Analysis Dangerfields drop in form

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Jan 13, 2006
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Has played ok footy this year, but nothing like the dangerfield of old... not setting the world on fire and seems to be just playing his part with solid performances. Not even in the top coaches votes or even close to being mentioned with the best players this season.

is there more to his decline such as injury etc?? Or has Father Time just caught up naturally to our champion on baller??
 

Spazz Cat

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 10, 2013
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Has played ok footy this year, but nothing like the dangerfield of old... not setting the world on fire and seems to be just playing his part with solid performances. Not even in the top coaches votes or even close to being mentioned with the best players this season.

is there more to his decline such as injury etc?? Or has Father Time just caught up naturally to our champion on baller??
Maybe the crowd? Likes attention. Might need it to get him going.
Ala Gaz last year with the boos. Selwood all the time.
Wait and see how he goes in Perth.
 

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frggr

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May 16, 2012
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Has played ok footy this year, but nothing like the dangerfield of old... not setting the world on fire and seems to be just playing his part with solid performances. Not even in the top coaches votes or even close to being mentioned with the best players this season.

is there more to his decline such as injury etc?? Or has Father Time just caught up naturally to our champion on baller??

I think the bolded is actually a positive though - in previous years he sometimes tried to do too much by himself when there were better options available.

Might be saving himself a little bit, might have a niggle or two (he's copped a few hits this year)
 

Isaac Norm Smith

Cancelled
Apr 8, 2011
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21-points up at half time in that prelim last year. He had one hand on the premiership cup, he could just about taste it. I reckon he knows that was his last chance for a flag, and he has now missed that boat. And as others have said, not sure he’d be coping without the crowd, he does seem to thrive on it.. I remember him taking a mark and lining up for a set shot goal in the last qtr v the Suns, he almost looked disinterested, that was my take on his body language anyway..
 
Aug 8, 2007
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He's 30 years old and has played a pretty hard, rough brand of football throughout. Also relies heavily on acceleration to burst from the pack so even losing a couple of steps will be noticeable given how he plays. We recruited him when he was in his prime; he's no longer in that bracket. We can't expect him to just dominate every game like he used to.

That said, he's not playing badly at all. Maybe not absolutely shredding it like previous years, but still our best and most consistent midfielder, capable of making something happen where others can't. Perhaps one issue for him is lack of support compared to previous years, with Kelly gone and Selwood not the player he was several years ago either. This was part of the problem with continuously trying for premierships by topping this group up - our best players, the ones we need to perform, are mostly 30+. They're not in their prime anymore and could drop away quickly.
 
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Warhorse

Premiership Player
Sep 23, 2017
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Selfish one way runner. If he is playing poorly offensively then you can sure as s**t bet his direct opponent is best on ground or close to it. Was shocking last year burning his team mates as well as burning the ball when he kicked it.

This board doesn't allow any negativity surrounding Dangerfield though so it is probably 'the coaches fault'' or he has 'a niggle' or something
 

My Tilly

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Jun 30, 2018
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His Achilles heel is his set shot kicking. I thought he could evolve to the forward line later on in his career but his goal kicking is simply not good enough, unless he is isolated one out and allowed to use creativity at his disposal.

Having said that, I wouldn't mind seeing him play off the half back flank as Andrew McLeod did similar later in his career. What do we gain by doing so? Nothing really. We do have an opportunity to get invaluable midfield minutes into the likes of Parfitt, Stephens and who knows, we could find a reversal of how Enright's career panned out, Clark or O'Conner may be a natural midfielder.
Coach needs to try some s**t.
 
Jan 13, 2006
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Selfish one way runner. If he is playing poorly offensively then you can sure as sh*t bet his direct opponent is best on ground or close to it. Was shocking last year burning his team mates as well as burning the ball when he kicked it.

This board doesn't allow any negativity surrounding Dangerfield though so it is probably 'the coaches fault'' or he has 'a niggle' or something

plenty of people have said he is not a good player defensively. Including many on this board. A lot of the elite midfielders aren’t thought.
 

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Jan 8, 2009
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I have thought for sometime that he is lazy he just labours along and is a down hill skier.

His goalkicking is really sub standard.

The main reason i think he is too confortable now ,perhaps not hungry enough had our chance last year in prelim and blew it.
 
