Player Watch #2 Jacob Hopper

[voorhees]

congrats to Hop's on his #150 milestone this week...
many more to come in the y&b

 

[Le RickyBobby]

Doesn't get spoken about enough how bad a footballer this guy actually is.

Slow, no defensive intent and his disposal is atrocious.

Whatever we owe him, pay it next year then piss him off.

 

[Sol23]

WHen we fail to win premierships then the poor performance will not be able to be ignored

Looks like you were on the money..

 

[tigerisland]

Not sure what is more expensive. Dimma’s divorce or his decision to recruit this guy.

 

[Delorean]

He's just slow. I just don't think you can have both him and Taranto in the middle.

 

[Grockadoc]

Him and Taramto had a really good 6 week patch that ended a few weeks ago. Both players look tired and sore. Even Prestia does. Injuries to Lalor, Dow, MAuliffe and Smillie's issues have hurt us. We've had minimal midfield rotations all year.

 

[Le RickyBobby]

Him and Taramto had a really good 6 week patch that ended a few weeks ago. Both players look tired and sore. Even Prestia does. Injuries to Lalor, Dow, MAuliffe and Smillie's issues have hurt us. We've had minimal midfield rotations all year.

Whilst this is true to some degree.

My issue with Hopper going forward is he offers no upside and will be taking midfield minutes from Lalor, Mcauliffe, Smillie and Hotton.

We need meaningful midfield minutes into some kids next year.

 

[tiger_tough]

He's had a good year with very little support. Probably going to come 3rd in the bnf.

 

[Le RickyBobby]

He's had a good year with very little support. Probably going to come 3rd in the bnf.

Hes a shocking footballer. What does he do well?

 

[tiger_tough]

Hes a shocking footballer. What does he do well?

Stands up in a tackle, has a nice side step, decent hands and wins clearances?

The whole midfield mix is wrong. Not his fault.

 

[Le RickyBobby]

Stands up in a tackle, has a nice side step, decent hands and wins clearances?

The whole midfield mix is wrong. Not his fault.

The guys a dinosaur in modern footy. The games gone past these big bodied mids with no pace. Wines, Hopper, Crouch, Steele there's a whole host of them that are getting exploited.

Stands up in a tackle and loses possession constantly. His side step gets him in trouble and puts others under pressure.

There's winning clearances, and then there's quick hack kicks from the contest that also count as a 'clearance'.

He's such a bad footballer. Time to move on.

 

[cairo tiger]

major liability. ridiculous trade

 

[Sol23]

Poor disposal is bad footy and this bloke can’t hit a target and is far too slow.
I’d trade

 

[pins and needles]

Poor disposal is bad footy and this bloke can’t hit a target and is far too slow.
I’d trade

To whom?

 

[copthat]

The criticism of Hopper and by extension Taranto just doesn't make any sense. 90% of the reason they were recruited was to complement a midfield of Dusty, Cotchin, Prestia, Bolton for a chance at another flag. If everything went well then the balance and talent in that midfield is pretty formidable. We all know how it panned out, but the supporters that are demanding ruthlessness and impeccable standards are the same ones potting these blokes when the whole reason we have them is because we put our nuts on the line in pursuit of being regarded the greatest dynasty of all time. What's not "strong and bold" about that?

They are what they are. Unpolished, B grade, battering rams. They weren't recruited to be leading a midfield full geriatrics and/or kids. That's just what the situation is now and they're doing a decent job of it. They've been in our best in all our wins this year and when they don't rock up like we look like utter shit. That says enough in itself.

 

[Sol23]

To whom?

What’s the question?

 

[Le RickyBobby]

The criticism of Hopper and by extension Taranto just doesn't make any sense. 90% of the reason they were recruited was to complement a midfield of Dusty, Cotchin, Prestia, Bolton for a chance at another flag. If everything went well then the balance and talent in that midfield is pretty formidable. We all know how it panned out, but the supporters that are demanding ruthlessness and impeccable standards are the same ones potting these blokes when the whole reason we have them is because we put our nuts on the line in pursuit of being regarded the greatest dynasty of all time. What's not "strong and bold" about that?

