel, if his hands were at the elite level & ball getting abilities at the elite level at 16 or 17, i have no doubt he would be selected.

Crossy is arguably a poor mans Scotty West, isn't quick, has never booted 6 goals in a game, yet is one of the first selected each week in the 2010 Doggies line up.

And got drafted in the 50's a decade ago. He was lucky to get drafted then, would have no chance now

[EasternWest]

Give me a real footballer over an athlete anyday.

Truth be told, I think a balance between the two is the best.

[mighty_west]

And got drafted in the 50's a decade ago. He was lucky to get drafted then, would have no chance now


I agree that he may struggle these days to be selected on a main list, bit have no doubts he would at least be rookied, he has always been an elite runner, and with the game at fast as it is today compared to the past, you still need the grunt in & under put your neck on the line types, the game isn't that quick at stoppages, or when playing against teams like the Saints, you rely on those types.

[mighty_west]

Truth be told, I think a balance between the two is the best.

Absolutely you do, you need your inside players as much as your outside hard running creative mids.

The key is that all players need to be great at one thing, well at least very good, not all players are like Judd, and simply brilliant at every aspect of their game.

[LostDoggy]

Young players want to play footy. If toughness and hardness are the traits looked for, they'd be tough and hard in their training. If speed is what clubs want, they train for speed. Natural gifts and characteristics have to come into it as well, but I think the ultra-competitive guys, guys like Westy, etc would have found a way regardless. Besides, Westy wasn't drafted was he? Wasn't he one of the last of the zone pickups?

Much like the ever-annoying debate I have with people who compare EJ to modern footballers. Whitten could have just adapted his game to compete with the current style, and that's what makes him great. Similarly, Wayne Carey could have played the rough and trudge style of the older era just as well.