Player Watch Rory Laird

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Laird shows how important it is even for good, established players to be challenged.

He was a very good half back but was stagnating there. His last season or so down back was poor. A fresh challenge in the midfield has motivated him to go to another level and he's responded.

Compare that to other long term players who have been left in the one position / one role for too long. Smith for example has stagnated, Sloane certainly has.

It doesn't even need to be a change of position. Simply a challenge to widen their circle of influence.

Eg Luke Brown, very solid lockdown defender. Could he have been challenged to get more of the ball, increase No of intercepts, increase I50 entries, hit scoreboard, tag a midfielder?

"I'm just trying to play my role" is a career death knell in terms of improvement, development and progress. It's been our catch cry but hopefully after seeing Laird add strings to his bow mid-career we're open to more player growth opportunities.
 
Drugs Are Bad Mackay? said:
"I'm just trying to play my role" is a career death knell in terms of improvement, development and progress. It's been our catch cry but hopefully after seeing Laird add strings to his bow mid-career we're open to more player growth opportunities.
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I mean you say that but let's be honest, we just voted career "I'm just playing my role" Jake Kelly into the top 10 at the B&F so we still highly value it
 

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Scorpus said:
I mean you say that but let's be honest, we just voted career "I'm just playing my role" Jake Kelly into the top 10 at the B&F so we still highly value it
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Kelly this year is an example of us doing things right

He's gone from playing on the opposition's youngest, least dangerous, most fringe 22 forward and being gifted an easy, useless passenger role to this season playing on the likes of Petracca, Martin, Greene.

I still want him traded mind you
 
Drugs Are Bad Mackay? said:
Kelly this year is an example of us doing things right

He's gone from playing on the opposition's youngest, least dangerous, most fringe 22 forward and being gifted an easy, useless passenger role to this season playing on the likes of Petracca, Martin, Greene.

I still want him traded mind you
Click to expand...

For what it’s worth, I read this quote as a metaphor about Adam Kelly and his improvement as Football Manager rather than Jake Kelly.

Please tell me I’m not wrong.
 
Drugs Are Bad Mackay? said:
Laird shows how important it is even for good, established players to be challenged.

He was a very good half back but was stagnating there. His last season or so down back was poor. A fresh challenge in the midfield has motivated him to go to another level and he's responded.

Compare that to other long term players who have been left in the one position / one role for too long. Smith for example has stagnated, Sloane certainly has.

It doesn't even need to be a change of position. Simply a challenge to widen their circle of influence.

Eg Luke Brown, very solid lockdown defender. Could he have been challenged to get more of the ball, increase No of intercepts, increase I50 entries, hit scoreboard, tag a midfielder?

"I'm just trying to play my role" is a career death knell in terms of improvement, development and progress. It's been our catch cry but hopefully after seeing Laird add strings to his bow mid-career we're open to more player growth opportunities.
Click to expand...
Moving McCasey forward and Frampton back shows he’s definitely open to changing things up.
 

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Eagleboy2011 said:
Great win by Rory . Very close in the voting. Three of vote getters in the top 10 surprised me. Smith, Sloane and Kelly mainly on how high the votes were. Seedsman and Keays thoroughly deserved their posits. Anyone know how MacKay polled?
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Smith started the season off in great form, before taking off in the middle. Even Smith's poorer games are often better than many.
 
rocket18 said:
I reckon he has already gone past Edwards for impact, skill and decision making. Obviously has some way to go for longevity, can see him winning a yellow jacket too.
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This was my reply (back in 2015) to someone saying Laird reminded him of Edwards, two yellow jackets later suggest I was on the money - plenty howled me down at the time.

The skill side of things has dropped off a bit in his midfield role, doesn't quite have the time to dispose of the ball as he used to across half back - especially when we used to set up with the extra defender.
 
I’m gonna bump this thread..

I have bagged the hell out of Lairdy this year for his garbage disposal and his sky balls, kick in hopes and pointless handballs..

But geez he was good against sydney.

Looked a completely different player..

Grabbed the ball at the contest, ran with it (often through the middle) and actually kicked it like an elite footballer.

Have barely ever seen him do this. Where has this part of his game been hiding?..
Will it continue?. Wonder if it was a directive change given to him by our coaches or whether Lairdy took this upon himself?

Who knows.. guess we’ll find out. Hopefully it continues.

Am I here to apologise to lairdy?..

s**t no, he has to repeat the weekends efforts consistantly before I even get close to doing so.
 
I remember that first game where he caught the ball in his face. I knew we had something after seeing that.
 
Laird's goal kicking has been better this season, I've noticed. Doesn't get forward often but he's kicked a couple of pretty decent ones, and his massive tally of four goals for the year is a career high. He's also a clear second behind Walker for score involvements at the club, same as last year. Kicking goals and setting them up directly has been an obvious weak spot in his game for an A grade mid, so I wonder if he can do a bit more of that in the later stages of his career.
 
Bearded Clam said:
I’m gonna bump this thread..

I have bagged the hell out of Lairdy this year for his garbage disposal and his sky balls, kick in hopes and pointless handballs..

But geez he was good against sydney.

Looked a completely different player..

Grabbed the ball at the contest, ran with it (often through the middle) and actually kicked it like an elite footballer.

Have barely ever seen him do this. Where has this part of his game been hiding?..
Will it continue?. Wonder if it was a directive change given to him by our coaches or whether Lairdy took this upon himself?

Who knows.. guess we’ll find out. Hopefully it continues.

Am I here to apologise to lairdy?..

s**t no, he has to repeat the weekends efforts consistantly before I even get close to doing so.
Click to expand...
848 metres gained as well.

Played a longer game. Probably one of his best games in the middle.

If he can bring more of that each week he is borderline elite.

On SM-A325F using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Drummond said:
Laird will never be anywhere near elite.
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he did say “borderline”..

if Laird can play like he did on the weekend against sydney every week.. then he will definitely be extremely close to being classed elite.

even I, as one of his biggest critics this season, will admit that..
 
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