Well put.
Crows plan Walker talks!
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Well put.
Unfortunately, that's one of the most vast grey areas you can have.
It's these players that bring the most dissapointment if they don't live up to it. Can end up ans massive could have beens. I have confidence in Tex though.
Drugs Are Bad Mackay?
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Do people have a clue what is going on?
We have the worst midfield in the competition.
The actual worst.
Last for contested possessions. Last for clearances. Last for hard ball gets.
And the few times we do get the ball our skills are shit house.
There isn't a forward in the game's history who would look good standing in front of what we are dishing up.
We have the worst midfield in the competition.
The actual worst.
Last for contested possessions. Last for clearances. Last for hard ball gets.
And the few times we do get the ball our skills are shit house.
There isn't a forward in the game's history who would look good standing in front of what we are dishing up.
Got to agree with Carl here. Walker is the kind of player you want in a premiership side - give him the right delivery and he'll provide you with goals. In a weak side, he doesn't provide much. Does that make him a poor player? Not everyone can be the kind of player who lifts a side when nobody else will do it. Sometimes you need players who will provide the cream to an already good side, to help them become a great side. Walker is this sort of player. While we're at the bottom of the ladder he's not going to provide nearly as much as he will when we have a midfield up and running, when we have a defensive unit that can actually repel the ball, when we have more than one performing forward to distract the opposition defenders.
To me, this is the reason that we hear that GWS doesn't rate Walker nearly as highly as us supporters do. There is no doubt in my mind that as bad as GC17 will be this year, GWS will be worse. Walker is not the right fit for a side that is likely to be at the bottom of the ladder for several years. He won't be worth what they'd have to pay to get him.
To me, this is the reason that we hear that GWS doesn't rate Walker nearly as highly as us supporters do. There is no doubt in my mind that as bad as GC17 will be this year, GWS will be worse. Walker is not the right fit for a side that is likely to be at the bottom of the ladder for several years. He won't be worth what they'd have to pay to get him.
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Numinous
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And yet big Kurt manages it ...
You are correct. Kurt looked dangerous on the weekend and doesnt need to be in a team that wins by 10 goals to look dangerous.
I would have been tempted to throw Tex into the centre just to see if he could provide something different. He has the tank according to club reports and he has the size to throw around in there. Get him into the game and see if he could get any of the other 14-15 guys who were comatose to wake up, we know he has the flair to do something inspirational.
Why has Douglas fallen away so much, he looked rather poor out there? The midfield needed any type of change!
Walker needs to be involved or his confidence diminishes and he is unsighted, get him into the game let him touch the ball.
Why has Douglas fallen away so much, he looked rather poor out there? The midfield needed any type of change!
Walker needs to be involved or his confidence diminishes and he is unsighted, get him into the game let him touch the ball.
Drugs Are Bad Mackay?
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How do you figure?
By any measure, Kurt is having an absolute stinker this season.
He's on target to kick about 40 goals.
Umm... he got three goals. Was starved of opportunities. Was barely in the game. The same as he has been all season apart from one game.
Tippett got off to a slow start due to his foot injury. Since then he's been improving rapidly.
I don't think it's unfair to compare dismal Walker's failure in the Melbourne game with Tippett's success.
I don't think it's unfair to compare dismal Walker's failure in the Melbourne game with Tippett's success.
But Kurt is a very different player to Walker. Walker is a leading forward who has very good crumbing skills when the ball hits the ground. Kurt is a big pack mark player with good agility when the ball hits the deck. Walker's efficiency as a forward relies on our midfield being competetive and getting good delivery from up the ground. It also relies on our midfield spotting him up when he's on the lead rather than resorting to the "bang it long to Tippo in a 3 on 1 contest in the goal square" every time we bring the ball forward. Kurt (obviously) is going to have more oppurtunities to be involved in the forward line contests when we do continually resort to "bang it long to Tippo" forward entry approach. Kurt is also significantly taller than most key defenders out there so even though he is often in a 3 on 1 situation, he has a distinct height advantage when we do sit it on top of his head in the goal square
Walker's output hasn't been too bad overall apart from the last couple of weeks. Overall in 2011 he has averaged
10.2 disposals 4.5 marks 2.2 goals 1.5 behinds (yep tackles are crap 0.3)
As a comparison Jack Riewoldt has averaged (and I have excluded the game he got concussed and didn't touch the ball)
10.8 disposals 4.8 marks 4.1 goals 1 behind 2.3 tackles
Now with Walker if you accept his last 2 games have not been flash (which is not exactly unexpected for a 21 year old key forward) then his averages for his first 4 games are
10 disposals 4.25 marks 3 goals 1.75 behinds.
I don't think Tex compares that poorly when you also look at the fact Jack is older, has played more games and is last years Coleman medalist and currently leading this years coleman medal.
We're going on about tackle counts and lambasting his average of 0.3 tackles per game after 7 rounds. St Nick, the bloke widely regarded as one of the hardest working leading forwards in the game has only averaged more than 2 tackles per game in 1 of his 11 seasons - in 2009 (2011 thus far included) In 2008 as a 25 year old he averaged 0.8 tackles for the year. Over his entire career he has averaged only 1.2 tackles per game.
