Toast Esava

[AWOL]

He’s simply a must for me. Our greatest improvement is the small forwards who benefit from him greatly. He has strength and hops, and the way he crashes packs he very rarely gets outmarked even if he hasn’t got his mitts working cleanly yet.
And I haven’t even mentioned his follow up work at ground level...

 

[Turbocat]

Not by me and I have been posting a few of the responses.

Kicked his 1 goal and took some grabs today against a good defensive unit.

All you can ask of him. Well done on his game

It was step in the right direction but as to it being all that you could ask of him..? As long as he continues to look loose and willing to compete ..and he did today then fine..its a work in progress ..you embrace what he does and absorb what he doesn't..and slowly work on that. He will need management at some stage and thats the only thing I have questioned. His form will be up and down but we should not play him when his body is fatigued. Just how much better could he be. Really he had the chance to have 2 or 3 goals today..so obviously he need to work on that. He has plenty to learn on forward play as well as he tend to rely on his gifts more than judgement. All this means is he has a lot of upside and we just have to persist ..thats what happens when you play guys that are under 50-70 games...especially big guys.

 

[Ratcat]

Always prefer a permanent CHF like Kennedy is for the Eagles but we have this 20 yr old doing double duties.
I carn't see him being a top CHF under these circumstances, he'll either be good at one and not so good at the other.
It's a tough gig for him he's judged for rucking and efforts around the ground and being the second tall forward.
Alot being asked imo.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

It was step in the right direction but as to it being all that you could ask of him..? As long as he continues to look loose and willing to compete ..and he did today then fine..its a work in progress ..you embrace what he does and absorb what he doesn't..and slowly work on that. He will need management at some stage and thats the only thing I have questioned. His form will be up and down but we should not play him when his body is fatigued. Just how much better could he be. Really he had the chance to have 2 or 3 goals today..so obviously he need to work on that. He has plenty to learn on forward play as well as he tend to rely on his gifts more than judgement. All this means is he has a lot of upside and we just have to persist ..thats what happens when you play guys that are under 50-70 games...especially big guys.

I agree with all of that. He is a long term project player and still only 20 years old.
We all should know from grooming Tom that it takes time. Not that he is a similar type to Tom but it just doesn’t happen often till they hit 22-23 years old.

What I mean by all we can ask is just for him to contribute his one or two goals in the scoreboard and compete in marking contests. Doesn’t need to set the world on fire at 20 years of age to do his job. Expectations need to be realistic for him. As long as he continues to do that he should keep his spot I would assume. If he doesn’t and he goes another four weeks kicking no goals.. then we have to question what we do with him

 

[The Casey Cat]

Always prefer a permanent CHF like Kennedy is for the Eagles but we have this 20 yr old doing double duties.
I carn't see him being a top CHF under these circumstances, he'll either be good at one and not so good at the other.
It's a tough gig for him he's judged for rucking and efforts around the ground and being the second tall forward.
Alot being asked imo.

I wish the CHF talk would stop. It's nonsense. Positions really don't mean much these days. He is 2nd ruck and apart from that plays a bit deep forward while developing his tank. Full Forward if anything. Our actual big forward combo is Hawkins and Rohan. Yes that's right Gary Rohan. And it's going pretty well and will continue to with such intent and supply from midfield and defense.

 

[Ratcat]

I agree with all of that. He is a long term project player and still only 20 years old.
We all should know from grooming Tom that it takes time. Not that he is a similar type to Tom but it just doesn’t happen often till they hit 22-23 years old.

What I mean by all we can ask is just for him to contribute his one or two goals in the scoreboard and compete in marking contests. Doesn’t need to set the world on fire at 20 years of age to do his job. Expectations need to be realistic for him. As long as he continues to do that he should keep his spot I would assume. If he doesn’t and he goes another four weeks kicking no goals.. then we have to question what we do with him

One thing for sure is you need another tall body apart from Hawkins otherwise Hawkins gets double teamed and the smalls

I wish the CHF talk would stop. It's nonsense positions really don't mean much these days. He is 2nd ruck and apart from that plays a bit deep forward while developing his tank. Full Forward if anything. Our actual big forward combo is Hawkins and Rohan. Yes that's right Gary Rohan. And it's going pretty well and will continue to with such intent and supply from midfield and defense.

I wish the CHF talk would stop. It's nonsense positions really don't mean much these days. He is 2nd ruck and apart from that plays a bit deep forward while developing his tank. Full Forward if anything. Our actual big forward combo is Hawkins and Rohan. Yes that's right Gary Rohan. And it's going pretty well and will continue to with such intent and supply from midfield and defense.

Stretching our talls so far may come back to bite us later in the year it's only early days yet.
If either of them don't start breaking down later l'll be amazed. That's a very risky game plan, any wonder he's struggling.

 

[Seeds]

Sav was better today and that will keep him in a while but i still worry that he looks his best when he is relief rucking where he roams and jumps and blocks and creates space for others..he looks a little lost with the leading patterns at CHF and isnt clunking his marks although the workrate is clearly there. With Stanley going so well in the ruck we need a good fwd more than a ruck and we will get away with it but the big ground at the MCG against a top 4 side is where you need a high performing CHF more than anywhere else and i worry about him there. That said he's got some real ability and im not sure we have a better option in his spot currently (unless we can trade one in at year's end etc).

