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Mark Blake overrated

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BigBadCam

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IMO Mark Blake is just another case of Geelong fans getting carried away with things and getting way, way ahead of themselves. I've always thought he is an uncoordinated hack, and I still do. The only difference is that this year he has decided that yes, if there is no chance in living hell of someone being available for a handpass, he does actually have the ability to kick it. He still has no perifferal vision, has no skills, and as a result, he frustrates me immensely. At only 197cm, I don't see how we are going to base our future around him. I realise the ruck stakes are in desperate times, but please - Blake is still a useless no-hoper and will never be the answer to our problems.
 
what are you smoking?

the guy gets a lot of ruck taps and is starting to get a bit of confidence around the ground with taking people on. he has been one of the better stories of this season thus far.

since ottens is obviously injured you are also saying we should run with king in the ruck.
 

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darren forssman said:
what are you smoking?

the guy gets a lot of ruck taps and is starting to get a bit of confidence around the ground with taking people on. he has been one of the better stories of this season thus far.

since ottens is obviously injured you are also saying we should run with king in the ruck.
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What he said...

Good story thus far. Why the hell would you drop him?
 
How is he overrated?
He's taken huge steps in becoming a first choice ruckmen. He's already our first choice because of King's inability to do anything that remotely suggests he's a ruckman.
Blake used to shit his pants when the ball came his way, now it is clear he has confidence to actually read the play and think before he does something.
 
King might be past it now, but even last year he was miles ahead of Blake. At his peak he was light years ahead of Blake. I would rather see West getting a run than Blake.

When I'm at the game, Blake is only a couple of cm taller than Hawkins, but every time he does something/anything, the crowd goes wild... Kind of like Fremantle does for Aaron Sandilands. For a guy 2.14m tall to do the things around the ground that Sandilands does... that's pretty special... But Blake is no giant, and for him to struggle skill wise as much as he does indicates to me that he is just ******ed. His height is no excuse.

And IMO, he doesn't get that many taps... Too short to be a first string ruckman IMO.
 
BigBadCam said:
King might be past it now, but even last year he was miles ahead of Blake. At his peak he was light years ahead of Blake. I would rather see West getting a run than Blake.

When I'm at the game, Blake is only a couple of cm taller than Hawkins, but every time he does something/anything, the crowd goes wild... Kind of like Fremantle does for Aaron Sandilands. For a guy 2.14m tall to do the things around the ground that Sandilands does... that's pretty special... But Blake is no giant, and for him to struggle skill wise as much as he does indicates to me that he is just ******ed. His height is no excuse.

And IMO, he doesn't get that many taps... Too short to be a first string ruckman IMO.
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King was a gun at his peak. Blake is nowhere near his peak.

Bad example.
 
BigBadCam said:
IMO Mark Blake is just another case of Geelong fans getting carried away with things and getting way, way ahead of themselves. I've always thought he is an uncoordinated hack, and I still do. The only difference is that this year he has decided that yes, if there is no chance in living hell of someone being available for a handpass, he does actually have the ability to kick it. He still has no perifferal vision, has no skills, and as a result, he frustrates me immensely. At only 197cm, I don't see how we are going to base our future around him. I realise the ruck stakes are in desperate times, but please - Blake is still a useless no-hoper and will never be the answer to our problems.
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Have you been watching any of the games?

If you'd said that last year on the available evidence, you'd be right, but what we've seen this year show you're wrong. Blake's problems clearly stem from a lack of confidence, and now he's getting some he's looking 200 times better. So he doesn't have the slickest disposal in the world - who in this team does? This year he's shown he's at least willing to try (which is more than can be said for some) - against the Hawks, the balls on the half-back line, Blake's surrounded by Hawks, see an opening and goes for a ****ing run, when the cynical part of me says half the midfielders in the side would have done a stupid handball to a player under pressure, resulting in an instant turnover. Blake's not going to be a new Dean Cox, but he's going to be serviceable.
 
thejester said:
Have you been watching any of the games?

If you'd said that last year on the available evidence, you'd be right, but what we've seen this year show you're wrong. Blake's problems clearly stem from a lack of confidence, and now he's getting some he's looking 200 times better. So he doesn't have the slickest disposal in the world - who in this team does? This year he's shown he's at least willing to try (which is more than can be said for some) - against the Hawks, the balls on the half-back line, Blake's surrounded by Hawks, see an opening and goes for a ****ing run, when the cynical part of me says half the midfielders in the side would have done a stupid handball to a player under pressure, resulting in an instant turnover. Blake's not going to be a new Dean Cox, but he's going to be serviceable.
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exactly. he is actually looking more confident with the ball and what he wants to do with it than the corey's.

tho' i do agree about him being at least two inches short of where you'd like him to be ideally.
 
I don't know about you, but seeing a bloke of that size going for a run over our midfielders is probably a bad thing. As I said previously though, it's nothing special. He's hardly any taller than Playfair and Hawkins. Are you going to get all excited over Playfair doing anything? I like you was prepared to give him a chance early on, but remember against Carlton... We were dominating and obviously by the end of the game he was going to look pretty good... I remember seeing him jumping back with one hand, scared of what was coming the other way. Didn't read or hear anything about it though... I also remember a few turnovers where he had tried to 'back himself' in that game as well.
 
