Daily Player reviews #20 Ray Hall

[OMH]

One of the guys who is in a Tigers e-mail loop with me at work is putting together a one-a-day player critique starting at #1 and working through the player list. It's a pretty good read so I thought I would share it with you.

Part 19 in the series….


20 - Ray Hall

Position: Ruck? / Utility? / Wing? / Half Forward? / Key Position? / Back Pocket?
Age: 22, turns 23 after the season is well over.
Height: 196cm
Weight: 92kg
Career Games: 38
Career Goals: 18
Draft History: Taken Selection 79 in the 1998 National draft.

2002 Averages: 20 games, 5.9 Kicks, 3.4 Marks, 4.7 Handballs, 3.1 Hitouts, 0.5 Goals, 2.75 Tackles, 1 Rebounds, 2.2 Inside 50s, 1.9 Clearance, 2 Clangers

2002 Summary: Was a reasonable season for him consolidating a spot in the team without really consolidating a particular position. Was 6th in Total Tackles, equal 7th total clearances, kicked 10 goals for the year and was 4th overall for clangers! Did look a more rounded and capable player who seemed to have found his feet at this level, often threatened to take the big step but never really did although his round 22 game was very good. Had a big wizard cup and I think we all thought he was going to really step up this year but struggled badly in the first three rounds, and copped a pasting from Hird, all of which probably set his confidence back a fair bit. Still was an improved player over his 2001 effort and IMHO was a pretty good effort for a 196cm 21 year old!

Previously: Played 1 game in his first year in 1999 which was probably more for encouragement. Actually failed to register a stat that game. Struggled with injuries in 2000 from memory then played 17 games as a bit-part player, primarily off the bench in 2001 where he was handy more than anything. Did impress against Carlton in the Finals but struggled against Essendon & Brisbane.

Ability: 4 - Slightly below average, has some good qualities though and is still developing.

Offence: 4 - Never has looked comfortable trying to play as a key forward until the last game against Sydney which was a big step, is a reasonable kick at goal. If he can turn his last game into a regular performance, then this rating will jump significantly

Defence: 4.5 - Has done some decent negating roles down back, although is a long way from being able to hold down a consistent position.

Hardness: 6.5 - Don't know if people agree, but I think his attack on the footy & willingness to do the hard "1-Percenters" is his strongest point.

Speed: 4.5 - I'm not real sure about his speed, does get run down with the footy, but at other times does look quick. Certainly good for his size though, but not quite the pace of a reasonable midfielder type for example.

Stamina: 4 - Doesn't look bad, but not real sure about his running stamina. My gut feel is that it's actually pretty good, but just don't have a good overall feel as to whether he can run a hard game out yet.

Delivery: 4 - In theory could be a good kick, but has a very bad turnover habit which he needs to kick quickly if he's to become top-liner

Air: 4 - Not a great mark, but improving. I would expect this rating to increase as I still feel his got plenty of improvement in him.

Ground: 4.5 - Actually is pretty good at ground level for his size I think, can improve though.

Injury: 4 - Had some serious problems in 2000 from memory which worry me, missed games last year through injury and the year before as well.

Ruck: 4 - Struggles as a Ruckman and is not a real serious centre square candidate yet.

Temperament: 6 - Seems to have a reasonable temperament, but like most Richmond players needs to step up against the better opposition to show his abilities under the pump.

Ball: 4.5 - Reasonable ball winner and improving, but not a great possession gatherer.

Strengths: Mobile for his size, good at the 1-percenters and a very "intense" footballer who really will have a big crack. Very versatile and a bit of a jack-of-all trades.

Weaknesses: The jack-of-all trades, master of none springs to mind. Isn't a real good option as a Ruckman, but can play around the ground on one pretty well. Not a good enough mark for a key position type at this stage and too often turns the football over. Has a big wind-up and is slow hand to foot and hence often smothered or run down from behind. Lacks a bit of poise as we've seen him grab the ball, run like a startled gazelle and then forget he's carrying a football that he's supposed to either use or bounce.

 

[OMH]

Overall: The big problem with Hall is the one that's been there since he was recruited - Where do you play him? He's very much an "Not Quite" player at the moment. Not quite good enough to play in the Ruck, not quite good enough to play as a marking forward, not quite capable of running with the taller midfield types (like Hird), not quite able to hold down a key position, not quite enough pace etc. I still like Hall as a player, and the current positional merry-go-round he's on may long term do him a lot of good, but he runs the risk of having other "specialist" take all the positions he's vying for but not quite grabbing. I get the feeling half the battle with him is gaining the belief that he's good enough to play at this level, and I think Hird knocked a lot of that belief out of him in round 2 and he never quite recovered. The other bonus is that although he just tends to fall short in a lot of categories, it is a lot of categories that he's just falling short in. If Hall was to continue his improvement over the next couple of years we could have a very dangerous 196cm player that can play either end of the ground, possibly on a Wing, as a Ruck-Rover type and pinch hit in the Ruck. I don't think he'll ever be a Ruckman, but I wouldn't put it past him to make a career in just about any other role. Personally I think there is still a lot of improvement left him, the big question is how of that improvement will get realised. Will need to at least halve his turnover rate which currently sees him with a clanger every 5.5 disposals, he needs to get that up over 10 if he wants to become a respectable contributor at this level.

What he needs to do?
1) Become confident he can play at this level.
2) Work on his kicking technique and delivery, needs to eliminate a lot of unnecessary no-pressure errors. Should aim to cut down his turnover rate by half over the next two years.
3) Spend many an hour with Stewie Lowe, not for the ruckwork, more for the Marking, he needs to improve in this area.

 

[MC24]

I agree that self-belief is Ray's biggest hurdle to overcome. Like so many other Richmond players, things just seem to need to go his way, otherwise he just becomes a non contributor. But this is an assessment that could apply to so many of our players and not just Ray.

I have to admit that I get nervous whenever Ray goes near the ball, for fear he's going to do some unnecessary damage to someone and/or get reported. He just seems to charge in like there's no tomorrow, without really thinking about where he's going or what he's going to do when he gets there.

If he had some confidence in himself, that would be a good start.