Connor Downie (second from right) didn’t see any action in his “debut” game on the weekend. Photo: GETTY IMAGES.
Social media would have gone into meltdown if it existed when John Coleman first pulled on the boots for Essendon.
Lining up at full-forward, Coleman famously kicked a dozen goals at Windy Hill to lead the Bombers to a convincing win in the opening round of the 1949 VFL season.
That the 20-year-old went on to win the league’s goalkicking and his club’s best-and-fairest award in a premiership year is now the stuff of legend.
But Coleman’s brilliant debut still can’t have received the amount of air time and column inches dedicated to Hawthorn teenager Connor Downie’s first-game-of-sorts over the weekend.
Downie, a second-round draft pick last year, didn’t even get on the field during the Hawks’ remarkable comeback win over Essendon on Saturday night.
Yet under the AFL’s hastily arranged medical substitute rules, he will be credited with having made his debut despite spending the entire match outside the boundary line.
A ball of nervous energy, the 18-year-old paced back and forth near the interchange bench, waiting for the chance that never came as fellow debutant Tyler Brockman kicked two goals in a stirring one-point victory.
Downie’s pent-up energy, presumably, was released on Sunday morning with a catch-up running session in far more humble surrounds than those afforded by the bright lights of Marvel Stadium.
The Hawks’ Next Generation Academy product was one of 10 substitutes not used in round one who will be credited with having “played” games – something that stats nerds must be having a hard time coming to terms with.
Somewhat awkwardly, Downie was even hauled into the Hawks’ post-match victory circle for the team song.
North Melbourne’s Charlie Lazzaro went through a similar experience as the 23rd man, but eventually got onto the field in his debut, replacing injured teammate Aidan Corr for a quarter with the Kangaroos already well beaten in their clash with a ruthless Port Adelaide.
In the days since, the howls of discontent around clubs using debutants as their substitutes have been deafening.
PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.
Downie’s debut was ruined, the critics shouted, with Matthew Lloyd claiming the young Hawk and Lazzaro are now “owed” selection in their clubs’ 22 for round two.
There were cries the substitute role would be a blow to the ego of young players.
Jonathan Brown said the role would leave a “hole” in unused substitutes after big games, as if players like Tom Atkins and Jake Aarts didn’t feel similarly anyway after missing out on last year’s grand final (when they were named as emergencies).
Alastair Clarkson took a far more pragmatic view than many of the ex-players in the media.
The master coach is renowned for taking knowledge and tactics from other sports, including some where a young player getting their first experience of a senior game as an unused substitute is relatively commonplace and largely a non-issue.
Clarkson even saw some positives in selecting Downie as the 23rd man for round one, given he otherwise would have missed out on the experience altogether.
“Connor Downie will get his chance,” Clarkson said post-match, noting that coaches will not keep picking the same player in the sub role week after week.
“He’s a great young kid and even though he didn’t get on the ground he’ll get an enormous amount of benefit from going through the whole experience.
“He’s 18 years of age in his first year at our footy club.
“It’s the first game that he could possibly play for Hawthorn, whether that’s in the seniors or the reserves.
“He’s a young kid on the journey and this was a pretty special day for him and his family.”
Clarkson’s detractors will take particular umbrage to that last line.
And, clearly, the experience would not have been as “special” for Downie’s family as it would have if he’d been allowed to play a more significant role on the night.
But in a few weeks, once Downie has made his first appearance for Hawthorn, he won’t have too many lingering concerns about having missed out on the action in round one.
If he does, then at least he’ll have a slice of history to console himself with as the first unused “debutant” under the medisub rule.
A similar early “setback” didn’t seem to bother a 17-year-old used as Richmond’s 19th man in Round 2, 1931.
The Tiger teenager never entered the field of play that day at Punt Road and wasn’t picked again in the seniors until Round 13 that year.
His name was Jack Dyer.
Shayne, your reference to Jack Dyer’s (non) first appearance reminded me of Jack’s observation that in his time if you didn’t take the field you didn’t receive match payments.It isn’t difficult to imagine that cash-strapped depression era clubs might have tried to reduce the weekly wage bill by keeping the 19th man on the bench.
Too many people need to fill too much airtime and column-inches for it not to be talked and written about at length.
It is absolutely an over-blown storm in a teacup.
For those bemoaning the role of the sub consider the plight of the 12th man in cricket… particularly in long-form games. For up to 5 days they get to sit around, bring out drinks, bats and gloves and occasionally get called upon to field (the least-fun part of the game). And… the same player can often get used as the 12th man in successive games.