Charlie Gardiner

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J

Johnson#26

Brownlow Medallist
Veteran 10k Posts
Jun 23, 2004
13,506
38
AFL Club
Adelaide
I was just wondering how Cats supporters rate Gardiner? Was rated highly when drafted in 2001, but has never really kicked on (from what I've seen, anyway). He is an excellent mark, but often a poor kick, and shows great endevour, but sometimes sturggles at ground level.

Your thoughts? Is he to play a major role at Catland in 2006 and beyond?
 
Has potential to deliver great things to the GFC- but seems uninterested at times- I've been very unhappy with him on several occassions- doesn't want to chase/put in 2nd efforts- execution with the ball is excruciating at times. Overall a C- so far, would love for this man to do well as he could be a very handy player for us if he developed some consistency.

Also- does not seem to get dropped from the seniors no matter how badly he screws up week in week out.
 

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I rate him. I think he's just one of those confused KPP/flankers/midfielders due to his height and body shape.

He tries hard and does some nice things occasionally, but his confidence was totally shot last season, so his kicking for goal wasn't great and he didn't get his hands on the footy enough. I've heard he has really hit the gym though and bulked up even further and improved his fitness - which was essential as he was often caught panting after 5 minutes.

Needs to put more into his footy than his Law degree though if he wants to make it.
 
If we are going to be a premiership threat, charlie wont play many if any senior games.
 
rizzo said:
If we are going to be a premiership threat, charlie wont play many if any senior games.
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stupid comment, for the past 2 yrs we have been a premiership threat (this yr injuries killed us yes - but we were stil la threat, we beat 3 top 8 teams by over 10 goals during the season (west coast, port adelaide, kangaroos), demolished Melbounre in the finals, and came within 3 points and 3 seconds of beating Sydney (eventual premiers obviously) at their home ground.

charlie has played most games in the past 2 years, and we have been premiership threats then also, while he has flaws he has alot going for him that alot of people here often choose not to see ... its funny everyone sees everything good big Cam does - yet ignor the efforts of Charlie

sure 2005 was a poor yr, but i thought he showed alot in 2004, think of our most important game against Brisbane in the prelim - he was the only forward showing anything despite the midfielders terrible delivery, the few times they gave him a legitimate chance to do something he delivered for us.

i back my thoughts of him (which are obviously along similar lines of Mark Thompson) and say he is definitly in our 22 and will be a premiership player with this club!
 
Stoney said:
stupid comment, for the past 2 yrs we have been a premiership threat (this yr injuries killed us yes - but we were stil la threat, we beat 3 top 8 teams by over 10 goals during the season (west coast, port adelaide, kangaroos), demolished Melbounre in the finals, and came within 3 points and 3 seconds of beating Sydney (eventual premiers obviously) at their home ground.

charlie has played most games in the past 2 years, and we have been premiership threats then also, while he has flaws he has alot going for him that alot of people here often choose not to see ... its funny everyone sees everything good big Cam does - yet ignor the efforts of Charlie

sure 2005 was a poor yr, but i thought he showed alot in 2004, think of our most important game against Brisbane in the prelim - he was the only forward showing anything despite the midfielders terrible delivery, the few times they gave him a legitimate chance to do something he delivered for us.

i back my thoughts of him (which are obviously along similar lines of Mark Thompson) and say he is definitly in our 22 and will be a premiership player with this club!
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I know what you're talking about, he has shown in about 5 games over the past 3 years that he is capable of being a very good player, but seems to struggle to put it all together for more than a couple of games per season. For mine, Charlie is one of the most frustrating players on our list, just behind Kingsley, as he's got the goods to really make it in this game, but just can't seem to do anything with it.

2006 is Charlie's make or break year, no doubt, he's been in and out of the side for a few years now an will be about 22 or 23 when 2006 finishes. He must stand up this year if he's going to have a career at Geelong. I keep thinking he will stand up, but I thought that at the beginning of last year, so I really have no idea of whether he'll make it or not. We all will know by round 22 next year though.
 
