Player Watch #2 Jacob Hopper

[The Goon]

It just feels like other teams have brought lots of talent in in the last 5 years and we haven't brought a grade talent in, probably since the bolton balta draft and lynch free agency. Hopper and taranto would have been good ins if free agents, but we just haven't had a crack at a dusty, cotchin reiwoldt level talent

Leaving aside the GOAT, its quite possible we have bought in that talent in 2021 but it hasn't developed yet.

 

[Tigeron]

Gibcus 0
Lynch 4
Hopper 16 games??

Gibcus is alive and training. I've tempered expectations.

Lynch after a year out of the game. a bit slower in a new look fwd line.

Hopper 16 games got us to 13th.

and RFC was 13th ranked midfield how that is measured I dunno

How long does it take for the new gameplan to start working?

Changed our game plan 2017 worked straight away

 

[TigerImposter]

When you invest iso much into a player then you expect A grade to elite results. He’s top heavy for his size and slow as treacle. He’s a bust for what we paid. Just accept it folks and watch him rot in the seconds when the coaching staff realise it.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

When you invest iso much into a player then you expect A grade to elite results. He’s top heavy for his size and slow as treacle. He’s a bust for what we paid. Just accept it folks and watch him rot in the seconds when the coaching staff realise it.

Silly talk Imposter.

 

[Coach_Required]

When you invest iso much into a player then you expect A grade to elite results. He’s top heavy for his size and slow as treacle. He’s a bust for what we paid. Just accept it folks and watch him rot in the seconds when the coaching staff realise it.

We need the divvy icon in team forums. This is your worst post ever and there has been some doozys.

 

[TigerImposter]

We need the divvy icon in team forums. This is your worst post ever and there has been some doozys.

Prove it CR? it’s off season and I’ve got to stir the pot to keep people like you on their toes .

 

[Moppey]

Lynch may not be any slower, who knows
Hopper played 16 games but it was mostly stop and start and couldnt get fit
Our midfield was changed every week, lets judge it when settled

Lynchy won't be getting any quicker thats for sure and the problem is there are plenty in the same boat.
Surely there is a realistic expectation that our older blokes will be in some form of decline.

No one will argue that Taranto 23, Martin 20, Bolton 23, Prestia 20, and Hopper 16 are our best 5 inside out mids. Given all sides cop injuries thru a season then going by the numbers beside each player i would say we were fairly settled.

Got this from another site. Given your starting midfield has one ruckman Nankervis, three in out mids Taranto, Martin Bolton and two wingers which Hopper does not qualify for. Then Hopper is currently a bench player along with Prestia.He cannot play else where either. Of the 5 named in out mids , Hopper is the #5.
The other 4 have been and are still better mids than him. Prestia and Hopper are in the 22 though it makes sense with Prestia age and injuries to be managed thru games.

I think it is folly to play Hopper Taranto and Prestia in the one rotation its just too slow. But they are great depth from the bench.

Hopper and Prestia are imo in competition with Sonsie, Baker, Graham, Ross and Dow for mid spots.
I think the two obvious choices for the last two bench spots would be Baker and Sonsie.

Our problem continues to be we pick mids to play in the fwd half at the expense of promising lesser named FORWARDS creating forward half problems.

We also pick plodders on the wings who dont hurt enough by foot. Ross and McIntosh
If they are not good enough to warrant a mid spot then don't pick em in some ones else's position who has better attributes for the role..

One reason i dont think we can win a flag is we lack quality depth in too many areas and the season can once again be derailed by not too many injuries.

 

[Morro]

Lynchy won't be getting any quicker thats for sure and the problem is there are plenty in the same boat.
Surely there is a realistic expectation that our older blokes will be in some form of decline.

No one will argue that Taranto 23, Martin 20, Bolton 23, Prestia 20, and Hopper 16 are our best 5 inside out mids. Given all sides cop injuries thru a season then going by the numbers beside each player i would say we were fairly settled.

Got this from another site. Given your starting midfield has one ruckman Nankervis, three in out mids Taranto, Martin Bolton and two wingers which Hopper does not qualify for. Then Hopper is currently a bench player along with Prestia.He cannot play else where either. Of the 5 named in out mids , Hopper is the #5.
The other 4 have been and are still better mids than him. Prestia and Hopper are in the 22 though it makes sense with Prestia age and injuries to be managed thru games.

I think it is folly to play Hopper Taranto and Prestia in the one rotation its just too slow. But they are great depth from the bench.

Hopper and Prestia are imo in competition with Sonsie, Baker, Graham, Ross and Dow for mid spots.
I think the two obvious choices for the last two bench spots would be Baker and Sonsie.

Our problem continues to be we pick mids to play in the fwd half at the expense of promising lesser named FORWARDS creating forward half problems.

We also pick plodders on the wings who dont hurt enough by foot. Ross and McIntosh
If they are not good enough to warrant a mid spot then don't pick em in some ones else's position who has better attributes for the role..

One reason i dont think we can win a flag is we lack quality depth in too many areas and the season can once again be derailed by not too many injuries.

That may be the number of games played by each player, but the mix of players and inconsistent mix of positions means we never settled. These guys besides TT were thrown all over the place.

 

[Del65166]

Lynchy won't be getting any quicker thats for sure and the problem is there are plenty in the same boat.
Surely there is a realistic expectation that our older blokes will be in some form of decline.

No one will argue that Taranto 23, Martin 20, Bolton 23, Prestia 20, and Hopper 16 are our best 5 inside out mids. Given all sides cop injuries thru a season then going by the numbers beside each player i would say we were fairly settled.

