Sam McLarty - progress and development to date ??

[Pies2016]

With all this talk of our need for more KPPs, I thought I would ask the question about how he is travelling.

I think most posters would be interested to hear from anyone who has seen a bit of him this year and could possibly add some insight into how they view his progress to date. Maybe strengths and weaknesses, best position, etc ??

Obviously the same applies to any good feedback on our rookie talls too.

Over to you Magpie Bat and all you other die hard VFL supporters

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

I've seen a fair bit of McLarty at training and in the VFL. I just don't think he's ready at the moment. He's basically a good mark and not much else the way I see it. The real worry for me is that for a player of his height and build, he has almost no physical presence. Considering all the football he has missed he is a very hard player to gauge. With a year in the AFL system at this time next year I think we will all be in a better position to judge. However to me it is fanciful at this point to think that McLarty will get a senior game this season.

[Dave The Man]

[stui magpie]

Which one is mcLarty? The CHB with the bionic ear or the ruck/forward?

Also, which one is Indigenous?

[Pies2016]

[Dave The Man]

[Dave The Man]

[HAL]

The first one is usually the best one.

[RudeBoy]

[stui magpie]

[inxs88]

[mattys123]

McLarty would have been a first round pick if not for the bionic ear, it's just a fact of life that some clubs were hesitant to draft him because of that.

He still has some hearing problems, even with that in, in fact the club have had to position him in front of the coach at the huddles so he can lip read if he has to.

As far as his football ability, and potential goes, he's got the potential to be Alex Rance like. Yeah that's a massive call but he's got all the attributes of a modern day defender.

He's quick and more importantly knows when to take the game on, and when to kick the damn thing.
Makes smart decisions.
Can defend one on one.
Can mark the ball in a contested situation.

Yeah he's not ready to play senior footy yet, but I can realistically seeing him being a part of our best 22 as early as next season.

We've stole one here, with no first round pick we shouldn't have been able to pick up a player with his potential.

[35forever]

There is definitely some talent in the Magoos, maybe even a star or two.
Wills & Crocker we've seen in the ones and both have shown they can handle the jump in pace and skill which is nothing to sneeze at. Many folks don't realise what a massive leap this is, It's a bit like going from 4th drop at Dandenong North D grade to opening for Australia against India... In India... on a turning pitch... with a slow outfield... and so on...

I think Crocker will be a standout goal kicker, but maybe needs a little more strength so he can do better in pack marks and tackles. I love that he's been a mad keen Magpie since birth, and has done some brilliant things.
Wills already has strength, and can kick the ball a kilometre. Needs more time in the ones, but injury has slowed him down this year. He reminds me of a Scotty Burns type utility (not that he looks, moves or plays like Burnsy, but could fill the same kinda niche). The other kids standing out in the twos are:
Kale Kirby who looks like he could be a great mid-size forward (he's 6ft) and is kicking chikos every week.
McLarty: Not setting the world on fire in the twos, but done enough to show that the no.35 isn't wasted on him. At 6'5" in the old money & 95 kegs he's a big boy at just 19. He looks like he's just short of a few games to make a claim for a berth in the Seniors. I'd love to see Ben Hudson come back to get a bit of mongrel into this kid like he did for a young Brodie G. He might end up being a great foil for that champion, or for Darcy up front.

