EGG splat?

Oct 2, 2008
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At Damien Hardwick's press conference yesterday, he spoke at length about Egg, and what he was saying ... to me, had some finality to it.

It almost sounded as if Dimma put a line through him, time to give others a go, we are moving on.

Thought it was a powerful message and deservedly so. People will complain why doesn't Rioli get the same treatment? Well Rioli, like all our players has equity in the bank. When you kick 4 goals in a Prelim Final and when you tackle, run and chase like he has proven he can do, you give those players the time to rediscover their form. Although Rioli is on thin ice.

Did we just witness Egg splattered by Hardwick? Honestly, many criticised the move to re-rookie him, and to give him a game so early was a blunder at the match committee. Dude couldn't tackle, lay any pressure and worst of all, the thing he is good at, disposal... he alwsys took too long to make decisions.

He needs to go, hopefully somewhere else and find some role to play. Just one more game in the yellow and black and he will become our punching bag, hopefully he doesn't get another game for us again. His performance against Port Adelaide last year was the nail in the coffin for me, yesterdsy was a waste of time.

Anyway, time for RCD, Jack Ross, Martyn and Hugo to get some turns.
 

Hamsatma

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I agree that his words didn't sound like he was describing a player who'll be a big part of our short-term plans. Not sure we'd write off anyone on our list this early in the year but I'd be pretty concerned if I was egg listening to that
 

Vassp

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He has upside, he is young and like many youngsters before him he will improve.

the question is...how do you expect our younger players to have a good game when our experienced player have a howler.
we got smashed everywhere, l could tell early the way the ball was bouncing - Sydney made the play and everything went their way -the free kicks, missed tankles,to the cheap 50s.....they all went Sydney’s way.

we want a chance to win we need our mids to turn up and win contested ball.
 

AstuteTiger

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I was at the game and seriously he didn't go in hard enough, didn't want to chase or harrass, the game was hot and he didn't wanna be in the kitchen.
I have said the same about Chol and Naish unless they all add a harder edge to their game, and desperation at the contest they won't make it.
Naish from what I've heard this was relayed to him in the preseason and he still has time to improve in this area but I guess you either have it or not, time will tell.
 
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Feb 13, 2006
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Some players you just can't turn around.
Egg & Chol in the same boat.
Still irks me that we delisted Turner & English.
Think Turner was in the same boat. Hardwick wants hard, tough wingers that will win contests and run hard both ways. Don't think Turner had the campaigner about him to tick off the first two prerequisites.
 
Some players you just can't turn around.
Egg & Chol in the same boat.
Still irks me that we delisted Turner & English.
Yeah I was really disappointed Turner got chopped, I didn’t see a whole lot of his first year but heard nothing but strong reports about how well he was progressing as the youngest on the list then missed game time last year due to COVID and got cut and didn’t get a chance to regain his spot like Egg did.
 
Oct 2, 2008
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Good points from everyone actually.

I think we have a few players who should be concerned, now that are routine injury list is expanding, theyll get their turn. They have two choices

1. Balta, Bolton and Short
- Improve defensive side to their game. Take the spot, cement their claim to it and win a premiership, be established best 22.

2. Egg Smith, Patty Naish, Jack Ross
- Play OK and hang on another year on our list.

Riley Collier Dawkins will get a game this week surely. I'd like to see him ensure he doesn't try to break every tackle, he has done this quite often when I've watched him and he hasn't got the strength to it at AFL level.

Thomson Dow - would like him to kick the ball more, over reliant on handballs, continue to work on building muscle, reckon he will get a game or three this year to help his development.

Martyn and Ralphsmith look like the Baker, Broad types, may come from nowhere and be best 22 because they nail the basics and let Dustin and Shedda do the fancy stuff.

Either way, we've got a core group of players who've had plenty of time on our list. This year is their crossroads. Eggy is gone in my opinion, best thing he can do, thump the door down at VFL level, get one more opportunity later in the season or at another club. Just don't see him making it
 
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Feb 25, 2007
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The first 684 pages of the Jayden Short thread is strewn with endless final judgements about how he is 'too soft to play at the level.' Egg's about 70 games shy of where those people had to start eating large helpings of their past comments about Short.

I'm not saying Egg will get another chance next week, or this year, or become a regular senior player with us or elsewhere, but recent history should show us that in our system, players can and do improve dramatically in this area.

Do we rate his rebound enough to give him the sustained games required to improve defensively? The jury is out on that, but I would point out that some of our best football in past seasons has come with both Houli and Short rebounding at an A-grade level - it's been a key ingredient to our success. We don't have an obvious replacement for Houli on the list and sides are learning to exploit Baker's height (I expect him to be destined for a midfield role down the track and wouldn't be surprised if we hoped to free Short up for there too), hence why we'd experiment with Pickett and Caddy down there yesterday.

The most disappointing aspect of Egg's game yesterday was - as others have commented - that he seemingly had little confidence to take the game on with his disposal. He wasn't on his Pat Malone there. I see that as a hiccup which can be fixed when the coaching staff sit him down and say 'hey, you've got a block of 3-4 games to show us where you're at, don't be afraid to take the game on, you won't get dropped as a result making errors trying to do so.'

I didn't catch the presser yesterday, but RT commented that Hardwick also praised Egg's talent highly, so I'd imagine he's still in the mix for selection and not being hung out to dry for a game where we didn't have one single player who performed to reasonable expectations.
 

