Player Watch #9: Luke Davies-Uniacke - signs until end 2025! Runner up in the 2022 Syd Barker Medal Award

Status
Not open for further replies.

Falkroo

All Australian
Mar 9, 2005
894
590
On The Murray
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Kangaroos
For those who go back further he reminds me of Doug Smith - a rangy type in the 70's for North who moved well but was too tall and too lean to be truly effective anywhere.
Played a season with Doug after his North days, big unit and s**t he could roost the footy.
 

The Anvil

Club Legend
Oct 5, 2004
2,299
5,993
AFL Club
North Melbourne
I haven't written him off at all - just saying I want to see a bit more. Sure a few nice touches but I'm ready for more. The goal, 90 seconds after my other post, was very nice. But, I'm ready for more.

Wasn’t he top 5 is some of the running work pre-season? If not for OP he’d be taking the competition by storm this season.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
I do find it interesting that folks are weighing up the really good showing by our kids with the "It's only Adelaide" rationale. In 2 years time that will be Hawthorn, and in 3 years time that will be Port, Geelong & Richmond..........and in 3 years time our youngsters will have improved threefold.

What we saw yesterday is what they're going to do to opposition teams down the track.
 

DunderHead

Premiership Player
Apr 12, 2007
3,697
6,431
Melbourne
AFL Club
North Melbourne
I missed the game. But came on here to get an idea of how everyone went. It sounded like the stats and goals indicated a better game then I would have expected. However, then I watched the replay last night. Anyone being critical of this guy is a nonce.

He has amazing talent. There a moments where he does things which maybe only Higgins would be capable of. His inside work to get the ball out to Goldstein which led to Higgins goal was next level. He sort of span and then hand balled at a really high angle to Goldstein through the traffic. It was the only disposal that could get us loose. His kicking was to advantage and quite often his passages of play led to goals. He has awesome skills. He reads the play as good as tlanyone in our team - Goldy Cunners and Higgins level. He takes the game on and consequently makes mistakes. He also looks like he doesn’t want to get injured - which given his record to date is fair enough.

We will still lose a lot of games this year and I reckon he will probably get bullied around a bit physically but the ceiling is really high on this guy.

Wednesday will be a really tough test for him. The bigger Geelong bodies will trouble him. Let’s see if he can find a way to have an impact on that game and don’t crucify him if he doesn’t / just remember where he is at with his recovery. To be playing within months of being diagnosed with OP is amazing.
 

speedy

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 5, 2001
7,234
9,015
Melbourne, VIC
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Better game this week but he is still avoiding physical contact. There was a turnover in the D50 were an opposition player was coming the other way and LDU just stuck one arm out to stop the ball instead of committing his body. Plus he constantly fumbles or drops the ball under any physical pressure. This could improve as matures but I still want to see him commit his body more. Then I will be happy. And previous injuries are no excuse, he has been like this since his first game.
 

Themanbun

Brownlow Medallist
Apr 19, 2019
10,035
30,800
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Better game this week but he is still avoiding physical contact. There was a turnover in the D50 were an opposition player was coming the other way and LDU just stuck one arm out to stop the ball instead of committing his body. Plus he constantly fumbles or drops the ball under any physical pressure. This could improve as matures but I still want to see him commit his body more. Then I will be happy. And previous injuries are no excuse, he has been like this since his first game.

Don't forget he's coming off severe shoulder injuries. Took me probably two years before I felt right for full on contact again. If I recall correctly he had dodgy shoulders when we drafted him.
 

7577969923

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 20, 2018
6,176
16,379
AFL Club
North Melbourne
I missed the game. But came on here to get an idea of how everyone went. It sounded like the stats and goals indicated a better game then I would have expected. However, then I watched the replay last night. Anyone being critical of this guy is a nonce.

He has amazing talent. There a moments where he does things which maybe only Higgins would be capable of. His inside work to get the ball out to Goldstein which led to Higgins goal was next level. He sort of span and then hand balled at a really high angle to Goldstein through the traffic. It was the only disposal that could get us loose. His kicking was to advantage and quite often his passages of play led to goals. He has awesome skills. He reads the play as good as tlanyone in our team - Goldy Cunners and Higgins level. He takes the game on and consequently makes mistakes. He also looks like he doesn’t want to get injured - which given his record to date is fair enough.

We will still lose a lot of games this year and I reckon he will probably get bullied around a bit physically but the ceiling is really high on this guy.

Wednesday will be a really tough test for him. The bigger Geelong bodies will trouble him. Let’s see if he can find a way to have an impact on that game and don’t crucify him if he doesn’t / just remember where he is at with his recovery. To be playing within months of being diagnosed with OP is amazing.

"He also looks like he doesn’t want to get injured - which given his record to date is fair enough."

This is just a matter of continuity. If he can get through the rest of this season and a full pre-season next year with no issues then I really think that will be resolved. Another 3 or 4kg of muscle this summer will help too.
 

Black2Blue

Premiership Player
Aug 15, 2013
3,943
10,299
AFL Club
North Melbourne
You don't have to look any further than Simpkin to see the psychological impacts of injury on a players form. He has gone from one of the most damaging midfielders in the game to just average since he had his ankle issue. When Jed was getting on the field after his injuries, he wasn't attacking the contest anyway near what he is doing now. I wouldn't be surprised if the coaches are being cautious with LDU too, advising him to use the games to get match fit while setting clear measures to work to. This season is a write-off anyway, so I'm more than happy for some clever player management. Main thing is that LDU can stay on the park for the rest of the season.
 

Pykie

Cancelled
10k Posts A Star Wars Fan Pokemon is Life North Melbourne - North 2007 Player Sponsor North Melbourne - 2013 Daw, Black and Gibson Player Sponsorship
Sep 17, 2006
20,605
45,615
Lord's
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Leeds United
Fumbled quite a bit in the first half which he tends to do some times.

Gained in confidence the second half, that last goal was pure class on his non preferred.

Building.
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
I reckon he's a little bit Lachie Hansen laconic at times. He's gonna make it look pretty easy once he gets to 100-150 games. He looked like a man out there for the first time today.

Get used to it, it's how he plays.

Keith Greig & Robert Flower could have been also described as "laconic", it doesn't matter as long as the player is effective.
 

Black2Blue

Premiership Player
Aug 15, 2013
3,943
10,299
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Get used to it, it's how he plays.

Keith Greig & Robert Flower could have been also described as "laconic", it doesn't matter as long as the player is effective.
Good calls. And of current day players, Pendlebury fits the label too and will be more than happy if LDU measures up to the Pendles level of laconic.
 
Jun 7, 2019
5,136
17,618
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Get used to it, it's how he plays.

Keith Greig & Robert Flower could have been also described as "laconic", it doesn't matter as long as the player is effective.
reminds me of Mark Waugh, who remarked that when he hit a good shot, he was described as elegant, and when he played the same shot and got out, he was laconic, being code for 'didn't care'
 
Apr 1, 2008
57,332
100,798
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Liverpool, Raiders, GSW, QPR, NYM
Good calls. And of current day players, Pendlebury fits the label too and will be more than happy if LDU measures up to the Pendles level of laconic.

Well, if Gavin Urquhart couldn’t, I’m not sure anyone else could either.....
 
Building.

The perfect description. He has a way to go still but it's hard to fault him for the odd bit of self preservation after missing so many games and a body that isn't quite ready to play the way he is built to play. He's on track for that 22 season onwards being the key big midfielder and I'll be wrapped if we can just get another 30 odd games in him before that season.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back