Retired #11: David Zaharakis - Survivin'

[Beerfish]

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

 

[mayhem20202]

For a bloke more known for his flashiness and front running ability this bloke has been bloody fantastic this past fortnight. All round grinding game doing the hard yards and defensive things for the team. Did not waste a possession last night. Bloody brilliant to watch

I agree with all of this except the did not waste a possession bit. There were a few average kicks


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[ant555]

I said we could never win a flag with Zaka and his inability to defend. I was wrong. He has lead the way amongst the senior players in playing the style / brand they want to play. No more running past for cheap stats or stupid handball receives just 100% work rate both ways. The premium midfielder we have been searching for.

 

[blitzer]

I actually reckon this is probably Zaka's best year in terms of consistent output. He would be right up with Smith in our b&f if not for his injury.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

I said we could never win a flag with Zaka and his inability to defend. I was wrong. He has lead the way amongst the senior players in playing the style / brand they want to play. No more running past for cheap stats or stupid handball receives just 100% work rate both ways. The premium midfielder we have been searching for.

Well you were kinda right, we wouldn’t with him down hill skiing, he just proved you wrong by showing he can defend well.

 

[TDay]

Zaka and Bags have some of the best attitudes at the club. Team players and great trainers who make the kind of contribution you can build a team around

 

[Pweter]

He's been great since his return. Hopefully the standards the club have set over the past couple of months mean what we're seeing now is permanent. He's always been able to find the pill and use it but too often, when the going got tough, Zaka would go missing. Like everyone in the team at present, it seems he's got an appetite for the hard work which is fantastic.

 

[ant555]

Well you were kinda right, we wouldn’t with him down hill skiing, he just proved you wrong by showing he can defend well.

Nah you have to put your hand up when you get it wrong. Has lead from the front and has been even better since he came back.

 

[mitch-wa]

Remember when Zaharakis got a week off for a tummy punch? What happened to that crack down?

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Remember when Zaharakis got a week off for a tummy punch? What happened to that crack down?

Probably the same as what happened to the crack down on tripping and Fletcher, or the crack down on staging with Jetta and Green, or the crack down on....well you’re get the point and probably the point you were making anyway.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

So what you 2 are saying is that it's always a conspiracy vs Essendon.

 

[astrowizzle]

So what you 2 are saying is that it's always a conspiracy vs Essendon.

. Nah remember Zerrett got a week for gut punching too. Oh wait there is a pattern here

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Is it just me or was that the most incredibly inconsequential 30 possession game ever?

 

[mzuppit]

Is it just me or was that the most incredibly inconsequential 30 possession game ever?

This guy escapes criticism because of his disposal count. What does he do with the ball? No impact and just an ordinary player. Maybe Hurley needs to give him a pep talk like he did last year.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Another typical Zaka season. Gets found wanting when the heat is on. Plays about 4-6 really good games where everyone thinks he's turned it around.

4 wins and 1 loss without him this year. Don't think he's that critical to the make up of our midfield. Unfortunately until we have better options we'll just need to construct a side that can mask the flaws.

Like Myers he struggles when there is a lot of heat and pressure around the contest.

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

Has not been the same as before he wrecked his shoulder. Thought he lifted later in the game as players fatigued a bit. Wasn't our worse.

 

[zahoorahkis]

Just your stock-standard match where Zaka is one of our top 5 players on the ground and he cops the brunt of the sh-it because we lost.

 

[Doss]

Just your stock-standard match where Zaka is one of our top 5 players on the ground and he cops the brunt of the sh-it because we lost.

Not really. He got plenty of the ball but his influence was pretty minimal. Not saying he was awful but defensively, I thought he was poor.

Zaka’s not a whipping boy.

 

[zahoorahkis]

Not really. He got plenty of the ball but his influence was minimal.

Zaka’s not a whipping boy.

Disagree. He and Bellchambers out of the middle was what got us going in the last quarter.

Also got the second most contested possessions for our team on the night, which kinda interferes with the 'he's a soft-cok' narrative going on.

 

[Whispering_Jack]

Didn’t put his body on the line a few times - stilll can be frustratingly soft. I guess you know that’s what you’ll get with Zacka. He had an ok game.

 

[Mootsy]

He's a damn good player, it'd be great if he could find that Midas touch in his disposal and accuracy.

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

Had more tackles than 14 of his team mates (1 less than Devon). Had 4 more contested possessions (our second highest with 11) than our inside bull Dave whilst going at 76% compared to Daves 46%.

 

[zahoorahkis]

Was leading the B&F before getting injured.

I'm guessing a few in here were surprised by that?

 

[eth-dog]

Was leading the B&F before getting injured.

I'm guessing a few in here were surprised by that?

I was a bit. Thought he had a good start to the year but not a great one.

 

[DERO]

Was leading the B&F before getting injured.

I'm guessing a few in here were surprised by that?

Heppell made the comment on the night that he thought that had Nankervis not smashed him into the turf when we played Richmond that he might have won it. He was going well and his value to our side is at times underrated.

 

[zahoorahkis]

Heppell made the comment on the night that he thought that had Nankervis not smashed him into the turf when we played Richmond that he might have won it. He was going well and his value to our side is at times underrated.

Won't usually hear a good word said about him in a loss, as most revert to the 'down hill skier', 'soft', 'ineffective' mantra which has been ingrained over years.

Very interesting to see though that he was regarded as our best during our rough start to the year....