Player Watch #9: Luke Davies-Uniacke [Part II] - '24 SBM - re-signed until the end of 2032 [7 year deal]

[Onihr]

List the players that had 4 quarter games today.
Sheezel?
Kerch?

LDU was equal 3rd for tackles, equal 4th for PAs, equal 3rd for clearance, equal 2nd for i50s, 4th for metres gained, 5th for score involvements and 1st for goal assists...


He was down on his usual numbers possession wise but was one of our best users today.

Do i want Dusty on offense and Sloane on defence? Of course, but until the team gets better, we just have to put up with a mix of good, very good and excellent games from Luke. He hardly ever puts in a shocker.

Trade him for a couole of picks for Snoz to waste by all means, but it wont solve our defensive issues and will make us far, far worse offensively.

Agreed - not many.

I'm saying we should temper expectations, and I think a lot of people are starting to see it. He isn't a four quarter footballer, doesn't demonstrate desperation and isn't that clever in terms of game sense. At this stage of his career, I don't see that changing dramatically. I think he's a good player, but far from someone we should be thinking will take us to the promised land because of his ceilings. To the original points: I don't expect him to carry us every week, and I don't think he gets the brunt of all criticism (that is shared around).

We have misjudged his value and will be paying him large amounts of money for a long time for a good / not great footballer.

 

[archereleven]

Agreed - not many.

I'm saying we should temper expectations, and I think a lot of people are starting to see it. He isn't a four quarter footballer, doesn't demonstrate desperation and isn't that clever in terms of game sense. At this stage of his career, I don't see that changing dramatically. I think he's a good player, but far from someone we should be thinking will take us to the promised land because of his ceilings. To the original points: I don't expect him to carry us every week, and I don't think he gets the brunt of all criticism (that is shared around).

We have misjudged his value and will be paying him large amounts of money for a long time for a good / not great footballer.

I'm not tempering expectations. He can be an exceptional 4 quarter player on his day and we saw it numerous times last season.

How do you think he'd be playing in a midfield full of 100-200 gamers with talent in front and behind and was winning more often than not? Do you think he'd be pulling his weight in all facets of the game or simply coasting?

Judging players within this shitful list build and game plan is absolute folly.

I'm tired of the whole ****ing team. They are all mentally shot and are coming to the realisation that they are wasting another 5 years on a burned out coach with a swiss cheese list.

The club is on auto pilot and thinks things will just turn. They wont.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

I'm not tempering expectations. He can be an exceptional 4 quarter player on his day and we saw it numerous times last season.

How do you think he'd be playing in a midfield full of 100-200 gamers with talent in front and behind and was winning more often than not? Do you think he'd be pulling his weight in all facets of the game or simply coasting?

Judging players within this shitful list build and game plan is absolute folly.

I'm tired of the whole ****ing team. They are all mentally shot and are coming to the realisation that they are wasting another 5 years on a burned out coach with a swiss cheese list.

The club is on auto pilot and thinks things will just turn. They wont.

This team is Source Code.

But with no happy ending.

 

[shinboner magic]

Powell coos a lot of heat for various things but LDU should be top of the tree for his lack of effect on games. Both offensively and defensively- he should be our alpha in the guts but he goes missing to often. Gives up when he sees a tagger heading towards him.

 

[backtothedraft]

Really frustrating season. Flashes of brilliance but he's just not doing the team things well. His body language is poor when things aren't going his way and it resonates within the playing group. He could be excused for that if we weren't pay him 1mil + a season.

I think Luke perhaps more than anyone would benefit from a new voice as Midfield coach. Someone that will instill confidence but also demand higher standards. He'll be back.

 

[Flawed Genius]

He doesn’t though, slow between the ears, questionable decision maker, handball below average, and an average kick. Mentally soft.

I disagree. He's a ripping footballer based on his physical traits, he has power, speed, burst, he can kick long or short, he bursts from clearances. He's a great footballer.

But the one I'm thinking of that highlights why I think he's never going to have killer instinct, someone else has already posted:

Can I get a gif of when he and Wardlaw didn’t know who wanted the footy and neither went and then they got swamped

If youre getting $1.7m a year or whatever, you're the man. No ifs, no buts, no nothing. Not even Mega Psycho Wardlaw should get in your way. A loose ball on the ground - someone with LDU's physical traits should be demolishing anyone in his way to get it. Instead he's weirdly deferential to others. In tales' example he was deferential to an (admittedly insane) 21 year old. He shouldn't be. He should be the guy.

 

[shintemaster]

I disagree. He's a ripping footballer based on his physical traits, he has power, speed, burst, he can kick long or short, he bursts from clearances. He's a great footballer.

But the one I'm thinking of that highlights why I think he's never going to have killer instinct, someone else has already posted:



If youre getting $1.7m a year or whatever, you're the man. No ifs, no buts, no nothing. Not even Mega Psycho Wardlaw should get in your way. A loose ball on the ground - someone with LDU's physical traits should be demolishing anyone in his way to get it. Instead he's weirdly deferential to others. In tales' example he was deferential to an (admittedly insane) 21 year old. He shouldn't be. He should be the guy.

Well said. He needs to find that will to humble opponents - offensively, defensively, for 80% tog.