They are what they are. Unpolished, B grade, battering rams. They weren't recruited to be leading a midfield full geriatrics and/or kids. That's just what the situation is now and they're doing a decent job of it. They've been in our best in all our wins this year and when they don't rock up like we look like utter shit. That says enough in itself.

That's simply not true. You don't give up a top 10 pick and a pick 30 for a B grade battering ram.

Hopper was recruited to be a contested beast.

 

[beema limapep]

It was a mistake from day 1 and here we are all these years later, and apart from some mild form improvements at times, literally nothing has changed.

 

[copthat]

That's simply not true. You don't give up a top 10 pick and a pick 30 for a B grade battering ram.

Hopper was recruited to be a contested beast.

His best is probably half a rung lower than we expected it to be and it's mostly to do with his body and not his ability. But his contested numbers are the same as they were at the Giants so not sure what you were expecting? He's also 16th in the comp this year for contested possessions. So he is a contested beast. The things you are giving him shit for like his polish, kicking and having no pace is not what he was recruited for and never had.

What we gave up for him is the value we placed on another flag.

 

[lizard man]

 

[Tiger_4_Life]

The criticism of Hopper and by extension Taranto just doesn't make any sense. 90% of the reason they were recruited was to complement a midfield of Dusty, Cotchin, Prestia, Bolton for a chance at another flag. If everything went well then the balance and talent in that midfield is pretty formidable. We all know how it panned out, but the supporters that are demanding ruthlessness and impeccable standards are the same ones potting these blokes when the whole reason we have them is because we put our nuts on the line in pursuit of being regarded the greatest dynasty of all time. What's not "strong and bold" about that?

They are what they are. Unpolished, B grade, battering rams. They weren't recruited to be leading a midfield full geriatrics and/or kids. That's just what the situation is now and they're doing a decent job of it. They've been in our best in all our wins this year and when they don't rock up like we look like utter shit. That says enough in itself.

Please let us have our whine and cheese.

 

[TerraTiger]

The criticism of Hopper and by extension Taranto just doesn't make any sense. 90% of the reason they were recruited was to complement a midfield of Dusty, Cotchin, Prestia, Bolton for a chance at another flag. If everything went well then the balance and talent in that midfield is pretty formidable. We all know how it panned out, but the supporters that are demanding ruthlessness and impeccable standards are the same ones potting these blokes when the whole reason we have them is because we put our nuts on the line in pursuit of being regarded the greatest dynasty of all time. What's not "strong and bold" about that?

They are what they are. Unpolished, B grade, battering rams. They weren't recruited to be leading a midfield full geriatrics and/or kids. That's just what the situation is now and they're doing a decent job of it. They've been in our best in all our wins this year and when they don't rock up like we look like utter shit. That says enough in itself.

Don’t disagree with this. My issue is the length of contract. Should have been 3y max. Given it wasn’t, what now???

 

[Googstar]

The biggest problem I have with Hooper, Taranto and Prestia at the moment is to do with the perception they are protecting our kids. How? They seem to fall over a lot, jog about 40 metres behind their opponents, make basic skill errors and poor decisions. I don't want those actions to be taught, do you?

Then there's the physical protection myth. Not sure Lalor, Smillie, Kmac II need that much physical protecting. Sure Hotton, Campbell, Rioli and co are slight of build but does Prestia and Taranto throw their weight around? Hooper does a bit. Do they shepard, clear paths, hurt taggers, etc?

I also get there is all the off field teachings such as training standards, diet control, fitness levels. From all training reports (hail Ceasar!), they do seem to show leadership in those areas. Is the problem exasperated by the very, very bland talent that surronds them?

So regardless of why we traded for them, my question is what do they actually offer on field?

 

[Truetiger]

Him and Taramto had a really good 6 week patch that ended a few weeks ago. Both players look tired and sore. Even Prestia does. Injuries to Lalor, Dow, MAuliffe and Smillie's issues have hurt us. We've had minimal midfield rotations all year.

Many overlook this. It’s hard to replace Prestia and other players if they’re unavailable due to injuries.

 

[voorhees]

He's had a good year with very little support. Probably going to come 3rd in the bnf.

will easily finish in the top 5 in the B'N'F come years end....
still not good enough for some