News Akermanis: Fast, furious and irreplaceable

[Syphoncom]

IN his first column this year, Jason Akermanis assesses the driving forces at each club.

Every team has its Ferraris, the stars who are easy to spot. But for me and the fans of each club, there are others who are just as important because they give the team structure, hardness and unbelievable consistency.

Link:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/fast-furious-and-irreplaceable/story-e6frf9jf-1226022751710

Main summary:

AKER'S LIST OF SUPERLEGGERA'S
ADELAIDE: Patrick Dangerfield, Kurt Tippett
BRISBANE: Todd Banfield, Mitch Clark
CARLTON: Michael Jamison, Dennis Armfield
COLLINGWOOD: Harry O'Brien, Darren Jolly
ESSENDON: Mark McVeigh, Tayte Pears
FREMANTLE: Aaron Sandilands, Roger Hayden
GEELONG: Paul Chapman, Matthew Scarlett, Joel Selwood
GOLD COAST: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson
HAWTHORN: Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge
MELBOURNE: Colin Sylvia, James Frawley
NORTH MELBOURNE: Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito
PORT ADELAIDE: Alipate Carlisle
RICHMOND: Matthew White, Jack Riewoldt
ST KILDA: Sam Fisher, Brendon Goddard
SYDNEY: Kieran Jack, Adam Goodes
WEST COAST: Shannon Hurn, Josh Kennedy, Patrick McGinnity
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Liam Picken, Dale Morris, Callan Ward


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Disagree to some extent with:


Brisbane
Essendon
North Melbourne
Port?

St Kilda (Fisher)

 

[Ed D]

I actually don't undertsand what Aker is talking about???

 

[Syphoncom]

I don't actually know whether he has someone do any proof-reading for him or has a ghostwriter after the incidents last year. Either way, his writing style seems incredibly poor, I'll give you that. Like he had an idea and just started going on, and on ... and on.


But the idea I can still grasp and think to an extent he's just stating the obvious.

However, maybe another question to frame it differently, and with more Collingwood emphasis:

Is Jolly almost the most important player/most damaging loss going into a game?
Is O'Brien more of a loss in a backman than Maxwell/Shaw/Reid/Brown?

 

[mattys123]

The O'Brien choice is a little "left field", although the Jolly choice is pretty much common knowledge.

I'd probably rate Dawes, Maxwell and Reid as important as Harry on that "next step" below Jolly (taking away the "Ferarris"), because if any of those 3 go down long term, after losing Nathan Brown and with very little forward "tall backup" either, we would be in serious trouble.

I never liked Aker when he was at the Bearlions or the Dogs, but now he's not playing I can tolerate him a little more.

 

[Ed D]

Is he saying the Farrari's are the most important players though? Or the most flashy? Or players who are technically correct? Because in the article he goes on to say he drove a Ferrari and it was a let down because it was too twitchy with no real power for money, but then he lists players like McGinnity?

 

[The Norm]

In terms of defenders, I'd say Reid and Shaw are definitely more important than Harry, with Toovey and Maxwell at about the same level of importance.

I think Harry has become one of our most overrated players, actually.

 

[Swooop]

However, maybe another question to frame it differently, and with more Collingwood emphasis:

Is Jolly almost the most important player/most damaging loss going into a game?
Is O'Brien more of a loss in a backman than Maxwell/Shaw/Reid/Brown?

I'd answer yes and maybe/no/no/yes respectively.

 

[Syphoncom]

I'd answer yes and maybe/no/no/yes respectively.

Haha interesting,

I'd say yes and maybe/maybe/maybe/yes.

Sitting on the fence, I know. I'd lean more towards no for the loss of Shaw, Reid I'm more on the yes, although I don't want that to be an underestimation of Reid.

His 1-on-1 is probably better than Harry, but Harry's run and carry is something. Easier to determine once I've seen a few games this year and we're back in the swing of things.

 

[Kirby]

I'm with Ed D in that I really don't understand what Aker is saying at all. The whole Ferrari v Lamborghini comparison makes no sense at all with the players he has named.

God Aker is a terrible writer.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Pendelbury and Jolly.

Not Harry.

 

[handy point]

I don't actually know whether he has someone do any proof-reading for him or has a ghostwriter after the incidents last year. Either way, his writing style seems incredibly poor, I'll give you that. Like he had an idea and just started going on, and on ... and on.

But the idea I can still grasp and think to an extent he's just stating the obvious.

You've heard him talk, yeah?