Player Watch #18: Michael Hurley

bombermick

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I hope so. It is a great weapon to have. This whole settle down at one end really undersells the amount of work they put into their games and their intelligence. I see it like telling a kid they have to either learn to talk or count!!

We have a fairly high quality suite of talls but there is every chance that Gumby will never get his body right, there is also a chance that Hooker and/or Pears wont come on. Carlise and Hurley can genuinely play at each end of the ground and it seems crazy that we should inflexibly commit either of them to either end of the ground. We set the team up in the way that gives us the best chance to beat a particular team and also show some flexibility on game day. So for example if we play against Collingwood and their midfield is dominating and Hooker is struggling to deal with Cloke, so why not swing Hurley back for 15 min to buy the coaches time to rejig the midfield and get that on an even keel, or even hope that it is a matter of the pies coming out swinging and we can just hold on while they punch themselves out, and once we're ready to rock and our midfield is gettin on top swing him forward!!

A friend of mine who's sun played TAC cup with him told me that Hurley was primarily a forward in that level and spent time down back just for development. It is just that for the state side they had enough forwards and he played back, and did very well for himself.

Yes he may do a better job in defense but I think this is only a reflection on the fact that creating is always harder than destroying. Learning to play forward will take longer because he has to learn positioning that will make it easier for mids to deliver to him and he'll learn how to balance between supporting his fellow forwards and getting out of their way. Regards defending all he has to do is learn how to blanket a particular player.

Let him develop as a forward because he'll always be able to go to defense and try to blanket a particular opponent. Also our potential KPFs, counting Crameri as a 3rd tall, are Gumby, Daniher and Carlisle. They are all long rangy types and not the powerhouse we need to be central to the forward set up.
Daniher should fill out and become the powerhouse forward we crave, but that's a way off. May have to play forward 'til JD develops.
 

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fishardansin

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fishardansin

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He might have looked a bit rusty but he competitive work was fantastic. Really smashed in hard. With some better kicking into the forward line he could easily have had a few more goals.

Also the benefits of his preseason and his extra fitness wont show until the proper stuff begins and there is normal interchange rules. With the extra interchange and the fact that many are playing just a half it really seems that there is more men on the ground in games like this.
 

cAsEy_18

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Without clicking the link I first thought that ASADA was clearing players one by one and Hurley was first cab off the rank, NPI.
I would also prefer Hurley not to be associated with the saying involving "cab" either haha.
 

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matty lloyd the champ

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I know I'm going to be ridiculed for this but he is extremely overrated as a forward. I don't care if his ground work is outstanding, his marking is terrible and his goal kicking is in-consistent.

Needs to take it out in front instead of on the chest. Whether this is due to his injury he sustained a few years ago or his lack of confidence, it needs to be sorted out.
 

The Bomb

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I know I'm going to be ridiculed for this but he is extremely overrated as a forward. I don't care if his ground work is outstanding, his marking is terrible and his goal kicking is in-consistent.

Needs to take it out in front instead of on the chest. Whether this is due to his injury he sustained a few years ago or his lack of confidence, it needs to be sorted out.
I agree, but he has puched the ball his whole life and is now being made to mark it. back to defence would be ideal, now we have ryder, Crameri, Gumby, Daniher and Carlisle who can all play forward.
 

SDR223

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It's going to be really interesting how it all pan's out this year. Hurley ideally is a backman but we haven't had a decent strong forward since Lloyd retired.

If Gumby can stay injury free and live up to the hype and Daniher can have an immediate impact then we can afford to use him as the key backman he needs to be.
 

Faz 2000

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In that first up showing there seemed to be a lot of high balls landing on his head, where he really doesn't have a chance. Not sure if it was just up-field delivery or maybe a slight lack of knowledge about where to get to as a key forward. He certainly competed hard, though.

Still has all the potential in the world. Hope he stays fit and grows into it.
 

Donakebab

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In that first up showing there seemed to be a lot of high balls landing on his head, where he really doesn't have a chance. Not sure if it was just up-field delivery or maybe a slight lack of knowledge about where to get to as a key forward. He certainly competed hard, though.

Still has all the potential in the world. Hope he stays fit and grows into it.
It's been an extremely common aspect of our game for quite a few years. Whether it's in a pack situation and they lob it on his head or if he's bursting on the lead and they just can't grasp the concept that he's going full tilt and put too much on it.

The lob might work for taller blokes with big leaps like Paddy and Joe Derp, but our players need to change their delivery depending on who they are kicking it to.
 

rines

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If we had some midfielders who could kick.. Hurley could have had 4-5 on Friday night.. he got into space a heap only to watch the ball sail over his head, land 10m short of him.. or in two cases it was marked (uncontested) by the man standing in space 15m in front of him!

Hurley must rip his hair out at times..
 

BrunoV

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Pevers-Legend

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If we had some midfielders who could kick.. Hurley could have had 4-5 on Friday night.. he got into space a heap only to watch the ball sail over his head, land 10m short of him.. or in two cases it was marked (uncontested) by the man standing in space 15m in front of him!

Hurley must rip his hair out at times..
Is it alwasy the kickers fault or does some of the blame lie with the forwards not iming their leads, not running to the right spots or just having zero ability to judge a ball in flight and not run under it. I think there is a skill to being a fwd more than just marking and kicking goals. it is about knowing how to judge where to be and when to be there so you can at least contest.

I look at our team and see only 2 talls that I think have this trait - Gumby and JD. Why? Because they are the only two real fwds we have. Fwd smarts cannot be taught. This is why Hurley will contine to frustrate.

It is no different to backmen knowing how to zone and be thrid man up and how to postiion your body against your opponent when 1 on 1. Hurley has natural skills for one of the two areas on the ground.

There is a reason Davey is our CHF more often than not. Becuase he actually is a fwd who knows where to lead. If only he were 20cm taller.
 
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