27. Jack Darling (2011 - )

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Round 2: King sends paltry Dees straight to Hell.
With Frawley up to face the bearded juggernaut that is Kennedy, Darling was in for a field day. And he feasted happily on the hapless Dees. Kicking the last goal of the game (as opposed to the first goal from last round), he finished with 3 goals. As always, what shone from Darling was his sheer work ethic. His 8 marks are a testament to how hard he works, and with improved foot skills he could of easily had 10, 11 marks. Due to the domination of the Eagles and with everyone fit and firing, to still snag 3 goals in a rather crowded Eagles fwdline was a job well done. Still gets mauled terribly off the ball and during marking contests, if umps actually paid frees to him he would dominate even harder. Commentators also rated Darling extremely highly, singing the praises of this guy who is still only 21. Scary to think that he won't peak for another 4 years or so. The next challenge for him is kicking bags of goals against quality opposition.


Final Stats:
9 Kicks
5 Handballs
8 Marks
1 Frees For
3 Free Against
1 Tackles
3 Goal
1 Behind

Preview for Next Week:
Darling is up against the Saints. His most likely opponent would be Gwilt. Gwilt is slightly shorter than Darling, at 188cm but is athletic and extremely competitive. Gwilt is also deceptively strong, as he was easily able to manhandle the huge Giants in Round 2, simply being too strong. We'll see whether Darling's size and strength is able to compete with Gwilt, however from recent memory Gwilt has had the better of Darling in their previous meetings.
 
Round 3: King delivers a BOG performance to carry Eagles

In a massive game for the King, he dominated in all aspects of the game. Willingness to do anything possible to carry a team over the line is a sign of great players, and that is what Darling showed. Doing everything humanly possible, he almost willed the Eagles single-handedly over the line. Getting more possessions due to a more on-ball role for this week (due to the loss of Wellingham), Darling was still able to impact the scoreboard with 5 shots at goal. Would have had a bigger bag if the radar wasn't off, but was still so good that he would of been BOG in my opinion. A lot of people would probably wonder whether Darling will become a star, I feel that he already is one. The way he can impact a game, his size and speed, the IQ, the talent is all there. The King is already a star. And with that nickname which was shared by one of the greatest players of all time to put on a jersey in Wayne Carey, he's doing the nickname justice.

15 Kicks
2 Handballs
6 Marks
1 Frees For
6 Tackles
1 Goal
4 Behinds
102 AF
 
Round 4: King can't singlehandedly carry Cats

Frankly, this game was ugly. Showed just how tall we were, and how bad our midfield is. One of the lone bright spots was the play of Darling, played well and was one of the few players who seemed to even show heart. Impact was limited, but he was played around the guts a lot more in this game due to how badly we were getting crushed. Don't think that he's ready just yet for the midfield, but sooner or later I expect him to play more mid than forward in a few seasons. Not much to say really, game was bloody ugly and every Eagles supporter was spewing.

8 Kicks
5 Handballs
3 Marks
1 Frees For
3 Frees Against
3 Tackles
1 Goal
2 Behinds
55 AF
 

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Round 5: King legitimises himself as a Star in loss to Power.

Arguably one of the biggest story lines in the Eagles besides the 'why Gaff is so soft,' 'WTF SHEPPARD,' 'bloody hell Cripps' and 'FFS Priddis' is the rise of the star of the King. One might argue he was already a star in 2012 when he had an absolute monster season by kicking 50 goals in just his second season, but in these 5 rounds King has proven to be one of the Eagles best players. He had a tremendous impact, kicking 2 goals and taking 8 marks. His presence around the ground was enormous, and everyone could just see how the sky was the limit for him and why he was so highly rated as a young one. Blessed with excellent size, strength and speed, he is the prototype AFL footballer that everyone wants now. And while he has teased as a game winner from day 1, he has proven now that he is a consistent and very formidable force in this league. Although the Eagles have been crap the past 2 weeks and our midfield is trash (chuck Yeo in please), watching Darling become a superstar is one of the reasons why you should keep watching the Eagles. Afl.com.au have also taken notice, heaping praise on Darling and questioning whether he is the next Buddy Franklin. On another note Darling has been somewhat inaccurate which is surprising. Normally he is an excellent set shot, so I look to him to improve his goal kicking and he'll be constantly snagging 2-3 goals a week, as he has been showing.

14 Kicks
5 Handballs
8 Marks
1 Free For
3 Tackles
2 Goals
3 Behinds
104 AF
 
Last edited:
#27 - Jack Darling
The Blue and Gold Ninja
355513-tlsgallerylandscape.jpg

Goals falling like rain
Opponents flee in terror
Jack Darling, West Coast

Height: 191cm
Weight: 93kg
DOB: 13/06/1992

Games: 90
Goals: 158​


Preseason thus far: In a word, s**t. My sponsorship has done wonders for Darling, with coach Adam Simpson saying Darling hasn't trained for one minute. A foot stress fracture sustained last year (so really, it's on you kane249) has kept my boy in a moonboot for most of the preseason, although Simpson informs us that he's progressed to running so hopefully the games he'll miss will be kept to a minimum, particularly as he approaches his century.
 
It was a triumphant return to competitive football for Darling today, with the King helping the Royals to victory over Swan Districts. Although noticeably lacking in fitness and - for the first quarter anyway - touch, Darling's size and experience eventually told at WAFL level as he kicked 5 goals. Welcome back, Jack.

Stats
Disposals: 10 (8k, 2h)
Marks: 7
Tackles: 2
I50: 2
Score: 5.0
 

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nameless said:
Darling looking to take his game to new heights in 2017.

Although this is pretty standard for pre-season talk, he certainly has the ability to go to another level on a more consistent basis.

http://m.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2017-02-02/i-can-get-better-darling-
Click to expand...
This has to be a make or break season for Jack. Has not lived up to expectation and performed badly under pressure in the finals - again.
I like Darling and want to see him do well but he has to get a lot tougher and learn to show some fight when the chips are down. My assessment is that he is one of a few down hill skiers that are in the team and I just want him to show some mongrel. Can be a real star when he gets on top so lets hope we see a lot more of that in 2017.
 
Round 1 2017 vs. North Melbourne @ Etihad Stadium

Jack had a solid game, although a bit quiet on the stats sheet he still contributed on the scoreboard with 2 goals and provided plenty of opportunities for scores through hard work 2nd efforts.
Was asked to pinch hit in the ruck when both Vardy and Petrie were off the ground.

With JK kicking 7, Le Cras 4 and Cripps 3 the forwards combined very well for their goals.

Stats:

Kicks: 5
Handballs: 2
Marks: 3
Goals: 2
Behinds: 0
Goal Assists: 1
Tackles: 5
Hit outs: 3
i50s: 5
 
Did anyone else notice on the weekend that Darling has figured out a new trick for drawing a free? While grappling underneath the ball coming in he gives the defender a shove, pushing him over, then falling himself. Makes it look like the defender has dragged him down.

He did it twice, once in the First, and once in the Second I believe.
 
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