Player Watch #17: James Stewart - Groin injury, not running yet. couple of weeks once he starts running - 23/4

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Is he now officially the greatest ever #17 in our club's history?

I must confess I'm a little hazy on how good Lambert and Gerlach were...
 

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Seagrave_Holmes

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He certainly is a big boy.
I have no doubt about this but I just wonder whether or not he can match his stature with physicality at the ball. At his height and weight he should be pushing for selection as a genuine pack busting KPP rather than a third tall 'Jack Gunston' role.
 

BrunoV

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He really is a big unit - I had the impression he was lean and light. Was he not described in here as a twig at some point? The whole third tall, Gunston thing - I really don't see it from a guy his size. Physically, he is a pure KPF.

He's more mobile than Daniher (who is excellent).
 

Lore

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This guy has massive variation in his quoted heights, almost as bad as the legendary Ambrose stats. In some places he's listed 193, others 196 or 198. I assume the third tall stuff is probably related to that (although Hurley is also supposedly 193, and he's not a third tall?)
 

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WEEVZ

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So what's the catch? That big and that athletic - what's missing? Does he have hands of stone or something?
When you're sitting behind the likes of higher picks such as Jeremy Cameron, Jonathon Patton and Rory Lobb; you'll only get games at the top level sparingly and it doesn't allow you time to settle in and find something that works. If he's given the opportunities he needs to be that partner for Joe we've been crying out for, he should come good.

This is from a game a played he played against us last year, more than capable of taking a contested grab (this was however just a NAB Challenge game).
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-03-13/stewart-uses-bombers-as-a-step-ladder
 

TheGrizz

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So what's the catch? That big and that athletic - what's missing? Does he have hands of stone or something?
Classic case of tools without he requisite know-how (so far)

His leading patterns need work. Relies too heavily on working up the field and storming back. He's quick enough to do that, but as a key forward you can't rely on that or the team will just use another flanker. Needs to learn to lead up towards the ball carrier more often.
His issue is part know-how and part of it being the way GWS play. At GWS J.Cameron and their small army of wings/flankers all charge back as well in the same fashion, so when he played he was barely being used.

On the lead, he's actually got good hands out in front (no cement hands), but doesn't use his body well enough to shield the ball from the defender's fists (Think of Jarrad Waite or josh Kennedy (Eagles) who are both experts at it)
For someone that size and that quick he should be leading up at he footy more often than not. If he can keep front position he'll get a lot of chances leading to the football as most tall defenders can't keep up with his change of direction and speed.

May never be an outstanding pack mark, but he needs to build confidence in the air, relies too much on the ball hitting the turf and out-maneouvering his tall opponents at ground level.

I am a fan of his tools and think he showed some good promise in his debut year. I think a good, realistic expectation for This year is Ryan Schoenmakers (the good version- circa 2015 finals) Floor is we won't see him to make a judgement.
 
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BrunoV

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So what's the catch? That big and that athletic - what's missing? Does he have hands of stone or something?

It's hard to say because only NEAFL watchers will really have seen enough of him.

In some draft profiles I looked up the common theme was that, as a junior, he tended to fade in and out of games as a forward and that he tended to play his best footy in defence. As yaco55 said contested marking against a defender has not been a strong suit (and this was part of the criticism of him as a junior).

To this point in his career he has really been more of a Watts/Gunston type of player who, despite his height, is more suited to using his athleticism on the lead from half forward and working back to goal. This is what I was getting at when I mentioned that he was even more mobile than Daniher which was a response to someone querying whether he was or has been more of a third tall forward.

Unlike Watts and Gunston, though, Stewart has the frame to fill out and it looks as though he has put on a lot of size in the last 12 months.

Remember that Stewart is probably 198cm (I'm basing height on comparisons with Ridley and Draper) and that he is Daniher's age. Daniher has only this season started to display the sort of physicality required of an AFL KPF.

Lobb played 24 games this year and Patton and Mumford played 23 each. It looks like Downie played the game Mumford didn't. Cameron played 20 games and Stewart got his one game.

There were virtually no opportunities for Stewart this year which, if we compare him to Daniher, is likely to be the first year that he had the physical maturity to consistently impact games.

It may well be that he is not up to it but there are a lot of variable that I would want to check off before coming to that conclusion. It's too simplistic to say that he was not playing at GWS and therefore was no good (which is not a comment which I am attributing to you).
 
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:cool: Hope you'll pardon the intrusion. Interesting to read sme of the analysis in here and it makes sense. He was playing really well at the end of last season in the NEAFL but it can be really hard to judge NEAFL form as the standard generally isn't great. Physically he's there. I gotta be frank I was disgusted with him in rnd 23 against Melbourne last year when he played as a key forward target. He was getting bullied out of position by smaller and lighter Melbourne backs.
I dont think he's a wuss, just wouldn't get this far if he was, pressure of AFL seems to get the better of him.
He's young and definitely has the capacity if he gets past that. One really positive thing is the VFL is a much higher standard and he wont have such a jump in pressure to AFL standard, if he develops there.
Wish him well, he was a hard trier, seemed to come out of every off season higher up the pecking order as evidence.
 

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:cool: Hope you'll pardon the intrusion. Interesting to read sme of the analysis in here and it makes sense. He was playing really well at the end of last season in the NEAFL but it can be really hard to judge NEAFL form as the standard generally isn't great. Physically he's there. I gotta be frank I was disgusted with him in rnd 23 against Melbourne last year when he played as a key forward target. He was getting bullied out of position by smaller and lighter Melbourne backs.
I dont think he's a wuss, just wouldn't get this far if he was, pressure of AFL seems to get the better of him.
He's young and definitely has the capacity if he gets past that. One really positive thing is the VFL is a much higher standard and he wont have such a jump in pressure to AFL standard, if he develops there.
Wish him well, he was a hard trier, seemed to come out of every off season higher up the pecking order as evidence.
I'm getting the impression, and not just from your post, that he might be one of those 'built like Tarzan, plays like Jane', types. Is that unfair?
 
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I'm getting the impression, and not just from your post, that he might be one of those 'built like Tarzan, plays like Jane', types. Is that unfair?
Naah
Most of our supporters would probably agree. In his defense though his most use to us at AFL level was as a relieving ruck. You gotta have some will and heart for the contest to be a competent tap ruckman I think. With Rory's development and Mummy staying fit he wasn't required in this role.
Wait and see what your club's system can do for him, as far as I'm concerned.The juries out but the prosecition has presented some strong evidence.
 
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