Player Watch #29: Shai Bolton - What an absolute jet!

[Bojangles17]

Watched the replay today on my day off.
This kid is going to be a very good player.
Ditched all the flashy s**t (but still produced some flashy s**t) and went hard at it.

How was when he turned on a postage stamp when pegged on the boundary line , not many players have that agility , has some tricks this kid , been channeling sheds look away handballs too

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Just hope he can grow a body to take/absorb physical punishment from aggressive oppo players...has talent...

 

[Sir_Loin]

Played a good game. Just gave us that X factor inside 50. Needs games now want to see him string 3-4 games together because if he performs like this he might just find himself in the side long term. Fingers crossed.

 

[THE_GUN]

Michael Walters - Thats the role he should be playing

They are the same size and same 'Type' of player who can play fowards and midfield

 

[Juke]

Wears Asics Menaces. Delist.

 

[Dr Tigris]

If Shai can harness his ability we have a genuine A grade player. This was the first real step at making that an AFL reality. Love how he has taken it on board to improve his running, and size, and attitude on ground. Reckon he'll be a very godoplayer for us. And quite possibly in 2019

 

[juss]

My only query is whether he wants to be here or wants to be back home in WA. That's the biggest risk with him moving forward.

 

[tunksy]

now ive watched the replay. liked his game. showed so much more than previous years and i hope he holds his spot.

 

[DontArgue4]

Loved in a key part of the game we started a handball chain off half back, he recieved it and it looked like he was going to be hammered as soon as he caught it............ he managed to stop on a dime, side step to evade the would be tackler, and then dished it off to a team mate who was running by at full pace.

As others have said, you cant teach that s**t.

 

[CholEstrol]

has to stay in. a couple of handballs I thought were Edwards were Shai. Please give him a run of games.
If he drops off Butler's waiting.

 

[A Tiger 4 lyf]

Footballer First, Athlete 2nd

Butler & George are the opposite

 

[Cdog71]

Could be a good fit, him slipping into the role Shedda had last year while Shedda is on the back of the square now.
He could get a lot of mentoring from Edwards too

 

[Grrr]

Footballer First, Athlete 2nd

Butler & George are the opposite

But he is an incredible athlete as well.

 

[energyquant]

I like the comparison to Shane Edwards. He's also similar to Daniel Rioli. He's a bit shorter and lighter than those guys, but he seems to be coping reasonably well with the physical demands of the game. If he can find his niche within the team as a high half-forward who can be dangerous around goals that would be great. He is an upgrade on Butler and he frees up Rioli to play further up the ground.

Another player he reminds me of (sorry guys) is Richard Tambling. RT obviously had to deal with a tough background, high expectations and injuries. As supporters we always expected him to do the spectacular, rather than the good. I worry that Shai may feel that same pressure.

Dave P.

 

[captain cotch 9]

He is only 3 months older than Higgins.

 

[tiger_tough]

So evasive and clean. He does remind me of Edwards too. If he can keep up the defensive pressure he's a lock for the rest of the year.

 

[O_Grinners17]

I honestly like the fact that even though he could've passed it of a couple of times he took it upon himself and it worked out really well (including a crucial goal in the 2nd quarter). I like butler he's got not a lot between his ears. Shai stays in for a while.

 

[Willo_23]

I honestly like the fact that even though he could've passed it of a couple of times he took it upon himself and it worked out really well (including a crucial goal in the 2nd quarter). I like butler he's got not a lot between his ears. Shai stays in for a while.

Well said, I loved the fact he took it upon himself as well. One of my criticisms of Butler and Castagna is that I think at times they can over-possess the footy with handball rather than having a crack themselves.

And in saying all that, it's not like Bolton was taking pot shots from the boundary (he centered it a number of times, including that play of his with the fancy footwork on the boundary line), so he seems like he's got the balance right between knowing when to do the 'team thing' and when to back himself in to get the job done in front of goal.

 

[RunningBounce]

Great game. I'd love to see him get a good string of games, even if he doesn't match his output against Port. Any player that makes 5 tackles in a game is contributing.

 

[Dr Tigris]

Let him play a hybrid high forward / mid game. Over time play more midfield. Reckon he's really put the work in and is benefiting. Shai is likely to stay in the firsts as long as he doesn't get ahead of himself. Will make us a stronger team.

Loving what the kids are bringing.

 

[Meli]

now ive watched the replay. liked his game. showed so much more than previous years and i hope he holds his spot.

