Ben Johnson - What is wrong?????????

[Timmy from Thomastown]

I slightly agree with Timmy. I think players like O'Bree are still needed, but certainly older excess players like Bj should be phased out and replaced with the likes of Cook and Stanley. If they turn out to not be up to AFL standard then obviously we need to replace them.

If we dont start turning them over now we'll be in huge trouble in 2009 and 2010. What if Cook Stanley Toovey and Iles etc all turn out to be duds and at the same we have six senior plodding midfielders nearing retirement age?

All of a sudden we'll have an entire midfield to delist and no trade value for any of them.

BJ has to be the first victim of our need to change things in the middle.

 

[RRRooocccaaa]

Problem is we have a lot in the same category in the midfield - contributors but no stars - O'Bree, R Shaw, Johnson, Lockyer, Davis, Swan. Most of these have been around a long time and are not ever going to be any better than they are now. Loyalty is one thing, but team balance and palyer development is another.

Swan, O'Bree and Lockyer don't need to get much better, core-wise. Sure they've had a few shockers at goal but that's about 2% of their game. The rest of the time they're chasing, tackling, blocking, marking and putting their head over the ball. To call them merely 'contributors' is shallow at best and Mark-Robinson-like at worst.

BJ is more likely experiencing the head-space issue. Like where it needs to be during the whole match. When he's 'on', he's bloody fantastic. When the whole team is 'on' we're unstoppable. It's getting them to stay there...

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Swan, O'Bree and Lockyer don't need to get much better, core-wise.

Swan needs to improve his kicking. He DEFINITELY needs to improve. His 2007 was better than 2008. We cant be satisfied with where he's at just yet. But he's a star. He'll get there. A bit more polish to go with his high possession count and strong inside game would put him among the superstars of the game.

Lockyer will never play as good a season as he did in 2007. He wont even go close. His best is past him, although he should stay at a highish level for a while yet. But he's no Judd.

O'Bree will begin his decline in coming years as he nears/passes 30 and the game gets quicker. His decline will come quicker than you think. Sooner or later there wont be room in our 22 for both him and Swan.

 

[Nardz]

Swan needs to improve his kicking. He DEFINITELY needs to improve. His 2007 was better than 2008. We cant be satisfied with where he's at just yet.

Lockyer will never play as good a season as he did in 2007. He wont even go close. His best is past him, although he should stay at a highish level for a while yet. But he's no Judd.

O'Bree will begin his decline in coming years as he nears/passes 30 and the game gets quicker. His decline will come quicker than you think. Sooner or later there wont be room in our 22 for both him and Swan.

the difference with swan is he does almost everything else right. i don't think his kicking is that bad (on the o'bree/johnson/shaw scale), but it can definitly improve.

 

[Optimax]

Sorry I did not realise Johno was averaging 26-30 quality possesions a game. like Stanners and Co....
Surely it is time to drop him and let the consistent kids have a go for the rest of the year.
Johno probably will be traded at the end of the year anyway.

Now i like stanley and cook.

But when has either delivered games of afl with 25-30 quality touches, its never happened has it

 

[MAKESHIFT]

Now i like stanley and cook.

But when has either delivered games of afl with 25-30 quality touches, its never happened has it

When has Stanners had a go in the position he is supposed to play for a start!!!!!! Maybe if he got a go and played a string of games then that's what you may see. Same with Cooky. Playing the boys for the odd game here or there does nothing for their confidence or continuity. They need to be a part of the team and senior plays to pass to them also. IMO Johnson has had his day. Along with a few others.....

 

[Nardz]

Now i like stanley and cook.

But when has either delivered games of afl with 25-30 quality touches, its never happened has it

yeah and I also wonder why all that talk is about that Natuani kid. he's never really done anything at AFL level - Hack!


and when has Ben Johnson ever delivered 25-30 QUALITY touches?

 

[Optimax]

yeah and I also wonder why all that talk is about that Natuani kid. he's never really done anything at AFL level - Hack!


and when has Ben Johnson ever delivered 25-30 QUALITY touches?