 

[zoomba23]

Well said. He needs to find that will to humble opponents - offensively, defensively, for 80% tog.

He won't

 

[RightWingRoo]

Trading him into a rubbish draft or whatever scrubs another club would be happy to trade to us, is madness.

The general poor development program at the club has hurt him, we didn't do enough work on his weaknesses over his first 3-4 years at the club. But LDU is still easily in our top 5 players and we'd be clearly worse without him.

 

[Roos1991]

Is our best player by a ****ing mile. When he's out of the team, we look like a div 3 side.

 

[rickety]

Excuse me giantroo, do you have a vid of that goal in the 1st quarter, please and thank you.

 

[giantroo]

Excuse me giantroo, do you have a vid of that goal in the 1st quarter, please and thank you.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

I disagree. He's a ripping footballer based on his physical traits, he has power, speed, burst, he can kick long or short, he bursts from clearances. He's a great footballer.

But the one I'm thinking of that highlights why I think he's never going to have killer instinct, someone else has already posted:



If youre getting $1.7m a year or whatever, you're the man. No ifs, no buts, no nothing. Not even Mega Psycho Wardlaw should get in your way. A loose ball on the ground - someone with LDU's physical traits should be demolishing anyone in his way to get it. Instead he's weirdly deferential to others. In tales' example he was deferential to an (admittedly insane) 21 year old. He shouldn't be. He should be the guy.

Insert gif of him monstering Freo player.

 

[shintemaster]

Powell coos a lot of heat for various things but LDU should be top of the tree for his lack of effect on games. Both offensively and defensively- he should be our alpha in the guts but he goes missing to often. Gives up when he sees a tagger heading towards him.

Tom Powell also doesn't come close to the impact of LDU at his best and doesn't have someone sitting on his arse all game every game trying to shut him down. I'll push LDU because I think he does have more in him but Powell (and others) would also get more leeway if they had anywhere near the regular impact.

 

[Arthur Cloke]

When did LDU go from being a decent ball user to a Jack Zeibell clone 50m bomb merchant???? It's been very upsetting for me.

 

[King Corey]

There's nothing new to say about LDU.

No he doesn't have the natural inclination to take it up to opponents like Martin but there are matchwinners like Petracca and GAJ who don't/didn't either.

It always boils down to what's around him. Ignore the 90s, throw him into the 2014 side and he would've been like a Ferrari.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

There's nothing new to say about LDU.

No he doesn't have the natural inclination to take it up to opponents like Martin but there are matchwinners like Petracca and GAJ who don't/didn't either.

It always boils down to what's around him. Ignore the 90s, throw him into the 2014 side and he would've been like a Ferrari.

Or in any of the top sides of the current day.

 

[Newbie Real Talk]

As the kids get better around him, LDU will improve dramatically. This is because he struggles having to carry the team. When the load is lightened, he will hit his potential and win a brownlow.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

List the players that had 4 quarter games today.
Sheezel?
Kerch?

LDU was equal 3rd for tackles, equal 4th for PAs, equal 3rd for clearance, equal 2nd for i50s, 4th for metres gained, 5th for score involvements and 1st for goal assists...


He was down on his usual numbers possession wise but was one of our best users today.

Do i want Dusty on offense and Sloane on defence? Of course, but until the team gets better, we just have to put up with a mix of good, very good and excellent games from Luke. He hardly ever puts in a shocker.

Trade him for a couole of picks for Snoz to waste by all means, but it wont solve our defensive issues and will make us far, far worse offensively.

He allowed opposition players to basically walk past him on a few occasions and made no effort to pressure them. That doesn't show on the stat sheet but it's unforgivable.

 

[Only Forwards]

When did LDU go from being a decent ball user to a Jack Zeibell clone 50m bomb merchant????

It is seemingly a massive coincidence that we take talented kids, put no priority on ball retention, leading at teh ball carrier, working to provide space, and the reduce them to a pretty consistent output of: get ball, smash ball forward.

One could almost think it was environmental.

 

[kanga kanga kanga]

When did LDU go from being a decent ball user to a Jack Zeibell clone 50m bomb merchant???? It's been very upsetting for me.

u missed the one where he burst out of the stoppage and hit zuurhaar on the chest in the goal square or the one where he hit darling on the lead?

 

[shintemaster]

When did LDU go from being a decent ball user to a Jack Zeibell clone 50m bomb merchant???? It's been very upsetting for me.

Actually think he has improved over the year, early on his disposal was very much in that vein. Last month or two he has tightened it up a bit (or we are giving him some better options) or a bit of both.

 

[Ball Dont Lie]

I am not convinced he is 100%. He seems to me like he is moving in quicksand which is then causing him to fumble every second ball.

 

[Billy Not Really]

We North'd the shit out of this bloke, particularly as a defensive mid when he has to be, he could've been anything and it seems any deficiencies in his game are cemented, not ironed out.

 

[archereleven]

He allowed opposition players to basically walk past him on a few occasions and made no effort to pressure them. That doesn't show on the stat sheet but it's unforgivable.

Is it? I haven't seen anything from the club that tells me a lack of effort is 'unforgivable'. If anything, it's forgivable on a weekly basis.

He isn't getting dropped or traded, we just need to hope the rest of the midfield gets better quickly and they start to work as a unit. The mix is part of the problem imo.