Opinion Life of Brad - He's not the Messiah, he's a very normal boy...

[1970crow]

Another one - his first centre bounce work in the first quarter:
Win the ball from a nice tap from Sauce:
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Handpass to Dougie misses as Dougie had stopped and ran the other way:
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Runs after the ball, lays a tackle that knocks the ball free:
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Lays another tackle that again knocks the ball free (he's the one tackling Touk Miler form behind - Dougie isn't actually tackling):
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After a bit of a jumble, the ball goes free - Brad gets the burst on:
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Picks it up in front of ole man Ablett:
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Gets a dribble kick along to CC, who fumbles (and prob pushed in the back):
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So he gets the ball again:
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Breaks a tackle from Wright, burst away:
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And then kicks it down perfectly to Otten on the 50m line:
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And that was Brad's first 15 seconds of AFL footy for the year...

I posted last week that he's scary in there. When he gets confidence in his body he'll be an absolute beast. An inside animal with the pace to follow up loose balls and cut through the stoppage with ball in hand. He's also incredibly strong and tackles incredibly hard. Pound for pound he brings the same power as CC, but with an extra 10-15kg he's a complete brute of a player.

 

[CrowsB4hoes]

Noticed this a lot. They do it when the player attempts to do the old arms up over the tackler to dispose the ball. Then our players are just chopping the ball out of their arms and causing a spillage.

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That's true. Instead of trying to wrap them up, we just swat down. It's good.

 

[BunjiMac]

That's true. Instead of trying to wrap them up, we just swat down. It's good.

Betts has been doing this for years.

If you watch him tackling, especially bigger guys, he doesn't actually tackle, but grabs the shirt and then tires to chop down on the ball.

 

[BunjiMac]

Crouch is an amazing tackler in his own right though, but he's more like a Venus fly trap. He generally clamps down on the player pinning both arms with tremendous force and timing.

I've seen him lay a number of crunching tackles like this over the years.

 

[RavensFever]

great to see brouch back in the team and watching the game live was a sight to see along with his brother and sloane our midfield can hold up against the best in the comp

 

[Danger in Texas]

Can we just be amazed at the fact that Brad got 33 disposals in less than 3 quarters of game time.

Our midfield is so much better with him in it. Having 3 real physical presences like Sloane and the Crouches performing at their best is just what we need, combined with some classier players like Hampton and Douglas rotating through. We've got such a good mix now.

 

[dylan123]

But NTRabbit said he only runs 1 way!!!!

(Psst.... he had 8 tackles yesterday!)

To be fair, we all say Thommo runs one way and he racks up a similar amount of tackles - not suggesting he goes both ways or Brad only goes one, just tackles don't really tell the full story at times.


Ripper first game from Brad yet I'm keeping the lid well on for a change. Going to try keep it in my pants for the entire season, see if he can remain out on the field for the entire time before I get too excited about what the the future holds. Now it's just a bonus to get an above average game out of him, no expectations for mine at the moment though.

 

[NikkiNoo]

Crouch is an amazing tackler in his own right though, but he's more like a Venus fly trap. He generally clamps down on the player pinning both arms with tremendous force and timing.

I've seen him lay a number of crunching tackles like this over the years.

When he and Matt are able to tackle someone to the ground, they then do the leg over to hold the opposition player on the ground as well. That's always amused me.

 

[Donkey Magoo]

messiah

 

[adelaidecrows]

Can we just be amazed at the fact that Brad got 33 disposals in less than 3 quarters of game time.

Our midfield is so much better with him in it. Having 3 real physical presences like Sloane and the Crouches performing at their best is just what we need, combined with some classier players like Hampton and Douglas rotating through. We've got such a good mix now.

Got to say our midfield has a good mix now of class, gut run, genuine speed and inside players. While other than Sloane it doesn't have another big name, however I suspect that if Brad keeps on the park and puts together some good years he will be rated amongst the elite in the comp with his output.

 

[baldandbroke]

What about the last tackle of the game from Brad? He pummeled Barlow ... yes he missed the set shot, but his physicality is really noticeable. When Brad hits you, you stay hit.

