View Full Version : Laycock
Will miss first 6-8 with re-occurance of stress fracture, Foot.
Disappointing.
I'll admit, I'm a Laycock basher, but it would have been good to get him up for round 1 and I was looking forward to him having to fight for his spot. I'm of the belief that all Jason needs is a little fire under him, he isn't a bad ruckman, he just needs to increase his workrate across the ground, especially his second efforts. Sadly I doubt he'll be able to improve in this area with a stress fracture in his foot.
Source? This rumor has been around for weeks.
Unlucky. Will be good to see how Bellchambers will progress and develop with regular senior games each week for a while. Hopefully he plays well and makes it hard for Laycock to get back into the 22 :thumbsu:
Source? This rumor has been around for weeks.
You can trust mudflap, he has very good conections within the club ;)
The rumour has not been around for weeks anyway. He had started running again and was looking ok for round 1 or 2 after recently having the pins taken out of his foot. They had been waiting for the wounds to heal before he could start running.
fishguts
8 Mar 2009, 11:17
You can trust mudflap, he has very good conections within the club ;)
The rumour has not been around for weeks anyway. He had started running again and was looking ok for round 1 or 2 after recently having the pins taken out of his foot. They had been waiting for the wounds to heal before he could start running.
There was only really one rumor anyway started by someone on BB claiming he was out for the year, a week later and he was caught out.
Ben the Gooner
8 Mar 2009, 13:46
Oh ****.:mad::thumbsd:
stay true
8 Mar 2009, 13:50
Bah. Not good.
finally the footy gods are looking down on us! go bellchambers!
Ben the Gooner
9 Mar 2009, 12:38
**** off. You are incorrect.
Laycock > Bellchambers, and there is no one with half a footy brain who would disagree.
bipolarbeaR
9 Mar 2009, 13:08
ARGH! Another injury? Oh well, Essendon is a resilient team and we will adapt.
FrankGrimes
9 Mar 2009, 13:42
Source? This rumor has been around for weeks.
yeah mudflap is spot on with this stuff..
hateitorlovett13
9 Mar 2009, 14:22
**** off. You are incorrect.
Laycock > Bellchambers, and there is no one with half a footy brain who would disagree.
You sound like the Catholic Church :p
This could be his make or break year and he couldn't even get a pre-season under his belt. Lets see what Bellchambers can do.
All talent/attitude questions aside, this bloke has been injury prone since he walked into the club.
He's been at the club since the '03 season and the only seasons he has managed to stay relatively injury free are '07 and '08.
2 seasons out 7. His body is not upto it. Time to move on.
All talent/attitude questions aside, this bloke has been injury prone since he walked into the club.
He's been at the club since the '03 season and the only seasons he has managed to stay relatively injury free are '07 and '08.
2 seasons out 7. His body is not upto it. Time to move on.
he's not alone - he's probably ahead of a few others in getting on the park for some games...as frustrating as it is, its a big call to say his body is not up to it in contrast to some others.
kelvin_sheedy
9 Mar 2009, 16:04
6 years and he's never looked like an AFL footballer physically.
6-8 weeks missed...... by the time he gets some form and touch back he'd be lucky to play 10 games this year. In fact I'd put my house on the fact he does not play 8 games of AFL football this year.
Pretty much career gone for me.
he's not alone - he's probably ahead of a few others in getting on the park for some games...as frustrating as it is, its a big call to say his body is not up to it in contrast to some others.
It took him 5 years to get his body right for a sustained period and now we're back at square one again. The only other injury prone player on the list for that long for so little games comparable is Winderlich.
ruckmen rarely play much in their first 2 season anyway...lonergan gets a lot of praise here and he's played little more than half a season in 3 years as a midfielder who normally are up and running before tall players.
for those writing off laycock's career already didn't he sign a 2 year contract at seasons end? i don't know that he is going to make it either but see little point writing a bloke off this early in the year...far better off focusing on something positive.
Ben the Gooner
9 Mar 2009, 16:50
You sound like the Catholic Church :p
Heh, all of my patience with Laycock bashers was used up last year.;):D
thebigboy
9 Mar 2009, 18:25
Pretty much a right-off for this season with no pre-season and starting mid season.
Would think that he's gunna struggle this season, hopefully 2010 will be his breakout season.
Pretty much a right-off for this season with no pre-season and starting mid season.
