Player Review 2001 - part 2

[Hit The Boundary Saints]

#9 Once he got fit, he was very good for us in the backline, and was rarely beaten. Hopefully we can find somebody else to take his place down there, and release him for more creative roles in the forward line . Was our best recruit for the year. He sometimes looks as though he drops his head and is not trying, but that is his manner more than his attitude. To think we gave up Siera ( + no 18) to get him, this was a steal.

#10 Although he won the B&F, he was nowhere near as good as he was in 97 & 98. His tap ruckwork has improved immensely, but around the ground he is not the danger that he once was. In 97, he was virtually unbeatable when he went forward, now he gets pushed under the ball far too easily for my liking. Sometimes has very hard hands, and almost attempts to mark with his palms flat, as though he wants to put the ball up like a volleyball. On the positive side, his ruckwork to Harvey, Burke et al to put them clear and streaming into attack was at times magnificent.

#11 I’ve always liked Callaghan (maybe it’s the goatee), but he has a real dip and kicked his share of goals from the pocket. Also good at putting pressure on the opposition forwards. I think he repaid the outlay form him (which was a pick somwhere in the 30s for him)

#12 Obviously he can play, but to me looked a bit lost in the debut season. Injuries (and comparison to Koschitske) wouldn’t have helped his cause. I hope he can really have a big preseason and show us what he can do, and he will still be eligible for the Rising Star award. My greatest fear with him is that he will return to Brisbane one day.

#13 Not as good as was hoped, although I think expectations of him within the supporter base were very high, because of his brother. Unfortunately he is not Michael, and we have to accept that. I think he can perform better than he showed us this year, he has good skills and can be dependable. Finding an appropriate role for him will be important.

#14 Was worth the gamble, but didn’t work out. C’est la vie. If it came off , it would have been brilliant.

#15 Injuries wrecked his year, which was a pity because he can really play. He was part of a very strong Brisbane defense in 99, and is very hard at the ball, something we don’t have a lot of. Hopefully he can get right, but he does have a history of injuries.

#16 Spectacular start and finish, remember the opening bounce of Rd 1 against the Doggies, got the knockout, charged downfield and marked a high ball 30 m out and kicked a goal, all after 40 seconds of play. Excellent in the last game against Hawthorn, kicked 3 goals against Geelong at SS to keep us in the game. I never rated him at North, and won’t automatically rate him now just because the wears the RW&B. Must do a lot more. Having said that, we gave up McLaren for him, and Joe wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire himself, and did bugger all at North this year.

[Savatage]

Regarding Callaghan- we got him in a straight swap for Matty Carr.

[Hit The Boundary Saints]

Originally posted by Savatage
Regarding Callaghan- we got him in a straight swap for Matty Carr.

Ok, still happy with it .

Carr did end up having a good year at the Dockers, and was always capable of getting the ball, but his disposal and decision making were shocking. I wasn't unhappy to see him go.

[sainter]

Originally posted by Hit The Boundary Saints
#9 Once he got fit, he was very good for us in the backline, and was rarely beaten. Hopefully we can find somebody else to take his place down there, and release him for more creative roles in the forward line . Was our best recruit for the year. He sometimes looks as though he drops his head and is not trying, but that is his manner more than his attitude. To think we gave up Siera ( + no 18) to get him, this was a steal.

After watching him play when he made his debut against Geelong in round 2, I began to wonder why we had wasted our time. However he had a brilliant season and proved to be almost unbeatable. I'm happy for him to stay as a key defender, however I would like to see him play with a bit of the attacking flair that he had at the Eagles. For a 6"5, 100kg player with his pace and athleticism, it would be a waste to see him not use those attributes to damage the opposition rather than to merely restrict them.


#10 Although he won the B&F, he was nowhere near as good as he was in 97 & 98. His tap ruckwork has improved immensely, but around the ground he is not the danger that he once was. In 97, he was virtually unbeatable when he went forward, now he gets pushed under the ball far too easily for my liking. Sometimes has very hard hands, and almost attempts to mark with his palms flat, as though he wants to put the ball up like a volleyball. On the positive side, his ruckwork to Harvey, Burke et al to put them clear and streaming into attack was at times magnificent.

Fair assessment. His marking around the ground was probably the main (and only) weakness after an otherwise excellent season. I would like to see him take the ruck duel in the centre of the ground and then drift forward a little more. He used that method to great effect in 1997 and 1998. Perhaps that was more a reflection of the successful sides of those years and the confidence he had in our players to win the ball.