I never said he did, i just pointed out the stupidity fo saying cook and stanley would do it.

there are a select few footballers that can consistently produce 25-30 quality possesion games

 

[Nardz]

I never said he did, i just pointed out the stupidity fo saying cook and stanley would do it.

there are a select few footballers that can consistently produce 25-30 quality possesion games

Stanley and cook might not be able to do it in the first few games, but give them 10-15 games they may start to produce quality - at which point you know we're gonna have them producing that quality for the next 10 years

 

[nihh]

Seems to have lost all enthusiasm for the game since Taz was traded and then the hit on Bell last year which probably brought it all into perspective.

I am not a fan of his disposal but if he could get back to the output he was producing in 2006 then he is in the best 22. At the moment he looks very expendable.

 

[MAKESHIFT]

I never said he did, i just pointed out the stupidity fo saying cook and stanley would do it.

there are a select few footballers that can consistently produce 25-30 quality possesion games

Come on I thought you were smarter than that. I am not suggesting that Stanners or Cook at the moment could do it at AFL level. I am merely saying they are doing it at VFL level now and if you watched the VFL games every week in person you would know how hard it is to get possessions in that team coz every man is for himself and you have to get your own ball to get possessions. On form there is no doubt they should be there instead of Johnson.... Although this week playing Essendon with half their team missing anyone will look good. If Johnson can't get 26+ quality there is something wrong....
Stanners and Cook are just raw talent but I would bet that if they had the opportunity and established themselves in the team they would and could do much better than Johnson.

 

[Kirby]

Stanners and Cook are just raw talent but I would bet that if they had the opportunity and established themselves in the team they would and could do much better than Johnson.

I concur, especially with Stanners. He should be in the side getting games now.

 

[pipeline]

Now i like stanley and cook.

But when has either delivered games of afl with 25-30 quality touches, its never happened has it

Probably the only one of the younger players you could say this for is Pendles. Realistically it's not what we're expecting. We're just looking for someone who is in better current form than Johnno, and hopefully someone who's got long term prospects. Stanley, iles and Cook all fit the bill.

 

[Somebody]

as far as I can remember Johnno is coming off injuries and had a very interrupted pre-season. If that's the case then obviously it explains his current form. I think this year he has looked a lot better off the back flank than in the middle which would be expected if the above is true - maybe for Dr Who he should be left to play defense and maybe up forward sometimes also.

 

[MAKESHIFT]

as far as I can remember Johnno is coming off injuries and had a very interrupted pre-season. If that's the case then obviously it explains his current form. I think this year he has looked a lot better off the back flank than in the middle which would be expected if the above is true - maybe for Dr Who he should be left to play defense and maybe up forward sometimes also.

What injuries would they be!!!!!!!!! Didn't know he has an interrupted pre-season.
Well if he has looked a lot better this year God Help us !!!!!!!!

 

[Kirby]

How did he have an interrupted pre-season when he didn't even play the last 6 games of last year. As far as I recall he played in nearly all the pre-season games too.

 

[The Dawes]

If you look at his stats this year BJ has become almost a complete receiver (41 of his 268 possessions have been contested which = 15%), which is fine if you are highly skilled but let's face it, he isn't.

At his best he has great evasive skills, can break the lines and is a penetrating kick, but we haven't seen much of this in 2008.

To be brutally honest Ryan Lonie would offer us more if he's fully fit than BJ is at present.

 

[Rgs011]

I can't understand the reason he has gone backwards this season?
He looks shot!

Is he finished as a player?

Backwards? He is more one-sided then a stroke victim, and the opposition know whenever he gets it, he has to go to his left. He is so crap on his right foot, he that he is even incapable of throwing it on his right to clear it!

Watch him tomorrow. Every clanger he does, every time he gets caught with the ball, it will be trying to get to his left. He doesn't just favor his left foot, he has utter dependence on it. When this happens, think, was that turnover/clanger avoidable if he had a right foot?