Stanley is not going that well in the ruck. We keep losing the ruck and centre clearances. His opponent was best on ground yesterday. Mcevoy killed it the week before.

 

[Seeds]

If sav and hawkins stay fit and healthy then this is our premiership to lose.

Sav is more important than stanley as we have back up rucks. We have no second key forwards to bring in.

 

[catempire]

Stanley is not going that well in the ruck. We keep losing the ruck and centre clearances. His opponent was best on ground yesterday. Mcevoy killed it the week before.

Seeds plz.

 

[Seeds]

Seeds plz.

Ok so are you telling me stanleys last two opponents have not been our opponents best players two weeks in a row and we arent losing the clearances week after week after week? Tell me that aint true?

 

[Max Milburn]

Stanley is not going that well in the ruck. We keep losing the ruck and centre clearances. His opponent was best on ground yesterday. Mcevoy killed it the week before.

Hickey was excellent yesterday.
Stanley was slightly less excellent.
Hickey's team lost by a country mile.
Stanley's team is on top of the ladder with the highest % in the comp.
I vote we "keep losing the ruck and centre clearances".

 

[FredLeDeux]

Ok so are you telling me stanleys last two opponents have not been our opponents best players two weeks in a row and we arent losing the clearances week after week after week? Tell me that aint true?

We dominated the centre clearances yesterday.

 

[catempire]

Ok so are you telling me stanleys last two opponents have not been our opponents best players two weeks in a row and we arent losing the clearances week after week after week? Tell me that aint true?

It ain’t true.

 

[Ratcat]

If sav and hawkins stay fit and healthy then this is our premiership to lose.

Sav is more important than stanley as we have back up rucks. We have no second key forwards to bring in.

Do we really have a second key forward or does he spend half his time jumping in ruck contests?
He can't be in two places.

 

[Seeds]

Hickey was excellent yesterday.
Stanley was slightly less excellent.
Hickey's team lost by a country mile.
Stanley's team is on top of the ladder with the highest % in the comp.
I vote we "keep losing the ruck and centre clearances".

Adelaide kept losing the centre clearances and dominating two years ago. Then got rolled in the GF.

If you arent good at the centre clearances then you are vulnerable to 5-10 minute onslaughts that turn games. This effect appears bigger in finals because the pressure is that much higher and momentum matters more.

How many times in the past 6 years have we been smashed in the first qtr of a final as our opponents get a run on that starts with centre clearance dominance?

Winning ruck contests is twice as important in finals. Its one of the main reasons we have such a poor finals record in recent years.

 

[Seeds]

Do we really have a second key forward or does he spend half his time jumping in ruck contests?
He can't be in two places.

Well given stanley does most of the rucking I would say sav is primarily a forward.

We were beat by GWS due to their aerial dominance in defence. We need to be competitive in the air up forward.

 

[Seeds]

It ain’t true.

Which part?

 

[thejester]

Which part?

Geelong won the centre clearances this week and last week - 13-7 and 15-13 respectively.

 

[catempire]

Which part?

Take your pick.

 

[Max Milburn]

Adelaide kept losing the centre clearances and dominating two years ago. Then got rolled in the GF.

If you arent good at the centre clearances then you are vulnerable to 5-10 minute onslaughts that turn games. This effect appears bigger in finals because the pressure is that much higher and momentum matters more.

How many times in the past 6 years have we been smashed in the first qtr of a final as our opponents get a run on that starts with centre clearance dominance?

Winning ruck contests is twice as important in finals. Its one of the main reasons we have such a poor finals record in recent years.

You have an unhealthy focus on the past.
It's 2019.
Our centre clearances are good.
We are ranked 7th, and we have played (and beaten) two of last year's grand finalists.

 

[Ratcat]

Well given stanley does most of the rucking I would say sav is primarily a forward.

We were beat by GWS due to their aerial dominance in defence. We need to be competitive in the air up forward.

I think that's why we need to play Fort or Abbott forward/ruck occasionally, have them ready for the big games where we might get caught short as with GWS.
Just enables us to structure taller with confidence if need be.
How and when we'd do this is debatable.

 

[Seeds]

I think that's why we need to play Fort or Abbott forward/ruck occasionally, have them ready for the big games where we might get caught short as with GWS.
Just enables us to structure taller with confidence if need be.
How and when we'd do this is debatable.

Smith is a level above both.

 

[Seeds]

You have an unhealthy focus on the past.
It's 2019.
Our centre clearances are good.
We are ranked 7th, and we have played (and beaten) two of last year's grand finalists.

Those who dont pay attention to history are doomed to repeat it. Like geelong has for the past five finals campaigns.

 

[Max Milburn]

Those who dont pay attention to history are doomed to repeat it. Like geelong has for the past five finals campaigns.

Simplistic.
Let's revisit in September.
One of us will be right.

 

[Ratcat]

Smith is a level above both.

Well there's 3 then, make your mind up or throw a dart.