Dea & Astbury | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Dea & Astbury

T

tysonc

Tiger Cub
Feb 25, 2008
21
14
I didn't get an opportunity to see any of the game last night, and like all long-suffering supporters I am keen to know how the young ones are developing.

The paper this morning, with its usual poor reporting of the previous night's game (check out the headline "Dockers' youth win battle against veterans" (we hardly have any veterans and probably the one of the youngest sides in the league)) lists Dea as having 16 possessions and Astbury 6.

Dea was obviously out of his depth last week, my question is - was he more comfortable this week? Did Hardwick play him in the back pocket again?

Astbury obviously didn't get much of the ball, but did he present well? Did Hardwick play him across half-forward again? I think he needs to play up across half forward to give him the space to lead, as the young bodies will find it hard to get a kick in the congested forward 50.

Any comments would be great. Thanls
 
Dea coughed it up a lot and Assa hardly got near it, with Taylor and Bling both injured they may get another game next week just for the experience. Perhaps it might be wiser to shield them from what the Cats will do to us next week.
 
Dea, too early to be playing senior footy, didnt notice him alot last nite, apart from being out marked by Fyfe
Astbury, im surprised he touched the ball 6 times, didnt go near it, wasnt a game stlyle that wouldve suited him.
He looks like a leading forward that needs the ball kicked to him, in front..
 
Thanks for your replies

With guys like Dea, the difficulty is going to be finding the balance between giving him the experience to be a good player for us in 3-4 years and making sure that his confidence (and that of the rest of the team - if there is any left) doesn't get shattered by constant turnovers and being crunched by the likes of Chapman, Ling etc next week. I saw Dea play against Melbourne and saw that the pace of the game was too much for him, I just wanted to see if he was a bit more composed.

I remember watching one of Coughlan's first games and my Dad and I sat there and noted how the speed of the game was too much for him (obviously things changed pretty fast for Coughlan). So, the little things I am looking for are the young players having a bit more composure/time as the season progresses.

Re Astbury - it is going to be extraordinarily hard been a leading forward in our team for the next 3 or 4 years (especially as 18 year olds). All I can say to Astbury and Griffiths is, good luck.
 
I thought Dea looked a lot better this week - last week he seemed to want to get rid of the ball to anyone near him from either team - thought he seemed more composed and was looking for team mates to give it off to this week.

Still only his second game so hopefully we will see improvement each game he plays.

Didn't see has stats from last game, but certainly noticed him with the ball more this week.

Asybury was very quiet, and I too was surprised how many stats he had this week - hardly noticed him apart from a couple of marking contests.
 
What was evident to me last night is Dea's hardness and courage, loads of it! :clap
 
Neither are ready for AFL at this moment, but it is worthwhile getting games into them while we have no chance of winning.

Dea coughs the ball up badly and being in the backline almost every time he does stuff up it turns into a goal for the opposition. I would give him 1-2 more games then send him back to Coburg to develop.

Astbury is way way way way off it. Post is a better option.
 
I can see the long term value of Dea. Was better last night but I think he will be better suited at Coburg this year from a development point of view.

As for Astbury I wouldnt be overly concerned with his game last night. He is a smart footballer and can mix it up in the seniors. Would like him to get another 4-5 games at AFL level before being rotated back to Coburg to ease the pressure off his body.
 
Dea is looking like a typical Richmond player of the last generation.

Puts his head over the ball and charges into a contest but looks very uncomfortable with the ball in his hands.

Astbury, young forward, will have ups and downs but looks to have natural football IQ.

We have to keep playing both.
 
SCOOP said:
Dea is looking like a typical Richmond player of the last generation.

Puts his head over the ball and charges into a contest but looks very uncomfortable with the ball in his hands.

Astbury, young forward, will have ups and downs but looks to have natural football IQ.

We have to keep playing both.
Click to expand...

Really? I thought that was one of our biggest problems!
 
How old is Dea? 18?
Appears to have a good physique.
Shouldn't have a problem putting on size.
Will play further up the ground in years to come.
 
dea sgould be given more games, he only had one real howler where he effectively passed it straight to Freo when attampting to switch play into the corridor, other than that he is handling the pill cleanly, only expereince will teach him just how much time he has to assess the right option...astbury struggled
 
I liked what i saw last week and again this week i saw a lot more of the same. This kid has first, second and third efforts in a contest, he is brave, he has good size, he has quick hands and above all else he is a team player. His better disposal will come with more game time, it was up a level last night.

I think he coughed it up about three times that i saw but the rest of the time he preety much made the right choice with good hands.
 
Mappa said:
I liked what i saw last week and again this week i saw a lot more of the same. This kid has first, second and third efforts in a contest, he is brave, he has good size, he has quick hands and above all else he is a team player. His better disposal will come with more game time, it was up a level last night.

I think he coughed it up about three times that i saw but the rest of the time he preety much made the right choice with good hands.
Click to expand...

thats it, not sure what some people expect from a 2nd gamer ::)...first sign I look for is can a kid find the footy, second is can he use it before he gets caught, third, what are his tricks?...For me he's made first base
 
Dea has a good physique, has guts and sticks his tackles...that's about it at the moment...

Clearly not ready and some worrying signs in that he simply can't hit a target by foot but at the end of the day, he's 18 years old and has only played a handful of football at a decent level, ie. TAC and AFL so we need to judge him in 2-3 years, not 2-3 games...our player developers at the club will have a big say in whether he, and many others will make it.
 
I thought Dea demonstrated he has the tools to become a player in the AFL last night. Brave, athletic and showed the poise he demonstrated at lower levels. His kicking will come, had one bad error but that was more through decision than skill. His kicking at the lower levels has been very good, in fact for Coburg one of the things I noted was his ability to kick the ball to an angled lead from defense to cause an effective switch. Cannot remember him missing a target at Coburg.

Last night was very impressed, his repeated efforts to maintain the pressure was brilliant. He is a kid that will improve once he has mastered the pace of the level, I saw dramatic improvement in him this week from last and I think he will keep improving at the rate of knots, it's just the type of kid he is.

Astbury was quiet but I have no doubt this kid will become a damn fine player for us. So smart and skilled, just keep feeding him gametime for the next few weeks then maybe rest him at lower levels after his body says stop.

Both these kids have demonstrated elite leadership at the club since they have arrived and no doubt the club has them in their long term thinking. Patients is needed, both are very young, I think actually Dea is the youngest member on our list! Great effort by him last night, super impressed.
 
Got to see them live for the first time. With good development would expect both to make the first 22 on a regular basis for a few years. Dea's kicking nowhere near as bad as the wraps. Both look gangly slow and gave the appearance they were not sure they should be out there. Should improve with age and experience.

Watched Astbury closely when I could, he was cutting himself out of the game by making one directional leads to the boundary from behind his man. Looked like a confidence issue as much as anything. Would be better alongside a confident 25yo CHF who was having a good game instead of a 21yo Jack R who wasn't exactly having a night to remember.
 
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