Chris Scott and Blake

[Vdubs]

Sounds like Chris Scott has plans for Blake in the ruck and will be more than just a replacement for an injured Ottens. I say good.

 

[Cohzee]

Based on?

 

[Vdubs]

Based on?

Official AFL website. Says he is a critical part of what we want to do, and expects further improvement.

 

[alfy!]

Old news, that was a quote from like a few weeks ago.

 

[CF]

He is hardly going to come out and say he is a spud and I wish he would just leave in a public statement.

 

[Vdubs]

Old news, that was a quote from like a few weeks ago.

Yes, but with ALL the negative Blake comments, I feel entitled to at least mention it, nobody else has, I've been very patient and had to put up with all comments saying he had NO FUTURE at all with the arrival of Chris Scott, so maybe there is a hope he will be given the chance to keep improving.

 

[Vdubs]

He is hardly going to come out and say he is a spud and I wish he would just leave in a public statement.

Yes, but of all the possible comments he could make, about Geelong in general, that was what was printed.

 

[InnocentBystandr]

He is hardly going to come out and say he is a spud and I wish he would just leave in a public statement.

I had a genuine 'belly laugh' at this

 

[Cohzee]

I saw Blake at Coles last night. **** he's a big unit, shame he's shit.

 

[darren forssman]

Yes, but with ALL the negative Blake comments, I feel entitled to at least mention it, nobody else has

im sure it was mentioned in that long blake thread and from memory he didnt actually say too much.

 

[Belisarius]

Not sure that a person with as many seasons of footy behind them can suddenly start to mark over head. And that is one thing he has to be able to do.

Secondly there is an issue of how he covers the ground - can he keep up with his opposition going forward and can he make ground to provide another target to kick to.

The speed of the game has certainly increased over the past decade or so. Even ruckman are becoming, and expected to be, more mobile. No more Jerker Jenkins and Galloping Gasometers are really going to cut it in this modern version of the game.

It would be great for Mark to prove me wrong but I just cannot see it happening.

 

[David the Cat]

Scott put it rather nicely.

"There's room for improvement, there's no doubt about that".

Hardly a ringing endorsement.


His "critical role to play" maybe giving West and Vardy competition in the VFL.

 

[MachoRandySavage]

Yes, but with ALL the negative Blake comments, I feel entitled to at least mention it, nobody else has, I've been very patient and had to put up with all comments saying he had NO FUTURE at all with the arrival of Chris Scott, so maybe there is a hope he will be given the chance to keep improving.

Blake is borderline special needs. Seriously. Go watch a dvd of John Barnes. Then Blake. Then you will have a comparison.

 

[Boxhead_31]

Official AFL website. Says he is a critical part of what we want to do, and expects further improvement.

It's an AFL directive that we have 39-40 players on the list so it is critical that he is around so we don't cop a fine from Vlad so in that regard Mark is critical to what we do.

Further improvement well there really is only one way from Mark to go Scott isn't likely to come out and say that Mark has peaked and now is on the downside of his development.

 

[vinum coupe]

Sounds like Chris Scott has plans for Blake in the ruck and will be more than just a replacement for an injured Ottens. I say good.

I've said it all along.
I reckon he has to play every week. I do not subscribe to the theory that the new interchange rule changes everything.

The new rule will benefit some clubs such as WC and the Bombers who have a second ruck that can play other positions.

But it won't damage a club like ours.

We were under rotating last year.

The average was around 104 from memory.
So 26 rotations per bench space.

We just change up the 3 spaces to 35 rotations. Which is still less than the dogs this year.

I would like a better option than Blake, but there isn't one.
Ottens laboured all year. He may improve with a preseason, but I wouldn't bet on it.

West may improve, and he needs the chance somehow to try and improve.
But on his recent form he is only ok in the ruck and largely ineffectual around the ground.

At least Blake wins in one of the positions.

If we play Ottens and West all year we need to completely change our midfield setup as we won't be winning too many contests when the ball is in the air.




Now I'm scared this will become another Blake bashing thread. Should have stayed out

 

[vinum coupe]

And in regards to my last comment about the new interchange rule.

I think for us it is going to affect our forward and backline more than our rucks.

Personally I think we had one too many tall forwards and one too many tall backs.

I expect Scott to remove 1 of each in order to speed up the team and lessen the effect of the rotations.

It is however possible that they will push Hawkins this preseason to make sure he can be the mobile ruck. That will help in one area.

 

[Vdubs]

Blake is borderline special needs. Seriously. Go watch a dvd of John Barnes. Then Blake. Then you will have a comparison.

