reckon people are jumping up and down about the wrong thing here.
he doesnt have the right attributes to play afl thats pretty clear. another in betweener in many ways. severe lack of pace condemns a bloke of his height and the role he performs to the grave yard.
nope the thing we should be asking is why we gave this kid a third yr on our rookie list. why cant we identify severe weakness in players. cmon people just think of the attributes most players will have that darrou will be asked to play against at afl level.
reckon if he could build a tank and find a bit of ball he could make an inside midfielder at afl level thats probably his best chance but boy thats drawing a long bow.
Before you rant, I've said I don't think he'll make it. But I think you have a major issue of focusing on the negatives. All players have them. It's whether his positives out weigh his negatives and if his VFL form is anything to go by, they do and he can match it with the best forwards he's played on. He never seems to be monstered and usually wins out against some of the best VFL forwards and the only way to tell whether that can be improved to AFL is to give him a go. He has done everything right
na your wrong. its all about weather the negatives will allow a player to perform well at afl level. short and slow spells disaster for nearly all kpds at this level. third tall well hes going to play on the quicker talls going around.
we draft players based on their attributes. if i was looking for a kpd at junior level darrou wouldnt get a look in. doesnt tick the right boxes.
in saying that i too have said give him a try we have nothing to lose i just think like you he wont make it and i reckon i give damn good reasons. i dont get the angst with people.
hes a rookie been a rookie for 3 yrs not managed one game what the hell does that tell ya.he has serious flaws for the role people expect him to play, but if some one voices em your too negative.
being slow and short what tall fwd at afl level do you envisage him playing on. what outstanding attribute does he display that will compensate for the weaknesses. what role do you think he can play taking into account his weaknesses.
Sometimes out and out intense desire trumps every other attribute by a mile.
Look at Lenny Hayes for example. No real pace. Not great overhead. Not the greatest kick. Yet he was one of the most competitive beasts ever to put on a jumper in the AFL.
Through sheer will power he would get the ball and feed it out time and time again. He would push himself to the limit.
So being an intense competitor can be more important than having "attributes".
Ps. I'm not saying that having "attributes" isn't important as well. It's just not the be all and end all.
your right on rare occasions intesity aggression etc can off set physical deficiencies. morris and robinson come to mind.
lenny hayes had and still has every single attribute you want in an inside mid,
mate he may be slow but the role he does doesnt require great pace. hes not expected to keep up with players on the lead. his motor as a inside mid is far more important than his pace or supposed lack thereof.
hes a ball winner with a huge tank who wins so much ball its crazy and he uses it well either by hand or foot, he may not be a great kick but he has always hit targets which makes him a passable kick. and hes has always had footy smarts. hes a great size for the role he is expected to play. hes was and always has been a very talented player ffs he was a top 10 draft pick either pick 7 or 11 if i remember cant be bothered looking it up.he has very good attributes that more than offsets any weakness he has.
i will say again AS A KPD imo Ben Darrou has two glaring deficiencies that cannot be overcome for the role we want him to play. all the intensity and aggression in the world wont help in this.
look outside the square with him and try him in a role that would allow his strengths to come to the fore and offset what deficiencies he has,
