Josh Hunt

[chapmanmagic35]

As much as I love the guy, I feel that under pressure he is a bit suspect.

Does anyone agree?

 

[jess_555]

His done a few bad underpressure kick outs but I'd say nothing to get worried over. I'm sure as time goes on he will be able to adapt to the pressure of some of the high pressure games the cats face. He got the most improved player in 2005 and I think he can improve even more his only 24 (i think).

 

[LongBomb]

Disagree.

He has a damn tough gig and I think he keeps a cool head nearly all of the time.

 

[Shell]

Disagree.

He has a damn tough gig and I think he keeps a cool head nearly all of the time.

Yeah what he said! ^^^^^^

 

[Turbocat]

Im not convinced he is a natural defender,at leats not on the last line. I dont question his composure when given time, he hits targets better than most. He is not good when swamped close quarters.the Port Adelaide final, the Swans Final , the Crows final all saw mistakes which cost goals

 

[thehoff]

Yeah, totally agree. The guy fails under pressure big time. Saturday night was a prime example of this. The 9 pointer from 60m out to put us back in the game was just a total choke. Shocking effort Josh. Shame on you!

You guys are a joke. His man, in 1 games kicks a few goals and all of a sudden his skills are suspect!

You guys should really look elsewhere for someone to blame.

This is a team game and Josh's efforts for the past couple of seasons have been sensational. Stop trying to place blame on his shoulders for the Sydney loss. There were several other key factors throughout 120 minutes (not 15 minutes i.e. Nick Davis). Many others situations contributed to that loss. Amazingly, Josh had very little to do with these.

Stop dwelling people, move on. There are alot of 'what ifs' in football. Bottom line, Josh lives to play football for Geelong. He is a true clubman, he is commited, he is hard at the ball, has sublime skills and would always put himself in the firing line for the sake of his team mates and to benefit his team.

Find another scapegoat!

 

[chapmanmagic35]

You guys are a joke. His man, in 1 games kicks a few goals and all of a sudden his skills are suspect!

I never said his skills are suspect in general. He is probably the best 'kick-out' in the AFL.

You guys should really look elsewhere for someone to blame.

Someone to blame? I'm not trying to blame anyone for anything. Just an observation.

This is a team game and Josh's efforts for the past couple of seasons have been sensational.

Yes, they have been. He has improved out of sight and he's now a regular.

Stop trying to place blame on his shoulders for the Sydney loss. There were several other key factors throughout 120 minutes (not 15 minutes i.e. Nick Davis). Many others situations contributed to that loss. Amazingly, Josh had very little to do with these.

What? We aren't blaming him for it. I never have and never will. There were several other key factors, correct.

Stop dwelling people, move on. There are alot of 'what ifs' in football. Bottom line, Josh lives to play football for Geelong. He is a true clubman, he is commited, he is hard at the ball, has sublime skills and would always put himself in the firing line for the sake of his team mates and to benefit his team.

I'm not dwelling about anything. Of course he is a clubman and he loves his club, but what has that got to do with the topic of this thread? Nothing. My point was that Hunt has a tendency to panic when he's under real pressure.

Find another scapegoat!

Scapegoat for what?

It's okay to criticise players once in a while. I like Hunt and I think he's a good footballer, but that doesn't mean you have to get jumpy when we say one critical thing about him.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Hunt is a great defender, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him played across half forward more frequently. His kicking into 50 will scare the crap out of a lot of defenders.

 

[Renegade]

Josh seems to make pretty good decisions i feel. He seems to have cut down on trying to be too cute with his passes and makes the right decision more often than not.

 

[Unwritten_Law]

Hunt went from the MOST effective kick in player in 04 to the LEAST effective kick in player in the competition in 05 and in the process takes over the record for the most clangers from kick ins, 15, in a single season EVER.

Hunt misses Sando, he is not a #1 small defender.

 

[catattack]

In terms of his alround decision making, he is great. Vastly improved from a couple of seasons ago - and that comes from confiedence and experience.

All the Geelong defenders are composed and resolute – a testament to the hard work that they have done together with back's coach McCartney. Egan, Rooke, Hunt, Slade and the like are all very inexperienced when you consider the circumstances on Saturday night - and they looked nearly unflappable (apart from a sluggish adaption period at the start).

I admire the composure of all of them. I would struggle to see any defensive unit as composed and less likely to make an error under pressure than Geelong’s defence.

 

[Mr Sensitive]

Because hunt is our kick in specialist and because his kicking is so well regarded I think any error he makes tends to get blown out of proportion. Overall I wouldn't say he cracks under pressure at all in terms of kicking... however I do have some doubts over whether he has the capacity to mark a quick small forward ala Jeff Farmer... Hopefully if our backline stays fit, Josh will be able to push up the ground where he will be able to deliver his laser kicks on to the chests of our key forwards and put the fear of god into opposition defences.

 

[catattack]

Mr. Sensitive, I have been a huge advocate of seeing Josh used as an impact player in the middle and around the half forward line. He has been used in this capacity before and it has been used to advantage.

He was a forward in his junior days and his penetrating kicks are conducive to beating flooding tactics with quick, long ball movement. Imagine a flood being implemented around the half forward line, and instead of bombing into that congestion, Hunt receives from 70 and launches one over the pack to the top of the goal square.

 

[Strong hands Magee]

I would rather see D Johnson on the last line and Hunt on the wing with the aim of floating upforward and letting a few rip from 60m out.

 

[Partridge]

... however I do have some doubts over whether he has the capacity to mark a quick small forward ala Jeff Farmer...

