Hack of the week

[Legs Akimbo]

Let?s start our latest installment of Hack of the week by reconfirming the definition of ?Hack??

n. A quick job that produces what is needed, but not well.

Well, there are actually quite a few definitions of ?hack? but this is the one I like the most. It is a definition leads me to select Ben Matthews as this week?s winner of Hack of the Week.

Drafted in the 1995 Draft as a zone selection, Ben Matthews has played 159 Games of AFL football. To put that games record into context?

? Only 4% of thirteen and half thousand odd players who have played AFL/VFL football since 1897 have played more than 159 games.
? Only 2% of the 1,333 players who have represented Sydney have played 159 games or more. On either side of Ben on the player list stand Bobb Pratt on 158 games in the red and white and Adam Goodes on 161.

And at 27 years of age, he probably has another 120 games in him, meaning he is going to end up in the top 1% of AFL players, for games played.

And yet Ben Matthews is a hack. Here?s why?

1. He won?t kick the ball to first year players. On several occasions last year I watched him neglect the obvious option of disposing to a young player in the clear (e.g. LRT) and instead kick it to the boundary. This is not very nice.
2. He has a very limited game plan consisting of three set plays
a. Kick it to the boundary
b. Kick it backwards to an uncontested teammate
c. Offload it to a team mate about to get crunched by a pack of 10 opposition players.
d. Kick it to the opposition. Anecdotally, I estimate that at least 40% of Ben?s disposals that don?t result in set-playes a to c above end up going straight to the opposition.

So he definitely fits the bill as a ?Hack? ? does the job needed but not well, and certainly not with ?lan.

Having said all that, Ben is a good stopper (e.g. his Grand Final game). A veritable human cork. If we looked at this from a Game Theory perspective, this would be called the ?Ben Matthews Dilemma?.

There are two players going for the ball for any given contest ? Ben Matthews and his opponent. If Ben?s opponent wins the ball, then that is worth -3 to Sydney. If Ben wins the Ball, that is worth -4 to Sydney. If neither win the ball, that is worth 0 to Sydney. There is a 20% chance Ben Matthews will win the ball, a 20% chance his opponent will win the ball and a 60% chance neither will win the ball. If Ben Matthews does not play, then there is a 40% chance his would be opponent will win the ball against his Sydney opponent on any given contest and this is worth -3 to Sydney. Should Ben Matthews be given a game?

I?ll let others sort out the answer to this one because having enunciated the problem, I am definitely not equipped to solve it.

I have another qualitative theory about how our Hack of the Week has managed to land himself in the top 2% of all time Sydney players for games played. My theory is that Paul Roos needs Ben Matthews and several others like him in the team to maintain our carefully cultivated image of a blue collar midfield.

? He has plan brown hair ? no tips or highlights
? He is average height ? 182cm and 84kg, sort of non-descript looking
? He has a very boring sounding name

? does the job needed but not well, and certainly not with ?lan= Hack

[Sean]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo
? does the job needed but not well
Originally posted by Legs Akimbo
? Ben is a good stopper :confused: Being a stopper is his job so does he do it well or not well?

[Legs Akimbo]

Originally posted by Sean
:confused: Being a stopper is his job so does he do it well or not well?

I think my point is Brett Kirk does the job well. Ben Matthews simply does the job.

[Sean]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo
I think my point is Brett Kirk does the job well. Ben Matthews simply does the job. Aaah but Kirk doesn't play as a tagger - thanks largely to Mathews. Freeing up Kirk, our best midfielder, helps the team - making Mathews even more valuable ;)

[Xie Shan]

I'm not sure why Hack of the Week has attracted so much venom. Yes, it does have the potential to degenerate into excessive negativity and bagging players for the sake of it, which does bring down the vibe on RWO, but your arguments are fairly constructive, and more of a light-hearted piss-take.

In Ben's case, some of the criticisms you make about his game are valid (he's not the quickest decision-maker and not the most imaginative player).

