WAFL performances part 2

Remove this Banner Ad

Clarke has looked pretty good so far, De Boer also done some nice things albeit a few floaters.

Tom Swift is a really strange looking fellow, skinnier than Hill and a massive rude head IMO.
 
Chops_a_must said:
It was on a graphic that they read out.

Took a while. Scrubbed til I bled.

Clarke impressing me :thumbsu: and De Boer has done some nice things by hand so far.
Click to expand...

Haven't seen DeBoer live this year, but saw him in a WAFL game when I was back in Perth late last season, and was surprised with his work rate and effort. Also seemed to be able to defend well against players that were larger and stronger than him.

At the pre-season game over here, Clarke impressed me with:
- his raw size for his age;
- his vertical leap; and
- his ability to stay with the flow of play - that is, it didn't seem to matter if the ball was being tied up in a pack in close, being passed long by foot, or being moved quickly by hand, he somehow still followed the play and got himself to about the right spot.

It was a marked contrast to all the other younguns except Suban and Broughton - everybody else kept getting lost as soon as the ball didn't go where they thought it would.

[**Note: warning to all posters, especially BigKev: unwarranted, unqualified attempt at deeply insightful tactical analysis follows shortly - avoid at all costs if you know it all**]

In today's largely unstructured, ad-hoc game, I reckon the ability to adjust and flow with play, to be able to stay in the "action zone", is becoming really important. Even more important than having a beautiful long kick, or a burst of pace. No point being able to run fast or kick 70 if you are always losing touch with the run of play??

[End crazy attempt at analysis - safe to read rest of post].

Plus Clarke rucked almost 75% of the game, in 32 degrees+, against Macintosh, Petrie and Goldstein - and did really well, especially considering he was up against men.

Based on that game (and I know it is dangerous to judge on one game), I reckon he's got a fair chance of playing a couple of games this year - and certainly I'd be hoping he fills out some more (without losing pace or that leap), so next year he plays 18-22 games. Very different to Connelly and most of the other backup rucks we've had in the last decade.

Personally, given our injuries and Kep's excellent play down forward, I'd have had Clarke in the side against both the Bullies (to exploit their lack of height) and the Bombers (to see how he goes against Hille, Fletcher and Laycock), and then rested him until about round 16-17. But what would I know???
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Yep. He can definitely play against men.

And on that reading of the play... I noticed... and you don't usually notice these things unless you are there, but he couldn't make a contest, so he looked at the pack, where his team mates were and rather than throwing himself in uselessly or getting lost, placed himself where he thought he should or needed to be. :thumbsu:

Stark contrast to someone like Natanui who has a brain meltdown in those situations.
 
Swift seems to be at every contest. Would have been extremely pissed off if he was drafted at pick 22 but really we never had a chance to get him.

Surely Webster would offer more on our list than Thornton? Been good this quarter (didn't see the first half).

Agree with others that Zach Efron looks a likely type. :thumbsu:
 
Chops_a_must said:
Yep. He can definitely play against men.

And on that reading of the play... I noticed... and you don't usually notice these things unless you are there, but he couldn't make a contest, so he looked at the pack, where his team mates were and rather than throwing himself in uselessly or getting lost, placed himself where he thought he should or needed to be. :thumbsu:

Stark contrast to someone like Natanui who has a brain meltdown in those situations.
Click to expand...

Yep, you've managed to nail in one sentence a quality that I've been trying to capture in words for years. And I think Clarke has it in spades.

I guess it is thinking about what is happening, what is about to unfold, and (at the same time) being able to get to a position that allows you to influence things, without jumping the gun and over-committing, or being so stuck in thought that you freeze like a bunny in the headlights.

The closest thing I can compare it to is in gridiron, where 'sensing the play' is the key "magic quality" that you look for in the quarterback, safetys, and middle linebackers - that combination of judgement, positioning and awareness of the play, rather than just mad rushing around on the field.

Or the cricketer who tries to take the miraculous diving catch, only for the ball to go for four, instead of taking it on the half volley and keeping the batsmen to a single...

It's only natural for young blokes to want to throw themselves in at any potential contest, especially if they think there is a bit of glory to be gained - which is why (IMHO) those few youngsters who have judgement stand out a bit from the others (who are often better skilled, faster or bigger).

For most of us mere mortals, it's only as you get to be old and decrepit that you start to exercise some judgement, manage the adrenaline rush, and think "Hmm, maybe if I went and got her coat, stood just there by the door, helped her get into her coat and then held the door for her while she left, I'd be better placed to get her number than if I madly tried to pash her at the bar".

'course, I just wind up getting slapped anyway, so I guess it's do as I say not as I do...
 
Clarke has been super impressive, incredibly athletic and been dominating the ruck, exciting proposition.

Why did we get rif of Webster too :(

And yes Swift has been very good, massive talent, DeBoer been quiet this match, Claremont are a rabble though.
 
