Agree and I don’t think he was taken as a ‘project player’… I’m sure the club thought he would come on a bit quicker but I wouldn’t be calling panic yet.
It is not unusual for KP to take longer, even high draft picks, so he is not a huge way behind where you would expect. At time of drafting I would have expected him to play 3-4 games as a taste in Year 1, probably 10-12 games in Year 2 with minimal but growing influence and then be aiming for 20+ games in Season 3 but not dominate. I would have then thought that by years 4-6 he hits his peak and starts to dominate games.
So far we are probably only about 1 year ‘behind’ the optimal schedule… so you start to think we should be expecting 10-12 games… which seems unlikely at this stage. So then maybe you think he is 2 years behind ‘ideal’ but not yet a disaster zone. If we are still having the discussion in 12 months and he still can’t string games together then maybe you panic… but not just yet imho.
Don’t see the Dees writing off Weidemann or Blues with McKay. Both also top 10 picks.
Most kpp take time, still growing into their bodies, take longer to get used to physical demands of AFL footy and getting the fitness/strength to cope against men. Very few are able to instantly impact.
Whilst it’s not ideal having injury niggles it’s also not a drama he hasn’t played more. He’s only 20 after all.
He’s obviously been able to become more mentally focused and sorted that out now. 2018 the year to get himself physically right with Crowey working with him accordingly.
2019 will hopefully begin to push his way into the team but again if it takes another year or two still who cares.
Well no but it’s likely as he physically isn’t ready to do so. Also has his injury concerns. As per Francis.
"Played the first four games of last season before being dropped back to the VFL. Could not quite find his feet at AFL level, with the young forward booting just three goals in his seven matches. Melbourne has been careful not to rush him, although a six-goal burst (five in the first half) against Box Hill in the VFL provided a glimpse of his talent. Needs to continue to add muscle mass to his skinny frame to better cope with the demands of AFL football. Off-season ankle surgery meant a delayed start to
his pre-season."
Just quite a lot of doom and gloom surrounding this big lad who’s had some rough times and is currently probably in the middle of his last growth spurt. Seems over the top and exaggerated to me.
As most will know I have been a long time Francis fan but the reality now is… how mentally tough he is from here will determine his career. If he only wants to put in mild work he will get mild to poor results. If he puts in Jobe like work he will be a star, I feel like it’s genuinely 50/50 on which way he takes himself. His next month for me is critical…needs to be and looks to remain fit by JLT series