Nov 12, 2002
41,685
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He's 30 years old and has played a pretty hard, rough brand of football throughout. Also relies heavily on acceleration to burst from the pack so even losing a couple of steps will be noticeable given how he plays. We recruited him when he was in his prime; he's no longer in that bracket. We can't expect him to just dominate every game like he used to.

That said, he's not playing badly at all. Maybe not absolutely shredding it like previous years, but still our best and most consistent midfielder, capable of making something happen where others can't. Perhaps one issue for him is lack of support compared to previous years, with Kelly gone and Selwood not the player he was several years ago either. This was part of the problem with continuously trying for premierships by topping this group up - our best players, the ones we need to perform, are mostly 30+. They're not in their prime anymore and could drop away quickly.

Honestly, for this year I don't think that's true at all. He's been quiet to patchy in probably every game except last weekend. Even then he wasn't close to best afield or anything. You're spot on about his acceleration. It's a major weapon of his, and when his paces goes he doesn't have Ablett's vision or awareness to fall back on.

I don't agree with the lack of support argument; he's got Selwood, Duncan, Guthrie, Steven, Menegola, Parfitt, Ablett all alongside him. That argument might have merit if you're in the bottom team full of 20 year olds (say Ablett in his first couple of years at Gold Coast), at a club with any kind of experienced list it just doesn't hold water.
 
Nov 12, 2002
41,685
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21-points up at half time in that prelim last year. He had one hand on the premiership cup, he could just about taste it. I reckon he knows that was his last chance for a flag, and he has now missed that boat. And as others have said, not sure he’d be coping without the crowd, he does seem to thrive on it.. I remember him taking a mark and lining up for a set shot goal in the last qtr v the Suns, he almost looked disinterested, that was my take on his body language anyway..

Not directed at you, but there's part of the problem. He had one hand on the premiership cup - it's a team sport. It's not about him. He did a fair impression of making it about him at half time in the Prelim, until he unfortunately disappeared in the second half when Richmond turned up the blowtorch.

He's not the first, and won't be the last, but star players aren't entitled to premierships. Plenty of great players have missed out on them before and will again.
 
Nov 7, 2010
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Not directed at you, but there's part of the problem. He had one hand on the premiership cup - it's a team sport. It's not about him. He did a fair impression of making it about him at half time in the Prelim, until he unfortunately disappeared in the second half when Richmond turned up the blowtorch.

He's not the first, and won't be the last, but star players aren't entitled to premierships. Plenty of great players have missed out on them before and will again.
Nathan no flags being the stand out chasing one with the Collywobbles and missed out on 3 and could have been 4 even if he'd stayed with the Lions.
 

Spazz Cat

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 10, 2013
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Not directed at you, but there's part of the problem. He had one hand on the premiership cup - it's a team sport. It's not about him. He did a fair impression of making it about him at half time in the Prelim, until he unfortunately disappeared in the second half when Richmond turned up the blowtorch.

He's not the first, and won't be the last, but star players aren't entitled to premierships. Plenty of great players have missed out on them before and will again.
Yep. It's not the NBA and it never will be. Too many players on the field and even the very best have to be unselfish to a degree.
I think Danger has been an unbelievable player for us and gotten us plenty of wins.
I also think he tries the hardest out of any player on the field. And he gets hammered consistently and always keeps going. He's brilliant.
But yes, the HE.
There was a dogs game last year where he took a set shot from outside 50 with a free player in the goal square for about 20 seconds.
Even Gaz snr probably wouldn't have done that. You just know when you see that a flag is impossible.
Imagine Allan Jeans seeing that lol.
 
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Baudolino

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 20, 2011
9,137
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There was a dogs game last year where he took a set shot from outside 50 with a free player in the goal square for about 20 seconds.

Yeah Danger never gives the ball off to his teammates, what with him having...

*checks notes*

...more goal assists than any Geelong player other than Hawkins since he arrived at the club.
 

Spazz Cat

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 10, 2013
24,890
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Yeah Danger never gives the ball off to his teammates, what with him having...

*checks notes*

...more goal assists than any Geelong player other than Hawkins since he arrived at the club.
If you see that vision do you think premiership team? You know it's not happening yeah.
If you hold the record for smashing the ball inside 50 ever in a season of course goals are eventually going to result.
 

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