Astbury

[tigerT]

Strange, I've had my doubts about this kidprimarily his lack of speed but tonight I thought he did the best job on Waite Ive seen from a tiger defender no BS. Thought Astbury won a lot of the 1 on 1 duals and the ones he lost he made Waite earn. Showed good level of concentration and commitment to never really lose his man. Good on him, would be a massive load off if he came on and made it.

Apart from a poor start last week, I thought he was very good against the suns too.

 

[Starburns_]

Played his best game tonight, he's still slow, but he competed really well and was much more composed too.

 

[Greggy]

He played very well in the first half, I didn't really see the second half because I went home with back cramps but I'm glad he proved me wrong.

Deledio, is that you?

 

[DrMike]

Lots of improvement left, but showing good signs that he can support Rance

 

[oi watch out]

Haven't been able to cop Astbury.... until last night!

Yeah Waite got the better of him at times in the second half but in the first half Waite barely touched it because Astbury was all over him.

He took some good marks where he read the flight better than Waite and seemed composed with ball in hand.

Also showed a bit of aggression which I've never seen from him before.

 

[RunningBounce]

What did you expect Astbury to do when Carlton deliver it into the forward line time and time again?

Agree. He was under huge pressure in the 2nd half and I thought he was good.

 

[RunningBounce]

Astbury had 17 kicks, 1 handball and took 10 marks, only 1 contested.

Played most of the night on Waite, who had 11 kicks, 2 handballs, and 7 marks for 1 goal 3. His goal came from a scrappy ground ball after he tackled Dusty, so nothing Astbury could do about that.

Stats aren't everything, but I think in this case, they tell the story.

His opponent didn't score on him, and he got plenty of the ball himself. That's a good game.

 

[bigange]

Has gone past Grimes.

Disgaree with this and if it was the case I'd be very concerned about our future.

Dave was okay last night, won a half and lost a half. Still has a long way to go to convince me.

 

[theflea]

No I'm not kidding.

If Waite kicked straight most blind supporters would see the difference.

The bloke is lost when the ball hits the ground as he has a turning circle of a Mack truck and his agility is below the required level.

Gets out muscled too often and panics under pressure like the majority of our players.

The fact Waite kicked inaccurately hid Astbury game. Countless times he was way too slow to cause a contest.

I just don't think he is AFL material. Not at all.

I didn't see him get outmuscled once.

 

[theflea]

Lol Astbury the savior it is then.

For crying out loud our supporters.

See this is where you lose the argument trying to obfuscate the debate.. Who has said he is the savior? He has just done well of late.

 

[This Is Anfield]

Lol Astbury the savior it is then.

For crying out loud our supporters.

Ridiculous OTT post IMO - why does deserved praise for a young, inexperienced key defender become "he's the saviour".
Reality is if Astbury builds on this and becomes a reliable, consistent defender our whole team will be better off.
David played a mature & strong game & earned votes off me.

 

[tropicaltiger]

pretty sure a lot in the know (richo included) wanted dave to have that famous no. 12, on his back, a lot saw that special quality and quantity in the man. maybe a few should have a real good look.

 

[tropicaltiger]

Astbury had 17 kicks, 1 handball and took 10 marks, only 1 contested.

Played most of the night on Waite, who had 11 kicks, 2 handballs, and 7 marks for 1 goal 3. His goal came from a scrappy ground ball after he tackled Dusty, so nothing Astbury could do about that.

Stats aren't everything, but I think in this case, they tell the story.

His opponent didn't score on him, and he got plenty of the ball himself. That's a good game.

A bloody good game

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Played his best game for sure...reducing his clanger ratio...
but geez he knows how to hold the game up when he has the ball in hand...the game slows down and the opposition run to cover the spaces...all this...
while he is thinking...waiting...thinking to dish the ball off...nothing decisive about his play to make me think he'll improve or have a future...

 

[THE_GUN]

Compared to Watson Astbury is a sprinter

Dave isnt really as slow as some on here make out, the kid is a bloody good footballer and he isnt a natural defender i cant wait to see him switched foward on occasions as im sure he would be good for a couple of goals and add that unexpected string to richmonds bow

 

[TheDyerLegacy]

Really happy with Astbury's game. Been a critic of his in the past, stood his ground well last night.

 

[the push up king]

Disgaree with this and if it was the case I'd be very concerned about our future.

Dave was okay last night, won a half and lost a half. Still has a long way to go to convince me.

i have to b honest. I am surprised by the lack of positivity towards dave after yesterday's game. He was forced to play on carltons best forward. A role that he did very well. He was an absolute rock. We were absolutely bombarded in the 2nd half and to get the points without Rance, predominately due to Astbury's heroics is a big positive for the team and dave himself.

In summary, to say Dave was "OK" last night is an absolute joke

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

But he was ok...
He's always ok when the balls coming in to him...

 

[Damo80]

Played his best game for sure...reducing his clanger ratio...
but geez he knows how to hold the game up when he has the ball in hand...the game slows down and the opposition run to cover the spaces...all this...
while he is thinking...waiting...thinking to dish the ball off...nothing decisive about his play to make me think he'll improve or have a future...

Funny that what you're highlighting there as a negative, I actually see as a positive... he generally seems to have time and composure, and for the most part picks a good, safe option from deep in defence. Shows he's not panicky, and is a smart footballer, IMO.

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[_RT_]

Grimes injury woes has stifled him.

Can't take Astbury. Slowest player I have laid eyes on.

Just not AFL standard.

You do realise that Astbury had a knee injury that took best part of 2 seasons to fully recover from, yet Grimes gets the injuries have stifled him excuse. If anything you'd think missing the amount of footy that Astbury has missed would be stifling, especially when we were in the process of developing him as a KPD we needed.

 

[sante]

Our whole defence were awesome in the 4th. The amount of pressure they were under was crazy, mostly because our midfield stopped working and putting on pressure.

Chaplin was probably the only defender who was utter crap.

In 2014, Astbury has been our best KPD.

 

[NZ_Tiger]

He's been improving all year and it's critical for us we can keep giving him games and continue to see signs of improvement. Come the end of the season we may have 4 decent talls to take to the trade table in Grimes, Vickery, Astbury and Griffiths. We've sunk some really good picks into these guys and if they can show some signs it gives us a few options.

 

[Damo80]

Watched the game again. He was really, really solid. Waite may be a ******* tosser, but he's an athletic ******* tosser who always carves us up, and Astbury did a great job keeping him under control.

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[tiggywigs]

I am very excited by the development of Astbury.

A composed, strong-bodied tall defender (who also has swingman potential) is a missing piece of the puzzle for us.

If Astbury and Griffiths continue to come on we will be genuine contenders in September.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Yeah, he never looks like winning a 1 on 1 does he. But, I'd say his night was OK, Chaplin again more cause for concern in terms of his defensive work and with ball in hand

Think Dave is getting better at understanding his role and the team's style as well. On Thursday, he seemed to take a few more risks by running off his man to try and offer rebound or be the release when switching the ball coming out of defence.

He also led to the right areas on a number of occasions which helped Carlton scores.

One on one, I would back him to beat his man most of the time or cause a spoil (as opposed to someone like Rance) who can seemingly fluctuate between dominating his opponent to be ripped to pieces. At the end of the day, having options (Rance, Astbury, Chaplin, Grimes) gives us flexibility to change match ups during games to try and ensure no opposition key forward gets off his leash too much.