Player Watch #44: Cameron Zurhaar - [AFL.com] NM offers 5yr deal - CZ interest from SYD/GC - CZ mgr says 'wants to see improvement' & 'team success'

[the flying ham]

Think he's just working his way through a development phase. Calibrating his swagger and confidence vs eating some humble pie and being a a foot-soldier.

Think he'll emerge from it as a more consistent version of the player who burst through in 2019.

Good call KC! To his credit he kept hitting up all night which is great but his man gets off him too easy. He is still very young and like most his age has a few things to work on to balance out his game and compliment some of his elite traits.

On SM-G950F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Swallow_Wood]

He was limping around a bit behind play last night. Not sure he's 100%.

 

[Ischenko]

Needs a rocket. Shame there are no seconds.
I would drop him though, he can't get into it at the moment and his opponents can cut us up.
Like others Shaw has dropped - Jed, Scott, JMac, Luke (??) he will likely be better for it. (Jury out on Polec, Hall and Pittard obvs).

 

[SunnyBoner]

Think he's just working his way through a development phase. Calibrating his swagger and confidence vs eating some humble pie and being a a foot-soldier.

Think he'll emerge from it as a more consistent version of the player who burst through in 2019.

Gee i hope you are right. He has all the attributes we need for a half forward and the aggression is an added bonus. He's young so hopefully Cam becomes more consistent over time and with some better players around him.

 

[SMaturin]

At some point last night he was a sitting duck and a Collingwood player lined him up...and came off second best.

He has Choppy-like impact absorption.

 

[ChoppyGun]

With how slow our ball movement is (backward, forward, sideways, backwards, sideways, forwards etc etc) I'm reluctant to be too hard on any forward.

But yes Cam is not involved enough but there are attributing factors.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Give him a run as a genuine mid or across half back this week. Get him involved

 

[Works atErrol St]

I feel he’s not ready for mid field time. Best to give to other ones more ready

 

[ChoppyGun]

Not having a VFL has really hurt at times imo. (not just us)

Players go from out of form to basically nothing when omitted - so it's hard to turn it around outside training or mickey mouse scratch matches which isn't near the same.

 

[shintemaster]

Personally I think he's been carrying a few things all year but this is a developing year for him. Him improving is a big component of our future and they'll keep putting games into him for the immediate term.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Anyone else been a BIT disappointed by Cam's season? I was expecting to see a little bit more growth in his game.

I understand our forward entries have been garbage but he is one player who needs to get up the field and get involved a little bit more.

I don't think he can go through his career averaging 10 disposals per game and 1 goal per game.

It was nice to see him in the centre for a few spells on the weekend.

Hopefully he can have a big pre-season so that his conditioning will allow him to have more of an impact on a consistent basis next year.

 

[SammyRoo]

Anyone else been a BIT disappointed by Cam's season? I was expecting to see a little bit more growth in his game.

I understand our forward entries have been garbage but he is one player who needs to get up the field and get involved a little bit more.

I don't think he can go through his career averaging 10 disposals per game and 1 goal per game.

It was nice to see him in the centre for a few spells on the weekend.

Hopefully he can have a big pre-season so that his conditioning will allow him to have more of an impact on a consistent basis next year.

Yeah I have a little bit. He hasn’t looked as zippy or mobile as last year ? Hence, just wonder if he’s been carrying all season.

We know he’s hard as a cats head & shows no fear.. but maybe his physicality does impact his 22yr old rig.

 

[Billy Not Really]

Him and Nick Larkey seem to be carrying injuries all season, I think Cam hasn't been 100% fit all year and we can't really rest him due to the cupboard being a bit bare up forward with players of his type.

 

[ChoppyGun]

I wouldn't say disappointed roos_fanatic08 more just not the increase I was hoping for.

It's very difficult to be a fwd with our game plan but he still needs to get involved more.

Hopefully that comes with increases fitness and we improve in the midfield.

 

[DuckYeah]

I wouldn't say disappointed roos_fanatic08 more just not the increase I was hoping for.

It's very difficult to be a fwd with our game plan but he still needs to get involved more.

Hopefully that comes with increases fitness and we improve in the midfield.

Oh, I was talking to my ol mate about him.. if he is smashin blokes of all ages at 22 and kickin goals, to imagine him as a 26/27/28 year old doing the sane thing is somewhat pleasing and an absolute weapon across half forward.. plus has escaped tribunal scrutiny..

 

[shintemaster]

Him and Nick Larkey seem to be carrying injuries all season, I think Cam hasn't been 100% fit all year and we can't really rest him due to the cupboard being a bit bare up forward with players of his type.

I think on the money. Only my impression. Which is not to say that he doesn't have work to do on his game (obviously, given his age).

