Is 09 Daisytime?

[Bigness]

Just looking at his stats for '08. Averaged 16 possies, 2 tackles and a goal over the journey. He has been in the system for 3 years now and shown plenty of flashes of brilliance and the odd 4 quarter effort, but as yet, he has not shown the type of consistency we expect from a 2nd pick.

IMO, in '09 he will begin to be subject to solid scrutiny and the inevitable comparisons will arise.

Marc Murphy is putting together consistent top level, 4 quarter performances, week in, week out.

Xavier Ellis, taken at 3 in the same draft, is averaging close to 20 possies and 4 tackles per game and seems to have come on significantly.

Of the others taken in the same draft after Thomas, Pendlebury, Nathan Jones, Grant Birchall, and Bernie Vince are a few who have come on in recent times and performed well.

Pendlebury's status in the game seems far beyond that of Thomas and by that I mean, he is more consistent, a leader at a young age, and seems to command more respect from opposition.

Daisy has been played in and out of the midfield, spending time in the forward line, so his stats aren't necessarily a great indicator. But we do know that in '08 there have been a few games where he has spent long periods of time giving little input to the outcome.

IMO MM must put Daisy in the middle next year and leave him there. Give him a chance, and a responsibility, to impact games for 4 quarters. If he doesn't start to impact on games consistently, I wonder how long it will be before the questions will start to be asked.

As a pin up boy and media pet, there is already more pressure on him than on most young players. Will '09 be the year that Daisy puts all of these questions to bed and emerges as the genuine goal kicking midfielder that we drafted??

 

[Bloben]

Year four is often the break out year for many footballers. I think both Thomas and Pendles will break out next season. Thomas with spending more time in the centre and Pendles with the captaincy.

 

[TRAVCLOKE#32]

I really hope that 09 is a brilliant season for him, we have seen flashes of excitement and brilliance, but that is all we have seen "flashes".

 

[twoforjoy]

make or break year.

 

[TheMightyPies]

thought magpiegirl would have posted by now

 

[hellfire]

Yes.

 

[Dave The Man]

make or break year.

Why is it a Make or Break year?

 

[Pie in the Sky]

Hopefully he has a good pre season and builds his tank up. If he can get fit enough to spend the maority of games in the middle, I think he'll have a big year. This year I thought he played a lot better when thrown in the middle, he had limited impact in the forward line (apart from a couple of games).

 

[Bigness]

Why is it a Make or Break year?

Well, make or break may be a bit absolute, but he definitely needs to take a big step or the wolves will be at the door.

I like daisy, but the one I was keen on at draft time was Grant Birchall. He has been a very solid contributor since debuting. A great kick of the footy too.

 

[Pie Legend]

Hopefully. He is one of a few game breakers.

 

[mdc]

I like daisy, but the one I was keen on at draft time was Grant Birchall. He has been a very solid contributor since debuting. A great kick of the footy too.

Grant Birchall? I can imagine regretting bypassing Jones or Ellis, but I'd have been pissed if we had spent a no.2 pick on a loose HBFer who uses the ball well.

I imagine Thomas will improve somewhat in 09, but even if he doesn't improve at all, I'd still prefer him to Birchall.

 

[cakewalk_1]

make or break year.

It took Leon almost 5 seasons to get to were he is at. Some players come on at different stages.

Pendelbury needs to work on his intensity at the ball and his finishing off in front of goals. Neither of those match his natural skills at this point of his career. Look out if he gets that part sorted in 09.

Thomas, very flashy. He needs to be more consistent and string more than 1 great game every so often.

Similar to G.Ablett Jr when he was just a HF Flanker 3 years ago. Since his fitness improved and was moved to the midfield permanently he took his career to another level. Hopefully Thomas can follow in his steps

 

[hellfire]

Well, make or break may be a bit absolute, but he definitely needs to take a big step or the wolves will be at the door.

I like daisy, but the one I was keen on at draft time was Grant Birchall. He has been a very solid contributor since debuting. A great kick of the footy too.

Nah I much prefer Thomas. Birchall is a very good young player, but Thomas will be a STAR in the coming years.

 

[mdc]

Pendelbury needs to work on his intensity at the ball and his finishing off in front of goals. Neither of those match his natural skills at this point of his career. Look out if he gets that part sorted in 09.

One of our most reliable shots for goal. Has a career record of 35 goals 18 behinds, which is a stellar conversion rate for a mid.

Needs to get forward more, definitely, but finishing off surely isn't a concern.

 

[Axl the great]

The big difference from Thomas in Tac cup and now is purely the fact he is following a strict team oreintated game plan.
No longer can he run wild against kids whom he was superior to, He now has to to whats good for the team and not for Dale Thomas.
The fact is MMs game plan is safe and solid and does win games by everyone contributing, a real blue collar style.
HOWEVER, i beleive it ******s the brilliance of players who are naturally flair and instinct players and Dale has suffered as he and also Medders late in the year are torn between playing on instict and a bit of gay abandon to wondering what MM would want them to do.
I think certain players need a licence eg Medders and Thomas to play on instinct as thats how and why they play there best footy and to ask such brilliant freak players to folllow a strict regimented game plan only hinders what they can actually acheive.

 

[cakewalk_1]

One of our most reliable shots for goal. Has a career record of 35 goals 18 behinds, which is a stellar conversion rate for a mid.

Needs to get forward more, definitely, but finishing off surely isn't a concern.

He kicked 11.9 in 2008. He missed some simple shots at critical times during a few games. Perhaps I was a bit harsh on that point.
I think he is going to be a superstar, don't get me wrong.

But one of the things that elevates players from being good to great is finishing off their good work. Whether thats kicking the goals when it counts or hitting the target. He certainly hits the targets by hand and foot.

