Premature Celebration for Our New Rising Star (Hanners re-signs for 3 years)

[staple]

I don't believe I said that. I certainly don't believe it. Most players who have placed in the top handful of the award have been very good players at worst. Many have become superstars. Of the actual winners, only Pearce and Rivers have had patchy careers, and at least in Rivers' case, injuries have played a big part in that. It is too early to call on Rich and Palmer.

More pertinently

- whether he wins or not will have zero influence on whether he goes on to have a great career, a good career, or fades into oblivion; and

- whether he wins or not should have zero impact on how we, he, the club or anyone else in the football world judges the season he has had. It would provide external validation and no doubt to actually take home the award would be thrilling for Dan. But it doesn't actually affect the football he has played. That is what it is.

uh, guys. like i mentioned in the title, he has already won the Rising Star. Im not kidding. he's already won. i may be shooting from the hip, but im a great shot.

[Jewels]

I hope he wins for purely selfish reasons - to stick it up all those "experts" in the media who said we were too old and had no decent youth coming through.
I took great delight on Monday night when Mike Sheahan was talking about our bright future on OTC. It was sooooo good to finally hear someone acknowledge it.

[aardvark]

Goodsey did ok.

Certainly did. The point I was making was that there are quite a few winners that didn't go on to achieve their potential.
The big test for Dan will come when he starts getting the oppositions best taggers.

[aardvark]

I don't believe I said that. I certainly don't believe it. Most players who have placed in the top handful of the award have been very good players at worst. Many have become superstars. Of the actual winners, only Pearce and Rivers have had patchy careers, and at least in Rivers' case, injuries have played a big part in that. It is too early to call on Rich and Palmer.

Apologies Liz if I misread your post. I would also add Michael Wilson, Byron Pickett, and Nick Holland as Patchy and i'm prepared to argue that Delidio and Kossie have not fulfilled their potential yet.
I hope injuries don't become an issue with Dan, those shoulders worry me.

[sharp9]

Whereas Goodes, Riewoldt and Haselby have certainly been handy types!

[liz]

Apologies Liz if I misread your post. I would also add Michael Wilson, Byron Pickett, and Nick Holland as Patchy and i'm prepared to argue that Delidio and Kossie have not fulfilled their potential yet.
I hope injuries don't become an issue with Dan, those shoulders worry me.

Strongly disagree on Pickett. He was a great player, maybe not the most consistent going around but capable of having a huge impact in important game. Michael Wilson was a hard-nut in the same stratosphere as Bolton (though he probably played less as a pure onballer than Jude has). His career was cut short a bit by injury but in his prime he was a key part of a dominant footy team. Didn't have the flash factor of players generally lauded as stars but that shouldn't take away from how important he was to Port. I am not completely sold on Deledio but he has played his entire career in a very poor team. If he were playing in a good team I suspect he would have heaps of plaudits piled on him, and there is some chance he'll get the opportunity to play in a decent team, at worst, over the next few seasons. Kossie is an odd one because his best has been absolutely dominant. But he has only managed to produce this level for very short periods of his career and I suspect he'll struggle to ever regain the form that made him look as good as Riewoldt.

[aardvark]

Yes. I have a feeling that Delidio has his best ahead of him now he finally has some players around him and injuries killed Kossie. I remember Pickett as being erratic but occasionally brilliant. I think we will be very happy if Dan ends up as good as Buckley and Selwood

[liz]

I think we will be very happy if Dan ends up as good as Buckley and Selwood

If Dan ends up being as good as Buckley or Selwood we should be more than very happy. But that is setting the bar at an extreme height and set us up for disappointment if he "only" turns out to be as good as a Pickett, or Wilson or Hasleby (albeit in a different role to a couple of those).

Along with Voss and Hird, Buckley was the most consistently damaging midfielder over a long period of time that the game has seen in the past decade and a bit. Other players might have bests as good as these, but almost no-one comes close to this trio in terms of playing so consistently at the top of their game for such a long period. Selwood is still a babe in terms of his career but might well reach that stratosphere. Black, Riccuito and Cousins (hiccups aside) come close, while the likes of Ablett and Judd might too deserve to be judged alongside these players in a few years time.

[Ratna]

If Dan ends up being as good as Buckley or Selwood we should be more than very happy. But that is setting the bar at an extreme height and set us up for disappointment if he "only" turns out to be as good as a Pickett, or Wilson or Hasleby (albeit in a different role to a couple of those).