I was a big Barnes fan, and that is NOT the sort of player we have, unless Vardy turns out like that. I see Blake more as a Jamar type player, who was essentially a nobody a few years ago. You might as well compare Mooney with a mobile goal kicking follower like Barnes. Not West, too awkward and wayward with kicking. Blake will continually give our onballers the ball, and around the ground, if they continue to go through him, Blake can be more than useful. Why don't you check out the replay of our first Pies game this year. That is an example of what Blake can do, and has done before. AND WE WON .


For a "special needs player", he's got 99 games and a Premiership medallion. So far. If you see him around in Geelong, encourage him, he'll benefit from it. We have him, and he will be used this year. He and Simpson and Vardy are our future.

 

[you pick one]

Mark Blakes marking over head will never be a strength,however I believe his ruck tap work is above par.
He has never been used around the ground as a link player and rightly so due to the other options were had available,If Mark is to survive at Geelong this is the area he and TOM HAWKINS must improve in. This is the challenge I believe for the new coach.Good luck Scotty Mark and Tom

 

[Pure_Ownage]

And in regards to my last comment about the new interchange rule.

I think for us it is going to affect our forward and backline more than our rucks.

Personally I think we had one too many tall forwards and one too many tall backs.

I expect Scott to remove 1 of each in order to speed up the team and lessen the effect of the rotations.

It is however possible that they will push Hawkins this preseason to make sure he can be the mobile ruck. That will help in one area.

I agree that we are too slow there, but you can't do that and expect Otto to ruck on his own, it's not feasible. And if they go with Hawk as the 2nd ruck, they will use Pods and Mooney as the key forwards. You can't have someone as the third tall like Blake who has no mobility. Even West has more mobility.

The new interchange rule does change everything because now Blake has to become a competent forward to get a game. Unfortunately for him, while he's the better tap ruckman, West has it over him in this area by a mile, and that's part of why he got a 2 year deal IMO.

I could be wrong, but I don't see Blake as part of the setup with the negative effect on either our forward line defensive pressure, or rotations, that it would cause us.

It's not his fault (as I said, if I was him I'd have a dartboard at home with a picture of ADom's head on it) but the structure doesn't work IMO.

 

[you pick one]

V.C With respect I think we only have one tall down back lonergan I dont see 193cm players as tall these days

 

[Vdubs]

Off the topic, but is there any future for Ottens as a KF most of the time, and Tom H to help out as CHB? Changes all over are going to happen as those who felt we were too predictable suggest. Harry could be an awesome utility if we didn't need him at CHB.

Would like to see Ling do Max's role on forward line too.

 

[proboy]

Hawk at chb sounds good to me. Might freshen him up by letting him charge full steam straight ahead.

 

[Vdubs]

I agree that we are too slow there, but you can't do that and expect Otto to ruck on his own, it's not feasible. And if they go with Hawk as the 2nd ruck, they will use Pods and Mooney as the key forwards. You can't have someone as the third tall like Blake who has no mobility. Even West has more mobility.

The new interchange rule does change everything because now Blake has to become a competent forward to get a game. Unfortunately for him, while he's the better tap ruckman, West has it over him in this area by a mile, and that's part of why he got a 2 year deal IMO.

I could be wrong, but I don't see Blake as part of the setup with the negative effect on either our forward line defensive pressure, or rotations, that it would cause us.

It's not his fault (as I said, if I was him I'd have a dartboard at home with a picture of ADom's head on it) but the structure doesn't work IMO.

Sorry PO, can't agree with you about West being a miles better forward than Blake. If Blake played forward more often rather than going to the bench, he'd be more than nuisance value to opposition defences. West has poor conversion in the 2's, remember the games we saw this year?



WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH DAWSON SIMPSON?

 

[you pick one]

Off the topic, but is there any future for Ottens as a KF most of the time, and Tom H to help out as CHB? Changes all over are going to happen as those who felt we were too predictable suggest. Harry could be an awesome utility if we didn't need him at CHB.

Would like to see Ling do Max's role on forward line too.

Ottens as KF has not been a great success in the past.
Tom at CHB may be.
Ling on the forward line ok,but nobody could do Max's job like Max.
Open mind on Harry

 

[catswhiskers]

I can't see the change to the bench rules necessarily killing ruckmen.

Go in with two genuine rucks and a mid on the bench and your rotations will be more limited early in a game . If the injury does come one ruck must play somewhere else for a while. Not ideal. If injury does not come, the option of bringing in a fresh mid presents itself later in the game -- bench one ruck and bring on fresh runner.
However:
The other option is to play one ruck and a KPP on the bench. Lots of rotations early (when you need them least) but who then is the third ruck option for this team? The first ruck will have to rest or go half throttle at some stages and the back up KPP is still stuck on the bench. Team with a bone fide ruck on the ground controls stoppages for these stages.


Changed rule = changed methods not necessarily changed personnel at this stage.


Blake is not cooked - he has a big role to play