I think he's up to it. First semifinal v Melbourne last year, absolutely slaughtered Aaron Davey. The only time Davey got a touch was when Hunt was off the ground early in the 2nd quarter.

Agree about him pushing up the ground though, would be a nightmare for a defender to see him running towards the 50.

 

[phk_71]

Hunt misses Sando, he is not a #1 small defender.[/QUOTE]


There may be a little something in that idea - but Wojcinski's impending return may take some of the pressure off Hunt to take out the quickest/best opposition small forward each week. Having said that, Hunt is obviously a valuable member of the team - they can't all be as cool and composed as Scarlett out of the backline...

 

[GeeCat]

There may be a little something in that idea - but Wojcinski's impending return may take some of the pressure off Hunt to take out the quickest/best opposition small forward each week.

I would have suggested Wojcinski to be inferior in all the forementioned qualities Hunt arguably lacks (not that he does to such an extent in my books).

Plays far too loose to be the number one small defender - would be a downgrade over Hunt if anything. That's not as much of a knock on Woj as it could be; I just think he's better suited coming off the flanks and playing down the wings. Play to his strengths.

 

[thehoff]

I would have suggested Wojcinski to be inferior in all the forementioned qualities Hunt arguably lacks (not that he does to such an extent in my books).

Plays far too loose to be the number one small defender - would be a downgrade over Hunt if anything. That's not as much of a knock on Woj as it could be; I just think he's better suited coming off the flanks and playing down the wings. Play to his strengths.

Got to agree. I think Josh is is our number 1 small defender, closely followed by Dave Johnson.

Sando really did leave a significant gap but the boys will be able to cover that gap successfully.

Josh is a superstar.

The GFC are blessed with the amount of hardworking utilities we have: GAJ, Chapman, Hunt, Kelly, Enright, Milburn, Mackie, Corey, D. Johnson, Monica, etc.

 

[GeeCat]

Got to agree. I think Josh is is our number 1 small defender, closely followed by Dave Johnson.

As far as negating the opposition goes, DJ is far and away our best option (which speaks volumes of his rise from a fringe player to a clear-in 22'er).

Not to suggest Josh is incapable of guarding the top-flight small forwards, but with Rooke moving closer to the midfield, I think we can afford to let DJ spend more time in the backhalf. Steady's the ship.

 

[Rosso]

I like Josh and yes he has made a blue or two when under pressure but who hasn't. He's done the job on most small forwards over the past few years including Milne, Davey ect but I also think the DJ has shown that he too could fill that void if necessary. I would hate to loose Hunt's ability to hit targets from defensive 50 but in the same breath I would like to see him play that Stuey Dew role on a forward flank. Perhaps that is why he appears to be a touch lighter that last year because they intend to push him forward or play him on a wing every now and then.

Monica would be in the same boat. Plays a lot more of a free flowing game and backs himself in alot of the time rather that trying to starve his opponent of possessions. His game against the bluebaggers in 04 showed that he has the ability to play onball or on a wing and create havoc. We really lacked his drive and run last year and I'm lloking forward to his return to the senior line up.

 

[chapmanmagic35]

I like Josh and yes he has made a blue or two when under pressure but who hasn't. He's done the job on most small forwards over the past few years including Milne, Davey ect but I also think the DJ has shown that he too could fill that void if necessary. I would hate to loose Hunt's ability to hit targets from defensive 50 but in the same breath I would like to see him play that Stuey Dew role on a forward flank. Perhaps that is why he appears to be a touch lighter that last year because they intend to push him forward or play him on a wing every now and then.

Monica would be in the same boat. Plays a lot more of a free flowing game and backs himself in alot of the time rather that trying to starve his opponent of possessions. His game against the bluebaggers in 04 showed that he has the ability to play onball or on a wing and create havoc. We really lacked his drive and run last year and I'm lloking forward to his return to the senior line up.

Monica provides great dash, no questions there but his disposal is still questionable to say the least.

 

[thehoff]

Perhaps that is why he appears to be a touch lighter

Josh himself told me that he is the heaviest he has ever been. He told me that he is 102kg (4 weeks ago), but was 104kg prior to playing intraclub matches.

However, i do believe he does look thinner and quicker this year. Maybe he's baulked up via the chest, shoulders and arms. Who knows?

 

[cats2rise]

I would rather see D Johnson on the last line and Hunt on the wing with the aim of floating upforward and letting a few rip from 60m out.

I would love to see a few more goals from him from 60m out. Great to watch.
He is not a natural defender but has progressed far beyond that what i thought he would have in this short space of time.

His legs are as big as tree trunks.

 

[WestCat]

Josh himself told me that he is the heaviest he has ever been. He told me that he is 102kg (4 weeks ago), but was 104kg prior to playing intraclub matches.

However, i do believe he does look thinner and quicker this year. Maybe he's baulked up via the chest, shoulders and arms. Who knows?

Maybe he's added some more muscle to his legs (if that's possible)?

With the comment about him missing Sando, I thought there were 2 differences in Josh's game from 04 to 05. First was what you mentioned, his kicking got worse, but the second is that his defensive game stepped up another notch. If he can combine his defensive game from 05 with his kicking game of 04, he'll be set as a top notch small defender in the AFL.

I know he had a few bad games defensively last year, but overall I thought he was great as the number 1 small defender. After about 5 rounds I thought he was a certainty to be AA, but he did have a few fade outs, I think he can put it all together this year.

 

[chapmanmagic35]

My point still stands, in relation to under pressure.

He is a good kick of the football, but gee he makes some odd decisions.