Player Watch #3 Christian Salem

[Farm Boy]

I have Salem in my supercoach. It is frustrating that he doesn't get used a lot. He would be your best midfielder if played there. What he is even doing down back is beyond me. It is a waste IMO. Melbourne need to swing Jones forward, keep Vince on a half back flank, and try blood some more kids through that midfield, because Jones and Tyson aren't doing a great job atm.

 

[Tempy Tiger]

I have Salem in my supercoach. It is frustrating that he doesn't get used a lot. He would be your best midfielder if played there. What he is even doing down back is beyond me. It is a waste IMO. Melbourne need to swing Jones forward, keep Vince on a half back flank, and try blood some more kids through that midfield, because Jones and Tyson aren't doing a great job atm.

Spot on. We are persisting with Tyson because he has nice hair. But his kicking is ordinary, he isn't big or quick and he generally runs one way. He is working hard on his defensive game though which I guess is all you can ask for. Jones just looks worn out. I think we should play him off a flank from now on, don't care if it's forward or back, and give him bursts in the middle. He wasn't tagged at all on the weekend and only got 29, while we got cut up by Zaharakis and Merrett.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

We are persisting with Tyson because he has nice hair.

I hope you're joking because even for you this is delusional.

 

[Tempy Tiger]

I hope you're joking because even for you this is delusional.

You don't think his hair is nice?

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

You don't think his hair is nice?

He has the best hair. It's not why he's being picked though

 

[Sprout]

We may get smashed but Salem will put in a big one on Sunday. That's my LOCK of the week.

 

[Djcjdees]

I have Salem in my supercoach. It is frustrating that he doesn't get used a lot. He would be your best midfielder if played there. What he is even doing down back is beyond me. It is a waste IMO. Melbourne need to swing Jones forward, keep Vince on a half back flank, and try blood some more kids through that midfield, because Jones and Tyson aren't doing a great job atm.

He wouldn't be our best midfielder. Viney/Jones/Vince would still be

 

[Theo X]

We may get smashed but Salem will put in a big one on Sunday. That's my LOCK of the week.

 

[Crusty Demon]

Maybe with Wagner coming in he may play through the middle? I hope so. If not, his instructions should be to make TMac handball his every possession to him. I'm surprised thats already not a team rule. Salem has great skills yet we cant get him into the play? I'd be surprised if he's averaging more than 13/14 possessions a game. For a guy who is supposed to be our quarterback type of player, thats nowhere near enough.

 

[melbournemartin]

I have Salem in my supercoach. It is frustrating that he doesn't get used a lot. He would be your best midfielder if played there. What he is even doing down back is beyond me. It is a waste IMO. Melbourne need to swing Jones forward, keep Vince on a half back flank, and try blood some more kids through that midfield, because Jones and Tyson aren't doing a great job atm.

In what world is he better than Jones, Vince and Viney as a midfielder?

 

[melbournemartin]

When you're right 52% of the time, you're wrong 48% of the time.

 

[Farm Boy]

In what world is he better than Jones, Vince and Viney as a midfielder?

In a world that values precision kicking. As good as the others are, Salem is a superior kick to them. He lowers his eyes better, and that is where Melbourne are struggling at the moment, they don't lower their eyes coming out of the midfield - have a tendency to bomb it into the forward line - and as a result Jesse Hogan is a very frustrated young man (and rightfully so). Vince kick chases, Jones tries to do too much with it. Viney is improving and will probably be your best mid by years end. Salem would be a good addition, he is wasted down back, where he isn't used, I suspect that is why Roos has brought Wagner in, to free up Salem a little.

 

[Cannon82]

In a world that values precision kicking. As good as the others are, Salem is a superior kick to them. He lowers his eyes better, and that is where Melbourne are struggling at the moment, they don't lower their eyes coming out of the midfield - have a tendency to bomb it into the forward line - and as a result Jesse Hogan is a very frustrated young man (and rightfully so). Vince kick chases, Jones tries to do too much with it. Viney is improving and will probably be your best mid by years end. Salem would be a good addition, he is wasted down back, where he isn't used, I suspect that is why Roos has brought Wagner in, to free up Salem a little.

I'd agree with you 100%, if the ball never went into our back half.

 

[Tulip]

In what world is he better than Jones, Vince and Viney as a midfielder?

I don't mind it, actually. Jones has struggled through the middle this season, and I think its got to become a case of putting Salem in the way of the ball rather than the ball in the way of Salem if we're going to see how good he can be. Think back to when people saw Hodge as a cheap HBF.

 

[Sando22]

I thought Salem was pretty good on the weekend.
Makes the right decisions and hits targets with a purpose and execution that not many of our blokes possess.
Fairly hard at it too and doesn't shirk.
I reckon as he gets fitter and stronger he'll be a very important part of our setup

 

[LeverPuller]

I thought Salem was pretty good on the weekend.
Makes the right decisions and hits targets with a purpose and execution that not many of our blokes possess.
Fairly hard at it too and doesn't shirk.
I reckon as he gets fitter and stronger he'll be a very important part of our setup

Yup.

Remember he's played very little footy too - 24 games in 2 and a touch seasons.

 

[Sando22]

Yup.

Remember he's played very little footy too - 24 games in 2 and a touch seasons.

Correct.
Missed a fair whack of last year so I think with a bit of continuity he'll get better quickly.

 

[Demonated]

He has all the tools but I really believe he needs to get more involved. Either through playing him in a different way or the team looking to get the ball to him as much as possible. The more of the ball he sees, the better off we will be. We really need him getting the ball 22-25 times a game if possible. With Watts, easily the best kick in our team and has the skills to be creative and damaging.

 

[Tulip]

He has all the tools but I really believe he needs to get more involved. Either through playing him in a different way or the team looking to get the ball to him as much as possible. The more of the ball he sees, the better off we will be. We really need him getting the ball 22-25 times a game if possible. With Watts, easily the best kick in our team and has the skills to be creative and damaging.

This. Yesterday was a good step though. He looks gold running through the corridor. I still see a lot of Hodge in him.

 

[Sando22]

This. Yesterday was a good step though. He looks gold running through the corridor. I still see a lot of Hodge in him.

Yep.
Quicker than you think too.

 

[schmuttt]

Yup.

Remember he's played very little footy too - 24 games in 2 and a touch seasons.

Also out of those 24 his highest is probably 6-7 in a row. Along with Kent he just needs an injury free season to develop as a player. I still think he could be anything, is a rare combination of skill, hardness and pace (He isn't lightning but is like Viney, accelerates very quickly).

 

[rhaz]

He's a great user of the footy but sometimes tries to be too cute. Not the only player guilty of that, but a few times he tried to craft these 'weighted' kicks that didn't work, especially with the wind.

Would not at all be opposed to giving him a run on the ball.

 

[The Dr]

That bullet pass to Hogan when Salem was storming through the middle in the third quarter, I think, was a thing of beauty. Nearly tore a hole through Hogan's chest!

 

[DeesFan]

Waste of a thread, could do this with 22 player at Melbourne. It no always about how many touches, he does a lot of work off the ball and its not his fault the other players cant get it to him.

How many touches did his player get? What impact did he have?

You don't want his going in getting the ball you want him on the end of it ..

 

[Proper Gander]

I like him. He suffers as a result of having such smooth movement and kicking action that he sometimes looks a bit languid and uninvolved. Also doesn't give much away expression-wise. If he could adopt a full on FU TMac sort of scowl, he would probably look as though he is doing more.