Stoney said:
stupid comment, for the past 2 yrs we have been a premiership threat (this yr injuries killed us yes - but we were stil la threat, we beat 3 top 8 teams by over 10 goals during the season (west coast, port adelaide, kangaroos), demolished Melbounre in the finals, and came within 3 points and 3 seconds of beating Sydney (eventual premiers obviously) at their home ground.

charlie has played most games in the past 2 years, and we have been premiership threats then also, while he has flaws he has alot going for him that alot of people here often choose not to see ... its funny everyone sees everything good big Cam does - yet ignor the efforts of Charlie

sure 2005 was a poor yr, but i thought he showed alot in 2004, think of our most important game against Brisbane in the prelim - he was the only forward showing anything despite the midfielders terrible delivery, the few times they gave him a legitimate chance to do something he delivered for us.

i back my thoughts of him (which are obviously along similar lines of Mark Thompson) and say he is definitly in our 22 and will be a premiership player with this club!
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Bull********, Charlie is a fringe player at best and is behind a few others in my opinion to get a game in 2006. Coming from the best draft so far you would think that from the close to 50 games his played so far he would have shown more then what he has, only really been impressed from a few games.

So far from 50 games he has kicked 20.21, which from a forward is a poor return. But the most annoying part is over the past 2 years his accuracy is -> 47%, 45%, with a career average of 48% and his highest percentage of 57%. Not something i want from a player who is considered in our 22. Put this together with a lack of second efforts, and a suspect footy brain suggests otherwise stoneman....
 

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rizzo said:
If we are going to be a premiership threat, charlie wont play many if any senior games.
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Disagree, Charlie is actually one of the players who could really make a difference to our flag hopes. If he can really pick up and put in good performances it'd do wonders for our chances. Guys like Ling Scarlett Corey and Milburn cannot lift their games higher, but guys like Charlie who are teetering on the fringe have the potential to rise and become very valuable players.

Take a look at a guy like Buchanan from the Swans. The guy was delisted not long ago and retaken, this year he was pivotal in their succes. The Crows were also well served in that respect with Rutten in the backline becoming one of the premier fullbacks in the comp.

Your top notch players will always offer what they can and its usually pretty consistent, but its moreoften than not the form of your second and thirdteir players that will determine your fate. To say that if he plays we wont win the flag is a stupid thing to say, because we dont know how he will perform in 2006, we dont know how anyone will perform.
 
Some conflicting themes being posted when talking about CG

he is definitly in our 22 : Charlie is a fringe player at best ; wish him all the best but not in our best 22.

while he has flaws he has alot going for him : the most annoying part is over the past 2 years his accuracy.... a lack of second efforts.... a suspect footy brain

Charlie is actually one of the players who could really make a difference to our flag hopes : If we are going to be a premiership threat, charlie wont play many if any senior games.

Conflicting but I tend to agree with all of them or at least I have at different times.
Very little is anoying to me as a forward who continually duffs his shots at goal, he can butcher a kick as easy anyone on our list. As someone has mentioned , he was picked at 23 in 2001 and Steve Dog Johnson was picked at 24, Playfair at 41. He has been disapointing.Yet when at his best he shows potential to be a very good marking target and link player.

In the end its like this. Can he prove that he is so valuable that he would be held on, not just on our list but as a key member of our 22? He has a long way to go to do this. If he can not do this he may end up in another jumper in 07 as he may have value as a trade and Id say we will be looking for another top 20 pick next year
 
Thanks for the responces, guys. I saw a few Cats games live and on TV, and he did seem to struggle whenever I saw him. Can't question his work ethic, he does seem to work pretty hard, and is a great grab, but his kicking can be very suspect - especially in the EF. Ditto Playfair with footskills at times.

Good luck in '06. :)
 
Johnson#26 said:
Thanks for the responces, guys. I saw a few Cats games live and on TV, and he did seem to struggle whenever I saw him. Can't question his work ethic, he does seem to work pretty hard, and is a great grab, but his kicking can be very suspect - especially in the EF. Ditto Playfair with footskills at times.

Good luck in '06. :)
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Shows talent occasionally, but he's on his last chance. He's now competing with Playfair, Kingsley, Ottens, Nathan Ablett, Steve Johnson, Gary Ablett, Chapman and Mackie (did I forget anyone) for a spot in the forward line. No way should he get selected ahead of anyone on that list.
 
