marcuz
Norm Smith Medallist
Asgardian gave a quick run down on our list. Now it’s time for somebody who knows his stuff to give his view. I’m going to give a short review/preview of every listed player in numerical order as I’m currently out of work and have too much time on my hands.
Player#1
Mark Johnson 179cms 83kgs
Strengths:
Has no fear of attacking the ball or the man. Has turned himself from an AA calibre back pocket to a hard working midfielder. Has a great work ethic and a big heart. His pace over the first 10 metres is very good and he uses his ability to burst to good effect. The defensive side to his game is very good. He tackles well and also does a lot of sheperding for teamates which is a side of the game the goes unnoticed. Has a very big leap for a small man. Has some “Moorcroft” moments where he forgets he is the little man and stands on other blokes heads but he does it too many times for it to be a fluke.
Weaknesses:
For a Big bodied midfielder who loves the contact he spends too much time playing as a wingman/linkman. He a great ability to take the ball away from congestion but a lot of the times sits out of the pack waiting for the easy ball. This may have a lot to do with our lack of speed and team orders telling him to stay out. The reason I don’t like him as a linkman is that as a rule his kicking is unpredictable. Over short distances it is quite good. But he does do a JJ sometimes and blazes away which doesn’t help Lloydy at all. His temper is another facet of his game that needs to be kept in check. He can sometimes lose it and do some silly things. The game against Melbourne when he gave away an important 50 metre penalty late in the game nearly cost us. His aggression is great but needs to be controlled. Which leads me into another weakness and that is his tackling technique or lack of one. He too many times gets players high when he tackles. He would have had a few holding the ball decisions last year had he been able to correctly apply a legal tackle rather than clothesline the opposition player.
Prediction for 2004:
I see Mark continuing in his midfield role. I prefer him as a back pocket but we seem to have covered his loss pretty well with Woosha and McVeigh. I’d expect him with another big pre-season to be leaner and fitter which will help in his ability to run and run hard all day. His pace and ability to clear from traffic will be all important to give JJ a chop out and help carry our midfield group into another finals series.
Player#1
Mark Johnson 179cms 83kgs
Strengths:
Has no fear of attacking the ball or the man. Has turned himself from an AA calibre back pocket to a hard working midfielder. Has a great work ethic and a big heart. His pace over the first 10 metres is very good and he uses his ability to burst to good effect. The defensive side to his game is very good. He tackles well and also does a lot of sheperding for teamates which is a side of the game the goes unnoticed. Has a very big leap for a small man. Has some “Moorcroft” moments where he forgets he is the little man and stands on other blokes heads but he does it too many times for it to be a fluke.
Weaknesses:
For a Big bodied midfielder who loves the contact he spends too much time playing as a wingman/linkman. He a great ability to take the ball away from congestion but a lot of the times sits out of the pack waiting for the easy ball. This may have a lot to do with our lack of speed and team orders telling him to stay out. The reason I don’t like him as a linkman is that as a rule his kicking is unpredictable. Over short distances it is quite good. But he does do a JJ sometimes and blazes away which doesn’t help Lloydy at all. His temper is another facet of his game that needs to be kept in check. He can sometimes lose it and do some silly things. The game against Melbourne when he gave away an important 50 metre penalty late in the game nearly cost us. His aggression is great but needs to be controlled. Which leads me into another weakness and that is his tackling technique or lack of one. He too many times gets players high when he tackles. He would have had a few holding the ball decisions last year had he been able to correctly apply a legal tackle rather than clothesline the opposition player.
Prediction for 2004:
I see Mark continuing in his midfield role. I prefer him as a back pocket but we seem to have covered his loss pretty well with Woosha and McVeigh. I’d expect him with another big pre-season to be leaner and fitter which will help in his ability to run and run hard all day. His pace and ability to clear from traffic will be all important to give JJ a chop out and help carry our midfield group into another finals series.
