Alan Didak 2014

[doppleganger]

Didak could play for the Western Bulldogs in that team badly lacking guys who can use it by foot.

Krakouer could play for West Coast with that team needing a crumber to play alongside their key forwards.

And Jolly would be the no.1 ruckman for Sydney now with Mumford gone.

You just notice so often clubs failing to recognise opportunities to take veterans who can help make them better in the immediate.

Just as I'd say Collingwood missed the opportunity with Chapman/Podsiadly/J.Hunt all available and perfect fits for our list.

I don't share your view on the veterans at all, and especially with your selections of where they would fit.

Jolly, if Collingwood preferred to play Grundy in a final....why would Sydney prefer Jolly to Pyke??

Didak, the dogs would convince Gia to go rd again if they wanted a skilled senior bloke up forward he did just win their goal kicking....let younger guys like Stringer, Tutt, Dickson or older guys like Cooney or Higgins play instead.

Krak, WCE don't need another slow player.

And that is before you take ino account salary, would any of those guys be prepared to play for minimum payments??

Dids in particular hopefully just hangs em up, nothing to gain by going around for 1 year with another club.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Has a club shown interest in picking him up? Jolly has been linked with St Kilda - whether it eventuates we'll see, I guess-, but things have gone quiet around Didak. Would've thought he has as much to offer as Chapman, Cross and those sorts of blokes and his body held up well last year.

Even in his AA years he didnt offer the same things as Chapman and Cross. They can play on because they can provide muscle in contests. Didak cant do that.

 

[Travis bloke]

Yep Dids should hang em up and try and his hand as assistant coach somewhere.Would be respected more as 1 club player
He will embarrass himself if he plays in 2014.

 

[3066]

He will embarrass himself if he plays in 2014.

Whoa ease up there fella! Dids still has an elite kick on him ... it's just the pace and the style of game that coaches are wanting have changed for someone his age.

 

[Smoky]

Yep Dids should hang em up and try and his hand as assistant coach somewhere.Would be respected more as 1 club player
He will embarrass himself if he plays in 2014.

He was far from embarrassing in his senior appearances at the end of 2013...

 

[BEEG]

Dids quite easily play 20 games if fit at the bottom 8 teams

Foot skills are huge in this day and age

 

[gutsroy]

Even in his AA years he didnt offer the same things as Chapman and Cross. They can play on because they can provide muscle in contests. Didak cant do that.

There might be some sides that are looking for a bloke with first rate disposal by foot and hand and can play as a link-up player, though, maybe? Seems less and less likely, though, things have gone pretty quiet around him.

 

[Knightmare]

I don't share your view on the veterans at all, and especially with your selections of where they would fit.

Jolly, if Collingwood preferred to play Grundy in a final....why would Sydney prefer Jolly to Pyke??

Didak, the dogs would convince Gia to go rd again if they wanted a skilled senior bloke up forward he did just win their goal kicking....let younger guys like Stringer, Tutt, Dickson or older guys like Cooney or Higgins play instead.

Krak, WCE don't need another slow player.

And that is before you take ino account salary, would any of those guys be prepared to play for minimum payments??

Dids in particular hopefully just hangs em up, nothing to gain by going around for 1 year with another club.

I'd play Jolly and Pyke as a no.2 ruckman. Pyke is a strong contested marking target up forward but only an average ruckman.
If Sydney was my team I'd want Tippett, Pyke and Franklin all in the front half with a true no.1 ruckman.
Jolly even at his advanced age is still an above average ruckman.
Mark Seaby I'd take first but that doesn't mean Jolly wouldn't be useful to them in their situation.

West Coast do need guys with pace but they also need a crumber. They're not exactly a deep team. They have some premier quality talls and some high level backmen and some clearance midfielders but that's all.

Then the Dogs are playing Stringer as a key forward. Cooney is playing off a back flank. Higgins' health is unreliable. Tutt and Dickson are both below average by position. Ideally they wouldn't be best 22.
Didak can get games on that team no problem.

 

[doppleganger]

I'd play Jolly and Pyke as a no.2 ruckman. Pyke is a strong contested marking target up forward but only an average ruckman.
If Sydney was my team I'd want Tippett, Pyke and Franklin all in the front half with a true no.1 ruckman.
Jolly even at his advanced age is still an above average ruckman.
Mark Seaby I'd take first but that doesn't mean Jolly wouldn't be useful to them in their situation.

Do you not rate S.Reid??
Also Goodes is another potential tall forward, would imagine he will spend more time there instead of the midfield.
LRT another forgotten Swan who is a KP swing man and potential mobile around the ground ruck.
I have been a big fan of Jolly in recent years, but he is no longer a #1 ruck....at best he could potentially try for a Hudson insurance type role at a club lacking senior ruck depth.

I'dWest Coast do need guys with pace but they also need a crumber. They're not exactly a deep team. They have some premier quality talls and some high level backmen and some clearance midfielders but that's all.