Along with Voss and Hird, Buckley was the most consistently damaging midfielder over a long period of time that the game has seen in the past decade and a bit. Other players might have bests as good as these, but almost no-one comes close to this trio in terms of playing so consistently at the top of their game for such a long period. Selwood is still a babe in terms of his career but might well reach that stratosphere. Black, Riccuito and Cousins (hiccups aside) come close, while the likes of Ablett and Judd might too deserve to be judged alongside these players in a few years time.

I hope we are comparing him to some of these elite midfielders in ten plus years time.

Maybe I over rate him but whenever anyone talks of best midfielders over this time Robert Harvey always gets left out. I loved the way this bloke performed over a long period of time. Maybe he wasn't always as eye catching as some of the others but he was pretty consistent over a long period.

As for Hanners, time will tell. All we can do at the moment is sit back enjoy and hope for the best but if the start is anything to go by it looks good. WRT rising star there are some players you would not want to win it due to the pressure and expectation but possibbly one of the best things about Hanners is he appears to be very level headed and I don't think it'd change him.

[liz]

Maybe I over rate him but whenever anyone talks of best midfielders over this time Robert Harvey always gets left out. I loved the way this bloke performed over a long period of time. Maybe he wasn't always as eye catching as some of the others but he was pretty consistent over a long period.

Agree, Harvey belongs on that list, probably closer to the "Voss, Hird, Buckley" trio than to the "Riccuito, Black" pair.

[Jewels]

Just had a little look see on Centrebet at what the bookies thought of Hanners, he's at lower odds to win it then Swann is to win the Brownlow or Pies to win the comp!!!!!

[UglyDuckling]

Agree, Harvey belongs on that list, probably closer to the "Voss, Hird, Buckley" trio than to the "Riccuito, Black" pair.

mcleod would have to fit in there somewhere, he was an absolute jet for a long time, 5 time aa, runner up in brownlow and dual norm smith

[UglyDuckling]

Just had a little look see on Centrebet at what the bookies thought of Hanners, he's at lower odds to win it then Swann is to win the Brownlow or Pies to win the comp!!!!!

wow he is paying 1.22 that is ridiculous

[giant]

Rockliffe certainly has racked up impressively consistent possession counts. For anyone who has watched a bit of Brisbane this year, can you enlighten me about where / how Rockliffe tends to get his disposals and how he uses the ball? I have to confess I tend to discount first year Brisbane midfielders who get huge possession counts because the Lions seem to turn out one every season who rarely goes on to be much. It is almost as if they give one youngster with impressive endurance the green light to go possession hunting without necessarily playing a key role in the team and rarely using the ball with any purpose, nous or skill. That could be grossly unfair on Rockliffe (as I've not watched him much) but I am thinking of the likes of Scott Harding from 4 or 5 years ago (who after his first year never really estalbished himself as more than a fringe player and is no longer there), then Cheynee Stiller the next season (who is still at the Lions but as a fringe player) and most recently Brad Dalziell, who is now struggling to get a game in arguably the worst midfield in the competition. Lions fans have routinely lauded these players as superstars in the making for a year or so, before turning on them as ineffective cloggers.

Has Rockliffe already shown himself to have far more substance than those who have gone before him? I know enough about him to know he was acclaimed as having a great footy brain at U18 level (but slow and with limited endurance) and I do recall him ripping it up one year in the TAC Cup final.

The first three possessions I saw Rockliffe get in an early game he completely butchered so I was a little skeptical. BUt he's been better than that, plays smart effective footy in a side that's really struggled and unlike a Rich probably has plenty of upside (tho he's not likely to get any quicker).

The thing about the RS is that the panel doesn't have to rely on stats or on match by match performances - they can take a holistic view if you like. So I suspect the panel is looking for, first, a kid that has had a really big impact and secondly a kid who is likely in the future to enhance the reputation of the award itself. On that basis, despite a good year, I think Scully and Dan are more likely to win than Rockliffe (and why, rightly or wrongly, Martin probably would have won if eligible). My totally biased vote is for Dan but it wouldn't surprise if there was a validation of the Melbourne renaissance by giving the trophy to Scully (who is a tremendous young footballer).

[alison.z]

wow he is paying 1.22 that is ridiculous

I put $20 on him at $11