I reckon Tex has played 4 reasonable games and 2 poor ones. Now one of those poor ones was last Sunday and to be quite frank I can count on one hand (with a few amputated fingers) the number of players that put in an adequate competetive effort. Yes he needs to tackle more, yes he needs to exert himself on the contest more, and yes he has twice bumped when he bloody well should have tackled, but when our entire team has been playing so poorly, I really can't figure out why we're focussing on the poor defensive efforts of a 21 year old key forward. Number one draft pick key position forward Jack Watts doubled his goal tally for the year to 4 after last weeks game and I have no doubt he will be a star.
Are there defensive issues that Tex needs to address - absolutely. But anyone labelling him as "average" or writing him off or saying he can "piss off to GWS" have no idea. A young key forward will be prone to inconsistency but give the guy time to develop and we will be rewarded.
No doubt he struggles to get in the game when the ball ball is predominantly down the other end or the only way you can take a mark in the forward line is if you are a foot taller than your opposition.
This is crazy logic, Carl. 40 goals is anything but an "absolute stinker". This concept that 50 goals is a passing mark for a key forward is crap. Not to mention writing off his game because he only got three goals. If he gets three goals every game he'll be in the running for the Coleman medal.
However, the concept that Tippett contributing means Walker should be able to contribute as well is also crazy logic. Tippett and Walker are two very different players, albeit in a similar role. Tippett relies on brute strength and size to complement his work rate in order to get the ball. These attributes rely much less on delivery than those of Walker. Walker relies on smarts and reading the play better than his opponents to get the ball. This falls apart when the play is erratic, or when it's so slow and signposted as to allow any Joe in the stands to read it as well.
Fact is, both players are hampered by being in a poor side, but one is going to be hampered much more than the other.
Walker's criticism has never been based upon his output. It's his effort and his hardness that is in question and this is something that you do if you don't touch the ball or you get it 40 times.
I'm not overly concerned with Walker kicking 2, 4 or 10. Fact is he'll kick goals in his good games and in his stinkers. His nose for the footy and goal awareness will force that. What I'm more concerned about it the things that won't show up on stat sheets. Spacing the forward line, going up to contest a pack mark, splitting the pack, using his frame.
No one in their right mind would question his talent or ability, but he simply relies on that as a fall back too much.
I'm not overly concerned with Walker kicking 2, 4 or 10. Fact is he'll kick goals in his good games and in his stinkers. His nose for the footy and goal awareness will force that. What I'm more concerned about it the things that won't show up on stat sheets. Spacing the forward line, going up to contest a pack mark, splitting the pack, using his frame.
No one in their right mind would question his talent or ability, but he simply relies on that as a fall back too much.
Bovo
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You say that, but what if he uses up his entire quota against GC on the weekend
He was good 14 disposals 5 marks 3 goals 1. Imposed himself on the contest well in a team getting smashed.
For the record he also had 0 tackles
The fact that in a losing side it helps being a foot taller as a forward was basically my point of bumping this thread. Is walker the right fit for a more than likely struggling team like GWS? No way, Id go for a Tippett like player....
I would like to see Walker pushing up the ground trying to get involved in some contests like a Riewoldt of last year or a Cloke. Try and out work his defender. Highly unlikely I'd say
I would like to see Walker pushing up the ground trying to get involved in some contests like a Riewoldt of last year or a Cloke. Try and out work his defender. Highly unlikely I'd say
Drugs Are Bad Mackay?
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He was as good as he could be.
Would not have been in the best 15 players on the ground though.
Not his fault. Our midfield is diabolical and is the root cause for our onfield problems. This should be obvious to everyone - why isn't it?
Walker's lack of intensity and tackling is an issue, but people act as though it is near the top of the list. In a list of our 100 biggest problems it would be in the 90s somewhere.
What absolute rubbish!
Please show me the criticism Walker received for his lack of intensity after the Hawthorn (4 goals) and Carlton (4 goals) games. Just a link will do.
Or was he a tackling machine in those matches?
Well, he debuted in 2008, emerged in 2009 and - two years later - is on target to post worse numbers than he did as a second year player. Sounds like regression to me.
Unless there is something else to blame...? Maybe?
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Nah, disagree strongly. This paints Walker as someone who can't inspire a struggling side, when he's done it several times already in his career. He's almost defined by it. He's a matchwinner and can turn an average side into a dangerous one. He's a genuine freak. He didn't see much of it on the weekend because we really were that bad in the midfield. We were ****ing non-existent.
No forward saw it much other than Tippett - and if you can't see why Tippett looked "handy" out there when you consider what we did with the ball all day (on the very rare occasion we got it), I don't know what to tell you.
A million times this.
Southerntakeover
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You appear to have worked out his pace by including the first round when he didnt play?
Id suggest a more accurate formline would be the last three games. 3, 4, 3 goals. If he continues at that pace he'll reach 60 goals.
It could have something to do with the fact that we, as a team, have regressed over those two years. Tippett is not as affected by this as other players, but he's still affected.
Try to recall our midfield delivery in the second half of 2009, and compare it to the slop we're serving up now. I think you'll figure out where the other 15 goals have gone.
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Part 2 will open shortly, as soon as I can move the latest batch of posts across.
Part 2 will open shortly, as soon as I can move the latest batch of posts across.
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