Lade

[RussellEbertHandball]

Amongst all the doom and gloom of 2006 there has been one bright light, shinning strongly this season. I thought I would quote from a couple of non Port publications which highlight how good Lade has been for this club, and in 2006 he has surpassed this level and has recorded career high stats in several categories. See Pro-stats (http://www.pro-stats.com.au/psw/web/player_profile?pid=369)

From Champion Data’s AFL Prospectus the following is a summary of his seasons from 2001 to 2005. Remember 2001 he was out with his second broken leg and 2002 saw him struggle to get back into the game with only 14 games. Champion Data collects 98 categories of stats and time stamps them so that a goal late in the game when it’s close eg Justin Longmuir’s contested mark and goal against St Kilda in Rd 21 last year, scored 13 more points than a mark and goal early in the game.

“Of the top 10 hitout winners to advantage in the past three seasons (ie 03.04,05) Lade’s hitout to advantage percentage stands head and shoulders above the rest. In that time 36% of Lade’s hitouts have gone to advantage – 6% more than any other leading ruckman. Whilst Lade only wins an average amount of the ball for a ruckman (11 disposals per game in the past three seasons) his disposal efficiency in that time ranks in the elite category and is fourth highest of all ruckmen. Lade had more score assists than any other ruckman in 2005 and in the past three seasons is one of only two ruckmen to have averaged more than a goal as well as a score assist per game. Since the beginning of 2003, Lade has booted 49 goals from 67 set shots at an elite accuracy of 73%.”

In 2005, the hitouts to advantage Ruck/Rover combinations were;

Cox/Judd 37
Lade/Francou 34
Everitt/Hodge 34
Everitt/Mitchell 32
Sandilands/Haselby 29
Cox/Fletcher 29
Cox/Cousins 27
Cox/Kerr 26
Sandilands/J.Carr 26
Then the rest. Next best for Port was Lade/P.Burgoyne 17.

[Champion Data say excellent ruckmen manage to find a clear teammate just 25% of the time.]

The Sun Herald in NSW publish a Footy Guide every year covering all 4 footy codes. For AFL the Swans get a couple of pages and the other 15 clubs get a page each. They have categories such as, strengths, weaknesses, club view, fan’s view, secret weapon, the boss and the Freak.

Under the Freak section “ Every time you see ruckman Brendon Lade you wonder how it is that he plays AFL football. Lade looks like the country ruckman who would hold up the bar at the local pub for two weeks at the end of the season. His face is so lived in, there’s no way he could be less than 35. For the record he’s 29 and given the respect he’s gained over a decade at Port Adelaide he’ll be around for a while yet.”

Lade has given his players the first use of the ball plenty of times this season but our players have either fumbled, or handball to a team mate under pressure, to the opposition or been stripped of the ball far too often and easily in clearances this season.

For those readers from other clubs I remind you that this bloke had back to back broken legs. Voss has said on several occasions that getting back from his broken leg was a bigger achievement than his Brownlow. Look how hard a time of it Nathan Brown is having with getting back from his broken leg. Ladey will go down as one of the great players and characters of our club.

And a further reminder that at no time between 2000 and 2005 did we ever have both Primus and Lade playing together at the peak of their power. When one was starring the other was either out injured or making a recovery from serious injuries and playing below his best.

Edit. I fixed up the link to Pro-stats page.

[Macca19]

Underrated gun. Finally getting the plaudits he deserves. A great clubman and a very good footballer.

[Porthos]

You should send that post to the All-Australian selectors.

[Pred]

Please forgive me mentioning myself in relation to Ladey, but I played in the league he did on K.I. for a year, so I've always felt a special connection to him. Then again it isn't difficult for anyone to feel a connection to the big fella, as he has the heart of a champion, is very down to earth, and always gives his all.

[PJ Power]

Is a champion. If anything has his career been lessened a bit by the fact that he was also a handy forward?
Imagine if it was Primus or Brogan who was the better forward and as a result Ladey was made first ruckman - I think his career would have been even greater, as evidenced by how he always stars when he is the lead or sole ruckman.

Williams has already hinted that we look forward to having Brogan back so that Ladey can give us forward options.
If only Broges could have similar impact up forward; we would definitely benefit by having Lade do all the ruckwork around the ground.

[nivek48]

outstanding player ... just loved it when he was able to play in the premiership after the setback of broken legs!

