Reece Conca - so long and thanks for all the fish

[Phar Ace]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

I've always gone with that we should've got Caddy/Heppell or Darling.
I'm not 100% convinced that Conca was our best option with our 1st pick last year.
Will he be good? I think he showed enough in some games that he is a smart footballer, but in others he was off the pace of the game and did struggle with his decision making.

I am inclined to agree (agreeing with the Fly ) ;D

According to FJ they were all over Conca early in the season before the draft - was virtually picked a long way out, he was certainly extemely bullish about him. Did that cloud other options? - we'll never know, but I do agree at this stage that Heppell is the most outstanding prospect - borne out by the Rising Star award.

Agree with Fly that it was Heppell or Caddy, in that order. Was amazed Brisbane did what they did to get to Pick 5 and overlooked Heppell and went Polec. All these players will likely be very good. There are so many ways to determine 'best'.

To call Heppell soft from the cheap seats is a bit rich. Conca knocked up really sore by about Round 18 - Heppell was keeping on.

Interesting call Reds - sometimes there is a bit of circling here.

Conca is going to be interesting to watch develop. He's no certainty to be elite - he's also at Richmond, which says so much for Cotchin and eventually Martin. Think Batchelor may well become the pick of that draft for us.

 

[zippadeee]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

In the words of Jeffery Fenech "I loves you all"
Conca will be a star, so will Batchelor and Grimes!
But I still want a stronger defence!

 

[zippadeee]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Agree with you Mr Phar, Bachelor looks really good.
Could be out best pick up beyond pick 5.
Beautiful kick, good size and has a real calm head on shoulders.
Dosent panic and looks like 3 positions in the backline are filled, 3 to go...

 

[Joe Lynn Turnip]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

IMO Heppell is better than Conca and probably always will be. Having said that, it's not exactly a chasm of difference in class and doubt it's a choice that's really going to haunt us, like certain others have and still do.

 

[Sintiger]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Heppell is an Essendon player . I am more concerned about what sort of player Conca will be .

If we have to compare then lets wait for a couple of years . Not all players develop at that same rate and it may also be better to judge Conca when he has a proper pre season .

 

[Tigers of Old]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Looking forward to Reece's 2nd year enormously.

 

[mld]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Heppell is an Essendon player . I am more concerned about what sort of player Conca will be .

At times I almost get the feeling that some people are barracking for Heppell to be the better player.

 

[Eat the rich]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

And so it continues on PRE.

Zip posts that and gets "verballed"and
And then Eat the Rich continues with the lie that if Heppell was drafted then you couldn't draft Batchelor.
I like Batchelor as well but I don't use him as cover to favour Conca over Heppell at this time.

Wow, conspiracy theory now... what I was saying is the club wanted a good run and carry linking mid with pick 6, and picked a shut down medium rebounding defender @ 30. We may have taken Darling if he was still there @ 30, or Lycett, or luke parker who was there , all reasonable prospects in their positions, all hypothetical now. Novel, as it may seem, the club identified these positions as list requirements in 2011 and drafted accordingly.
I think I've said before, I Liken Conca to Scully, and I'm hoping Reece is settled in and puts in a very big pre-season so he can let rip in 2012. He'll be a beaut, and the midfield are developing nicely together, now.

 

[Col.E.Kurtz]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Does anyone remember that mystical, long ago time of summer 2009?

Daniel Rich had just easily won the NAB  rising star award after being drafted 7th.  Recruiters from 6 clubs were fools, and couldn't show their faces outdoors for fear of being pelted with rotten vegetates and being mocked for missing a future hall of famer.  Anyone who had seen the u18 carnival the year before could see Rich was going to be a combination of Greg Williams and Judd, what were the so-called experts thinking?

Now it's 2011, and Daniel Rich is still on track to have a very good AFL career and his long,  accurate kick is a massive asset to any team he plays on. But those 6 recruiters have no trouble showing their face around town anymore.

 

[johnson2richo2003]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

4 clubs missed the boat on Heppell.
16 clubs missed the boat with Bachelor. ;D

 

[Big Cat Lover]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Agree with you Mr Phar, Bachelor looks really good.
Could be out best pick up beyond pick 5.
Beautiful kick, good size and has a real calm head on shoulders.
Dosent panic and looks like 3 positions in the backline are filled, 3 to go...

