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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fairbump_playon

Premiership Player
Jun 27, 2014
4,759
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Essendon
Would he have been sacked if he wasn't contracted?

Crazy how different teams are.

Coniglio dropped after averaging 20 stats in the 5 games prior.

Zakka averages 9 stats over a fortnight, then follows up with a 2-stat game and holds his spot. Madness.
Fat side defensive half forward role player?

Hate to tell you all.. His last few games were very good. Shelve any thought of him not being in the 22 at round 1 2020 - if he’s fit
 

bombreys

Club Legend
May 8, 2015
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Fat side defensive half forward role player?

Hate to tell you all.. His last few games were very good. Shelve any thought of him not being in the 22 at round 1 2020 - if he’s fit

Defensive half-forward? Who were his scalps this year?

One thing we'll agree on is that he'll be in the side Round 1 - fit or not. If Rutten didn't drop him this year, he never will.
 

fairbump_playon

Premiership Player
Jun 27, 2014
4,759
7,608
AFL Club
Essendon
Defensive half-forward? Who were his scalps this year?

One thing we'll agree on is that he'll be in the side Round 1 - fit or not. If Rutten didn't drop him this year, he never will.
I'm not defending it - just recalling what the club was saying at the time he was struggling, perhaps as an explanation for his low stats counts.

Seemed like garbage and then he bounced back in very surprising fashion.

Look, he's probably a bit soft, but he's a truly great finisher, has class and great guns and my wife tends to watch the footy with me when he's playing. I say keep picking him.
 
Defensive half-forward? Who were his scalps this year?

One thing we'll agree on is that he'll be in the side Round 1 - fit or not. If Rutten didn't drop him this year, he never will.

If you watch us then this is a strange comment given we try and play a team defense rather than any man on man stuff. There has not been any man on man footy for ages other than Clarkes role last year.
It was not about defending any one particular player. It was about trying to cut down some of the run out of defiance and to be fair a lot of our worse games for lack of defensive effort where when he was not in the side.

I would rather not have him for another year. Have never been a big fan and he used to defend worse than a 90 year old with a walking frame but he has actually gone along with the coaches and moved positions and worked hard on implementing the defense they want. He spent most of last season playing half back. He was doing a decent job at stopping the flood out of his side of the ground.
Like I said not a fan but he has sacrificed playing wing / midfield to try and do the team role.
 

bombreys

Club Legend
May 8, 2015
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If you watch us then this is a strange comment given we try and play a team defense rather than any man on man stuff. There has not been any man on man footy for ages other than Clarkes role last year.
It was not about defending any one particular player. It was about trying to cut down some of the run out of defiance and to be fair a lot of our worse games for lack of defensive effort where when he was not in the side.

I would rather not have him for another year. Have never been a big fan and he used to defend worse than a 90 year old with a walking frame but he has actually gone along with the coaches and moved positions and worked hard on implementing the defense they want. He spent most of last season playing half back. He was doing a decent job at stopping the flood out of his side of the ground.
Like I said not a fan but he has sacrificed playing wing / midfield to try and do the team role.

I was replying to what was a sarcastic comment.

But since we're on the topic, I'd be interested to know one or some of the games he played where you think he defended well? Teams moved from end to end with incredible ease against us this year. Our defense overall stood up fairly well, considering (at least first half of the season).
 
I was replying to what was a sarcastic comment.

But since we're on the topic, I'd be interested to know one or some of the games he played where you think he defended well? Teams moved from end to end with incredible ease against us this year. Our defense overall stood up fairly well, considering (at least first half of the season).

How many games did he play in where they moved the ball easily ? From memory there was only 1 real bad one but then he is only one man.
He played the first half of the season. Like I said I am no fan.
 
One way downhill skier.
Can finish and find the footy.
But is he suited to what appears to be a defensive transition type movement of the ball foundation? No.
 

carloss

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Sep 4, 2007
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Can finish given the chance, but he is slow. Sometimes it looks like he is jogging on the spot.
His defensive efforts aren't good enough.
 
Aug 21, 2016
11,492
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Does he still reckon we have built a strong culture?
"Everyone is buying into what we're trying to build and I think the footy club right now is in a really strong position – stronger than what it's been in the last 12 years," Zaharakis said.

 
Does he still reckon we have built a strong culture?
"Everyone is buying into what we're trying to build and I think the footy club right now is in a really strong position – stronger than what it's been in the last 12 years," Zaharakis said.

Published before hubs.
 
I don’t think the hubs made our culture fall apart, there wasn’t much there to being with. The hub only exacerbated how bad it is. Clubs with a strong playing group culture haven’t struggled as much.
Hubs magnify whatever is going on.

You don’t think a bunch of highly driven individuals who feel that despite their best personal effort the team is collectively underperforming and start pointing fingers at each other – you don’t think that would be more difficult when you have to live with the sods 24/7? And then people start talking about it (e.g. Bellchambers farewell game), want to do something about it, choose sides and it becomes factional.

If you’re going well then that is also magnified, but we weren’t.

It sounds like a volatile group that could have the highest of highs or the lowest of lows. This is how the cookie crumbled in 2020.
 
Aug 21, 2016
11,492
11,800
AFL Club
Essendon
Hubs magnify whatever is going on.

You don’t think a bunch of highly driven individuals who feel that despite their best personal effort the team is collectively underperforming and start pointing fingers at each other – you don’t think that would be more difficult when you have to live with the sods 24/7? And then people start talking about it (e.g. Bellchambers farewell game), want to do something about it, choose sides and it becomes factional.

If you’re going well then that is also magnified, but we weren’t.

It sounds like a volatile group that could have the highest of highs or the lowest of lows. This is how the cookie crumbled in 2020.
I think there’s been a culture problem at essendon for years and zaharakis was kidding himself thinking it’s good.
 
I think there’s been a culture problem at essendon for years and zaharakis was kidding himself thinking it’s good.
What do you think the culture problems were 5 months ago?
 
Aug 21, 2016
11,492
11,800
AFL Club
Essendon
What do you think the culture problems were 5 months ago?
Not enough players in the group have the deep desire for success, too many are just happy at being afl footballers. It’s also the club culture as a whole though, you don’t think Lloyd was bang on point when he said what he said. As Lloyd said it’s all words until you show me and we know essendon is great at marketing spin.

Desire for success/ to win is reflected in performance. How many players are on the list, that every time they pull on the jumper you know as a supporter what they are going to give, and those players take pride in their performance (saad was one of those guys). Hence why a few times a season they have disgraceful loses because too many in the team dont turn up to play or play with no intensity. And when has essendon played their best in recent years... when theyve copped in the media/ from fans during the week after a horror loss and they come out the next week and play really well and look like a good side. It's like after they have pressure put on them, they decide to bring maximum effort, you can usually tell in the first 5 minutes of a game how essendon will perform.
 
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Not enough players in the group have the deep desire for success, too many are just happy at being afl footballers. It’s also the club culture as a whole though, you don’t think Lloyd was bang on point when he said what he said. As Lloyd said it’s all words until you show me and we know essendon is great at marketing spin.
I’d say a fairly large portion of the 800 players in the league are pretty happy to just be AFL players tbh. They don’t have leadership aspirations, and are not talented enough to singlehandedly win a premiership or even to chase one from club to club.

What we lack is leaders. Our best 22 is made up of talented players with no drive, driven players with no durability, and durable players with little talent. The leader needs to have all three with the relationship building side that inspires the team to play for each other.

Heppell, Hooker, Shiel, Merrett, Zaka all come close but lack in different areas. The younger guys are still too young.
 
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