Player Watch #5: Caleb Daniel

[Blightys Barrel]

Firstly, he was a highly rated member of a very good team. Cant be denied. Well done - premiership player, bnf and AA.

But he is a unique player with massive deficiencies. We have taken him on with the same deficiencies but they are rapidly getting worse as he has seemingly lost any athleticism and strength. He would be in the bottom 10 in the comp for a lot of metrics. And sinking.
And his disposal strengths are fast fading compounded by the massive loss of belief that he must be feeling and being in a backline filled with very poor ground defenders (or missing the good one in archer) and mostly poor users. He needs to be in a side where he is not being asked to defend much - its currently a terrible set up for his skillset and he is a terrible fit for our team.

Look at our backline this week.
Its close to a worst ever in terms of experience and skill.
Pink - supp list who has played a couple of good games in his career - exposed on sunday.
Comben - fractured scapula, learning to be a defender. Looked injured.
Hardeman - looks good but very early days
W Dawson - ditto
Logue - words wont cover it.
In wings - archer and goater with huge body issues, whitlock - a couple of years off. Lmac - solid undersized air defender, poor on ground and poor user.

Not sure how daniel improves that.
But its scary for next few years unless there is rapid development or huge luck. Or we move someone from elsewhere - lobb like.
And CD isnt any solution - he is part of a huge problem.

Excellent post Psychic Roo This should go into the EOY report for the backs coach (if he is still there and not moved on). To think the game plan down back relies so much on Daniel and there is no plan B is laughable. We really needed a Noble/Rioli/Houston/Rozee type, and all we got was an expensive Temu version that has a hefty 4 year installment plan to go with it.

 

[nelroo]

His selection kills me, however, can someone please for the life of me tell my why he takes so many kick outs?
Seriously it is gut wrenching painful. No pace and can only kick 40 metres. Are our coaches just so stubborn? It’s ****ing madness.
How many more times can we see him hesitant, run around in circles then barely clear the 50 metre arc with his dump kick.

 

[nelroo]

Needs to wind up to get any distance on his kicks which opposition are reading really well. As far as I can tell, he has been brought in as a stop gap because we seemed to be rotating a few players around HBF.

Interestingly, Cooper had more impact and I think we've spent a 2nd rounder as a desperate move to fill depth instead of considering our internal options. 1.68m HBF is a recipe for disaster when the game is in the balance. Cooper is 180cm which is a great starting point for HBF types.

I'm puzzled as to why we got Daniel. Did we have to recruit for all three lines? Just way too desperate of a move that didn't need to be made.

Because our leaders ****ing suck and we needed players who have come from good systems. Parker and Darling have been wins but CD I can’t see it. Holding us back in fact.

 

[Whippet1]

We had nothing resembling a distributor from the backline hence Daniel looked a logical fit however oppo teams had long worked him out before we picked him up.
We now have a handful of guys who can do this role in O’Sullivan McKercher Sheezel and maybe even Hardeman so Caleb has probably become redundant already.