Player Watch Matthew Scharenberg (Delisted 2020)

The emphasis on Scharenberg being a conservative user of the ball --especially by foot-- is overstated. The majority of his possessions are overwhelmingly found on the last line of defence, at which point the imperative is less about setting up a forward play and more about moving the ball safely from a dangerous zone.

In this, Shaz is good at finding teammates in some space, and he's good at releasing teammates into some space, and he's good at not turning the ball over. The fact that he manages all this while also being more than handy in one-on-one contests makes him a gem.
 

jonbe54

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shaz kicks it sideways and short and we call it poise.

mayne kicks sideways and short and he as to go.

this not having a go at you saintly just an observation of how people see different things.
I hear you TW Mayne is a limited player but once played in position with instructions to play within those limitations (as I am guessing last year was all about) he is solid and at times creative.

As for Shazza - I am praying hard he gets through the remainder of this season unscathed and has an uninterrupted pre-season for the '20 tilt.

If so look out - he wasn't recruited for his speed but for his reading of the ball and play upfield. He has lost none of this and could end up being Pendlebury's (like for like) replacement if he can get robustly fit.

Don't laugh he parallels some of Scott's abilities and could do a decent job of easing us into the post Penders era.
 

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shaz kicks it sideways and short and we call it poise.

mayne kicks sideways and short and he as to go.

this not having a go at you saintly just an observation of how people see different things.
That is true.

And a fair point.
 
shaz kicks it sideways and short and we call it poise.

mayne kicks sideways and short and he as to go.

this not having a go at you saintly just an observation of how people see different things.
Big difference given the positions imo. A defender on the last line like Schaz is fine kicking sideways to a team mate in space or making a switch, you want a player of the wing to be driving the ball forward. It’s the same reason Smith was criticised. Instead of getting the ball forward his first instinct was to look backwards or sideways, and once you’re out of the defensive 50 the priority should be to move the ball forward quickly.
 
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Big difference given the positions imo. A defender on the last line like Schaz is fine kicking sideways to a team mate in space or making a switch, you want a player of the wing to be driving the ball forward. It’s the same reason Smith was criticised. Instead of getting the ball forward his first instinct was to look backwards or sideways, and once you’re out of the defensive 50 the priority should be to move the ball forward quickly.


not sure I'd agree he takes most of his marks within 15m of goal. most are closer to half back imo. magden or roughie are the guys on the last line.

also if you are marking 'on the last line' the forwards press up and there is no room to switch. swtiches etc are more likely 30-40m+ from goal.
 
not sure I'd agree he takes most of his marks within 15m of goal. most are closer to half back imo. magden or roughie are the guys on the last line.

also if you are marking 'on the last line' the forwards press up and there is no room to switch. swtiches etc are more likely 30-40m+ from goal.
Difference of opinion I guess. I’d class the last line as anything within 45m of goal. Regardless of that though, as I said there’s a big difference between going sideways inside defensive 50 and sideways on the wing. The comparison with Mayne is chalk and cheese imo.
 
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Difference of opinion I guess. I’d class the last line as anything within 45m of goal. Regardless of that though, as I said there’s a big difference between going sideways inside defensive 50 and sideways on the wing. The comparison with Mayne is chalk and cheese imo.


to me they're much of a muchness and they both spend most of their time around D50 line. Sharenberg has never shown he can pull the trigger on a 40m inside kick. Maybe that's just him but it's also why Howe's millionaire kicks are currently a necessary evil.
 
to me they're much of a muchness and they both spend most of their time around D50 line. Sharenberg has never shown he can pull the trigger on a 40m inside kick. Maybe that's just him but it's also why Howe's millionaire kicks are currently a necessary evil.
Until Saturday he’d never shown that he could take a run and bounce with the ball at AFL level, but then he did that twice in one game. How about we give Matt some significant time back in senior footy before declaring what he can and can’t do? Lord knows Mayne has had enough time at the level to be better than he is with his ball movement...
 

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The emphasis on Scharenberg being a conservative user of the ball --especially by foot-- is overstated. The majority of his possessions are overwhelmingly found on the last line of defence, at which point the imperative is less about setting up a forward play and more about moving the ball safely from a dangerous zone.