Would think that he's gunna struggle this season, hopefully 2010 will be his breakout season.
Hopefully he will show enough in 2010 to be trade bait for the GC franchise.
They can't play with a bunch of 18 year old ruckman.
bomba4eva
9 Mar 2009, 22:58
ARGH! Another injury? Oh well, Essendon is a resilient team and we will adapt.
LOL resilient? We folded like a deck of cards on many occasions last year. Teams been poor for a while now.
This is bad news. Laycock bashers should still be able to see that he is ahead of Bellchambers. This opens up an opportunity for Bellchambers though. God help us if another of our ruckmen go down.
Wanna B Hird
9 Mar 2009, 23:06
Good luck to the big ****, time to unleash the BOCKSTA
If true, this would be really bad news. Although Belly has shown a bit in the pre-season games it always tended to be against 3rd string ruckman which IMO is where he is at, at the moment.
More Laycock News:
New setback for Laycock| March 10, 2009 02:15pm
http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,6523450,00.jpg
ESSENDON ruckman Jason Laycock has received a further blow, undergoing new surgery on his foot.
The 201cm ruckman had arguably his best year last season as back-up to David Hille after coming under fire for his sometimes lackadasical approach.
But coach Matthew Knights recently told the Herald Sun that Laycock's position in the team was under threat from Tom Bellchambers.
Laycock had been battling stress fractures in his foot throughout the pre-season.
Link (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25166078-19742,00.html)
Big Blow Hard
12 Mar 2009, 20:40
Like him or not, this is terrible news. It leaves us agonisingly thin in the ruck stocks once again, and heaven forbid David Hille get injured. Bellchambers will learn a lot but he is not ready to carry the ruck with only Ryder in support. I'm not a fan, but it's crucial he is available.
Colin D'Cops
12 Mar 2009, 20:53
Won't be a massive concern. We're not ready to challenge for the flag anyway. Time to get some gametime into a less experienced ruck who has arguably shown more than Laycock ever has throughout his career.*
* May have gone a little over the top. But you get my point.
Ben the Gooner
12 Mar 2009, 20:55
All Bellchambers has shown is that there is a lot of potential to work with, but that it is a long way from the surface, and will need a year or two to emerge. At least. He looks lost rucking against more experienced ruckmen, and doesn't offer as much around the ground as Laycock.
Criticise Laycock all you want, for a second ruckman, he wins his share of effective hit-outs, and he gathers his share of possessions. He even kicks his share of goals.
FullFathom5
12 Mar 2009, 21:01
The real problem does arise if either of Hille or Bellchambers gets injured. Who on the rookie list is even close to filling either of those shoes?
Ben the Gooner
12 Mar 2009, 21:03
Ryder would move to the ruck, and Pears/Hurley would be thrown into the deep-end.
If we lost another, it would be out of Fletcher, Gumbleton and Bock.:o
Colin D'Cops
12 Mar 2009, 21:07
All Bellchambers has shown is that there is a lot of potential to work with, but that it is a long way from the surface, and will need a year or two to emerge. At least.
The same thing could be said about Laycock though. I'm not trying to point out that Bellchambers is better than Laycock at this point by anyones standards. All I'm saying is I think he has the ability to be better and a more consistently rounded ruckman compared to Laycock. Laycock can go forward and kick a goal, or win a few hit-outs, but that's it. Even then he does them two things on an inconsistant basis. He just doesn't move around the ground like a skilled man. I'm probably coming across as a Laycock bagger, but it needs to be said over and over again. Taller players do take longer to develop generally, but no football club can wait half a dozen years!
If he doesn't do anything after 4 or 5 years in the system, you'd think his position on the list would have to be in jeopardy. And lets not forget, AFL players have a small to medium amount of time in the system. Afterall, you could argue that the AFL is a business and if players aren't performing, just like in a job situation, they'd be likely to be given the flick. We can't stand around for too long. If he's not ready now, delist him and send him back to Bendigo for a few years then pick him up when he should be hitting his peak if that's the general thoughts. We can't defend some players for ever! It's cruel, but that's life. Make the tough decisions, move on.
Ben the Gooner
12 Mar 2009, 21:10
Bellchambers hasn't shown the signs of being able to perform around the ground like Laycock has actually performed.
At this stage we have a potentially very good tap ruckman who struggles around the ground, versus a decent tap ruckman, with the potential to improve who is decent around the ground.