The Game Theory analysis is harsh. I'm an optimist, but when I watch the games I'll always see us gaining possession as the best outcome. There's always the possibility that the next disposal will find a teammate, at least!! :D

But he did have a good game in the GF. So by that line of reasoning he should stay in the team as he was one of the reasons we won the premiership! :)

[Sean]

Originally posted by sydfan83
I'm not sure why Hack of the Week has attracted so much venom. Probably because complaining about someone for the sake of it rather than because they deserve it is unAustralian :D

Anyway, as long as people who give it can also take it then I don't see a problem with it. For example, if I was to suggest that Legs could be awarded Bandwagoner of the Week because he can't spell the name of the person he is posting about and he took it good-naturedly then all's fair ;)

[Legs Akimbo]

Originally posted by Sean
Probably because complaining about someone for the sake of it rather than because they deserve it is unAustralian :D

Anyway, as long as people who give it can also take it then I don't see a problem with it. For example, if I was to suggest that Legs could be awarded Bandwagoner of the Week because he can't spell the name of the person he is posting about and he took it good-naturedly then all's fair ;)

I can take the spelling jibe.= (I'll fix it - edit @@@@, can't fix it). What do you mean by Bandwagoner?

[DST]

Ben Mathews is the type of player you don't notice how good he was until he retires.

We have had endless debates on this board as to his questionable disposal at times. But one thing you can't deny is that he knows how to read a game of football and use that to his advantage when tagging a player or playing as a sweeper in defence.

DST
:D

[Sean]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo
I can take the spelling jibe.= (I'll fix it - edit @@@@, can't fix it). What do you mean by Bandwagoner? It was just a joke - implying that you are new to supporting the side because you can't spell the players names. A bit like Melbourne supporters shouting "go number 10!". :)

Obviously it's not true.

BTW, I wonder if Mathews foot injury affected his disposal this year because it definitely seemed worse than previous years. It is lucky that he is a good defensive player because it would have made things tough for the coaching staff - having to consider dropping a leadership group member.

[Plugger46]

Originally posted by Sean
BTW, I wonder if Mathews foot injury affected his disposal this year because it definitely seemed worse than previous years. It is lucky that he is a good defensive player because it would have made things tough for the coaching staff - having to consider dropping a leadership group member.

Cut it out, his disposal has always been poor.

[Sean]

Originally posted by Plugger46
Cut it out, his disposal has always been poor. :D I know you aren't a fan. It definitely seemed to be worse this year though.

[Legs Akimbo]

Originally posted by Sean
It was just a joke - implying that you are new to supporting the side because you can't spell the players names. A bit like Melbourne supporters shouting "go number 10!". :)

Obviously it's not true.

BTW, I wonder if Mathews foot injury affected his disposal this year because it definitely seemed worse than previous years. It is lucky that he is a good defensive player because it would have made things tough for the coaching staff - having to consider dropping a leadership group member.

Sweet. Also a @@@@ speler

[Go Swannies]

Interesting that two of our most ungainly players (LRT being the other one) attract the most criticism. Kirk is the third but he's beyond reproach apparently. Never mind what Ben does with the ball - his hunched shoulders and changes of direction make it look like he has no idea. Never mind what he actually does, he doesn't look good doing it.

In the afterglow of the Premiership, I've been watching quite a lot of games over the past few years. Amazing how many of our scoring shots start with good old Ben being awkward. In fact, without his imput it's unlikely we'd be premiers right now.

If you are looking for next week's hack consider Adam Goodes. With Nicky D finally playing to his abilities, Adam is the one who appears to be almost perpetually under performing.

[monopoly19]

The people who don't like Hack of the Week should pull the "veritable human cork" out of their arses. Thanks for the laughs, Legs.

[Schneiderman]

Good choice.

I hate the way Benny avoids passing to the 'new' players in the team. I have watched him NOT pass to the likes of Dempster, Vogels, LRT (sort of understandable) and Malceski too many times to think it a coincidence. You can actually see the mental cogs whirring as he goes to pass to a free 'n00b', and then elects instead to kick to a contest (where we lose possession and the opposition scores).

In psychology this ailment is known as 'transference'. Benny assumes that other players he regards as equal or lower will possess the same poor skills and decision-making he recognises in himself. Thus he elects to avoid them, and instead rely on his own (admittedly poorer) skills instead.

T R U S T

Ben's new word for 2006. We are Premiers now FFS! Let go son!

