Player Watch #3: Christian Salem

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.
 

rhaz

Cancelled
Jun 30, 2008
8,490
6,819
AFL Club
Melbourne
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

Cancelled
May 22, 2018
3,038
5,728
AFL Club
Melbourne
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

Premiership Player
Jul 7, 2015
4,411
8,132
AFL Club
Melbourne
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

Cancelled
10k Posts Melbourne Poster of the Year Melbourne Demons - Ben Kennedy Player Sponsor 2016 Melbourne Demons - Jeremy Howe Player Sponsor 2015 Melbourne Demons - Dom Barry Sponsor 2014 Melbourne Demons - Jeremy Howe Sponsor 2014
Oct 26, 2012
16,398
23,165
AFL Club
Melbourne
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

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 10, 2012
5,807
6,376
Melbourne
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Ferrari, Chicago Bulls, NY Giants
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.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,051
84,956
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
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

Premiership Player
Mar 7, 2018
3,153
2,972
AFL Club
Melbourne
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

All Australian
Aug 30, 2017
728
1,011
AFL Club
Melbourne
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

Cancelled
10k Posts Melbourne Poster of the Year Melbourne Demons - Ben Kennedy Player Sponsor 2016 Melbourne Demons - Jeremy Howe Player Sponsor 2015 Melbourne Demons - Dom Barry Sponsor 2014 Melbourne Demons - Jeremy Howe Sponsor 2014
Oct 26, 2012
16,398
23,165
AFL Club
Melbourne
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.
 

Cannon82

Cancelled
10k Posts Melbourne Poster of the Year Melbourne Demons - Ben Kennedy Player Sponsor 2016 Melbourne Demons - Jeremy Howe Player Sponsor 2015 Melbourne Demons - Dom Barry Sponsor 2014 Melbourne Demons - Jeremy Howe Sponsor 2014
Oct 26, 2012
16,398
23,165
AFL Club
Melbourne
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.
 
May 2, 2008
4,775
4,068
Perth
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Chelsea FC
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.
 

Tempy Tiger

Premiership Player
Sep 18, 2006
4,416
3,547
AFL Club
Melbourne
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

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,051
84,956
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
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

All Australian
Aug 30, 2017
728
1,011
AFL Club
Melbourne
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.
 
Back