Yep, a few holes in WestCoast, pace is the glaring problem. Krak makes that even worse.

I'dThen the Dogs are playing Stringer as a key forward. Cooney is playing off a back flank. Higgins' health is unreliable. Tutt and Dickson are both below average by position. Ideally they wouldn't be best 22.
Didak can get games on that team no problem.

Yeah he perhaps would deserve a spot for 2014, but what benefit does that give the dogs? Dids was never a good leader, and he is stopping the dogs develop the next batch of players coming through? As I said, if they wanted a silky veteran why not talk Gia to go around again in his sub type role?

 

[Gone Critical]

I'd play Jolly and Pyke as a no.2 ruckman. Pyke is a strong contested marking target up forward but only an average ruckman.
If Sydney was my team I'd want Tippett, Pyke and Franklin all in the front half with a true no.1 ruckman.
Jolly even at his advanced age is still an above average ruckman.
Mark Seaby I'd take first but that doesn't mean Jolly wouldn't be useful to them in their situation.

West Coast do need guys with pace but they also need a crumber. They're not exactly a deep team. They have some premier quality talls and some high level backmen and some clearance midfielders but that's all.

Then the Dogs are playing Stringer as a key forward. Cooney is playing off a back flank. Higgins' health is unreliable. Tutt and Dickson are both below average by position. Ideally they wouldn't be best 22.
Didak can get games on that team no problem.

Must say I am not agreeing here either KM. I wanted Dids to regain his mojo in 2013 and was fairly bullish about him being written off prematurely. But he was a average in 2013 no matter how I saw it. He got a lot of fairly meaningless posies in his senior appearances which glossed over the cracks. In the VFL though he was only just going. The Didak I knew should have looked imperious playing at VFL. He didn't . He would do some "nice" moves at time but he didn't dominate. Dids lost it with age and too much time out with injuries. He wasn't AFL level anymore.

 

[soreplums]

Would offer more than Shannon Byrnes

 

[Knightmare]

Do you not rate S.Reid??
Also Goodes is another potential tall forward, would imagine he will spend more time there instead of the midfield.
LRT another forgotten Swan who is a KP swing man and potential mobile around the ground ruck.
I have been a big fan of Jolly in recent years, but he is no longer a #1 ruck....at best he could potentially try for a Hudson insurance type role at a club lacking senior ruck depth.

Yep, a few holes in WestCoast, pace is the glaring problem. Krak makes that even worse.

Yeah he perhaps would deserve a spot for 2014, but what benefit does that give the dogs? Dids was never a good leader, and he is stopping the dogs develop the next batch of players coming through? As I said, if they wanted a silky veteran why not talk Gia to go around again in his sub type role?

I'd shift Sam Reid back. Goodes to a wing.

Krakouer doesn't need to be of elite pace. He's quick of mind and doesn't get caught with the ball. Give him the open space and greater opportunity and he can still be effective for a team and in West Coast's situation fits with their exceptionally tall forwardline which badly needs a pure crumber which Krakouer can be.

Didak can help the Dogs push towards the top 8. They've got it all on the inside. Minson is a quality ruckman and when you have Libba, Griffen, Boyd and that Macrae fella among others who add to the depth of that midfield they've got the on ball unit.
All they need is some quality outside polish and they lack that at the moment.
They're all scrap and incredibly limited by foot.
Didak would on that team be a go to guy who you'd constantly feed the ball to.
He's not going to prove a whole lot of tackling pressure and he's not breaking the lines. But he can still accumulate well enough and his ball use is still excellent despite the drop off back in 2011 by foot.
He's motivated and going by the second half of his season he's still someone who can help you win.

Jolly/Didak/Krakouer are all guys who can still play senior football. They just weren't required in our situation with Grundy surpassing Jolly. Dwyer offering much the same thing as Didak and Broomhead coming through and looking better. Then Krakouer isn't a need either with Elliott surpassing him this year and other rotational mids better players at this stage of their career pushing Krakouer out.

With all three there are only a limited number of situations that they could still in the short term be effective. But there are still those limited number of situations that they can still play a role and do so to a satisfactory level and to a better level than those currently on those lists if looking to win a game tomorrow.

Must say I am not agreeing here either KM. I wanted Dids to regain his mojo in 2013 and was fairly bullish about him being written off prematurely. But he was a average in 2013 no matter how I saw it. He got a lot of fairly meaningless posies in his senior appearances which glossed over the cracks. In the VFL though he was only just going. The Didak I knew should have looked imperious playing at VFL. He didn't . He would do some "nice" moves at time but he didn't dominate. Dids lost it with age and too much time out with injuries. He wasn't AFL level anymore.

On Didak I'd had no problem with his play later in the season. He regained his run and his footskills were as good as ever. He's not someone I want in the Collingwood best 22 next year because Broomhead is better now.

