Cometti: Two young guns, only one firing
It's always dangerous to be critical of young players starting a career.
This is not intended to do that, but rather to compare two players just beginning their time in the AFL.
Both were on display yesterday when Melbourne defeated the Western Bulldogs.
The pair were separated by the length of the MCG in almost all respects.
After just seven games Jesse Hogan is potentially the best player to arrive on the scene in several seasons. He is Nathan Fyfe good!
I saw the young West Australian's first game back in round one and he was a charismatic figure then, just as he was yesterday.
The volume went up discernibly when Hogan approached the footy. Rarely did he let the success-starved Demons fans down.
As I was leaving the MCG yesterday a bloke said: "We would have beaten Hawthorn last week if Hogan had played."
That margin might have been 105 points but I'm not sure he was joking.
On the other side of the coin is Tom Boyd, who finished his day with one hand pass and subbed out on the Bulldog bench. Boyd is six months younger than Hogan but the difference in their abilities at the moment is extreme.
The irony is that Boyd is the biggest punt the Bulldogs have taken in their history.
He has signed a seven-year deal said to be worth $7 million.
As I said yesterday, it's a contract that seems to fly in the face of the AFL's much publicised anti-gambling policy.
Regardless, I wish both these young guys the best of luck.
Boyd has plenty of time to prove himself. But if Hogan stays healthy Melbourne will be reaching for their cheque book, the difference being they'll know exactly what they're buying.
