#33 Rupert Wills

[Pies2016]

Well you can see the difference between AFL and VFL level. I still think he is worth persisting with while Adams is out unless Wells sets the world on fire in the VFL. What did everyone expect when it was his first game in what 2 seasons.

Excellent call. Only have to look at Mayne today whom embodied deer in the headlights and Hoskin Elliott whose been slow in readjusting to 2019 since returning from injury.

But isn’t it more fun for posters to say they were right after one game in two years, than to hope the kid could be alright and add some depth to the squad.

[Magpietothemax]

Well you can see the difference between AFL and VFL level. I still think he is worth persisting with while Adams is out unless Wells sets the world on fire in the VFL. What did everyone expect when it was his first game in what 2 seasons.

Exactly. After the game Pendles made a point of saying that he thought Wills had been "fantastic" in his first game for 2 years. Like Johnno, i would persist with him as the replacement for Adams. I don't think we can make a call on him yet at all.

[AN_Inkling]

Straight out for Beams next week. I feel he was a specialty selection this game to match Cripps for size, I doubt we see him as an ongoing AFL prospect.

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

What did everyone expect when it was his first game in what 2 seasons.

Judging by some of the many comments over the weeks prior to his selection: 30 disposals (20 contested), 15 tackles and 10 clearances

[AN_Inkling]

Well you can see the difference between AFL and VFL level. I still think he is worth persisting with while Adams is out unless Wells sets the world on fire in the VFL. What did everyone expect when it was his first game in what 2 seasons.

I didn't expect much based on his VFL form, previous AFL form and lack of AFL level traits.

It's for those reasons that I expect he won't see much, if any, more AFL action this year. If we were desperate for another mid he could get more games, but we aren't. Likely to be omitted for Beams.

[K]

^ A lot depends on Sier's future fitness too.

[K]

FWIW,

Wills 8K, 4H, 1CP, 11UP, 75% DE, 4CLG, 3M, 5T, 3 I50, 51% TG.

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

Actually I though his performance was pretty good given a game time of 51%. The first quarter he and Pendlebury controlled Cripps. In the second quarter Wills got pinged for holding and then after that Cripps took off. To me it seemed Buckley lost a bit of confidence in Wills and as Pendlebury was playing so well, there was no need to bring Wills back on. Then in the last quarter injuries forced Buckley’s hand and Wills spent time on the forward line and did some useful things that contributed to the win. Overall I would give him a 6/10. No need to replace him next week. His job against St Kilda will be much easier, but that all depends on who we have coming back from injury.

[think better]

I haven't seen the game but in the Advertiser they reported that Wills was given the job on Cripps in the first half and did pretty well. In the second half he was taken off Cripps and Cripps ran riot. Wills' stats were better in the second half than the first (only had 4 possessions in the first half)

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

It begs the question, why was he given less game time when he appeared to be doing fairly well in restricting Cripps? I can't recall if Cripps started getting a bit of it while Wills was still on him or not. Regardless, I think his time with us at afl will be limited and short lived.

[E]

So to the believers. Now that you have seen him in the big time against maybe the second worst team in the league, what are your thoughts. Do we think he's ready to be an integral part of a premiership push?

[AN_Inkling]

I haven't seen the game but in the Advertiser they reported that Wills was given the job on Cripps in the first half and did pretty well. In the second half he was taken off Cripps and Cripps ran riot. Wills' stats were better in the second half than the first (only had 4 possessions in the first half)

I had thought that, definitely for the first Q, Wills was doing a decent job curtailing Cripps. I'm not sure if he was moved off him in the second half.

Cripps disposal by Q:
1st: 5
2nd: 12
3rd: 9
4th: 9

Based on these, maybe he was moved off Cripps after an ineffectual 2nd Q? Then, not having a role spent a large part of the 3rd on the pine. When Mayne went down injured he saw more game time. This is only speculation.

A Rupert stat: he had a team high 23 "pressure acts". Not bad for only playing a half. How you view that stat is another question.

Whether Wills has a chance to retain his spot probably depends on two things: 1) why did he only play 51% game time? 2) Will Beams be fit to play?

I felt at selection that he was picked manly because he was a good size matchup for Cripps. There's no such player for the Saints and his effort on Cripps does not seem to have been successful (obviously a tough ask), so I think it unlikely he plays next week.

[Presti35]

TBH, I think it's more of an Anti-Wills Obsession

[piedys]

F*ck me; he hasn't played in what two years, and people expect him to walk off the field BOG?!

[Presti35]

F*ck me; he hasn't played in what two years, and people expect him to walk off the field BOG?!

If he isnt a dual All-Australian by the end of the year then delist.