While it's certainly going to be interesting to see Bellchambers have an extended run in the side, he certainly hasn't shown signs of being able to overtake Laycock, for all the flak he cops, in the short to medium term future.
Colin D'Cops
12 Mar 2009, 21:17
Bellchambers hasn't shown the signs of being able to perform around the ground like Laycock has actually performed.
He has kicked a goal or two in the NAB Cup thus far hasn't he? That's showing us that he isn't as bad as people make out around the ground. He mightn't be the quickest ruckman, but he potentially has the smarts & strong frame to more than make up for it. (Eg. Sandilands, Hudson, etc..)
Ben the Gooner
12 Mar 2009, 21:23
But he doesn't get enough of it to be considered anything but a tap ruckman.
Colin D'Cops
12 Mar 2009, 21:28
Fair enough. I'll leave it on that note...
Wahooti Fandango
12 Mar 2009, 21:48
Bellchambers >>>> Laycock, even at this early stage of his career.
FullFathom5
12 Mar 2009, 22:10
I don't recall David Hille setting the world on fire early in his career either...
warney7
12 Mar 2009, 22:29
I see this injury as a blessing in disguise.
Hopefully Bellchambers puts up some good performances.
Big Blow Hard
13 Mar 2009, 09:18
Seems a bit harsh to be criticizing Belly for his around the ground work. He is only in his second year and what 19yo? That will all come with experience hopefully.
Im not keen on comparing Belly and Laycock, just for the simple matter we need ALL our ruck stocks available. Be they good or bad or inexperienced.
Lance Uppercut
13 Mar 2009, 10:47
I don't recall David Hille setting the world on fire early in his career either...
I recall him being written off on numerous occasions, tbh
kelvin_sheedy
13 Mar 2009, 12:27
I was calling for Hille to be traded at the end of 06..... :o
If I recall correctly my thinking along the line was to get Steven King or another experience guy to help Laycock out and possibly draft a Leunberger.
Now if we got Pick 10 from Collingwood for Hille and used that on Nathan Brown.... hmmm.
We might have had King, Leuy, Brown and if we still drafted Pears and Daniher then we might not have gone for Hurley this year and grabbed a Ziebell or Sidebottom.
We'd possibly be a better side over the next 5 years if we gave up Hille.
dave_27
13 Mar 2009, 12:47
I don't recall David Hille setting the world on fire early in his career either...
Certainly wasnt consistent but he showed patches of major talent when he got a decent go of it from 2003, remember him doing very well on the best ruckman of the time in Gardiner and Darcy. He also won us a final the next year against Melbourne. These were in his 4th and 5th years at the club.
Ben the Gooner
13 Mar 2009, 17:57
I wasn't saying the Bellchambers is crap, I was disputing GS's claim that he had shown more than Laycock.
I'm quite impressed with Bellchambers for the long term future.
Colin D'Cops
13 Mar 2009, 21:36
The same thing could be said about Laycock though. I'm not trying to point out that Bellchambers is better than Laycock at this point by anyones standards.
I wasn't saying the Bellchambers is crap, I was disputing GS's claim that he had shown more than Laycock..
You sure BtG?
loopy_cam
13 Mar 2009, 23:38
The same thing could be said about Laycock though. I'm not trying to point out that Bellchambers is better than Laycock at this point by anyones standards. All I'm saying is I think he has the ability to be better and a more consistently rounded ruckman compared to Laycock. Laycock can go forward and kick a goal, or win a few hit-outs, but that's it. Even then he does them two things on an inconsistant basis. He just doesn't move around the ground like a skilled man. I'm probably coming across as a Laycock bagger, but it needs to be said over and over again. Taller players do take longer to develop generally, but no football club can wait half a dozen years!
If he doesn't do anything after 4 or 5 years in the system, you'd think his position on the list would have to be in jeopardy. And lets not forget, AFL players have a small to medium amount of time in the system. Afterall, you could argue that the AFL is a business and if players aren't performing, just like in a job situation, they'd be likely to be given the flick. We can't stand around for too long. If he's not ready now, delist him and send him back to Bendigo for a few years then pick him up when he should be hitting his peak if that's the general thoughts. We can't defend some players for ever! It's cruel, but that's life. Make the tough decisions, move on.