... and who can forget that goal he kicked from 50 from the pocket in the first quater - everyone made leads and the big fella just went back and drilled it! :thumbsu:

this year he has been the on field leader - if others just played to half his standard we would be much better placed.

his palming to the crumbers from a forward 50 boundary throw in is just pure gold.

GO LADEY!

[Pred]

... and who can forget that goal he kicked from 50 from the pocket in the first quater - everyone made leads and the big fella just went back and drilled it! :thumbsu: About 1000 Japanese school kids have now seen that mark and goal.　I always show the GF highlights video clip as part of my self-introduction. They love it when Wakes and Lynch are going at it :)

[RogerRabbit69]

I've watched all the Power games this season - and Lade has been absolutely sensational. He must be leading your B&F by a million miles at this stage.

On the other hand, Choco was quoted as saying he gave Motlop votes in the club awards for the match against St Kilda ......

[Bresh]

In the same vein as Pred, when big Ladey was recuperating from one of his broken legs (can't remember which), he came out and played a bit of cricket for the mighty Brighton Cricket Club with his brother Lachy. I was playing juniors at the time, it was such a thrill to see the big unit out there. Could play that game nicely too.

[Arsene Wenger]

keep this up and AA could well be his prize as Porthos suggested

[macca23]

A few of the Port boys should take a good hard look at this guy and try and do likewise.

A lot of people wrote him off after having a broken leg for the second time - I was one of them.

He's defied the odds and just got better every season since his last come-back, and his ruck work and field play have been first class this year. Gives 100% every game. Chad Cornes is the only other Port player who gets anywhere near Ladey at the moment.

Definitely a player to be very proud of - well done Ladey!! :thumbsu:

[JuniorBurger]

I've watched all the Power games this season - and Lade has been absolutely sensational. He must be leading your B&F by a million miles at this stage.

On the other hand, Choco was quoted as saying he gave Motlop votes in the club awards for the match against St Kilda ......

Agreed there is no-one in the team who will get near Ladey in the B&F this year, although maybe Chad and JB might have something too say about that!

Motlop deserved votes in the Saints game he worked tirelessly chasing out of the forward lines keeping the defensive pressure up. That's what makes his recent performances even harder too swallow one of the biggest sooks I have ever seen in a Power jumper. Hope he can pull his finger out and ressurect an otherwise disasterous season (I am not holding my breath tho!).

[PJ Power]

Motlop deserved votes in the Saints game he worked tirelessly chasing out of the forward lines keeping the defensive pressure up. That's what makes his recent performances even harder too swallow one of the biggest sooks I have ever seen in a Power jumper. Hope he can pull his finger out and ressurect an otherwise disasterous season (I am not holding my breath tho!).

In the the Kangaroos and Saints games his greatest asset was his off-the-ball chasing, pressuring and tackling. It was his conversion which let him down.

Since then his workrate has been even lower than Byron's was at its worst last year.

[crazy_big_al]

AA selectors have their noses stuck up Cox's ARSE but Lade should get a look in

[RogerRabbit69]

Not sure how Port allocates points for its B&F awards.

Motlop's stats in the St Kilda game were 8 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks, 2 tackles, 1 free for, 3 frees against and he kicked 1.1.

[crazy_big_al]

Not sure how Port allocates points for its B&F awards.

Motlop's stats in the St Kilda game were 8 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks, 2 tackles, 1 free for, 3 frees against and he kicked 1.1.


also the stuff he does off the ball must have kept choco happy

[Macca19]

He was decent in the St Kilda match. Was alright against Freo too. That would be it at the moment.

Im pretty sure the five members of the coaching staff allocate every member of the team votes out of four for each match.

Something like, 1 is if they beat their opponent/do their task, 2 if they play well and help setup a lot of play, 3 if they have an excellent match and are one of the best on ground and 4 if they are completely dominant.

There arent many 20's...only been a couple in the past few seasons. Last year the highest amount of votes someone got was 17, which was Tredrea in Round 7 (18 disposals, 12 marks, 6 goals against Kangaroos), Kane Cornes in Round 15 (28/8/4 against Melbourne) and Dom Cassisi in Round 22 (24/5/4 against Freo).

So they are relatively strict on voting. A player has to actually play well to get a vote.

[RogerRabbit69]

Cheers - under that voting system, I can now see how Motlop could have earned some votes against the Saints

[Andre]

Lade would be in a good duel with Cox for AA ruckman. Cox started on fire the first 3 rounds or so, but Lade has been the better of the two since then. Really though with two such standout ruckman if they continue that form through the season both should be in the 22. Surely more deserving then jamming the tenth best midfielder on either a HBF or HFF, because the selectors pick their usual best 22 players instead of an actual best side.

