Yeah or Neah - 1. Rory Hilton

[mightytiges]

Last year around this time we took a look at each player who's on a knife's edge and got opinions on you should stay or go. So over the next 7 weeks I thought we do the same with the current crop.

Hilts is first up. Should Rory remain on the list next year or go and why?

[letsgetiton!]

rory hilton is a damn worthy player imo. he has guts and courage and can play bothe ends of the ground which is very useful. he has had 2 problems over the yrs,
1/ danny frawely
2/ injuries.

he puts his body on the line and plays hard and has gr8 goal sence and defensive skills. he still hasnt lived up to his potential and under terry he will, he just needed to get his body right. it wasnt long ago when he was playing in tip top form b4 he was polaxed after putting his body on th eline 4 his team! 

he is a true team man and we owe him big time because he is the reason why ottens did his back lol!!!! yep thats true, at training rory took a specky over rottons and his back went tryong to hold up hiltons weight!!! well done rory!

[julzqld]

See how he plays out the rest of the year.  Last two game he's been very good.

[cub]

I would give him another 1 year contract depending how he finishes this year off. Remember most players coming back from knees (Gaspar) take a while to get back into form. When fit he is a tough hard at it player, the type we need if/when we play in finals.

[JohnF]

If he pledges to train the house down and gets himself in the peak physical condition of his career I'd contemplate giving him another year.

I personally think we should only get rid of about 4-5 players this year because we have so many kids that are unknown quantities as yet. By next year we should know a lot more about our youngsters and be more inclined to make a decision about whether they stay or go. If there is to be a cleanout, make it next year.

[Tiger Spirit]

There has to be a question mark over his attitude, work ethic and his ability to stay out on the ground?

So where’s the value in retaining him?  Lots of blokes put their body on the line, week in week out and manage to stay out there.  Hilton just gets put out of the game for weeks on end.  In between the injuries, he’s had plenty of chances and time to earn and deserve a spot in the team.

Allowing for the fact he’s coming back from a knee, what’s he doing at the moment that anyone else couldn’t do and what’s he done in the past to suggest he’s going to be any better and consistent in the coming seasons?  For the majority of his career he seems to have given about as much when he was playing as he has when he wasn’t playing.  Maybe he’s a minimalist.

At least with Gaspar we had no one better to replace him with, and you knew his best was pretty good, so you could understand the patience with him.  RFC must know something we don’t because how has Rory deserved above and beyond that level of patience?

Seven years of it actually; all in the hope that he could maybe, possibly, if he could get out on the ground, perhaps come good at some stage.  And where do you get a boss like that who’ll even pay you tens of thousand of dollars for the privilege, year after year, no questions asked?

[WilliamPowell]

Remebering that we have to make a minimum of 3 changes to the list I think Rory Hilton is one that is under the microscope big time.

There has to be a question mark over his attitude, work ethic and his ability to stay out on the ground?

Key point here in the evaluation i reckon. When he is switched on he is a very very good player but when he is not - he looks disinterested. The 1%'s (the chases, tackles, shepherds, smothers) don't seem to come often enough for me perhpas that is the fitness issue that JohnF alluded too.

So where’s the value in retaining him?

If it is a choice between a new 18 y.o. kid or promoting one of rookies permanantly then I'd say none. I also think that we have another kid on our list that can play the same type of roles that Rory does in Dean Polo - so I'd rather see Polo be developed and given an opportunity and have another youngster on our list for the long term

[Razorblade]

Depends on the rest of this game, he as a goner IMO but last wekend he had a pretty dam good game!

[mightytiges]

The past two matches he's done his job in terms of kicking roughly 2-3 goals. To remain on our list in 2006 Rory would need to keep that form up for the next 7 weeks so to have a decent end to the year like Pettifer did last year. Being in the system already 8 years and never reaching higher than being a "good ordinary player" will be a negative mark against Rory. Pettifer had "only" 4 years at AFL level and was very close to the chop.   

[tiga]

I think Tivva is more under the microscope than Hilton. Most players around him have lifted whereas Tiv seems to be on auto pilot and just going through the motions. On his day, Tivva is a gun but those days are appearing less and less. Terry seems to have faith in him at the moment but I think that is about to be tested in upcoming matches if he doesn't start banging in a few of his "55m on the run game breaking lefties.".