Marcel Proust

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The first 684 pages of the Jayden Short thread is strewn with endless final judgements about how he is 'too soft to play at the level.' Egg's about 70 games shy of where those people had to start eating large helpings of their past comments about Short.

I'm not saying Egg will get another chance next week, or this year, or become a regular senior player with us or elsewhere, but recent history should show us that in our system, players can and do improve dramatically in this area.

Do we rate his rebound enough to give him the sustained games required to improve defensively? The jury is out on that, but I would point out that some of our best football in past seasons has come with both Houli and Short rebounding at an A-grade level - it's been a key ingredient to our success. We don't have an obvious replacement for Houli on the list and sides are learning to exploit Baker's height (I expect him to be destined for a midfield role down the track and wouldn't be surprised if we hoped to free Short up for there too), hence why we'd experiment with Pickett and Caddy down there yesterday.

The most disappointing aspect of Egg's game yesterday was - as others have commented - that he seemingly had little confidence to take the game on with his disposal. He wasn't on his Pat Malone there. I see that as a hiccup which can be fixed when the coaching staff sit him down and say 'hey, you've got a block of 3-4 games to show us where you're at, don't be afraid to take the game on, you won't get dropped as a result making errors trying to do so.'

I didn't catch the presser yesterday, but RT commented that Hardwick also praised Egg's talent highly, so I'd imagine he's still in the mix for selection and not being hung out to dry for a game where we didn't have one single player who performed to reasonable expectations.

Not everyone that's soft gets better like houli and short. Tigers don't currently have a spare 70 games to find out.

I don't blame des - richmond choose to re draft him and give him an early game. Pretty strange for mine.

I'd be surprised if baker makes it as a mid he's too tiny
 
The first 684 pages of the Jayden Short thread is strewn with endless final judgements about how he is 'too soft to play at the level.' Egg's about 70 games shy of where those people had to start eating large helpings of their past comments about Short.

I'm not saying Egg will get another chance next week, or this year, or become a regular senior player with us or elsewhere, but recent history should show us that in our system, players can and do improve dramatically in this area.

Do we rate his rebound enough to give him the sustained games required to improve defensively? The jury is out on that, but I would point out that some of our best football in past seasons has come with both Houli and Short rebounding at an A-grade level - it's been a key ingredient to our success. We don't have an obvious replacement for Houli on the list and sides are learning to exploit Baker's height (I expect him to be destined for a midfield role down the track and wouldn't be surprised if we hoped to free Short up for there too), hence why we'd experiment with Pickett and Caddy down there yesterday.

The most disappointing aspect of Egg's game yesterday was - as others have commented - that he seemingly had little confidence to take the game on with his disposal. He wasn't on his Pat Malone there. I see that as a hiccup which can be fixed when the coaching staff sit him down and say 'hey, you've got a block of 3-4 games to show us where you're at, don't be afraid to take the game on, you won't get dropped as a result making errors trying to do so.'

I didn't catch the presser yesterday, but RT commented that Hardwick also praised Egg's talent highly, so I'd imagine he's still in the mix for selection and not being hung out to dry for a game where we didn't have one single player who performed to reasonable expectations.
This is brilliant mate.
 
Feb 25, 2007
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Not everyone that's soft gets better like houli and short. Tigers don't currently have a spare 70 games to find out.

Do I really need to remind you that about this time only last year you were asserting on the Short thread that he 'wouldn't get better like Houli did?' ;)

Back in 2016/17, it could more easily be said that we 'couldn't afford' to give Short enough games to improve. We were a rabble more often than not in Short's early days and he was always a favourite target when we got beaten. When we won and he played well, many people still singled him out as 'too soft.'

I see no reason why Egg - not to mention our system - shouldn't be given the benefit of the doubt, rather than pretending after a handful of games we have conclusive evidence that there is no doubt.


I'd be surprised if baker makes it as a mid he's too tiny

He's a born scrapper, a great contested ball winner and tough as nails, I see absolutely no reason why he wouldn't do well in the role simply because he's an inch and a few kg's off the ideal average.
 

Marcel Proust

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Do I really need to remind you that about this time only last year you were asserting on the Short thread that he 'wouldn't get better like Houli did?' ;)

Back in 2016/17, it could more easily be said that we 'couldn't afford' to give Short enough games to improve. We were a rabble more often than not in Short's early days and he was always a favourite target when we got beaten. When we won and he played well, many people still singled him out as 'too soft.'

I see no reason why Egg - not to mention our system - shouldn't be given the benefit of the doubt, rather than pretending after a handful of games we have conclusive evidence that there is no doubt.




He's a born scrapper, a great contested ball winner and tough as nails, I see absolutely no reason why he wouldn't do well in the role simply because he's an inch and a few kg's off the ideal average.

I was wrong on short he is a gun and I was very harsh on houli.

I would love to be wrong on eggy
 
Feb 25, 2007
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I was wrong on short he is a gun and I was very harsh on houli.

I would love to be wrong on eggy

It'd be a great outcome for the club's future having a young player with very similar attributes to Short coming through and Egg's probably the best fit from what we've seen so far.

I'd love to see some of our Melbourne based people yelling some confidence boosting support his way over the fence, it's probably mean the world to the kid to regularly hear that the Tiger Army believe in him and have his back.

You can never underestimate how much that sort of thing can boost a young bloke's self belief. :thumbsu:
 
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