 

[GrommoT]

I posted last week that he's scary in there. When he gets confidence in his body he'll be an absolute beast. An inside animal with the pace to follow up loose balls and cut through the stoppage with ball in hand. He's also incredibly strong and tackles incredibly hard. Pound for pound he brings the same power as CC, but with an extra 10-15kg he's a complete brute of a player.

Wonder if it's possible he goes too hard for what the human body is meant for?

 

[Stiffy_18]

That explosive run down the wing, then handball to his brother leading to Otten's mark in the pocket was Brad at his best. Since someone left for Floggs Creek, Brad is the only one that has that ability to hunt the footy and then use that pace to breakaway from a stoppage.

His game overall brought a smile to my face but that run confirmed to me that he had the confidence back. He did not do that last year.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Realistically I think he's got 16 games in him

I hope we rest him around round 17

Really want him peaking late this year , the opposite of last year

If he gets an injury I hope it's a 1-2 week facial type one !!! Nothing to do with legs or feet !!

 

[spexau]

That explosive run down the wing, then handball to his brother leading to Otten's mark in the pocket was Brad at his best. Since someone left for Floggs Creek, Brad is the only one that has that ability to hunt the footy and then use that pace to breakaway from a stoppage.

His game overall brought a smile to my face but that run confirmed to me that he had the confidence back. He did not do that last year.

It was a joy watching him play to his potential again. Other than a couple of kicks which laced out GC players he had an excellent game an probably his best since 2014.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Got to say our midfield has a good mix now of class, gut run, genuine speed and inside players. While other than Sloane it doesn't have another big name, however I suspect that if Brad keeps on the park and puts together some good years he will be rated amongst the elite in the comp with his output.

Is this a premiership winning midfield? I don't want to get ahead of myself but I'm liking what I'm seeing.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Is this a premiership winning midfield? I don't want to get ahead of myself but I'm liking what I'm seeing.

It's balanced and I think with Brad in the side it now eases the burden on Sloane to carry the midfield. Because our midfield other than Sloane is lacking a superstar name like a Dangerfield, Mitchell, Kennedy etc it is badly under rated, even after what we showed last season. I think balance and depth is the key to any top midfield. It means when players come off for a rest, the teams performance doesn't drop. I think an awesome amount of credit has to go to the recruiters.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Knight and Hampton have been real surprise packets and have added quality midfield depth.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Knight and Hampton have been real surprise packets and have added quality midfield depth.

Why are they surprised packets? They are for people that look at what is done to date and not player's ability (and/or potential) and try and project what another preseason of work means in terms of development.

A few of ud mentioned Knight and Hampton as player who will have a big impact but were shouted down about them not being midfielders but flankers. Now days everyone is signing their praises.

This year it seems to be that Milera and Menzel are the whipping boys. Fast forward 12 months and they will be "surprise packets"!

 

[hey shorty]

Menzel performing to a high standard would be a Surprised, a nice one

 

[Danger in Texas]

This year it seems to be that Milera and Menzel are the whipping boys. Fast forward 12 months and they will be "surprise packets"!

To be fair, I wouldn't say Knight was a whipping boy this time last year.

Hampton was to an extent

 

[Stiffy_18]

To be fair, I wouldn't say Knight was a whipping boy this time last year.

Hampton was to an extent

Knight wasn't a whipping boy but there were certainly reservations about his impact this season and especially around the midfield. He seems to be doing quite nicely playing as a high HF rotating through the midfield.

 

[hippyhippy]

That explosive run down the wing, then handball to his brother leading to Otten's mark in the pocket was Brad at his best. Since someone left for Floggs Creek, Brad is the only one that has that ability to hunt the footy and then use that pace to breakaway from a stoppage.

His game overall brought a smile to my face but that run confirmed to me that he had the confidence back. He did not do that last year.

Id argue that hampton can also do this.. hes getting confident in there.

 

[Danger in Texas]

Id argue that hampton can also do this.. hes getting confident in there.

Yep, Hampton definitely has a bit of that too. Not as good in the guts and not as much of an accumulator, but spreads and disposes of the ball better

 

[baldandbroke]

Yep, Hampton definitely has a bit of that too. Not as good in the guts and not as much of an accumulator, but spreads and disposes of the ball better

I'm surprised how good Hampton is IN the contest. He is a strong mutha, seems to be able to hold his own in the heat of it.