[RussellEbertHandball]

Cox is the leading ruckman this year. He basically plays like Goodes and Chad but is 10cm taller and 10kgs heavier. Just like Everitt made the AA team last year as 2nd ruck and FP, Lade would qualify for that position. They are streaks ahead of the other ruckmen in the comp. From Final Siren Player Stats (http://finalsiren.com/AFLPlayerStats.asp) who use the Champion Data ranking points system Cox and Lade rank 1 and 2 and ahead of Judd.


Player MT Team K H D Avg M HO Rat Avg
Dean Cox 7 WCE 92 49 141 20.1 63 153 824 117.7
Brendon Lade 7 PA 87 36 123 17.6 66 151 788 112.6
Chris Judd 7 WCE 110 80 190 27.1 21 0 787 112.4
Dane Swan 7 COL 101 77 178 25.4 63 0 770 110
Lenny Hayes 7 STK 106 73 179 25.6 39 0 765 109.3



They are way ahead of any other ruckman on total and average Ratings Points. You would be doing well if you had both of them in your Fantasy Footy teams. Fraser is averaging 98 pts and then Simmonds and Blake on 87 pts.

[Port01]

They are way ahead of any other ruckman on total and average Ratings Points. You would be doing well if you had both of them in your Fantasy Footy teams. Fraser is averaging 98 pts and then Simmonds and Blake on 87 pts.

Had Lade, Cox and Fraser from day 1 in my team. Basically kept me in it because my backline is rubbish.

[Jabsy]

Had Lade, Cox and Fraser from day 1 in my team. Basically kept me in it because my backline is rubbish.

I've had motlop in there from day one and he's gained me -ve points twice I think. God only knows how he earned 40 on the weekend.

Thank Fos for Cox and Lade. (and Chad)

[RussellEbertHandball]

Some others are starting to notice him Why is Lade under-rated? (http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=blog&spg=display&articleid=266297) From the afl.com.au footy blog page


Why is Lade under-rated?
1:15:08 PM Wed 17 May, 2006
Jason Phelan
Exclusive to afl.com.au
Why is Brendon Lade so under-rated?

The Power big man is quietly having a career-best season, but partly because of Port's on-field struggles and partly because he's out of Melbourne's media spotlight, he's not getting the kudos nationally that he deserves.

It's surprising because the importance of a dominant big man has never been more apparent. Just ask Rodney Eade how much he'd like Luke Darcy back in his side at the moment. The Dogs have done surprisingly well so far this season without Darcy, but with him fit and firing they might well have given the premiership a nudge this year.

The difference a good big man can make is well-illustrated by a comparison of two clubs that were touted as strong top-four candidates before the start of the season. West Coast is getting great service from Dean Cox and appears to be cruising to another top-four finish, while St Kilda's undersized duo of Cain Ackland and Jason Blake have struggled and so has the team.

Cox's exploits have been well-documented this season, but Lade's numbers stack up well against those of the giant Eagle. He has just two fewer hitouts than the number-one ranked Cox, but it's the quality of his tapwork that is worthy of praise. Time and time again, Lade deftly guides the ball into the hands of his waiting onballers - the Power's midfield woes this season are in no way a reflection on him.

Both are damaging around the ground, but Lade is more of a scoring threat when resting up forward and to top it all off, the Port ruckman has a higher ranking than Cox in Champion Data's extensive statistical evaluation of all the league's players. If he can maintain the level he has reached in the first seven rounds, it'll be a crime if he's not an All-Australian for the first time at season's end.

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Comments

Johno - 17/05/2006 2:05:00 PM
I think Lade is underrated for the fact that he does not fit the type of image that the public, or to a greater extent the media, want to portray as being the star of the competition. The thing that is holding him back is his image. He is not athletic like a Dean Cox type or graceful like a Jeff White type. He is a footballer being successful in the age of athletes.

___________________

All this year I have heard Luke Darcy, John Barnes and Peter Everitt on various Fox Footy shows praise Lade like never before. They all keep using the same word to describe him as a ruckmen and his ruckplay - smart. It's a pity our midfielders haven't taken full advantage of his dominance.

And the quicker a fit Brogan get's back into the team the better off our forward line will be, when Lade rests there and in particular set plays from boundary throw ins. We are going wide into our forwardline at the moment and not kicking many goals after the ball goes out and then throw ins occur. The beauty of Lade and Brogan in the second half of 2004 was when they both went for the boundary thrown ins in our forward line, it would confuse the opposition and on plenty of ocassions the second ruckman would rove the tape and kick a goal.