#11 I’ve always liked Callaghan (maybe it’s the goatee), but he has a real dip and kicked his share of goals from the pocket. Also good at putting pressure on the opposition forwards. I think he repaid the outlay form him (which was a pick somwhere in the 30s for him)

Couldn't agree more. I love how he plays and he's been a good acquisition. I wouldn't mind it if Thomas gives him a bit more of a run on the ball. I think we lacked a bit of toughness around the ground at times.


#12 Obviously he can play, but to me looked a bit lost in the debut season. Injuries (and comparison to Koschitske) wouldn’t have helped his cause. I hope he can really have a big preseason and show us what he can do, and he will still be eligible for the Rising Star award. My greatest fear with him is that he will return to Brisbane one day.

I thought he looked overwhelmed in his first few games but did start to show something in his last few games. If he does have a good pre-season, how good could this kid be?


#13 Not as good as was hoped, although I think expectations of him within the supporter base were very high, because of his brother. Unfortunately he is not Michael, and we have to accept that. I think he can perform better than he showed us this year, he has good skills and can be dependable. Finding an appropriate role for him will be important.

For a 22 year old recruit that had only played 35 games in 5 years, I thought he had a good season. He has excellent disposal and can provide a lot of run off the half-back line. His form certainly tapered off towards the end of the season but I think he will develop into a good player.


#14 Was worth the gamble, but didn’t work out. C’est la vie. If it came off , it would have been brilliant.

He was the last pick in the pre-season draft a few years ago so we didn't lose a hell of a lot. It's a shame because he did show some glimpses of what he was capable of.


#15 Injuries wrecked his year, which was a pity because he can really play. He was part of a very strong Brisbane defense in 99, and is very hard at the ball, something we don’t have a lot of. Hopefully he can get right, but he does have a history of injuries.


I have high hopes for him. He has had a terrible run with injuries but like you said is hard at the ball and will add some toughness to our team. He'll bounce back this year and have a blinder.


#16 Spectacular start and finish, remember the opening bounce of Rd 1 against the Doggies, got the knockout, charged downfield and marked a high ball 30 m out and kicked a goal, all after 40 seconds of play. Excellent in the last game against Hawthorn, kicked 3 goals against Geelong at SS to keep us in the game. I never rated him at North, and won’t automatically rate him now just because the wears the RW&B. Must do a lot more. Having said that, we gave up McLaren for him, and Joe wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire himself, and did bugger all at North this year.

His best on ground performance in the last round frustrated me. He showed that he has the talent to make a big difference to this team. Where was he all season? Like you said he does have the ability to play as a pinch hitter in the forward line and kick a few goals. We really need him to step up next season.

[StrengthThroughLoyalty]

#9 easily one of the best trades st kilda have done, i reckon big fraser is an absolute ripper. his body language is hillarious but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is 6'5 and can play great footy. i'm still a bit divided on how to best use him, there is an argument to say that when he is given a specific role in defense he concentrates and sticks to his task, his main problem at the eagles is that he would go missing for long periods of the game, but taking the lead forward in our defense leaves him with no time to do anything but work hard, unfortunately for us.;) on the other side of the coin he can be an extremely damaging player when given a free reign down the ground. his height and mobility combined with a huge kick makes him extremely tough for the opposition to match up on, if he has a good day he is a match winner.

#10 the best tap ruckman in the comp and will provide our young midfielders with plenty of the ball, he also has the ability to win a game off his own boot. with hall gone he has to help out our forward line and if he continues with this years form and can start to take some marks around the ground he will be an all australian next year and better still help us to win a few more games. i hope he realises now that he is a veteran and only has a limited time in the game so applies himself a little bit more than he has in the past.

#11 dirty harry had a good first up year and will be used again next year off in the midfield rotation and up forward where he can kick a few goals.

#12 it's easy to say that he will be a future superstar but until he delivers on the field he will always just be a kid with potential. he must be given time to adjust to the tempo of afl footy and not be burdened with unrealistic expectaions. it wasn't until the last game against hawthorn that i saw any glimpses at all to justify his tag of future superstar. a pre season free of injury and a few extra hours in the gym should give him every opportunity to show us and the football public what he can do on the footy field.

#13 an honest contributor who uses the ball well by foot. best suited off the back line with the occasional run through the middle.

#14

#15 we knew when we recruited him that he was injury prone but even we couldn't expect that he would be out for nearly the whole year due to hamstring injuries. we need him playing as he adds a bit of toughness and grunt in defense and around the ground. cross your fingers and hope that his injuries are now behind him.

#16 has the ability to play as a second ruckman and will have to step up if spider is needed in the forward line. i thought we took a risk drafting him because he was injury prone but he was injury free during the year which means that he might just be a cr@p footballer. with our recruitment as knobel capa will have to show something early in 02 or he will find himself as the 3rd choice ruckman.