I would suggest at least 4 positions are filled and really 5 if you feel Post can hold a KP. The BP is the glaring issue. Hopefully Morris is the answer. Rance/Post/Grimes/Batchelor/Deledio/Newman/Houli are all quite capable of rotating through the other 5 backline spots. Dea is another option. Backline has promise for the first time in a while. Ruck/Midfield/3rd Forward the pressing issues.

Pity Taylor couldn't have stuck around because he is exactly the type we need.

 

[Sintiger]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

I would suggest at least 4 positions are filled and really 5 if you feel Post can hold a KP. The BP is the glaring issue. Hopefully Morris is the answer. Rance/Post/Grimes/Batchelor/Deledio/Newman/Houli are all quite capable of rotating through the other 5 backline spots. Dea is another option. Backline has promise for the first time in a while. Ruck/Midfield/3rd Forward the pressing issues.

I am pretty confident we can get a good back 6 on the park out of Rance , Grimes , Astbury , Post , Moore , Dea, Batchelor , Morris , Newman , Houli, Deledio and Connors .
That is not our defensive issue , team defence is . A perfect example of this was the 2nd game we played against melbourne in round 22 this year . Our defence was hardly beaten one on one but Melbourne scored a lot of goals beating the forward press and moving the ball too easily into the forward 50 . You can have Southby , Dench , Silvagni and Fletcher down there and have problems if that happens .
My view remains that personnel is not our long term defensive issue . This is exactly why Ross Smith was employed.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

But I still want a stronger defence!

Nothing wrong with having a bloody good back six, but would think it's required more as a last resort option.
Would rather have a midfield that is capable of working both ways, controlling the pace of the game and keeping the ball driven hard and deep into our forwardline ( therefore out of our defensive structure ) as a first resort.
It's usually far less stressfull watching games when we are pounding into the opposition backline rather than vice versa.

 

[Eat the rich]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

I am pretty confident we can get a good back 6 on the park out of Rance , Grimes , Astbury , Post , Moore , Dea, Batchelor , Morris , Newman , Houli, Deledio and Connors .
That is not our defensive issue , team defence is . A perfect example of this was the 2nd game we played against melbourne in round 22 this year . Our defence was hardly beaten one on one but Melbourne scored a lot of goals beating the forward press and moving the ball too easily into the forward 50 . You can have Southby , Dench , Silvagni and Fletcher down there and have problems if that happens .
My view remains that personnel is not our long term defensive issue . This is exactly why Ross Smith was employed.

Nothing wrong with having a bloody good back six, but would think it's required more as a last resort option.
Would rather have a midfield that is capable of working both ways, controlling the pace of the game and keeping the ball driven hard and deep into our forwardline ( therefore out of our defensive structure ) as a first resort.
It's usually far less stressfull watching games when we are pounding into the opposition backline rather than vice versa.

2 good summations.

 

[shad]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Does anyone remember that mystical, long ago time of summer 2009?

Daniel Rich had just easily won the NAB rising star award after being drafted 7th. Recruiters from 6 clubs were fools, and couldn't show their faces outdoors for fear of being pelted with rotten vegetates and being mocked for missing a future hall of famer. Anyone who had seen the u18 carnival the year before could see Rich was going to be a combination of Greg Williams and Judd, what were the so-called experts thinking?

Now it's 2011, and Daniel Rich is still on track to have a very good AFL career and his long, accurate kick is a massive asset to any team he plays on. But those 6 recruiters have no trouble showing their face around town anymore.

And what about Rhse Palmer? He had it on a string in his first year. TBH he has been pretty hopeless since then.

 

[Joe Lynn Turnip]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Palmer's had injuries, though I do believe he was a bit of a one season wonder regardless.

Rich has had two average years 'tis true, but will still be a gun IMO. Stuck in a extremly crap side. We of all supporters should be able recognise and identify with that circumstance.

 

[wayne]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

 

[Sintiger]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

Is that Connors or webberley next to him ? If its Connors he looks in great condition

 

[Wildride]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

That's Webberley next to Conca, and he does look in good shape.

 

[Joe Lynn Turnip]

Re: Reece "Squirrel" Conca

That's Webberley next to Conca, and he does look in good shape.

Lower body looks as though it still needs a fair bit of work.