Craig & Walker

[rocket18]

Does anyone know what the history between Criagy and Walker?

Did Walker try it on with Craigys missus or something.

Listening to the press conference on the way home on the bus and he was asked about hte youngsters.
Craigy replies "Sloan - crowd favourite" "Armstrong and Tippett doing well"
and that was it, no mention of Walker.
Thank ***k the Rooch (of all people) asked about how Tippett and Walker combined in the forward line.
Craig then conceded that Walker has had a great two weeks. It's like it pains him to admit Walker is doing well and he find it offensive.
Sorry if I am been overly critical (had too many bourbons, not normaly a sprits man but can't stand the XXXX Gold shit they serve up at night games)

 

[smoovy]

Tex has a new maturity apparently.

Whatever that means, he has been good the last two weeks.

Wish he kicked that last one. 4 would have been a fair reward.

 

[Allbetsroff]

I think it has to do with the fact that Neil Craig doesn't need to tell Walker how talented he is, both Walker and Craig are well aware of it.

After all, Neil Craig did say that Walker is the type of player you lie awake at night thinking about.

 

[SydCrow]

maybe he has an ego that Craig is trying to manage

Craig will praise him when he thinks he deserves it

whatever he is doing, it seems to be working - Tex was great tonight

 

[Riggy1]

No, he brought up the following players
Davis, Armstrong, Sloane then Tippett
isn't it obvious that he loves the Roosters and Tippett was just a random name thrown out to not look bias?

 

[rocket18]

maybe he has an ego that Craig is trying to manage

Craig will praise him when he thinks he deserves it

whatever he is doing, it seems to be working - Tex was great tonight

I feel that Walker has done very well despite how he has been handled by Craig and that Craig resents this.
I know logically it can't be like this but it seems Craig could not have done more to erode his confidence over the last year.

But as you say, it is working - Walker was good again tonite. Really enjoyed his game last week as well.

 

[SydCrow]

I feel that Walker has done very well despite how he has been handled by Craig and that Craig resents this.
I know logically it can't be like this but it seems Craig could not have done more to erode his confidence over the last year.

But as you say, it is working - Walker was good again tonite. Really enjoyed his game last week as well.

this bit I agree with - what coach wants to see his most talented player fail? maybe Tex has done very well because of the way he has been handled?

anyway let's hope he keeps it up - last year doesn't matter - what's important is making him the best player he can be

 

[cmndstab]

I think we as supporters just view Walker with such a Godlike status that the instance he's not immediately mentioned by Craig as the next coming we assume there's a problem between them.


For what it's worth my mail is that Walker is looked upon very favourably by the coaching staff at the Crows.

 

[Peter Doherty]

... (had too many bourbons, not normaly a sprits man but can't stand the XXXX Gold shit they serve up at night games)

What was up with this? No full strength because it was a night game? First night game of the season and first time no full strength. Bloody outrage.

 

[Bockchoy67]

For what it's worth my mail is that Walker is looked upon very favourably by the coaching staff at the Crows.

Yep.

Craig is harsh on Walker, perhaps more so than other players, because he knows that Tex has more talent than most blokes on our list. Craig knows all too well that talent is useless if a player doesn't ensure that he works at the same intensity and put in the same effort as the blokes around him.

I do think that at times Craig has been perhaps too demanding of a kid in his second year of AFL footy, but Craig has a very high opinion of Tex and is only so demanding because he knows what Taylor is capable of.

Short term pain for long term gain, really. Tex needs to absorb the criticism and instead of letting it drop his confidence, he needs to use it to improve his intensity at AFL level and become the player he has the potential to be. His recent form only serves to validate this approach. He's been much improved.

I think Tex is taking a little bit more time than we thought/hoped he would, just given his dominance in the SANFL in 2008, but I have real confidence that he'll grow from strength to strength over the next few years.

 

[TDRP]

I feel that Walker has done very well despite how he has been handled by Craig and that Craig resents this.

The Walker we are seeing now is probably the result of how he has been handled. His defensive efforts are now acceptable.

I don't think there is any resentment from Craig... I hardly see him as an egocentric. He's the head coach, wants his team to play a certain way (AS A TEAM) regardless of personel. For all of his knockers... the fact the ship has been righted should earn him some points. Our team tonight was bloody young... Sloane, Jaensch, Henderson, Davis, Dangerfield, Walker all babies... so given that profile we are miles off our best.

Essendon were puss tonight. Really really really bad.

Beat West Coast and we are back in the hunt.

 

[amer]

Spot on Stabby. Know for a fact that Craigy and Tex have a good relationship. Banter a fair bit. It's just that Craigy doesn't want to waste the one real natural gun forward we've had in the past decade, and he has his own ideas as to how to handle said commodity. Divided opinion.

 

[cmndstab]

Yep.

Craig is harsh on Walker, perhaps more so than other players, because he knows that Tex has more talent than most blokes on our list. Craig knows all too well that talent is useless if a player doesn't ensure that he works at the same intensity and put in the same effort as the blokes around him.

I do think that at times Craig has been perhaps too demanding of a kid in his second year of AFL footy, but Craig has a very high opinion of Tex and is only so demanding because he knows what Taylor is capable of.

Short term pain for long term gain, really. Tex needs to absorb the criticism and instead of letting it drop his confidence, he needs to use it to improve his intensity at AFL level and become the player he has the potential to be. His recent form only serves to validate this approach. He's been much improved.

I think Tex is taking a little bit more time than we thought/hoped he would, just given his dominance in the SANFL in 2008, but I have real confidence that he'll grow from strength to strength over the next few years.