 

[The Filth Wizard]

‘What are you waiting for?’ King implores star Roo to transform body shape like Demon

‘What are you waiting for?’ King implores star Roo to transform body shape like Demon

www.foxsports.com.au

What are you waiting for?’ King implores star Roo to transform body shape like Demon

• September 7, 2020 10:52am
• MATT BALMER@mattbalmer7
• Source: FOX SPORTS

David King wants Cameron Zurhaar to follow Christian Petracca's lead.Source: FOX SPORTS
North Melbourne great David King has called on Cameron Zurhaar and other young guns to follow the lead of Christian Petracca in 2021.
The Melbourne midfielder is in career-best form averaging 23.6 disposals as he pushes for a Brownlow Medal at the end of the season.
Over the summer, Petracca reshaped his body shape and has improved his aerobic capacity allowing him to play as predominantly a midfielder rather than a forward.

With Zurhaar having a similar shape to Petracca in recent years, King believed a similar body shape was achievable in the future.



“Not just Cam Zurhaar. The question for young players is ‘how good can I be?’ A lot of young players just wait for 60 or 80 games for the penny to drop. I think they are waiting for nothing,” he explained on Fox Footy’s First Crack.
“There’s no reason to wait. Look at Christian Petracca and what he has been able to physically do over the last 12 months. He’s made a decision to consciously change his whole lifestyle and look at the benefits.
“Just in body shape you can see he is a man now, he has dedicated his life to become the full package. I don’t think he would’ve expected to have the 2020 he has had.

“Top three in Brownlow betting, clearly going to be Melbourne’s best and fairest winner this season and he is one of the great players in our competition.”
King questioned what Zurhaar was waiting for and suggested he was looking forward to seeing photos from the 2021 pre-season.
“I’m watching the Kangaroos game and I’m thinking ‘Cam Zurhaar, what are you waiting for?’ You’ve played 40-odd games of footy and you’re 22 years of age,” he said.
“Is your body getting to the same shape as a Christian Petracca? And I’m not going to judge you today because this year has been a difficult year and clearly the hub life has an impact on all those things.

King's advice for young Roo
1:41


“This is one of the reasons he can only play in the midfield for 10 minutes because you can’t cover the ground. Now Petracca went through that, Rayner went through that and he is turning the corner.
“I want to judge the first time we see Cam Zurhaar in 2021, when we see a photo in January, I want to see him be the Christian Petracca of 2020.
“Every club has got them. I’m just saying Zurhaar because I noticed it.”

 

[LuvtheKangas]

It's a fair enough call, except that Petracca has been the poster boy for the elite natural talent who took years before the penny dropped. This is his 6th season on the list and the first time he has consistently played to his talent.

 

[amaz199]

Looked thinner last season. Certainly noticeable.

 

[amaz199]

Big preseason awaits Cam.

 

[shintemaster]

It's a fair enough call, except that Petracca has been the poster boy for the elite natural talent who took years before the penny dropped. This is his 6th season on the list and the first time he has consistently played to his talent.

It's fair and would be ideal - it's also probably exactly what Cam and the team are already wanting to do, Rome wasn't built in a day and Petracca has 3 seasons and two and a half years on Cam. I think the club would be well aware of the work ahead of Zurhaar to be a force.

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Looked thinner last season. Certainly noticeable.

Had back issue as well over the start of the year. Injury interrupted start after a breakout first season isn't ideal. He has a lot of work to do, but also has a lot of time to do so.

 

[Snojet]

Sam Kekovich in 1969 was like the coming of Wayne Carey in 1994. He literally made the entire football world stand up and go WTF!

It's such a pity that injuries and a blase attitude curtailed his career, because he had it all.

My old man & others used to gush about the game in round 1 of 1971 when we were the reigning wooden spooners and Sam singlehandedly took apart the Carlton premiership side. He outright bashed 3 or 4 of them, including Walls & Crosswell. I mean, just think about it in modern terms. It was an ageless performance.

Are there any old timers here who can recall the game well? kangaroo7?, Hojuman?, sutcliffe's hotel?

Remember it well. Arden St and we bashed them up. Not sure who got Walls but his nose was spread across his face. Brian Dixon’s first game as coach. Quite a big and angry Carlton crowd. Loved it.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Congratulations to Z for winning our goal kicking with 18 goals for the season.

Equal lowest return ever for a North Leading goal kicker...matching the 1937 Leading goal kicker Stewart Anderson.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Congratulations to Z for winning our goal kicking with 18 goals for the season.

Equal lowest return ever for a North Leading goal kicker...matching the 1937 Leading goal kicker Stewart Anderson.

One of the two best Stewart Andersons to play for us.

 

[ChoppyGun]

Needs to get fitter to cover ground.

Good on him at least goals wise.