#16 “OMG it’s Archie” Perkins

Brad has this really special way of watching a players confidence evaporate in front of his eyes and doing nothing about it.

It starts with a run of about 6 poor performances. Because Brad has a set 23 in his mind, so it needs to get really bad before he’ll think about making an adjustment. But he then doesn’t drop them - he detours to sub purgatory for like 3 weeks, just to make it almost impossible for them to regain their confidence. After 9-10 weeks, after having their confidence absolutely obliterated, he’ll finally relent and drop them.

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@Marco what’s happening with him? Didn’t work hard enough?

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It is a ■■■■ way to operate. Send him to the VFL, and then promote him if he dominates (like Tsatas is). The VFL shouldn’t be a death sentence, it should be a development path.

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I dont think Ive seen a player regress quite like Perkins has this season. Its unbelievable.

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He also has a habit of trying to destroy players who have a bit of confidence

Mass
Voss
Tsatas

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Didn’t you watch his last 3/4’s of season 2024?

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You don’t develop players with poor attitudes by gifting them games season after season.

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Thank Dudoro

Geez I know people love to lay the boots into Brad, but coming into this thread and 80% is about how Brad has destroyed this guy……gimme a break

All I see is a coach who has tried to back in a senior player to turn his form around, and that’s what Perkins is now, a senior player of nearly 100 games.

Here’s the fact, Perkins isn’t a good player.
At his best, he could be carried in a good side. But we are not.

Worse for Perkins is….call it lazy or even soft, but he just isn’t a competitor

Perkins - top 10 pick
Roberts - slides to 50+ pick

But every contest Roberts goes with all he has, and it pi$$es him off if he loses it.
For that trait, he will have a better career than Perkins. Give me a guy with that competitive streak every time.

Should Archie he be in the VFL, yes…but the cupboard is so bare, maybe Smartt could get a chance
I don’t think Menzie is any worse a player than Perkins to be fair.

But laying a lot of blame on Brad, that just gives Perkins an out, an excuse.

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Well said, sir.

The cupboard is not bare. Bull****.

McMahon
Smartt
Tsatas
Davey
Unwin
Day Wicks
Menzie
Guelfie
El-Hawli

Pick any. All try harder and deliver more.

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Perkins is annoying and frustrating because of the simple things he can’t do. These include pick up the ball from the ground and mark it when it is in the air. Yesterday from memory there were three times when he just couldn’t mark the ball under zero pressure. A average player in any league wouldn’t drop marks that easy but this is the friggin AFL! His fumbling is next level bad. Who does everyone think is responsible for teams scoring coast to coast goals and having three players yesterday alone 40 m out in the pocket? It is Perkins and others like Hobbs who either lack the speed, skill or will to be more defensive. How does Scott accept this?

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Send Perko and a token pick upgrade to North for Duursma.

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Plays his best footy close to goals but we’ve built up his body to play as an inside mid and then asked him to run up and down the ground like brad close.

Classic essington development pattern honestly

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The game has changed. Oliver Henry is also seemingly on the outer at Geelong.

You build your forward line around two talls and have a bunch of smalls around them. It’s hard to make it as a pure medium forward these days

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Can anyone confirm something I have heard about this boy? Has he had any concussions in his time here? I’ve heard he has been told he’s a concussion away from Nix Cox trajectory. This would explain a few things for me.

I don’t recall him having any concussions honestly

Especially if you’re only 188cm, slow and can’t pick the ball up off the ground.

He not really tall enough to be a medium forward and he’s not nimble or hungry enough to play as a small.

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Yeah same, which is why I was surprised when I had been given that info. The person was adamant it was Perkins and weren’t mixing it up with Cox. Anyway, 3rd hand info so grain of salt and all that.

How many actual “medium forwards” are there in the league these days anyway?

It’s such a hard and unique role. We’ve seen how even an elite junior player at a good team in Rayner has struggled.

The game is moving away from the Stringer and Perkins types to having a bunch of runners around two key position players

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