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Chris Dawes - My two cents

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otfc42

otfc42

Team Captain
Aug 18, 2007
419
255
ACT
AFL Club
Collingwood
Dawesy, what to do?

Had solid hopes for him today but failed to produce. I must admit that I'm also a big Dawes fan. He is essential to our structure and stops us being to Cloke conscious when he's on song.

He's playing his best when he's leading hard and out in front and then taking his two or three contested marks for the game.

He had a great first 10 minutes and had Pies supporters thinking that this might be his game, however then faded out. I did notice that on a number of occasions that he was leading hard and in front of his man and we kept bombing over his head to Cloke (and why not he was marking everything).

So what to do next week?

Regardless for somes love of Paine here, he isn't ready to be anything more than a week to week option. If you're replacing a power forward you need to take contested marks and this guy is yet to show this ability at AFL level. And yep, I know he's still a kid and has heaps of improvement left in him.

So, options for Melbourne?

Bring in Paine and play two rucks?

Bring in Jolly and play him 25% in the ruck and the bulk of the time in the forward line. And no, Wood doesn't play forward cause he can't take a friggin' mark. He got smashed in the contested marks today by someone with 5 games and 15 kg lighter than him.

Status Quo? Why change a winning combination? He takes some of the work off Jolly, takes the second tall and still does a lot of work even though he's not getting a lot of the ball.

So after all this, my two cents is to leave him in as the relief ruck. Goldy wouldn't be as effective getting he second best defender, and the way our smalls are playing if it comes to the front off Dawes we're a big chance of taking it away anyway.
 
I just think he isn't a very good footballer, has to be dropped this week, looks like tarzans big brother, plays like jane's lil sister.
 
I havn't written him off but I think Buckley needs to start working on a plan B in case Dawes can't find his touch before finals, we can't carry him into a prelim the way he's playing now. Maybe give him a few weeks rest to get his head in the right space then bring him back after the bye and set him the challenge to keep his spot for the rest of the year.
 
Was going to start a thread about him as well but beaten to it. Was at the game and with the exception of the first few minutes he was basically an overpaid decoy for Cloke. Lost hope in him has no second effort and the turning circle of a semi truck.

Just don’t know what other option we have?? Yes Paine will be better but not yet. Can we play 2 rucks? Wood although not as bad, does get beaten by fist year players that are around 10 kg lighter... THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN !!!

Maybe Ceglar? But like Paine a few years off. Maybe Witts, he can obviously ruck as well.....might be worth a crack....

Dawes = very very very disappointing.
 

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The question isn't whether we drop Chris Dawes or not, the question is do we stop playing him as the second ruck and revert back to playing him as a permenant forward?

We have no one else, sorry, we don't, Witts, Ceglar and Paine are not up to playing at the highest level at the moment for an extended period of time, so the only other option would be to play Wood and Jolly in the same side, and every time we have done that it has ended in disaster.

I say keep playing him, we are going to be 7-2 next week, he still takes a top defender out of the game (last night he took Warnock off Cloke), and he gives Jolly/Wood a chop out in the ruck, an area he has improved in.
 
I think Dawes gets 1 more chance this week and if it does not work then he goes back to the 2,s and he does not come back until he starts marking again and kicks a few.We know he has a new role but he is not doing it very well and he did look like the effort was dropping off in the last qtr,to be honest Keeffe made a better fist of his only time up forward and 2nd ruck and Dawes,y is lucky keeffe is injured because on his small time up forward he would have been a better option this season.

His confidence looks absolutely shot to me and he is complaining to the umpires far too much,so one last chance and if he does not take it and keep performing then he goes back because if he carries on the way he is going he will get dropped sooner or later and should be sooner because we cannot be carrying any passengers later.
 
mattys123 said:
The question isn't whether we drop Chris Dawes or not, the question is do we stop playing him as the second ruck and revert back to playing him as a permenant forward?
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That's what people need to keep in mind, he is playing back up ruck.

It might be better for Dawes to play full time as a forward but it isn't the best thing for the team.

He isn't a natural ruckman but on balance it's better for us if he helps out the 1 ruckman instead of playing 2.
 