[PJ Power]

What's Ladey kicked goalwise this year - I'd think he would have the edge on Coxy there wouldn't he?

Just checked 9 goals (Lade) v 8 goals (Cox). Both are great players.

That list of goalscorers on AFL.com.au makes for terrible reading as a Port supporter.

[PJ Power]

No question that our forward line will be better with Ladey in it. However, I am more worried about the setback our clearance work and midfield will take with Broges back.
Dean struggled last year. His first three rounds were not that awe-inspiring either. His hands have been fumbly for a while now, his disposal shaky and his use of the footy very hesitant. He also has tendencies to become frustrated and to be free-kicked against a little too often. It would certainly be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

For this reason, some thought should be given to persevering with Brendon in the ruck, Dean on the bench (Lade can go forward when resting) and to try to introduce Willits into the fray up forward.
I know Toby Thurstans has not completely lost all support amongst posters here, but playing Willits (despite him being young and raw) would not be a major risk if you were comparing him to Toby's recent output.

[RussellEbertHandball]

Further support of how well Ladey is going. From today's Advertiser Lade flies high (http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/footy/story_page/0,8747,19256802%255E25397,00.html)

Lade flies high
By ANDREW CAPEL
26may06

BRENDON Lade is enjoying the season of his life.

While individual performances have been largely overlooked in Port Adelaide's miserable year which has left it in real danger of winning its first wooden spoon, Lade's sparkling form in the first eight rounds has thrust him into the upper echelon of AFL ruckmen.
Approaching 30 and much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he is in career-best form.

West Coast's 204cm giant Dean Cox - the Brownlow Medal favourite three weeks ago - is widely regarded as the best ruckman in the AFL but Lade's form has mirrored his this season.

If an All-Australian team was picked today, Lade and Cox should be the two ruckmen.

Statistics revealed by Champion Data suggest while there is an extraordinary parallel between their season averages, Lade has in fact been the better player.
While he has not won as many disposals as Cox - Lade is averaging 17 and Cox 19 - and is not reaping the benefits of working with a high-class midfield like Cox is, Lade has, statistically, been more effective.

An extraordinary 90 per cent of Lade's disposals have found their mark - Cox has a 79 per cent effective disposal rating - while he has set up more scores with his precise disposal and outstanding tap work, recording seven goal assists to Cox's one.
"He's been terrific, a shining light for us," Power team-mate Josh Mahoney said.

While Cox has been kept fresher in games through the support of ruck sidekick Mark Seaby, Lade has largely had to go it alone.

With Matthew Primus having retired at the end of last year and his regular ruck partner Dean Brogan missing four matches through injury, Lade has taken on greater responsibility and averaged an amazingly high 113 minutes a game on the field.

In the four-point win against St Kilda in round four, Lade - a premiership player in 2004 - rucked for virtually the entire game after Brogan was hurt in the first five minutes.

He finished with the impressive statistics of 19 disposals, eight marks and 26 hit-outs, winning the Peter Badcoe VC Medal for his heroic effort and prompting coach Mark Williams to describe it as "one of his best games, that's for sure".

His stellar form has been recognised by Power supporters and the media.

Lade leads the prestigious The Advertiser Merv Agars Medal voting with 54 votes ahead of Crows Simon Goodwin (44) and Tyson Edwards (35) while he has polled votes in every match in Port's Supporters' Player of the Year award to hold a significant lead over closest rival Chad Cornes.

The 199cm Lade, an inaugural Power player who missed two seasons with broken legs, chalked up his 150th game in round two and seems to have benefited from being made a vice-captain under new skipper Warren Tredrea this year.

"Every game he has performed, week-in, week-out," Mahoney noted of his team's new spiritual leader.

"It's a great thing for a guy that's in the leadership group, he's really taken on the vice-captaincy role with both hands and it's been terrific for him.

"I suppose with Tredders being out early in the year he's sort of stepped up as well. The work he's done by himself (in the ruck and at times up forward) has been outstanding.

"It's a great example from him and all the other players can take a little bit out of what he's done."
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I thought his battle with Charman on the weekend was a beauty. They probably broke even in the ruck and Lade did a bit more around the ground. It's a pity a few more players haven't followed his lead.

Hopefully with a fit and firing Brogan, Lade can spend a bit moref time in the forward line and do some further good work close to goal.