Great post, this is precisely how I feel about things. We all idolise Walker, but the reality is he hasn't turned into the super forward we hoped he would yet, and has instead been merely a servicable player with occasional flashes of absolute brilliance.

Outside of the dropping earlier this season I've been completely in agreeance with how they've handled the massive, but raw, talent of walker.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Great post, this is precisely how I feel about things. We all idolise Walker, but the reality is he hasn't turned into the super forward we hoped he would yet, and has instead been merely a servicable player with occasional flashes of absolute brilliance.

honestly...

what the flying **** were you actually expecting from this point at his career?

 

[cmndstab]

honestly...

what the flying **** were you actually expecting from this point at his career?

Probably more consistency than anything else. Don't get me wrong - his best has been enormous, but his low points have been quite poor. I didn't expect him to dominate the comp or anything but his disappointing weeks have been below the level I had anticipated, and there's been more of them than I had expected.

 

[jenny61_99]

Probably more consistency than anything else. Don't get me wrong - his best has been enormous, but his low points have been quite poor. I didn't expect him to dominate the comp or anything but his disappointing weeks have been below the level I had anticipated, and there's been more of them than I had expected.

But Stabby, don't you see a lot of similarities with Danger in terms of performance? Surely it has more to do with their age and level of experience? Both have shown great glimpses of brilliance, but neither have yet been able to deliver that brilliance on a consistent basis. Can't wait til they do though!

 

[footy4ever]

I think Graig knows walker will be a superstar and for Taylor's own good has always tried to keep a lid on it. The media, the supporters have been going ballistic about the potential of Walker ever since he came on the scene. There is a real danger of someone his age getting caught up in all the hype and thinking they've arrived already, when really he still has so much 'maturing' to go, both as an adult and as a footballer. Craig will help him become that superstar.

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

FFS some supporters need to pull their head in, just because some supporters have orgasms every time Tex plays a half decent game it does not mean the coach needs to pump up his tyres in every press conferences

Walker has been treated no different to any other young player on our list and like all players Walker would be getting very good feedback that would includes a kick in the ass when appropriate and praise when and where its appropriate

Saying Sloane is a crowd favourite is a fact and I dont see it as the coach praising the player

some people have short memories, last week Craigy came out and praised Tex for what Craigy believed to be his best game for the club

lets keep a lid on it folks

 

[Geoffa32]

Walker is 19-20 and is in our best 22 and competing in a physically demanding role. He is not a mid that can spend a lot of the game alone ina zone. His role is to take one of the better defenders and create scoring opportunites he is doing just that. Our forward line is a team, we dont rely on one forward. He is playing his role in that team.

Name me another kid of his age who has done that in the past 20 years of the AFL, at any club?

IMO he is exceeding expectations. But Craigy has to keep a lid on it. He is aware of the hype that this club develops supporters when we have a superstar. Ask Mods. I reckon he is aware of what Walker is doing, and praising him in private but is downplaying his achievements to us. Could also be a bit of psychology, Walker is a confident young man, who may have needed to be taken down a peg or two to ensure he stays in the AFL system for ten years, and not ten months.

 

[adelaidecrows]

There is no history its called player management.

Walker obviously has been deemed to have extreme confidence and you can see it that he is not shy out on the field and never has. The problem with extreme confidence is that you can perhaps become complacent at times and not do the job to 100 % requirement. This is where I beleive Walkers failing has been and especially as a natural forward he has no natural defensive incling and has had to learn it.

So it would be deliberate from neils point of you that he doesnt publicly mention walker all the time because he knows walker personality can handle it.

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

NC spent a goos 2-3 minutes talking about Tex and what he said was spot on.

We are starting to see Tex move from being a cocky young kid and move towards being a more consistent footballer and IMO NC needs to take some credit for Tex's maturity.

We all ove to see Tex kicking goals and punching the air however we all want to see him compete at every contest, win some contested footy and bring his team mates into the game..... and to his credit we have seen the complete package over the past couple of weeks

 

[Huntercrow]

I would hate to see Walker end up as a "Fevola" type who is capable of kicking bags when everything is Hunkidory but struggles when things don't go his way.

There were some instances of poor defensive pressure by Walker last night.One that stood out to me was when he elected to bump instead of tackle in the last qtr. It didn't look good!
So he still has a ways to go but he is definitely improving.

 

[crowsarethebest]

NC spent a goos 2-3 minutes talking about Tex and what he said was spot on.

We are starting to see Tex move from being a cocky young kid and move towards being a more consistent footballer and IMO NC needs to take some credit for Tex's maturity.

We all ove to see Tex kicking goals and punching the air however we all want to see him compete at every contest, win some contested footy and bring his team mates into the game..... and to his credit we have seen the complete package over the past couple of weeks

Exactly. The stuff that Walker has done for the team over the past 2 weeks has impressed me more than his goal kicking ability. We all know he can kick goals out of his ass from anywhere, however he is bringing his team mates more into the game, having an impact by harassing, tackling, chasing, setting up goals etc. He used to not do that- his only kicks would basically be shots at goal.Now he is setting them up more and providing adequate forward pressure.

 

[King Elvis]

I think it has to do with the fact that Neil Craig doesn't need to tell Walker how talented he is, both Walker and Craig are well aware of it.

After all, Neil Craig did say that Walker is the type of player you lie awake at night thinking about.

Craig praised Walker pretty heavily last week, but I agree with the above.

 

[beartoo]

Credit where it's due...I've said a number of times that Walker wasn't playing well enough for the amount of hype on this board. But last night he was the complete package. Let's hope he continues on with this. Yesterday's game was a flogging and everyone looked good.