Mathews makes AFL All Star team

[giant]

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,19171200-23211,00.html

The link unfortunately doesn't include the team but the Australian has Our Benny on the bench for the AFL All Stars team - of current injured players. Put that one straight on the CV, Benny!

Even if he doesn't get our pulses racing as a player, he does play a role in this side & I'm sure he'll back in the 1st 22 before too long.

[NMWBloods]

So he only made the bench. Hardly anything special.

[dendol]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
So he only made the bench. Hardly anything special.
the bench is better than being out injured.

[Plugger46]

Originally posted by giant
[url]Even if he doesn't get our pulses racing as a player, he does play a role in this side & I'm sure he'll back in the 1st 22 before too long.

Yeah, we've missed him greatly haven't we? The bloke is an absolute dud.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by dendol
the bench is better than being out injured. It's the bench of injured players.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
It's the bench of injured players. It's the bench of All Star injured players. Therfore they must all be on the bench.

[Sanecow]

Did they name the emergencies?

[ScottH]

Originally posted by Sanecow
Did they name the emergencies? Schauble, Maxfield, James

[liz]

Originally posted by Sanecow
Did they name the emergencies?

Luke Ball would have to be the first named emergency.

[giant]

Originally posted by Sanecow
Did they name the emergencies?

Fair question as they had Buckley in the centre & frankly I doubt he'll keep his spot in this team this week, being out uninjured.

However, I perhaps overlooked the fact that Benny was one of about 12 named on the bench, so if your named as an emergency in this team you probably need to be looking at your career options.

[NMWBloods]

The 12 are hardly secure either.

[giant]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
The 12 are hardly secure either.

Oh come on - we're talking the bloody AFL All Stars here.....

[NMWBloods]

... of injured players.

[Thunder Shaker]

Originally posted by Plugger46
Yeah, we've missed him greatly haven't we? The bloke is an absolute dud.
Ben may not be a star like Judd but he does his bit. Next time he plays we should take the time to look at him particularly. Do his possessions find a teammate? Is that teammate under pressure or in the clear? Does he get the ball into F50?

Ben may not find a teammate with every possession and he may not be a standout champion but nobody in the competition does something useful every time they get the ball. Players like that don't exist at the top level.

Every side has players like Ben, who isn't a champion but plays his role. We can't have 22 champions in the side or else the AFL would be wanting to have a look at our books for salary cap breaches.

Nevertheless, Ben would be one player I would consider "resting" when Schmidt or Willoughby gets their debut.

[Albert Park]

Originally posted by Plugger46
Yeah, we've missed him greatly haven't we? The bloke is an absolute dud.
I used to bag Ben Mathews, too.

Until last year's Semi against Geelong.
Mathews was on Gary Ablett jr.
Ablett was held to 8 possesions 0 goals and 2 behinds. Only Jude Bolton and Kirk rated more tackles than Mathews.

I stopped bagging Mathews after that

[Nico]

Originally posted by Thunder Shaker
Ben may not be a star like Judd but he does his bit. Next time he plays we should take the time to look at him particularly. Do his possessions find a teammate? Is that teammate under pressure or in the clear? Does he get the ball into F50?

Ben may not find a teammate with every possession and he may not be a standout champion but nobody in the competition does something useful every time they get the ball. Players like that don't exist at the top level.

Every side has players like Ben, who isn't a champion but plays his role. We can't have 22 champions in the side or else the AFL would be wanting to have a look at our books for salary cap breaches.

Nevertheless, Ben would be one player I would consider "resting" when Schmidt or Willoughby gets their debut.


I do watch him very closely.

Do his possessions hit a teammate - rarely
Is that teammate under pressure -always
Does he get the ball into F50 - along the ground.

Does he kick grubbers as passes - yes
Does he kick over his targets head - most times
Does he handball to players under pressure - almost always
Does he constantly kick out on the full - yes
Does he constantly get pinged for hatching it - yes

So we now rest Benny alah Nathan Buckley. Spare me please.

[The Big Cat]

Originally posted by ScottH
Schauble, Maxfield, James

Surely Doyle and Fixter must be there somewhere!

[ScottH]

Originally posted by The Big Cat
Surely Doyle and Fixter must be there somewhere! Fixter is currently playing.

Who is Doyle?

[Thunder Shaker]

Originally posted by Nico
I do watch him very closely.

Do his possessions hit a teammate - rarely
Is that teammate under pressure -always
Does he get the ball into F50 - along the ground.

Does he kick grubbers as passes - yes
Does he kick over his targets head - most times
Does he handball to players under pressure - almost always
Does he constantly kick out on the full - yes
Does he constantly get pinged for hatching it - yes

So we now rest Benny alah Nathan Buckley. Spare me please.
I'm not convinced by a vague list of qualitative statements. Your argument is even less persuasive by the use of words like "always" which can easily be disproven by finding a single counterexample.

Your argument is further weakened by a misuse of the word "constantly". How can he "constantly" do something when there are many times when he does not?

You have obvious contradictions in your assertions:

Does he kick grubbers as passes - yes
Does he get the ball into F50 - along the ground.
Does he constantly kick out on the full - yes
It is physically impossible to kick the ball "along the ground" yet also have the ball going out on the full.

The statement where you allege he "constantly kicks out on the full" is manifestly false and is trivially disproven by his 36 career goals, 1600 career kicks and 81 career frees against. How can he kick it out on the full if he's kicking goals? How can he kick it out on the full if the umpires aren't paying lots of frees against him?

The frees against statistic disproves your statement about his "constantly hatching it", which I presume means a decision against him for holding the ball. 160 games and 81 frees against. He can't be pinged for holding the ball much if he only concedes an average of one free kick every two games for all breaches of the rules.