Frankly I don't rate Gardiner at all...a handy mark to be sure but his kicking is below sub standard and he wilts under pressure... if he's still on the list 2 years from now I'll be shocked... then again he played most games this year because Bomber loves him even though Gardiner did nothing to justify his repeated selection so anythings possible
 
I once rated him but after 4 years and close to 50 games he still hasn't cemented a spot in the side on form alone. He gets picked on potential and the fact that Bomber appears to love him, but with that backing you'd think he'd deliver, something he did in one game this year (Dogs at Skillled).

He shows signs of talent, he's a good mark and moves well for his size. But he's a tease, because he'll show just as much of the traits that we don't want - dropping his head, no defensive pressure, woeful (and that's being kind) disposal and a general disinterest in the game.

He needed to have a prolonged run in the VFL to get some confidence and form because he was a liability in the seniors. Considering guys like Thurley and Haynes, similar players to Charlie, couldn't get a game despite starring in the VFL you had to question the thinking behind his selection.

As Jubs said, it's make or break and I have my doubts whether he can make it.
 
WestCat said:
I know what you're talking about, he has shown in about 5 games over the past 3 years that he is capable of being a very good player, but seems to struggle to put it all together for more than a couple of games per season. For mine, Charlie is one of the most frustrating players on our list, just behind Kingsley, as he's got the goods to really make it in this game, but just can't seem to do anything with it.

2006 is Charlie's make or break year, no doubt, he's been in and out of the side for a few years now an will be about 22 or 23 when 2006 finishes. He must stand up this year if he's going to have a career at Geelong. I keep thinking he will stand up, but I thought that at the beginning of last year, so I really have no idea of whether he'll make it or not. We all will know by round 22 next year though.
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Agreed. He has shown glimpses of what could become an extremely handy player. He wasn't too bad in the finals and was pretty good in the 2004 finals. Thompson has openly said that he reckons Charlie is good enough and he wants to play him, so he won't be short of opportunities.
 
chapmanmagic35 said:
Agreed. He has shown glimpses of what could become an extremely handy player. He wasn't too bad in the finals and was pretty good in the 2004 finals. Thompson has openly said that he reckons Charlie is good enough and he wants to play him, so he won't be short of opportunities.
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But thats the point, should he be getting these opportunities again this year? When he was in the team this year he did try things, some of them came off and soem of them didnt. But the question was asking, why was he in the team in the first place? You never hear of Gardiner ripping it up at training or killing it in the VFL. I think his main problem is he thinks too much. Footy is a game of quick skilsl and quick thinking. When he has the ball you can see he is trying to do extremly smart things but just thinks too much and ends up screwing up.

But for me, this year, Gardiner has to make the team on his own merits and play atleast a month of decent footy before i even start to warm to him.

A girl i work with's best friend is going out with Charlie and she has said he has been trying extremly hard this off season and for his sake i would like to see him improve.
 
cats2rise said:
But thats the point, should he be getting these opportunities again this year? When he was in the team this year he did try things, some of them came off and soem of them didnt. But the question was asking, why was he in the team in the first place? You never hear of Gardiner ripping it up at training or killing it in the VFL. I think his main problem is he thinks too much. Footy is a game of quick skilsl and quick thinking. When he has the ball you can see he is trying to do extremly smart things but just thinks too much and ends up screwing up.

But for me, this year, Gardiner has to make the team on his own merits and play atleast a month of decent footy before i even start to warm to him.

A girl i work with's best friend is going out with Charlie and she has said he has been trying extremly hard this off season and for his sake i would like to see him improve.
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Define hard.
A profesional footballer like him who has a very correctable deficiency should spend hours just setshot kicking. Think golfers spending Hrs and Hrs on the driving range are considered the norm , they know how tough its to compete at the level, the know they make the most of every drive. When Gardner is not just saying he works hard but has change one of his worst attributes he will start progressing
 
Turbocat said:
Define hard.
A profesional footballer like him who has a very correctable deficiency should spend hours just setshot kicking. Think golfers spending Hrs and Hrs on the driving range are considered the norm , they know how tough its to compete at the level, the know they make the most of every drive. When Gardner is not just saying he works hard but has change one of his worst attributes he will start progressing
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Not sure but i will try and find out. BTW, i meant away from the group, not at training. Just by himself or with a mate at the local oval etc
 
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