Then there's SOD & SOR (Son of Daics, Son of Rowdy). Callum Brown is showing he has the goods and could be a similar type to the old man, and so has Josh Daicos for that matter. Obviously there's a loooong way to go for both to reach the heights of their daddys who were both true legends of not just Collingwood, but the game. Maybe less so for Brown simply because nearly every side has a 'Brown' on their list, while Daicos is actually a synonym for freakish skill. "Daicosian', is a term oft used when a player kicks a miracle goal from the forward pocket, something Daicos pretty much invented & perfected to the point where such shots were almost routine. Fortunately for Josh, he's had a footy in his hand since birth, and has lovely skills. His ball handling and kicking are gorgeous, but small injuries and byes etc have limited his game time. I can't wait to see him play when he gets a good run. Our first sight of him was the last quarter of the Essendon JLT Pre-season game. He had 5 or 6 possessions at 100%, and seemed to be everywhere, producing a lot of the 1%ers which stupidly don't get a stat (how dumb is that! It means Harmes wouldn't have got a stat for winning the '79 GF by punching the ball to the goal front -from the third row of the stands). I can seriously see these two becoming champions. We've seen a lot of father/sons - where the father was a legend - actually surpass the father. Ablett & Liberatore are the first couple that spring to mind, but if that happens with these two we are in for some happy days indeed! The other guy who is getting a really hard time is the biggest bloke in the game. When you've got a guy who had never played any kind of footy 4 years ago, but can already turn a game with a great mark or goal (think Anzac Day last year), you PLAY the guy! This crap where he's getting dropped every time doesn’t turn the game is insane! He's played 15 games FFS! Fifteen! What better way to make a guy quit the game or swap teams! Do we HAVE any clue how useful a 7 foot ruck/forward is? Obviously we don't or we wouldn't do dumb stuff like this!

Another two who seem to be out of favour are the two 'criminals' Thomas & Keefe. Thomas is racking up goals and possessions on a weekly basis, often named in the best but not getting a look in at the top level. Keefy was among our best in the Essendon Pre-season I mentioned above but nothing since. The guy is an excellent ruck/KPP but his ability seems to be forgotten by most. During the Hawks game a lot of us were ready to say "stuff this, lets play the kids and if it doesn't do anything else we'll get a nice draft pick". We might call it "tanking", but is there any doubt others are doing it? Freo & West Coast certainly have, Hawthorn & Sydney appear to be doing it. Our last #1 pick was 17 years ago, and our top 10 picks this decade could be counted on one hand, meanwhile clubs like Hawthorn, Geelong, and other premiership sides & runners up have had heaps in this century. Either way, the dumbest thing a side can do is finish 9th or 10th, a distinct possibility for us this year. (but then so is a top 4 finish or a third spoon - no one has a clue where we'll end up after 10 rounds).

One of Buckley's favourite clever tricks is to name a guy in the side then not play him (like Crocker this week). Obviously there's a brilliant reason behind this tactic because silly old me thinks it's idiotic, and the great man clearly knows what he's doing. The minute I saw Croc named on Thursday I knew he wouldn’t play. Obviously I need to learn more about Match committee tactics!

Anyway, McLarty, Lynch, McCarthy & Cox are the future of our ruck stocks at this point and need huge support, especially when we have the best young ruck in the game leading the way.
Sorry, I think I'm having a nervy after we won two in a row, I'm not sure how to handle it. I'm trying to think back to Rd 15 last year so I can remember how to feel. Oh well, I think McLarty is coming along nicely, but we need to remember that big guys take longer to develop (Grundy was/is a freak!). I'm 6'5" and I'm still not quite there, at 52 I'm starting to lose hope! But look at how great Witts is doing this season. Give em time.

[RudeBoy]

I respect your passion 35F, but seriously, some of the players you are desperate to get senior games, are hardly setting the world on fire in the VFL. Until they do, they should not even be considered for the AFL. Cox in particular, has looked like a fish out of water in the seniors this year and until he starts to dominate VFL games as a forward, he will stay in the VFL. As for Keeffe, he has been disappointing this year in the VFL, so has not deserved a senior berth. Kirby will be a star, but he is nowhere near fit enough to play in the seniors atm. Crocker's problem is that he is another mid sized forward, of which we have plenty, so will probably have to wait for someone to get injured before forcing his way in. Both Daics and Brown probably need to beef up a bit before being tested in the seniors. Finally, I'm a bit concerned that you seem to think our best way forward is to tank, like the Dees did a few years back, rather than try to win as many games as we can. That's not the kind of team I want to follow. Each to their own I guess.