Player Watch #3: Christian Salem

[Headless]

Who had written off Salem?

 

[dewah07]

Do u lads think when viney comes back he changes his role to that more outside player?

 

[Topkent]

Do u lads think when viney comes back he changes his role to that more outside player?

I hope not, I think he needs the added responsibility of being a main man.

 

[TheCount]

Do u lads think when viney comes back he changes his role to that more outside player?

It's probably up to him to be honest, if he carries on and improves his form from the weekend, there'll be no choice but to leave him in that role.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

Do u lads think when viney comes back he changes his role to that more outside player?

Was training as a clearance player all summer so I doubt it

 

[Tulip]

Do u lads think when viney comes back he changes his role to that more outside player?

Not a chance. He can't kick. Jones will move back outside though.

 

[Bluelegs]

Not a chance. He can't kick. Jones will move back outside though.

I think he's talking about Salem.

 

[stretcharmstrong]

Lol, I read it the same way

 

[rhaz]

Where is he at?

Kicked a great goal last night but other than that, unsighted. In some ways this is good - no howlers - but he is a player that needs to have more impact on games.

Brayshaw pushed him out of centre bounces. Not sure what his role is.

 

[Grimesy87]

Where is he at?

Kicked a great goal last night but other than that, unsighted. In some ways this is good - no howlers - but he is a player that needs to have more impact on games.

Brayshaw pushed him out of centre bounces. Not sure what his role is.

Agree, he seems to be coasting. He tackles well, is fairly tough and a beautiful kick generally. But he goes missing significantly and just doesnt have any impact on games.

Harsh, and we are all aware of his injuries, but he just strikes me as a player who will make 200 games, but will never be anything more than a bog average, underwhelming footballer.

 

[Dancing Potato]

He occasionally has a 25-30 possesion game that looks immense and everyone gets to say "See! I told you he would come good! Who were the turkeys who had written him off?!"

Then he goes missing again for the next 10 games.

I think he has the talent to have a long and at least mildly successful career but buggered if I know where his best position is.

 

[Cannon82]

Sounds a bit like Farren Ray. High(ish) draft pick, looks good enough at times, does nothing at others, has enough good games in a season to justify keeping him around but doesn't seem like someone who'll become part of a core group for a serious tilt.

Personally I think he's a half back or half forward flanker. Wins a bit of ball in the middle but is no better than any other bog standard mids running around in the comp. Throwing him around the park doesn't seem to have done much for his game.

 

[CWaffles]

Agree, he seems to be coasting. He tackles well, is fairly tough and a beautiful kick generally. But he goes missing significantly and just doesnt have any impact on games.

Harsh, and we are all aware of his injuries, but he just strikes me as a player who will make 200 games, but will never be anything more than a bog average, underwhelming footballer.

Best on ground average is something I could deal with.

 

[stretcharmstrong]

Battling the last few weeks I reckon.

 

[Topkent]

Won't have much of a career playing in the backline, doesn't do anything at all that makes you think 's**t that's something a defender can do'

Needs to be either in the midfield rotations or forward.

 

[Fork n Hell]

he's pretty piss poor at ground level for a small bloke and he's not very fast and can only really run in straight lines but is generally a good ball user. we would probably benefit having him play closer to goals. outside stoppage player/ high half fwd flanker imo.

 

[ABray10]

Don't think he needs to be a star, he will probably be another one of those journeyman players who notch up 150-200 games. He is and probably will continue to be somewhere between average and good, which every club needs. Would probably benefit from some time forward where he can impact a game with just a handful of touches.

At the end of the day we will get more out of him than most of our first round draft picks this century.

 

[Cannon82]

Won't have much of a career playing in the backline, doesn't do anything at all that makes you think 's**t that's something a defender can do'

Needs to be either in the midfield rotations or forward.

Neither do Vince or Lewis, yet that's where they seem to get picked.

 

[Topkent]

Neither do Vince or Lewis, yet that's where they seem to get picked.

It's not like we concede heaps more goals per i50 than our opponents though...

 

[Cannon82]

It's not like we concede heaps more goals per i50 than our opponents though...

That's because we have a water-tight backline that doesn't give our opponents any space...

Salem's spot on the side is probably going to end up being whatever's leftover when the nailed on starters and consistent contributors have been picked. We have a young forward line and he seems unlikely to crack that and he could play midfield but I don't think he does that well enough to do it permanently. We'll have a few openings in the backline in the next few years so that's why I think he might have a shout there, but it'll also depend on who else comes through. May just end up as depth, I guess.

 

[KickLongTackleHard]

Sounds a bit like Farren Ray. High(ish) draft pick, looks good enough at times, does nothing at others, has enough good games in a season to justify keeping him around but doesn't seem like someone who'll become part of a core group for a serious tilt.

Personally I think he's a half back or half forward flanker. Wins a bit of ball in the middle but is no better than any other bog standard mids running around in the comp. Throwing him around the park doesn't seem to have done much for his game.

Farren Ray is a fair comparison. Salem hasn’t really shown he’ll be any better.

 

[Topkent]

At this point if he could have the career of Brent Guerra I'd be delighted.

 

[Tempy Tiger]

He was playing well until he completely poleaxed himself after being funneled. When he got up he was very wobbly. Was good up until then I thought. He is a very neat player, beautiful kick and pretty good in the contest. Just lacks pace unfortunately which limits how damaging he is.

 

[Topkent]

The Salem kicking myth is hilarious, reckon because he has a pretty action people way overrate his ability. He's ok. Misses alot aswell. Think Hibberd is better but isn't as easy on the eye when he executes.

Fritsch is a beautiful kick, much better than Salem.

 

[ABray10]

He was playing well until he completely poleaxed himself after being funneled. When he got up he was very wobbly. Was good up until then I thought. He is a very neat player, beautiful kick and pretty good in the contest. Just lacks pace unfortunately which limits how damaging he is.

I seem to remember him being advertised as quite quick when he was a junior, he just never seems to sprint.