Retired #11: David Zaharakis - Survivin'

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11 - [PLAYERCARD]David Zaharakis[/PLAYERCARD].jpg

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2021
Last Game Played: Round 19, 2021 (omit)
Injury Status: n/a
 
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Ben the Gooner said:
The question implies that he plays poorly with some sort of regularity. I dispute that.
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Ok, fair enough.

My opinion is that he plays very well in games we win and doesn't play close to that standard when we are down. The talent is there and some posters say he is our most important player. My view is that he goes missing far too often. As you said in your previous post, he does get 20+ possies pretty regularly, but the way I look at it is he has games where those 20 possies are pretty ineffectual in the overall outcome of the game.
 
A guy that is 24, already won a B+F and is capable of being a true 'match winner'... I reckon Zaka is very consistent (disregarding injury) and a very good player.

Really think we will see him step up into an A grader this year.. along with several others..

All it takes now is a few wins and some team success and our team will become household names (like Bartel/Stevie J/Chapman/Selwood/Gaj did at Geelong after the first premiership)

I have next to no doubt that by the end of the year, the 'experts' will be putting up graphics and wondering "how did Essendon end up with this abundance of riches.. with guys like Melksham, Zaka, Myers, Stanton, Goddard, Watson et al all rotating through the middle.. it just takes team success, finals and we will become the feared/hunted
 
Orazio2Joe said:
Ok, fair enough.

My opinion is that he plays very well in games we win and doesn't play close to that standard when we are down. The talent is there and some posters say he is our most important player. My view is that he goes missing far too often. As you said in your previous post, he does get 20+ possies pretty regularly, but the way I look at it is he has games where those 20 possies are pretty ineffectual in the overall outcome of the game.
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How do you rack up numbers and go missing at the same time? Sure, there is a really good 20 possession game and there is a not so effective 20 possession game but if you're getting your hands on the ball, by default, you can't be "missing".

Bryce Gibbs getting 8 touches in a game is "missing". Deledio getting shut out of a half of footy because someone running with him is "missing".

The effectiveness of Zaharakis tends to be linked to whether he is getting inside our outside pill. The games where his numbers don't have the highest impact are the one where he gets a lot of ball in close. Would love for him to be GAJ in close but he's not. At least for an "outside" player when things are not going his way he has no trouble winning the ball and is prepared to go in and get his hands dirty (this is something it took Stanton years to come to terms with). Contrast this with the garbage served up by players like Deledio, Gibbs and even Cotchin (who goes surprisingly quite for a guy who is that good in close) when things are not going their way.

Footage of him not chasing Hill is not pretty but it probably happens 100 times a game with each player guilty of multiple offences. Every time you see a player in space it is because someone didn't run with him. How many times do you see a player in space? Zaharakis was just the one dumb or unlucky enough to do it in camera shot in the lead up to the goal that cost us the game.
 
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IggypopsTshirt said:
But Andy said

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...supplements-saga/story-fni5f6kv-1226713553144
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Are you satan?

4j9YKhJ.jpg

OJ whispering 'Atley, Atley' is quite spooky.
 

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Personally I think that if Zaka plays his best game.. then he is comparable to Fyfe..

but I would take Fyfe every time...

A big thing in Zaka's advantage though is that he loves the club.. loyalty gotta mean something!!

*I think they are both on track to have big careers tbh..
 
Surely the best of each player would be pretty comparable? Not sure that i've seen the best of Fyfe, but i can only imagine they were 38 touches plus multiple goal, match winning games? Same as Zaka no?
I think the question was intended to indirectly highlight how good Zaka could become in the near future, and it's not a totally unreasonable idea. Zaka will look like a whole lot better player after he has been instrumental in winning a flag in the next couple of years.
 
This bloke and Melksham will be keys to how high we can finish this year, had a down year last year and needs to step it up!
 
Major difference between Fyfe and Zaharakis is that Fyfe has that power and explosiveness in his game that enables him to break through and away from stoppages which is reserved for none but the absolute freak midfielders.

Think that Zaharakis uses the ball better and probably covers long distance ground better but then he isn't quite as good overhead. Zaharakis is also Greek. When you balance the pros and cons I think Fyfe is a more valuable player. Think that ultimately Zaharakis is a gun/A grade/elite midfielder but he's not capable of that Ablett/Ricciuto/Judd/Voss/Selwood/Swan midfield freakshow.
 
Fyfe, when he reaches his peak, will be a top 3 midfielder in the AFL (along with O'Meara and Dangerfield). Zaharakis, when he reaches his peak, might be a top 20 midfielder in the AFL.
 
eth-dog said:
Fyfe, when he reaches his peak, will be a top 3 midfielder in the AFL (along with O'Meara and Dangerfield). Zaharakis, when he reaches his peak, might be a top 20 midfielder in the AFL.
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Shame on you. I expect a far greater unreasoning optimism about our players on this board. I'm actually not really joking...
 
BrunoV said:
Major difference between Fyfe and Zaharakis is that Fyfe has that power and explosiveness in his game that enables him to break through and away from stoppages which is reserved for none but the absolute freak midfielders.

Think that Zaharakis uses the ball better and probably covers long distance ground better but then he isn't quite as good overhead. Zaharakis is also Greek. When you balance the pros and cons I think Fyfe is a more valuable player. Think that ultimately Zaharakis is a gun/A grade/elite midfielder but he's not capable of that Ablett/Ricciuto/Judd/Voss/Selwood/Swan midfield freakshow.
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I thought that was Zaka's greatest strength? I was unaware Fyfe was that quick
 
Most times I watch us play, I am disappointed with Zaka. We have seen what he is capable of, but we don't see it often. I'm not sure whether it's his stylised role or something else, but he should be shaping games more.

Seeing the way Gleeson evades traffic and hits targets and JD threw himself at a loose ball, and looking at how involved Heppell gets, I expect more from #11 than a few junk-time cameos. Not saying he's playing poorly, but after the Crichton win, really expected him to start impacting games. To be honest, I barely notice him most of the time, whereas you can even see what blokes like Myers and Hocking and Howlett are doing. Needs to get involved when the game is still in the balance.
 
I just find it interesting that he was in cracking form in the off season and has not shown any of that yet in the season proper. I am not overly concerned because he will come good, but he should be doing more. Hopefully the Anzac day specialist bobs up and kick four again :)
 
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