bondiblue wrote:
If every player had the same skills, they would have been created by cloning. Prenders is not Bowden, and vice versa, and they never will.
I can't see the balance in this comparison. Are you comparing kicking exclusively? Well there are othet facets to their game that needed to be discussed before jumping to such conclusions, based on one statement alone.
At Carlton we have a list of some 44 players. All different, all at different stages of their carrer and development. I am sure that Prenders is one of the eligible players (about 6 of them) that could claim the 21-22 position in the firsts.
If he has let your team down because of x, y or z then state them and position them accordingly when making comparisons with other players within the scope of x, y, and z. The present line of argument seems to be exclusively based on possessions and goals, between one player who has been given free reign whilst his opponent runs amok, and the other who is not even on the bench for his team's firsts.
The quandory here is, assuming the comparison was fair, is whether to blame the coaching for their failure to develop or the player, or give the player a free license to win possessions, for the purpose of this comparison. Prendergast's failure as a utility in this thread seems to be based on what a supporter expects from a player in terms of possessions. If a player fails to meet supporters' KPI's, how do they know that they haven't fulfilled the specifics as requested by the coach. After all, Carlton coaching, and game plan have been based on negating tactics over the last 4 years. Tagging, Mass flooding in defense.
Prenders' comparison fails from the outset. Prenders as a utility has been used as a tagger and ruckman, because he has a good engine, height and strengths, (kicking may not be one of them IYO). I remember reading on TC earlier this year that Prenders was kicking goals from anywhere at training.
His position will be questioned when the younger blokes overtake him after they do the hard yards to develop an engine capable of withstanding the rigours of AFL footy.
Furthermore, whilst I value you opinion, I don't believe you can judge a bloke who has played only in the VFL this year.
Good post. You make a bit of sense for an Eastie...