It would be interesting to see how many players on our list fall in to the champion, great player, good player, average players category.

We can sugar coat things and say every Collingwood player on our list is a champion but who are we kidding.

 

[mdc]

He kicked 11.9 in 2008. He missed some simple shots at critical times during a few games. Perhaps I was a bit harsh on that point.
I think he is going to be a superstar, don't get me wrong.

But one of the things that elevates players from being good to great is finishing off their good work. Whether thats kicking the goals when it counts or hitting the target. He certainly hits the targets by hand and foot.

It would be interesting to see how many players on our list fall in to the champion, great player, good player, average players category.

We can sugar coat things and say every Collingwood player on our list is a champion but who are we kidding.

Wasn't saying he's a champion player (yet), but consider that his 11.9 (whilst carrying an injury) is still ahead of Buckley's career conversion rate. And when taking into account that he kicked 20.8 last season, I don't think there's anything to worry about in the finishing department.

He might have missed a couple of easy shots this season, but every player will miss some at one stage or another.

 

[Pie eyed]

Just looking at his stats for '08. Averaged 16 possies, 2 tackles and a goal over the journey. He has been in the system for 3 years now and shown plenty of flashes of brilliance and the odd 4 quarter effort, but as yet, he has not shown the type of consistency we expect from a 2nd pick.

IMO, in '09 he will begin to be subject to solid scrutiny and the inevitable comparisons will arise.

Marc Murphy is putting together consistent top level, 4 quarter performances, week in, week out.

Xavier Ellis, taken at 3 in the same draft, is averaging close to 20 possies and 4 tackles per game and seems to have come on significantly.

Of the others taken in the same draft after Thomas, Pendlebury, Nathan Jones, Grant Birchall, and Bernie Vince are a few who have come on in recent times and performed well.

Pendlebury's status in the game seems far beyond that of Thomas and by that I mean, he is more consistent, a leader at a young age, and seems to command more respect from opposition.

Daisy has been played in and out of the midfield, spending time in the forward line, so his stats aren't necessarily a great indicator. But we do know that in '08 there have been a few games where he has spent long periods of time giving little input to the outcome.

IMO MM must put Daisy in the middle next year and leave him there. Give him a chance, and a responsibility, to impact games for 4 quarters. If he doesn't start to impact on games consistently, I wonder how long it will be before the questions will start to be asked.

As a pin up boy and media pet, there is already more pressure on him than on most young players. Will '09 be the year that Daisy puts all of these questions to bed and emerges as the genuine goal kicking midfielder that we drafted??

Don't forget Daisy got a lot of varying roles this year, a couple of run-with roles, and injuries, suspensions and the oppo coach's put a lot more pressure on our young up and comers.
I think his high media profile tends to lead to higher expectations.
He'll consolidate and may even shine. But I definitely can't see this year as make or break.

 

[MagpieGirl_13]

When he debuted in 2006 he was our young spark. He was the skinny little guy with the mop of hair. Took some great hangers & showed us why we drafted him at pick 2. He was just finding his place in the team.
Last year I think he really stepped up. Played some brilliant games. He improved as a player and really cemented his place & position.
This year, well even I'll admit it hasn't been his best. It's been a bit all over the place. Been put in some different positions & struggled for a bit.
Next year, I think he'll probably realise that he's got to step up. Lots of players have left & he needs to become a leader. I think he should come of age, we will see a new & improved Dale in 2009. He's going from strength to strength & always improving.

Dale never lacks courage. He just goes for it, whether it works or not. He'll take on anyone, & usually wins. We need this spark in our team. How boring would it be to go to the footy & just see a bunch of guys running around. No daring marks. No speeedy runs down the wing..... Ok, so you can get that with other players, but nothing like Dale imo.

He's been put in the spot light as out cult hero. I doubt he really wants it but it comes with the job in his case. He gets put under a lot of pressure from the media, the club & the fans. A lot is expected of him because of who he is & what we think he should be like. I'm pretty sure he'll be a superstar for Collingwood in the years to come.

 

[smiddaz123]

He needs to refine his set shot technique imo.

He has a HUGE right hook whenever he shoots from 40+ metres out. The right hook not only makes it harder for him to aim it through the goals, but he also loses distance on his set shots.

 

[Ramere]

Still reckon he's a couple of years away from showing his true potential. Needs to put on a more weight & build a bigger tank. Part of his problem is he only seems to have one speed & that is flat out. This means he runs out of gas to easily. IMO he is the player who could benefit most from Cousins if he comes, in so far as learning what gut running is all about.

 

[well left]

Still reckon he's a couple of years away from showing his true potential. Needs to put on a more weight & build a bigger tank. Part of his problem is he only seems to have one speed & that is flat out. This means he runs out of gas to easily. IMO he is the player who could benefit most from Cousins if he comes, in so far as learning what gut running is all about.

100% agree on the Cousins part. I reckon someone should also sit him down and show him some highlights of Gary Ablett's first couple of years and then the last two years to demonstrate what he is capable of if he gets himself fit enough for prolonged stays in the middle.

 

[ad4eva]

He just needs a more time in the middle. Simply comes from building a bigger aerobic capacity.
It took G.Ablett a few seasons before he built that tank.

 

[iGNITER]

YES.

IMO '09 will be his breakout year - he will/ should be a permanent fixture in our midfield and can be a very dangerous resting forward.

I really like the way he plays he is hard at it and has pace.

 

[ksardog]

whats all this pressure on thomas for the guy is 21 with 10 years of football ahead of him.put another 5 kilos on him and build up his tank and get him in the midfield and half forward line.he is one player in our side who takes the game on and breaks a line.he is inconsistent but he does break open a game , the more time he spends in the midfield the better he will get.