Absolutely loving the look of Clark - although if I were his stylist I would definitely do something with that fuzz-mop! ;)

DeBoer I think has suffered a bit, from what I have seen of the game, of being stuck too far forward while the play has been almost exclusively played between Claremont's 50 and EP's goals. When he has been on-ball he has put up some good contests, laid some good tackles and generally been quite useful.

Swift looks to be a bloody exciting young talent. A lot of work to do, however, as while he is a ball magnet, he has been caught HTB, run too far and given up the free, and kicked directly to an EP player at least 4 or 5 times.

Still, I wouldn't complain too much if he were on our list...
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

i am just stoked that we picked clarke up, he looks a real gun..... one thing that i noticed most about him was his agression and his tackling, he was just brilliant, i dont have the exact figures, but i reckon he must have had between 5 and 10 tackles which for a ruckman is brilliant. his skills were first rate and his tapping seemed pretty good as well... could be a very astute pickup :thumbsu:
 
Lynch takes a mark said:
Clarke absolutely looks the goods as far as young rucks go - i think it was the 2nd quarter around half forward he did some bloody good follow up work after a marking contest that caught my eye.
Click to expand...


i remember the exact piece of play that you are referring to, he seems extremely competitive, and also seems to have the skills to back ut up.... losing warnock is easier to deal with when you know that someone like clarke is developing in the background

swift looked impressive, wont be long before he is thrown into the eagles lineup, deboer looked good in parts as well, his side step to kick a goal in the last quarter was pretty well done, seems to have brilliant evasive skills
 
Hinkley had a huge game for Swans today.

15 kicks, 8 handballs, 6 marks, 6 I50s, 4FF, 2 goals.

Reckon they might look at him for next week after that effort.

Also for Swans:
Pearce: 8 kicks, 8 handballs, 6 marks
Pratt: 13 kicks, 3 handballs, 5 marks
Walters: 8 kicks, 3 handballs, 4 marks, 4 I50s, 1 goal
 
Others:

Drum (Perth): 12 kicks, 8 handballs, 10 marks
Ruffles (Perth): 2 kicks, 1 handballs, 2 FA, 1 mark (not a great day at the office for the young fella...)
Gilmore (SF): 16 kicks, 7 handballs, 8 marks, 4 I50s
Campbell (WP): 12 kicks, 1 handball, 5 marks, 5 I50s, 3.3
Sibosado (C res): 10 kicks, 3 handballs, 5 marks, 3FF 4FA, 3.2
De Boer (C): 10 kicks, 4 handballs, 4 marks, 2 I50s, 2.1

No stats up for Subi (Broughton) or EP (Clarke) as yet.
 
thanks IP

with claremont struggling and sibosado kicking a few today, maybe he might be in line for a wafl league debut :thumbsu:

good to see kiwi kicked a few as well

hinkley has to be in the purple asap imo, will be a gun :thumbsu: i would have him in the side no matter what personally
 
ImperialPurple said:
Hinkley had a huge game for Swans today.

15 kicks, 8 handballs, 6 marks, 6 I50s, 4FF, 2 goals.

Reckon they might look at him for next week after that effort.
Click to expand...

Now that's what I wanted to hear. He should have been in the team in Round 1 anyway, but I suppose having to force his way in will only make him better.

Some good stats for Campbell, Walters, Drum and Gilmore. Head, Dodd, Thornton and Browne are going to want to have good games tomorrow, otherwise they will hopefully be replaced.

Also sounds like Sibosado had a good game. I'm not familiar with Claremont's forward line, but is Sibo a chance to play seniors next week?
 
Ten marks for Drum. :thumbsu:

The consensus is that Broughton should be in before either Head or Thornton, but surely Hinkley should also be ahead of Browne? They both have suspect disposal but Hinkley gets more of the ball and is 6 or 7 years younger so has much more upside. He is a more natural forward/half forward too, Browne shits his pants inside 50.

Have you seen Hinks this year IP, his guns are looking good too. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bud
Coaches Votes round 2
Replies
7
Views
297
Bender571
Bender571
Van_Dyke
MVP Round 2 v North (A)
2
Replies
44
Views
1K
Fred Ziffel
Fred Ziffel
heavho
  • Poll
Preview 2024 Round 2 Freo v Roos
25 26 27 28 29
Replies
711
Views
25K
s_wd6
s_wd6
freo_leo29
Game Day Preseason Game 2 vs Port
39 40 41 42 43
Replies
1K
Views
33K
Joao
J
dockerfemme
Preview Fremantle vs Carlton Sunday 9th July 2:40pm
Replies
19
Views
1K
Perfect Purple
P
Van_Dyke
MVP Rd 2 v North (H)
Replies
8
Views
559
Beak_A
Beak_A
vidwhal
  • Locked
Game Day Rd 2 - Freo vs North @ Optus
43 44 45 46 47
Replies
1K
Views
17K
serial_thrilla
serial_thrilla

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top