You can't fix stupidity.....

He might be working on a law degree off the field but that doesn't come across on it, IMO.
 
speedytiger said:
That's what people need to keep in mind, he is playing back up ruck.

It might be better for Dawes to play full time as a forward but it isn't the best thing for the team.

He isn't a natural ruckman but on balance it's better for us if he helps out the 1 ruckman instead of playing 2.
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So we should keep gifting him games because he plays a back up Ruck?

Play wood and Jolly then
 
Shade said:
Jolly or Wood can rest up forward when one of them aint doing the ruck work

Im sure Wood or Jolly can offer more up forward than dawes can
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Agree.....

Wood looks a better mark and kick for goal than Dawes and it would be a competition between the two on who is worse one the ball hits the turf.
 

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The choice comes down to Wood or Dawes, because the other options don't play 2nd ruck.

Wood marginally beat a 2nd gamer in the ruck yesterday, but was pantsed around the ground by him. Dawes was ok in the ruck, but only really competed with Day - who was worst on ground and was destroyed by Brown when he was forward.

Dawes had a great start to the game as a forward, then immediately went missing when he had a spell in the ruck. He then went back forward but it was almost as if his teammated had forgotten he was there - he got on his bike a few times and had good seperation on his opponent, only to watch the ball bombed over his head.

He's not in great nick, but given the choice between Dawes and Wood - I'll take Dawes all day at this stage.

If Paine can come in an also shoulder 2nd ruck duties, all for him being given a go - but I don't think its realistic to expect it.
 
The good form he showed in the back half of 2010 now appears to be the exception to the rule.

Would much prefer to see Paine, Witts, Jolly or even Wood given a go in the forward line until Dawes proves himself with good form for over a month in the reserves.
 
dansa said:
The good form he showed in the back half of 2010 now appears to be the exception to the rule.

Would much prefer to see Paine, Witts, Jolly or even Wood given a go in the forward line until Dawes proves himself with good form for over a month in the reserves.
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Maybe the answer is a 3rd tall (Paine) so when Dawes goes to ruck Cloke still has some backup in Paine??? Just a thought.
 

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IF dawes gets back to good form it'll help us immensly.. he doesnt seem able to do that so try him in the vfl this week and give paine a go
 
Dawes gives us nothing at the moment, there is no harm sending him to the VFL to find some touch.

On the other hand I think Wood when asked to play this season has played very well, and doesn't get the credit for it on this board. Yesterday we smashed GC in the clearances mainly due to the fact Wood was putting it on a platter for the midfielders. He is just as good a ruckman as Jolly these days, whilst Dawes isn't even on the same planet when it comes to ruck work.

Play Wood/Jolly rotating into full forward with Cloke and CHF. Both Wood and Jolly are good contested markers and when given a chance inside 30 they rarely miss set shots. All they have to do is bring it to ground level where Elliot, Didak, Blair, Sinclair, Thomas and co will have a field day.
 
Wood or Jolly forward is a terrible option. They might give a solid initial contest, but their second and third efforts are non-existent. Dawes might struggle in games, but have a look at his second and third efforts - go through just about every game this year and you'll find at least two or three goals that come from Dawes' contests. He does the things Jolly and Wood are incapable of doing, which are critical for our forward line - he stays in the team, for mine. Without doubt.
 
I agree with most on this, QB should be his last chance. He does do things around the ground, and his second+ efforts are great. However, he really should be marking the balls sent to him. When he leads, why aren't the boys kicking to him. This could be for many different reasons, but one which is sort of reflective of his form and confidence, would be that he's not leading to the right places.

The possibility of having youth rotated through; Paine, Mooney, Ugle etc. Along with keeping wood in the side with Jolly. You'd be making the side a bit slow, but then injecting pace with the youth rotated through. so overall, there is more a gain in pace than anything.

As ideal as it would be, we can't have Taz coming forward, as we really need the key backs, staying back.

The resting Ruck plays Dawes' role, until Dawes proves himself for selection in the VFL. So Goldy still plays third tall in this situation too.
 

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Chris Dawes - My two cents

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