Player Watch #44: Shaun McKernan - Out for 6 to 7 weeks with a high grade hamstring tear - 6/4

Darealrath

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Don't want to see TBell and Leuy in same team. It's one or the other. Smack brings much needed aggression at the ball and contest in our forward line and is way more useful on the ground than these two.
I agree, but I suspect Leuy and TBell will get a chance to prove they can work together.
 

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srobbo

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I think Smack has the makings of a great 2nd ruck/fwd. Throws everything at that 5-10 min chop out on the ball & has a nice run/jump as a fwd & isn't out of contest like Belcho once ball hits deck.

I think he has it all over him in every facet tbh.
 

Yoda_

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Won't be surprised to see him play bulk minutes in the ruck if the Lleunberger (Achilles) injury is as bad as people suspect it is.
 

Pweter

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Won't be surprised to see him play bulk minutes in the ruck if the Lleunberger (Achilles) injury is as bad as people suspect it is.
How bad do people suspect Leuey's injury is? The club has been pretty coy about this.

Is it at the lower scale or is it more Windy Hill Flu in which case, vale Leuey?
 

quotemokc

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Not the greatest pure ruck in the world but his movement around the ground is very impressive and has very good skills with the ball in hand.
 
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I've been impressed with his intensity and mobility around the ground.. BUT>.
Does this man actually know how to ruck?
The amount of free kicks he gives away is bordering on astonishing..
 

Ambrosia

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I've been impressed with his intensity and mobility around the ground.. BUT>.
Does this man actually know how to ruck?
The amount of free kicks he gives away is bordering on astonishing..
Agree to an extent. I have no idea what some Umpires are paying against. I mean look at the blocking free kick he got against him at one of the center bounces on the weekend
 

BrunoV

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I've been impressed with his intensity and mobility around the ground.. BUT>.
Does this man actually know how to ruck?
The amount of free kicks he gives away is bordering on astonishing..

I think he is actually a really good technical ruck. Don't think you could be his size and win as many hit outs and hit outs to advantage as he does without having a good understanding of the craft.

The problem he has is that he initiates body contact and is therefore seen to be the infringing ruckman which is ridiculous because it should be a physical contest and not a basket ball tip off. The AFL should take its head out of its arse here because three of the guys who are part of the conversation as being the greatest ruckmen of all time (Polly Farmer, Nicholls and S. Madden) were all underszied even in the era in which they played (they'd be small to tiny for today).

He also got absolutely murdered a few times by the umps against Carlton. Phillips thought that he had given away that free in the center square.
 
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MightyDons4

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Rolled ankles that turn into calf strains are seriously painful...

...for about ten minutes, then it's slight tightness for the next couple of days. He should be available for our final game.
 

BrunoV

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Rolled ankles that turn into calf strains are seriously painful...

...for about ten minutes, then it's slight tightness for the next couple of days. He should be available for our final game.

Hope so as I really want to see him play as a permanent forward alongside Danhier and Grimley which probably wont happen when we start the season proper.

There is a pretty serious key position player in the making.
 

katana

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he's just a little bit 'goofy'. not sure exactly what it is, but reckon a 20 game year will do him a world of good. seems like if he gets it totally set in his head that he belongs in the afl then his first-class effort will take him a fair way.

i really like the guy, his centre of gravity is weirdly low for someone that tall - the way he moves is nothing like your average 195 bloke. also has a really nice, compact kicking motion. there's no doubt in my mind he'll play a lot of games for us, but it niggles at me that he may end up being a perennial annoyance for some apparent mental absent-ness.
 

Bombermania

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Rolled ankles that turn into calf strains are seriously painful...

...for about ten minutes, then it's slight tightness for the next couple of days. He should be available for our final game.
If that is all his injury is, might as well rest him for round 1
 

ezard15

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he's just a little bit 'goofy'. not sure exactly what it is, but reckon a 20 game year will do him a world of good. seems like if he gets it totally set in his head that he belongs in the afl then his first-class effort will take him a fair way.

i really like the guy, his centre of gravity is weirdly low for someone that tall - the way he moves is nothing like your average 195 bloke. also has a really nice, compact kicking motion. there's no doubt in my mind he'll play a lot of games for us, but it niggles at me that he may end up being a perennial annoyance for some apparent mental absent-ness.
I was thinking the exact same thing when watching him yesterday re 'goofy'.

He seems to think he has a bit more time that what he actually does maybe
 

sameolds33

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he's just a little bit 'goofy'. not sure exactly what it is, but reckon a 20 game year will do him a world of good. seems like if he gets it totally set in his head that he belongs in the afl then his first-class effort will take him a fair way.

i really like the guy, his centre of gravity is weirdly low for someone that tall - the way he moves is nothing like your average 195 bloke. also has a really nice, compact kicking motion. there's no doubt in my mind he'll play a lot of games for us, but it niggles at me that he may end up being a perennial annoyance for some apparent mental absent-ness.
I think it's lack of self-belief. and,as you say, if he settles in the team and finds his place, I agree he could be solid. He's been a wandering journeyman for a few years now. This is a great opportunity for him to become a reliable one.
 

BrunoV

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He slips over in a game once and all of the sudden he is goofy and has poor awareness.

Players makes mistakes every now and then. No matter how frustrating the mistakes are they do not define a player unless it is something that occurs consistently.
 

yodellinhank

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He slips over in a game once and all of the sudden he is goofy and has poor awareness.

Players makes mistakes every now and then. No matter how frustrating the mistakes are they do not define a player unless it is something that occurs consistently.
The poor awareness thing was something I thought up early days, when he let a north player get out the back of his zone and into 60-70 meters of clear space.

I watch him thinking "sure he's undersized, but he's great athletically and so good with follow up efforts at the ruck contest. How could he fall so far out of favour to end up on a rookie list?"

Then I see him guard space in a game where more and more emphasis is being placed on zone defending.
 
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