Hind has some weapons and isn’t as bad defensively as some are saying. He was down in 2022, but I think this was a form of second year blues. Obviously not being his second year, but teams put a lot more work into him given he was a weapon for us in 2021. I was pleased in that I did think he got better as the year went on. His biggest issue is he’s already 28 so he’s not a long-term option for the club.
He’s clearly fighting with Mass for the bench spot allocated to defenders (the 7th spot). I’d absolutely be prioritising Mass over Hind, due to Hind’s age. But the reality is one injury to any of McGrath/Kelly/Redman/Mass and he’s a certain starter.
I would have Kelly as depth before Hind which are both the same age btw, obviously they are two totally different players but I think Hind gives more benefit to the team than Kelly.
Kelly can be indecisive which stifles our rebound out of the back half, Nick is the rebound, Mcgrath or Laverde can cover what Kelly brings to the table.
That would be 1 time over the journey he was in our top 3 runners.
He is horrific and impacts our rotations. He ihas the most breaks and extended breaks per rotation at the club.
Good stat that one in 2021. Perhaps the distance covered per rotation is high but I recall reading a stat that Hind is our most heavily rotated player and one of our lowest in average in total on ground playing %.
. As I mentioned in other post, he always trials his opponent into our defensive half or he gets stuck between shutting down space and rarely impacting the play, teams create the overlap due to this weakness of his of being out of position or too slow to transition into a defensive mindset.
Also his TOG% was a fair bit better in 2021 so he could have the capacity to spend more time on ground but hes just being benched to keep other players on the ground longer.
I think 2023 will be a career defining season for Nick.
In 2021, he had something to prove, and gave everything to prove it.
2022 was a Sh@tShow for so many reasons, not the least of which was probably him getting a bit ahead of himself and lack of good coaching and game plan that needed to bring him back to ground and get him locked into a way to play, when to go , where to position himself and to know when it is best to do what, using his natural talent and not stifling his creativity.
Big Ask, but maybe BDB’s Coaching setup can better support him and get the best out of him.
From my observation he doesn’t seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed, and is prone to do some pretty seriously dumb stuff at really inopportune times.
He is one of those guys that need strong support and guidance and if he gets it, and if he realises that he needs to prove himself all over again, he could still be a very useful asset.
Scott is challenging him earn his spot and he will become a better player for it, I prefer Massimo in before Nick at this point but I still believe Nick has something to offer…his ballistic pace gives him a point of difference amongst the team so don’t write him off just yet.
Nick Hind is still getting his fitness back from an injury interrupted pre-season.
Like him or not as fans, Scott has no bias for or against him. This is actually across the board not just with Hind. This year is a let’s see what they can achieve kind of year.
The idea that Scott sees one play from last year and automatically puts a mark through a name is not what Scott is trying to do.
He wants to see players develop through the season and learn from their mistakes (which they will do often). If they aren’t progressing and they don’t still have ‘potential’ then he’ll start putting lines through players.
One thing to keep an eye on during VFL games is how Nick Hind talks and communicates to the rest of the team. This is what Scott is big on with all players regardless of age (from Guelfi, to Monty, to Massimo, to Voss and even to Lewis Hayes included).
Hind will get a game once his fitness is right. Massimo is ahead of him solely because of fitness and it’s obvious they’d prefer an ‘under done’ Langford for the time being. Hind slots into the game style that Scott wants to see and will break open a game with his run more often than Massimo will with his kicking.
He offers run.
Mass doesn’t offer that.
Hind also has a lot of self confidence. Mass owns running forward of centre, had some space but hit up Langford on the lead. Great play.
Hind would have run forward and had a shot for goal.
Join them together and you have the perfect half back.
Mass was good today with his kicking, so he stays in.
I do wonder whether Hind can be as damaging on the wing, but I think he’ll get another run in the VFL.