BigBadCam said:
I don't know about you, but seeing a bloke of that size going for a run over our midfielders is probably a bad thing. As I said previously though, it's nothing special. He's hardly any taller than Playfair and Hawkins. Are you going to get all excited over Playfair doing anything? I like you was prepared to give him a chance early on, but remember against Carlton... We were dominating and obviously by the end of the game he was going to look pretty good... I remember seeing him jumping back with one hand, scared of what was coming the other way. Didn't read or hear anything about it though... I also remember a few turnovers where he had tried to 'back himself' in that game as well.
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Hawk and Playfair are 197cm and 198cm respectively. I'm pretty sure Blake is 200cm, anyway. Not as tall as you'd like, but big enough to contest against anyone. Sandilands possibly excepted.
 
remember the Melbourne game?

he was good.

with any luck he'll become like Matthew Clarke, lots of hitouts and does **** all esle.
 

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He is a good ruckmen and can hadnpass but he cant kick... just cant afford to have a guy taht cant kick..im sorry but its just ridiculous
 
Ruckman usually take a few years to get going, if you look at where Blake was last year and compare to this year then when he hits his prime (25+), well we will have a very very good mobile ruckman.

Bagging Blake in only his second season of seniors.................well first really - not that many games last year - is just ridiculous.
 
Alchera said:
Ruckman usually take a few years to get going, if you look at where Blake was last year and compare to this year then when he hits his prime (25+), well we will have a very very good mobile ruckman.

Bagging Blake in only his second season of seniors.................well first really - not that many games last year - is just ridiculous.
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My point was that you were all getting carried away. The cheers that go round the ground when Blake gets the ball are ridiculous. Yes it's funny seeing guys with no skill competing and doing 'OK' against those with skill - I laughed at Eddie the Eagle and that African at the Sydney Olympics that struggled to make the distance... I wouldn't want the future of my football team resting on their shoulders though.
 
BigBadCam said:
I don't know about you, but seeing a bloke of that size going for a run over our midfielders is probably a bad thing. As I said previously though, it's nothing special. He's hardly any taller than Playfair and Hawkins. Are you going to get all excited over Playfair doing anything? I like you was prepared to give him a chance early on, but remember against Carlton... We were dominating and obviously by the end of the game he was going to look pretty good... I remember seeing him jumping back with one hand, scared of what was coming the other way. Didn't read or hear anything about it though... I also remember a few turnovers where he had tried to 'back himself' in that game as well.
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Blake is still developing and will be great in the longer term. His mobility for a big guy at the moment is fantastic, if he continues to develop his awareness and stays calm with the ball he'll be in our best 22 for years.
 

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Blake has been gttign a hell of a lot of taps, but straight to groudn which makes it a 50/50 contest. With another season under his belt with help from a ruck coach, we'll be laughing ina few years down the track.
 
As a core set, his skills are nowhere near as bad as some make them out to be. We all know about his centre square work, which is already quite good.

To be honest, I don't know what people are after. Given the relative inexperience he's carrying along, and the learning curve he's currently under, I'd suggest that, to date, he's done close to what is (at the very least) expected of him out there with his chances. The only way is up.
 
BigBadCam, you keep mentioning Blake's height (it's 200cm by the way).

Do you actually think it's holding him back? He's got a leap on him like Tim Forsyth and he's average height for a ruckman anyway.

It seems a bizarre criticism to level at him when he has other issues to deal with such as confidence in his kicking and perhaps getting himself into some scoring opportunities.
 
catempire said:
BigBadCam, you keep mentioning Blake's height (it's 200cm by the way).

Do you actually think it's holding him back? He's got a leap on him like Tim Forsyth and he's average height for a ruckman anyway.

It seems a bizarre criticism to level at him when he has other issues to deal with such as confidence in his kicking and perhaps getting himself into some scoring opportunities.
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Yep, have no idea where he is getting this 'too short for a ruckman' thing from. He looks like a giant on the ground, forgetting knowing his actual height.
 
Blake has plenty of upside. He has to get more confidence and game time.
King will improve also with more game time ounce he gets into the grove. But by then will he be injured or any better than Blake anyway?

West is improving in the seconds.

Mooney should be thrown onto the ball when we need a little more precence. Ottens can also contribute as required
 
Renegade said:
How is he overrated?
He's taken huge steps in becoming a first choice ruckmen. He's already our first choice because of King's inability to do anything that remotely suggests he's a ruckman.
Blake used to shit his pants when the ball came his way, now it is clear he has confidence to actually read the play and think before he does something.
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totally agree, to say Blake is over-rated just shows you have NFI about football.

Blake is still a developing player and he will have bad days, but the way he has progressed over the last 2 years has been fantastic. He will be our No 1 Ruckman within a couple of years.
 

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