Yeah, he couldn't seem to step up when given the opportunity last year, but if he can continue performing like that!

 

[partycorolla]

Bolton , Stack , Balta , Ross

These players need to get games and the quicker we get them to 50 games the better the RFC will become

Agree entirely. Butler, Castagna and others have set the platform in previous seasons. Once players with more talent and polish such as Shai can mix that with the effort required, we have special players. I think it's only a matter of time until someone overtakes Castagna and I think that will be Bolton. Butler is more skilled than George but out of form. I still think Baker is not quite there (but is improving) but if I was targetting a spot in the forwardline, I think George is the one that goes.

 

[Willo_23]

Agree entirely. Butler, Castagna and others have set the platform in previous seasons. Once players with more talent and polish such as Shai can mix that with the effort required, we have special players. I think it's only a matter of time until someone overtakes Castagna and I think that will be Bolton. Butler is more skilled than George but out of form. I still think Baker is not quite there (but is improving) but if I was targetting a spot in the forwardline, I think George is the one that goes.

I actually think Castagna has a spot in our team over Butler.

Yes Butler is horribly out of form, but he doesn't really do any aspect of the game better than Castagna, and Bolton will have him covered by the time bye rounds roll around (that's my prediction anyway).

Castagna is actually a decent tackler and does a fair bit of bollocking work, where as Butler isn't really strong enough to stick tackles and he rarely runs players down from behind. I find him to be every bit as inaccurate by foot in general play and forward as well, but that's just me.

 

[partycorolla]

I actually think Castagna has a spot in our team over Butler.

Yes Butler is horribly out of form, but he doesn't really do any aspect of the game better than Castagna, and Bolton will have him covered by the time bye rounds roll around (that's my prediction anyway).

Castagna is actually a decent tackler and does a fair bit of bollocking work, where as Butler isn't really strong enough to stick tackles and he rarely runs players down from behind. I find him to be every bit as inaccurate by foot in general play and forward as well, but that's just me.

Yeah I think Butler's finishing skills are far superior to Castagna's. Their efforts are generally there. If Castagna could finish as well as Butler could he'd be a better player because he gets to the right spots more often than Butler. Castagna plays more of the hit up marking role than Butler who does more crumbing and out-the-back work. With JR, Lynch and Caddy/Martin up forward I'm not sure we need another player to hit up. If so Rioli and Shai can do that better than George, leaving Higgins/Butler/Baker to do the crumbing work. I can see Shai going straight past both of them (Butler/Castagna) if he works hard enough.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Dermot Bremerton describing the Eagles Liam Ryan in an article in the Herald Sum:

"But it is their hybrid forward Liam Ryan who has me spellbound and confused. I cannot decide whether I love watching him play or despise it. On one hand, he can take a screamer. Against Collingwood this season he launched on the goal line, tapped the ball back into Darling from a certain rushed behind situation and the play results in a goal.

In the Grand Final he took a fantastic contested mark and delivered the ball to Dom Sheed for the winning goal. On other occasion’s when the ball is on the ground and in dispute, he will deliberately run himself off the line of the footy for fear of contact. He can cower away from laying a heavy tackle. These are issues that the Eagles must rankle with. They obviously believe his football exploits as a craft outweigh his lack of physical effort when the chips are stacked against him.

In last year’s Grand Final, Magpie Brayden Maynard stood under the drop of the ball in the middle of the MCG. Ryan put the crosshairs on him and poleaxed him while Maynard was wide open and completely vulnerable. I applauded both Maynard’s courage and Ryan’s aggressive deed in a Grand Final. But in the third quarter, Ryan was tested with a ball that was over his head but reachable. Running back Ryan was almost as vulnerable as Maynard had been earlier. Except this time when it was Ryan’s time to go, he didn’t. He opted for self preservation over a sacrifice.

If you consistently evade physical contact and you are non-competitive when the contest is in dispute and you are vulnerable, you eventually will lose your place in the team. Still only 22 years of age, he has a lot to learn. His footballing wizardry is wonderful, especially while the team is winning. But the coaching box and selection committee will be tested if the team loses as many as they win."

This article could almost be describing Shai Bolton. These guys don't play in a vacuum and should be picked according to the team's best advantage, so with quality tall targets to feed off, Bolton may be our man. Bolton, like Ryan, has all the skills he needs ball in hand or given a clear run at a loose ball. He is very small and slight though and has this one limitation in my observation, can jump out of the way at times. Hopefully as he matures and gets stronger, he feels more confident when facing a cavalry charge.