Got this from another site. Given your starting midfield has one ruckman Nankervis, three in out mids Taranto, Martin Bolton and two wingers which Hopper does not qualify for. Then Hopper is currently a bench player along with Prestia.He cannot play else where either. Of the 5 named in out mids , Hopper is the #5.
The other 4 have been and are still better mids than him. Prestia and Hopper are in the 22 though it makes sense with Prestia age and injuries to be managed thru games.

I think it is folly to play Hopper Taranto and Prestia in the one rotation its just too slow. But they are great depth from the bench.

Hopper and Prestia are imo in competition with Sonsie, Baker, Graham, Ross and Dow for mid spots.
I think the two obvious choices for the last two bench spots would be Baker and Sonsie.

Our problem continues to be we pick mids to play in the fwd half at the expense of promising lesser named FORWARDS creating forward half problems.

We also pick plodders on the wings who dont hurt enough by foot. Ross and McIntosh
If they are not good enough to warrant a mid spot then don't pick em in some ones else's position who has better attributes for the role..

One reason i dont think we can win a flag is we lack quality depth in too many areas and the season can once again be derailed by not too many injuries.

Spot on.
On paper our list is still OK. The flag players are that one year older, feels like a tune up of the midfield and forward line is req'd.

 

[sregit]

Spot on.
On paper our list is still OK. The flag players are that one year older, feels like a tune up of the midfield and forward line is req'd.

Tune up! Engine rebuild I’d say. We are trying to win the race with an outdated model. New spark required and that will only come from the introduction of youth. We are as slow as treacle.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Dis-interested and frustrated more like it...

 

[lizard man]

Big year coming up hopper …. Show us what you’re made of

 

[captain blood 17]

Absolutely tore it up in the second half in the match sim. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

 

[Dr Tigris]

Big year coming up hopper …. Show us what you’re made of

If he gets back to his best we suddenly have a massive midfield.

 

[Morro]

Absolutely tore it up in the second half in the match sim. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

People were far too quick to write him off last year, simply put, his year was very stop start despite playing 16 games.

At his best, he will take up to and beat plenty of the games best inside mids, the man is a gun when fit.

 

[captain blood 17]

People were far too quick to write him off last year, simply put, his year was very stop start despite playing 16 games.

At his best, he will take up to and beat plenty of the games best inside mids, the man is a gun when fit.

Agree 100%. He's actually a better footballer than Taranto when up and about.

 

[Morro]

Agree 100%. He's actually a better footballer than Taranto when up and about.

Doesn't have the contest to contest ability or deep fwd craft, but as a pure mid, he is much cleaner and evasive with better skills.

 

[captain blood 17]

Doesn't have the contest to contest ability or deep fwd craft, but as a pure mid, he is much cleaner and evasive with better skills.

Yep, and this is what we need to see this season.

 

[sante]

Needs to become an A grader

 

[Coach_Required]

Really want him to come good this year, a lot of oppo flogs would cry I reckon.

 

[AstuteTiger]

Started slow well the whole team did but ended up being our best mid for the day.

 

[TigerImposter]

Started slow well the whole team did but ended up being our best mid for the day.

I think you’re overrating his game with the two goals. He generally has better second halves over first ones bc the sting goes out of the game. We need him firing from the opening bounce, but his lack of pace lets him down and with the midfield setup being slow overall he’s a liability. His first seven disposals were all inefficient and he went overall at 52% which is not good enough. Bolton and Balta were our best mids when they went in there bc they’re naturally gifted and creative footballers .
I’m not buying it he was good. He was the best of the bad bunch that started in the guts, but I wouldn’t be sending him an Easter Egg or birthday card yet.

 

[tropicaltiger]

I think you’re overrating his game with the two goals. He generally has better second halves over first ones bc the sting goes out of the game. We need him firing from the opening bounce, but his lack of pace lets him down and with the midfield setup being slow overall he’s a liability. His first seven disposals were all inefficient and he went overall at 52% which is not good enough. Bolton and Balta were our best mids when they went in there bc they’re naturally gifted and creative footballers .
I’m not buying it he was good. He was the best of the bad bunch that started in the guts, but I wouldn’t be sending him an Easter Egg or birthday card yet.

yep, torched early as were TT and Dion when it was pinging around early. tractor type bullocking game, wore some heavy blows. 6/10 for mine.

 

[AstuteTiger]

I think you’re overrating his game with the two goals. He generally has better second halves over first ones bc the sting goes out of the game. We need him firing from the opening bounce, but his lack of pace lets him down and with the midfield setup being slow overall he’s a liability. His first seven disposals were all inefficient and he went overall at 52% which is not good enough. Bolton and Balta were our best mids when they went in there bc they’re naturally gifted and creative footballers .
I’m not buying it he was good. He was the best of the bad bunch that started in the guts, but I wouldn’t be sending him an Easter Egg or birthday card yet.

Dont get me wrong i wasnt happy with him early on but he did pick up the pace and had 23 disposals and 13 of them contested plus 2 goals. He was our best mid from the others who did SFA Prestia 18, Taranto 14, Dow 6

Bolton did ok when he went in there, had a few clearances but he had 8 touches and 3 goals mostly from playing forward. I reckon we need Bolton playing full time mid. To provide us with that breakaway speed.

Balta played ruck in the 3rd and was very good. Re hopper I'm talking pure mids, he was our best.

 

[TigerImposter]

Dont get me wrong i wasnt happy with him early on but he did pick up the pace and had 23 disposals and 13 of them contested plus 2 goals. He was our best mid from from the others who did SFA Prestia 18, Taranto 14, Dow 6

Bolton did ok when he went in there, had a few clearances but he had 8 touches and 3 goals mostly from playing forward. I reckon we need Bolton playing full time mid. To provide us with that breakaway speed.

Balta played ruck in the 3rd and was very good. Re hopper I'm talking pure mids, he was out best.

Yes Bolton is needed in the mid at the opening bounce.