[Go Swannies]

Originally posted by monopoly19
The people who don't like Hack of the Week should pull the "veritable human cork" out of their arses. Thanks for the laughs, Legs.

Sorry - I made a mistake and thought this was a discussion forum.

If it's for solo diatribes only - go for it. But I guess that means my Goodes suggestion doesn't get a look in . . .

[Legs Akimbo]

Originally posted by Go Swannies
Sorry - I made a mistake and thought this was a discussion forum.

If it's for solo diatribes only - go for it. But I guess that means my Goodes suggestion doesn't get a look in . . .

Anything is possible - after all he sits next to this week's hack on the number of games played list. I'll just have to find a different definition of Hack.

[penga]

Ben Matthews? There is no such player on the Sydney Swans list.

:confused:

:rollseyes:

[monopoly19]

Originally posted by Go Swannies
Sorry - I made a mistake and thought this was a discussion forum.

If it's for solo diatribes only - go for it. But I guess that means my Goodes suggestion doesn't get a look in . . .

I wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but we can have a fight if you like :)

My vote for next week goes to Schneider. Get your crotch off the centre of my tv screen!

[Lucky Knickers]

I was going to ask if we could have a Jason "Cannons" Ball tribute Hack to commemorate his final year in Footy.

[Go Swannies]

What about Darren "let's use my inside knowledge to keep my old teammates from a Premiership" Cresswell then? His absence from the ongoing celebrations is notable.

[giant]

Another valid and valuable contribution LA!

That said, Benny went confounded a lot of us by not only having a great GF but an outstanding finals series.

Still, what's 3 games compared to a lifetime of frustration - a worthy HOTW!

[Go Swannies]

Originally posted by monopoly19
My vote for next week goes to Schneider. Get your crotch off the centre of my tv screen!

I think you may find some posters here will strongly disagree with that sentiment.

[Nolie]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo


1. He won?t kick the ball to first year players. On several occasions last year I watched him neglect the obvious option of disposing to a young player in the clear (e.g. LRT) .....



LRT paid him back in the qualifying final in Perth by not kicking it to Ben but to Adam Hunter!
The stunned mullett look on Ben's face was precious! (although at the time it was heart-breaking for everyone involved)

I quite like Ben Mathews in a non-descript way - he's just there - as LA says he doesn't really stand out.

[silent lurker]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo

b. Kick it backwards to an uncontested teammate
c. Offload it to a team mate about to get crunched by a pack of 10 opposition players.

These were Daryn Cresswell's only set plays.

[cruiser]

Originally posted by monopoly19
My vote for next week goes to Schneider. Get your crotch off the centre of my tv screen!
Schneider's crotch is one of my grand final highlights!

[goswannie14]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo
?1. He won?t kick the ball to first year players. On several occasions last year I watched him neglect the obvious option of disposing to a young player in the clear (e.g. LRT) and instead kick it to the boundary. This is not very nice.
2. He has a very limited game plan consisting of three set plays
a. Kick it to the boundary
b. Kick it backwards to an uncontested teammate
c. Offload it to a team mate about to get crunched by a pack of 10 opposition players.
d. Kick it to the opposition. Anecdotally, I estimate that at least 40% of Ben?s disposals that don?t result in set-playes a to c above end up going straight to the opposition.

Hey legs...by your defnition, with the last game having been played being the GF, under point 2d, Chris Judd should be "hack of the week";)

BTW if you have a hack for the week for every week until the new season starts...now lone before, Kirk, Hall etc come up for their bagging?:confused:

[ScottH]

Originally posted by cruiser
Schneider's crotch is one of my grand final highlights! I thought you'd left for the summer??

[goswannie14]

Originally posted by ScottH
I thought you'd left for the summer?? Yeah, I thought he'd gone fishing:confused:

[ScottH]

Originally posted by goswannie14
Yeah, I thought he'd gone fishing:confused: Gone cruising.

[cruiser]

Originally posted by ScottH
I thought you'd left for the summer?? Never too far from a PC with internet connection. Besides, I missed you Scott :blows kiss:

[ScottH]

Originally posted by cruiser
Never too far from a PC with internet connection. Besides, I missed you Scott :blows kiss: I thought you had the hots for LA, ATM!!