But Laycock has done something during his four or five years. He has shown the potential to be a very good ruckman. And, he has been a capable back-up to Hille. In the few times he has been given the chance to be number one ruck, he has been quite good. You can't give Laycock the flick if there's no-one better to replace him. If you had the choice between Laycock and Bellchambers in the 22 at the moment, laycock would win every time.
Plus, how great would it be to have a ruck combo known as **** and Bock. :p
Big Blow Hard
14 Mar 2009, 08:45
Plus, how great would it be to have a ruck combo known as **** and Bock. :p
Sounds like a load of **** and Bell to me. :p
bipolarbeaR
14 Mar 2009, 08:53
The BockandCock Connection :D
Ben the Gooner
14 Mar 2009, 09:31
You sure BtG?
who has arguably shown more than Laycock ever has throughout his career.*
* May have gone a little over the top. But you get my point.
Very.
Colin D'Cops
14 Mar 2009, 10:52
Very.
Didn't see the '*'?
Ben the Gooner
14 Mar 2009, 10:55
Didn't see the '*'?
I did, but what was the point you were making?
Colin D'Cops
14 Mar 2009, 10:57
But Laycock has done something during his four or five years. He has shown the potential to be a very good ruckman. And, he has been a capable back-up to Hille. In the few times he has been given the chance to be number one ruck, he has been quite good. You can't give Laycock the flick if there's no-one better to replace him. If you had the choice between Laycock and Bellchambers in the 22 at the moment, laycock would win every time.
Has shown potential in his four or five years; In some to most cases that's simply not good enough. You have to start showing a little bit more than potential when you've been in the system for that long.
And I agree with your statement that Laycock is better at this stage, never questioned that, but Bellchambers I feel will overtake him in a year or two. And I'm not suggesting we give him the flick just yet, but he'd have to be monitored closely because he is not up to a required standard to have an impact on a game. I hope he can reach them heights this season, but me personally, see much the same if not worse than last year because of his inconsistant preseason. Lets hope he proves me wrong.
Colin D'Cops
14 Mar 2009, 10:58
I did, but what was the point you were making?
That I was jumping to conclusions when typing it. Anyhoo, doesn't matter...
loopy_cam
14 Mar 2009, 19:29
Most ruckman take a long time to come good.
Hille's first consistently good season was last year, his 8th year at the club. Before that, he was very hit and miss. Good one week and poor the next. Most supporters thought Laycock would overtake him as number one in 2008.
Laycock needs to be given more time.
BringBackCransberg
14 Mar 2009, 19:51
Most ruckman take a long time to come good.
Hille's first consistently good season was last year, his 8th year at the club. Before that, he was very hit and miss. Good one week and poor the next. Most supporters thought Laycock would overtake him as number one in 2008.
Laycock needs to be given more time.
I absolutely agree with this.
Additionally, Hille's ability to go forward is often spoken of, but it's something he has only shown relatively recently in his career. Laycock has had that ability almost his whole career. I remember watching him against Richmond last year (the game in which Bowden got himself fatwah'd amongst EFC faithful). I was sitting behind the goals and getting infuriated with his pissweak shuffles of leads. But a couple of times, and many times throughout his career, he has a knack of willing the ball to him inside the 50m arc before he floats into a pack and never looks like dropping it for a second. Followed often by a beautiful set shot. With Gumbleton and Neagle not coming along as quickly as we'd like, and the possibility of Lucas playing a diminished role this season, I'd keep Laycock in the 22 before Bellchambers on his forward ability alone.
Colin D'Cops
14 Mar 2009, 20:35
Most ruckman take a long time to come good..
I know, and have acknowledged that previously in this thread.
Hopefully he does come good but IMO, he has looked rather unco when playing and his appetite for the footy stinks. Them things do NOT come with experience. That's natural. Lets hope we can look at this thread and laugh at my predictions & thoughts, because I want two good ruckman together rather soon damnit!
Big Blow Hard
15 Mar 2009, 11:40
Most ruckman take a long time to come good.
Hille's first consistently good season was last year, his 8th year at the club. Before that, he was very hit and miss. Good one week and poor the next. Most supporters thought Laycock would overtake him as number one in 2008.
Laycock needs to be given more time.
Hille had shown enough a few years ago to be handed the Captaincy in Lloyds absence. It took along time to become one of the elite rucks in the comp, but he been very servicable for a number of years now. Last years form was not just a sudden improvement.
Colin D'Cops
15 Mar 2009, 12:37
Spot on BBH.