In the VFL those outside types rarely dominate. Instead it's those inside types.
Look at the numbers of Daniel Cross: http://www.sportingpulse.com/team_i...=192146312&client=1-118-10459-253880-18717707
Look at the numbers of James Magner: http://www.sportingpulse.com/team_i...nt=1-118-10447-150677-14512781&ocompID=253880

You don't find those numbers from outside types in this league.

On the outside we've seen with as a purely outside example Ben Johnson. He could play senior footy at any stage these past two seasons and fit into the team seamlessly and play well. But then put him back to VFL level and you won't see him dominate. He won't win it inside and as a result he'd only find a limited amount of the ball in the VFL.
Didak is in that same category where he's no longer a contested ball winner and relies on the outside ball and as a result had similar issues to Johnson at VFL level of not dominating in that same way.

It's an interesting contrast with the state leagues a place where those pure inside types with strong bodies can out and out dominate with everyone instructed to go in and win their own footy and scrap for it.
Then the u18 leagues are so heavily outside based and set up to feature the flashy outside types and giving them so much space to operate.

It's a really interesting contrast and it's particularly interesting with the state leagues and particularly the VFL just how inside the contest the game has gone.

But back onto the idea of veterans on a list. If you're a shallow list and badly lacking depth I'd rather take a veteran who can contribute and add something different to the mix rather than a speculative project who won't add anything to the mix. Particularly on those teams struggling to fill out their lists with relevant AFL standard talent.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Krakouer would still be at Collingwood but for the fact that he spent all his brownie points. You can only carry players with "issues" for so long before the special treatment starts to work negatively and it affects morale and performance across the list.

 

[morgoth]

Where is this myth re Dids kicking?

It used to be elite but he can no longer kick goals from more than 40 metres out. He lost the power in his leg. That was his death note.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

He didnt miss many targets this year but thats because he was playing within his capabilities....ie 35 metres.

"Elite" implies you can regularly pinpoint a teammate from 55, not 35.

 

[MarkT2]

Port should take him. It's a nice fit given he started as a Port Adeliade player and he would improve them (as he would us).

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Port should take him. It's a nice fit given he started as a Port Adeliade player and he would improve them (as he would us).

Port Adelaide Magpies?

 

[MarkT2]

Port Adelaide Magpies?

Power should take him.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Power should take him.

He started at Port SANFL side. Would be nice to round out his career there. If any team doesnt need Dids its the Power. They have a great young midfield and heaps of pace, as our two games agaisnt them this year attests

 

[MarkT2]

He started at Port SANFL side. Would be nice to round out his career there. If any team doesnt need Dids its the Power. They have a great young midfield and heaps of pace, as our two games agaisnt them this year attests

Swap Didak from our sub to their starting lineup for the EF and they beat us by more. Put him in either side for 2014 and they are improved. We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Swap Didak from our sub to their starting lineup for the EF and they beat us by more. Put him in either side for 2014 and they are improved. We'll have to agree to disagree.

I agree that youre wrong.

All specualtive anyway. My opinion stands that if Didak is a fit anywhere theres lots of clubs needing his services more than Port do. His career is probably over.

 

[doppleganger]

Port should take him. It's a nice fit given he started as a Port Adeliade player and he would improve them (as he would us).

Port??

They have Wingard, R.Gray as quality HFs who push into the middle.
They have Monfries who is more of a stay at home small.

Jake Neade was a young excitement machine who ran out of legs as the season went on.

They also just picked up M.White from Richmond, a bloke who has plenty of pace and is a more defensive option.

Didak would not replace any of Wingard, Gray or Monfries...and White offers a more defensive game.

Collingwood are a team who don't really have quality smalls up forward, if Didak was to fit into any team it would be us.

 

[Chilli Con Incarnate]

Collingwood are a team who don't really have quality smalls up forward, if Didak was to fit into any team it would be us.

This is a concern for next year, we've lost two great creative small forwards in Dids and Krak this season. Elliott plays as a marking forward and Blair and Sidey get very little forward time now.

It's hard to see who'll be at Cloke's feet when he has manages to bring in to ground despite having three blokes on him.

 

[MarkT2]

At the very least Didak is better at everything than Monfries. He doesn't play a Wwingard or Gray role. He plays a Daniel Pierce role only better and they wanted to keep him.

Agree he fits our needs - be it small forward or cretive wingman (more of our need now we have lost Thomas and Young hasn't played consistent quality footy in 2 years longer than Didak and even them played 5 years less of it - but that ship has sailed.

 

[doppleganger]

Again have to disagree Mark.

Didak WAS a much better player than Monfries, but 2013 Monfries was great.

He kicked 39 goals, can take a good over head mark, applies defensive pressure and just came 6th in Ports BnF...Monfries ain't making way for 2013 version of Didak.

Wingard just won their BnF, and Gray was around top 10 despite not playing a full season and he was returning from a knee. Port don't need a bloke like Didak.