Been reading all the training reports,intra-club reports,simulated practise reports etc etc etc.But something just occured to me.There is one bloke who has virtually dropped off the radar and barely gets a mention.
Daniel Batson..........Is he the forgotten man ?We have got the big debate going at the moment.Who's gonna be the backup for Barney ? Is it McLaren,or Archie,or The Bear ? and then there is Setanta and Aisake.But no bloody mention of Batson.
Question to all you training regulars...........How is Batson travelling ?Why has he been neglected in reports ? is he going so shit that he is hardly noticeable ?whats the story on this bloke ?
Reason i am asking is that i was quite impressed when he first lobbed at our Club.Didnt know who he was or where he came from.All i knew was that he was 18 and 200cm.Now 200cm 18 year olds are usually all arms and legs.Sorta like a Daddy long legs.All over the shop.The thing that stood out to me about Batson that he was so damn co-ordinated for a guy of his age and size.He was great to watch on the track.I would go so far as to say a very stylish mover.Means jack shit if you cant get a kick,but very encouraging all the same.Quite impressed that our recruiters were were able to suss out this guy.Lets face it,blokes that size aint exactly falling out of trees.And we all know how long it takes for ruckmen to develop.My only query on Batson was that he seemed too nice.Gotta get a bit of mongrel into ya son or they will walk all over ya.
So,over to all you treack watchin' gurus.How is Daniel travelling ?



Ah,before i go,i wanna buy into the O"Hailpen debate.For mine,i reckon they are travelling beautifully.We could not have asked for more from these two.Same old story folks.........blokes of that height,pace and mobility do not fall out of trees and i reckon it was fantastic of the club to take the gamble with them.Great physical specimens the pair of them.But there are some who have doubts,and i reckon thats fair enough.You call it as you see it.Be honest folks,as good as they look,they can also revert to some schoolboy stuff.And i agree that all that cursing and the inability to hide the frustration is a pain to watch.Gotta eliminate that boys or you will become known as "The Brothers Grim".But for mine,there gonna eventually come through.Taidgh Kenneally has just played in a flag side for the Swans.And great credit to him.But with due respect to Kenneally,if Carlos and Zac aint got as much natural ability as him,then i will bear you no what in Bourke St.And on that basis i think they have a future.

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All my dangerous friends

Mickstar, I think the position is that both Aisake and Batson are unlikely to have any senior football. They are both rookies, and neither is likely to be the nominated rookie.

If one or more of our backup ruckmen are injured and transferred to the LTI list, one of them may be promoted to the senior list. But Carlton has shown it only promotes a rookie who will shortly play in the seniors. So, even if one of the 3 backups ends up on the LTI, don't count on a promotion.

To me, that restricts the interest in both. I'm more interested in talking about Setanta because he should be a senior player this year.

Another problem is that the 2 boys haven't had a real opportunity to show any form in the ruck. There isn't much that can be gleaned from training in this regard, and the intra-club matches haven't given them much time in the ruck. Only when the VFL practice matches start will we get some opportunity to assess them.

The other thing that has resulted in Aisake being the subject of discussion is the possibility of enormous gains over the preseason. Batson's improvements are more likely to be gradual, given his exposure to footy over the years. And another thing that wins Aisake more attention is that there is a possibility that he might become a player like LA who can use both height and athleticism to play up forward. This really isn't likely for Batson.

But as they are very similar in height and weight, both are good prospects in the ruck. It will be interesting to see who impresses most this year and whether they will be elevated at the end of it.

Thought it was going to be about Tyrants...

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#DonTheStash

Spend lots of time on the wood last Friday. Most of the guys coming off for a spell last Friday got on the phone, to I assume DP, not poor old Bato not even an Irish backpacker selling life insurance rang him.
I did admire his "goal" on the Sexy squad video with PJ to at least be an emergency in the NAB cup:dare to dream in the worst list in the AFL.
I would like him to start in the ruck this Saturday night, but I doubt very much he's achieves his goal of emergency. Naturally Mclaren's arrival was not a good thing for the Batman and he is going to struggle for 'Ants firsts again I fear.

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Green Shooter

Bookie, did you know that we have to pay an extra $2,000 to each of the rookies who play one or more games in the preseason comp? Not much compared to the annual turnover I grant you, but when we are going to the AFL for a handout, probably not a wise payment to make. So I'd be surprised if any of the rookies is given a guernsey in the NAB Cup.

???

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

SOS, I didn't know that, I guess my argument (if I had one) would be if you don't give them a go you just pay thier wages and delist them for about 80k a season with costs. For mine Bato needs to run on the big stage, or he will just vanish, kinda like paging Dr Becker. Granted he doesn't deserve a start but he can't be worse than some listed players we have with manual dexterity and footy smarts of a bench seat with a wet paint sign on it.

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Green Shooter

Batson is still young and hopefully will play for Bullants 1sts this year. A natural progression from last year.

PJ , unless I was confusing you with Tiff Cherry he says his goal for the preseason is to maybe "get a look in for the Wizard (NAB) cup even if it's only as an emergency".

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Green Shooter

I reckon Batson will be pushing shit uphill to get the mindset to play this game at a high level...

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Ohhhhhhh.

Now I remember.

Anyway, Synbad, why don't you think Batson will have the mindset to make it?

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

pj, i reckon you need to think like a winner to be one... i dont think Batson has that in him... he has alot of things but i dont think he knows what you have to do to make it in the big league.

Early call.. and i hope he sticks it up me...

but i dont think he can!!

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Who?

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Oompa loompa doompety dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me

i was thinking about batman yesterday actaully.

i was wondering how he's been going, just before xmas i watched him pretty closely at training and both bryan and frecnh were giving him a work out and he just didnt look confident or at all swithced on in a couple of drills.

TD gave him a serve and he just seemed to go into his shell even more.
he looked below standard that day, but i was thinking i wonder if i just caught him on a bad day or if he was really struggling.

still being so young he has plenty of time to develop but can we afford a senior spot on the list for him?

how many more years can he stay as a rookie.

he has a nice solid frame which is a good thing.

The Dark Overlord that is ****** still not given him internet access at work?