In this, Shaz is good at finding teammates in some space, and he's good at releasing teammates into some space, and he's good at not turning the ball over. The fact that he manages all this while also being more than handy in one-on-one contests makes him a gem.
I haven't been the biggest fan of Shaz but he has been excellent the last two or three weeks.
 
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Until Saturday he’d never shown that he could take a run and bounce with the ball at AFL level, but then he did that twice in one game. How about we give Matt some significant time back in senior footy before declaring what he can and can’t do? Lord knows Mayne has had enough time at the level to be better than he is with his ball movement...


my opinion isn't just from 2019. its been since his first game. maybe someone has the stats on his kicking to put this to bed one way or the other.
 

jonbe54

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Shaz is the classic half back link man, sadly due to his avalanche of injuries he isn't doing those lovely penetrating kicks that were evident pre-draft. Seems to lack confidence to 'go for it', possibly desperate to prove himself reliable and safe after so much time out.

I'm hoping a good finals series and uninterrupted pre-season for the '20 campaign may see him come out of his shell and take the game on as he used to.
 
my opinion isn't just from 2019. its been since his first game. maybe someone has the stats on his kicking to put this to bed one way or the other.
So what if it’s not just from 2019? He’s never been able to put more than 17 games in a year (2018) together since he was drafted, and has had 12 month breaks between each block of games he’s played. You can’t honestly expect his game to develop significantly with such long layoffs over an extended period.
Let’s get some perspective here, Stephenson has played 2 more games after 1.5 years in the system than Scharenberg has in nearly 6 years because of injury.
 
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So what if it’s not just from 2019? He’s never been able to put more than 17 games in a year (2018) together since he was drafted, and has had 12 month breaks between each block of games he’s played. You can’t honestly expect his game to develop significantly with such long layoffs over an extended period.
Let’s get some perspective here, Stephenson has played 2 more games after 1.5 years in the system than Scharenberg has in nearly 6 years because of injury.


If we were discussing his ability to baulk, dodge or weave I'd agree with you.
 

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If we were discussing his ability to baulk, dodge or weave I'd agree with you.

Much like the bouncing the footy example above, I've seen him do all these things (bounce the footy, take the tough transition on the 45 into the corridor, even seen him do a rugby style goose step to gain space on a Richmond player running down the outer wing at Punt Road) at VFL level which gives confidence he can do them at senior level. I think we just need to be a little more patient as he re-finds his feet.
 

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Another game where he just looks like an established senior player.

To me, and yes I’m a big fanboy, he’s an absolute best 22.

Makes few errors. Makes smart footy decisions.

Uses the ball beautifully.

So happy he’s making it sans injury.

Our best defensive group ie 6 + 1 that we mainly go for:

B. Scharenberg Roughead Maynard
HB. Crisp Moore Howe
I. Greenwood.

Agree 100%, which makes Apples selection vs GWS when Shaz is rotting in the vfl mindblowingly hard to understand.
There is no doubt he could have significantly reduced the output of Himmelburg or Finlayson.
 
If we were discussing his ability to baulk, dodge or weave I'd agree with you.
So you think he’s able to develop his attacking game to AFL levels while in rehab? Spare me...
 

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Matthew is a handsome guy.

Devastatingly so.

But Mayney pulled through alright..

725408


You can't call him ugly because he has done far better than I ever could so maybe looks is not all that counts...
 

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Devastatingly so.

But Mayney pulled through alright..

View attachment 725408

You can't call him ugly because he has done far better than I ever could so maybe looks is not all that counts...
Even a blind pig finds an acorn every now and again.


(Nothing to do with Chris Mayne, he’s a good guy)
 
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shaz kicks it sideways and short and we call it poise.

mayne kicks sideways and short and he as to go.

this not having a go at you saintly just an observation of how people see different things.

It’s irritating that’s for sure! The only reason I’m not as scathing about it is because he’s still establishing himself as a senior player. In 12 months time if he’s still backpedaling across goal to receive a cheapie which he then kicks backwards or sideways I’ll be losing it.
 
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