Retired #11: David Zaharakis - Survivin'

11 - [PLAYERCARD]David Zaharakis[/PLAYERCARD].jpg


Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2021
Last Game Played: Round 19, 2021 (omit)

Injury Status: n/a
 
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westking

Cancelled
Apr 25, 2010
2,155
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On paper he should be gone, but it aint so simple. He is genuinly liked amongst the playing group and sets a standard on how to train and behave. (but not necessarily on how we want to play). What is more important....to keep a level of happiness and justice within the playing group or to remove that concept and get what we can get for him, ignoring the human cost? We have have experienced this problem before with Blumfield, Hardwick, Caracella and a few more that ripped the heart out of the club at the time. (Salary cap issues) Would Zaka be the type like a Myers/Baguley/Dea/Hocking type to play reserves and only be called upon due injury? I don't think he would, but i most likely would be wrong.
 

Schnitzengruben

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 4, 2019
6,019
8,819
AFL Club
Essendon
Package him with our 3rd, see if anyone is willing to part with a 2nd
I'd take a 4th.

This was just a terrible performance. He's playing in defence because he's lost all of his pace and penetration, now he's just a shell of a footballer on big coin. Bruise-free, passenger; just two of the terms I would use to describe David Zaharakis.
 

JayJ20

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 28, 2016
17,146
26,093
AFL Club
Essendon
On paper he should be gone, but it aint so simple. He is genuinly liked amongst the playing group and sets a standard on how to train and behave. (but not necessarily on how we want to play). What is more important....to keep a level of happiness and justice within the playing group or to remove that concept and get what we can get for him, ignoring the human cost? We have have experienced this problem before with Blumfield, Hardwick, Caracella and a few more that ripped the heart out of the club at the time. (Salary cap issues) Would Zaka be the type like a Myers/Baguley/Dea/Hocking type to play reserves and only be called upon due injury? I don't think he would, but i most likely would be wrong.
He sets the standard on how we train? Well we've found the problem.
 

westking

Cancelled
Apr 25, 2010
2,155
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He sets the standard on how we train? Well we've found the problem.
Like it or not its the a truth. Plenty of players set the training track on fire but struggle game day. Its not a unique concept.
 

Colonelmot

Senior List
Jul 20, 2012
159
158
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Essendon
Perhaps we could play him in the right position for a few games before discard him. I still remember Ess vs Melb 2014. He's not without heart this guy.
 
May 6, 2007
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Since BrunoV mentioned and pointed out our effort to manufacture a role in the Shaun Burgoyne mould a few weeks ago, it has been at the forefront of my mind. It is so true and a role that we are not reliant on in the sense that we have had well established heads around the back 6 with Hooker & Hurley (earlier in the year anyway) and the runners surrounding this so called "role" Zaka plays. A guy like Ridley should have been shoe horned into it earlier and have played 15 games this year, we may not get the chance to see him fulfil his potential because of a guy like Zaka taking this role in the team.

I've liked Zaka, thought he was a very, very good player at one stage but he has run his race, to the point of asking him if he wanted a WCE type trade that Sam Mitchell took up. He shouldn't be guaranteed AFL games next year but the EFC doesn't have the balls to let players like this down easily.
 
Dec 18, 2007
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On paper he should be gone, but it aint so simple. He is genuinly liked amongst the playing group and sets a standard on how to train and behave. (but not necessarily on how we want to play). What is more important....to keep a level of happiness and justice within the playing group or to remove that concept and get what we can get for him, ignoring the human cost? We have have experienced this problem before with Blumfield, Hardwick, Caracella and a few more that ripped the heart out of the club at the time. (Salary cap issues) Would Zaka be the type like a Myers/Baguley/Dea/Hocking type to play reserves and only be called upon due injury? I don't think he would, but i most likely would be wrong.

Jarryd Roughthead is well liked by the Hawks players and by reports trains and behaves as the Hawks would like yet he isn't being gifted games.

I understand the sentiment as I like Zaka as a person but he isn't playing best 22 standard or if he has to be played then play him deep forward and send Fantasia off to get his injury looked after.
 
Oct 22, 2008
17,318
19,550
Geelong
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Jarryd Roughthead is well liked by the Hawks players and by reports trains and behaves as the Hawks would like yet he isn't being gifted games.

I understand the sentiment as I like Zaka as a person but he isn't playing best 22 standard or if he has to be played then play him deep forward and send Fantasia off to get his injury looked after.
That's not the way we treat our Champions at Essendon
 
Dec 14, 2008
19,796
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Noticed when we were pressing high and the ball looked like going over the top, zaka was trying to cut the corner to get over and stop the next link. Poor guy was pretty much running on the spot.

Gets too exposed for pace back there if you are relying on him to do this type of thing.

Running out of places to hide.
 
On paper he should be gone, but it aint so simple. He is genuinly liked amongst the playing group and sets a standard on how to train and behave. (but not necessarily on how we want to play). What is more important....to keep a level of happiness and justice within the playing group or to remove that concept and get what we can get for him, ignoring the human cost? We have have experienced this problem before with Blumfield, Hardwick, Caracella and a few more that ripped the heart out of the club at the time. (Salary cap issues) Would Zaka be the type like a Myers/Baguley/Dea/Hocking type to play reserves and only be called upon due injury? I don't think he would, but i most likely would be wrong.

Removing Hardwick et al, along with the aging of some superstars, "ripped the heart" of a successful, high performing team. If we were to remove Zaka (and others) from the current team, we'd be removing the heart from a dysfunctional entity that hasn't seen any kind of success in a very long time. So, would it really be the worst thing in the world to get rid of that heart and trying to find a new one? Sure it might not work, but the current heart isn't really moving the blood around too well anyway....

Regarding him setting the standard, that more than anything says a lot about where the club is at. It's not David's fault but during his time at the club we've achieved nothing of note, and he's only played in 4 finals - 3 of which have been completely drubbings. Is he even aware of what the standard is for teams looking to compete? Does his 'standard' pass the test at a club like Hawthorn, Geelong, Richmond or West Coast, or would they view him as a guy who's just getting by on the training track?

As an (obvious) outsider, it really does appear that whatever the 'culture' is at Tullamarine, it isn't one that can deliver consistent results over time compared to most clubs in the league. Maybe ripping out the heart (and few other organs and parts) is exactly what's needed.
 
29 and his legs are gone. Wonder if it has anything to do with playing half his career on the Etihad surface.

GPS has him as covering more turf than anyone for both sides last night, and the most at high speed as well.

He looks like he’s running in quicksand on TV but if you watch him live he’s always on the move and working his arse off to provide an option when we’re trying to move the ball. I’ve got no issues with his form.

The use of him is genuinely mystifying, if you want to bag out Worsfold for questionable moves putting Zaharakis behind the ball would be right at the pointy end.
 
Jul 6, 2002
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GPS has him as covering more turf than anyone for both sides last night, and the most at high speed as well.

He looks like he’s running in quicksand on TV but if you watch him live he’s always on the move and working his arse off to provide an option when we’re trying to move the ball. I’ve got no issues with his form.

The use of him is genuinely mystifying, if you want to bag out Worsfold for questionable moves putting Zaharakis behind the ball would be right at the pointy end.

Not questioning his effort or endurance, though surprised about the high speed stat. Just looks to have lost his acceleration.

Since we moved to the dome I'm struggling to think of midfielders we've had who didnt come to a standstill in their late 20s. The saga makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions on Watson, Hocking, Stanton and Myers, but before that we had JJ and Pev.

Genuinely concerned about the impact playing on the harder surface is having.
 
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