Opinion Mark Blake

[Catman]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

When he, his old man, his mummy, and his aunt behaved the way they did he brought pressure onto himself. he showed little respect for an ex captain, a AA, and a player who had rucked solo for a long time. If he had shut up then people like me would not be as harsh on him. He raised himself up there, and his performance is nowhere near where it needs to be.

How dare he be upset because he missed out on premiership. He played his heart out all year for what? He missed both flags, while King played in both. If you aren't entitled to be a little pissed off then you aren't genuine and shouldn't be playing the game.

How did he show little respect for King? What did Blake actually say? Please enlighten us. He virtually kept quiet until this year about the whole GF saga.

A number of games turned when he was in the ruck,

Like? Please don't state the Collingwood PF because if you go back and look at the game, you'll find that Blake was nowhere near as bad as the media or panicky Cat fans made out.

We lost four for the year for crying out loud! Are you blaming Blakey for all four losses?

tim callan was fas, and was never given a real chance but handled it really well.

Handled what well? Getting traded? Not getting a game?

 

[dadonis]

What actually was wrong with Blake's disposal on Thursday? All I've read is people bleating, "I cannot believe he can't kick!" "He still can't kick, blah, blah, blah, f**king blah."

What was wrong with his disposal last week?

did he actually have any disposals??

i've stayed out of the blake argument for the most part, cause i'm a king loyallist, and i don't want to dwell on this... but, it's clear to me from watching his game that the club made a strategic error in not giving king the couple of years he was after. right now, while the team is peaking, we should be making hay - not waiting for the years it might take for a second ruck to develop, while our superstar list get brought back to the pack by age.

i just sincerely hope hope our ruck division isn't what costs us more premiership success...

 

[dadonis]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

^^

i have to disagree - the only reasonable game blake played in the run home was against brisbane's skinny kids.

that's what he and west looked like this week...

 

[Catman]

did he actually have any disposals??

i've stayed out of the blake argument for the most part, cause i'm a king loyallist, and i don't want to dwell on this... but, it's clear to me from watching his game that the club made a strategic error in not giving king the couple of years he was after. right now, while the team is peaking, we should be making hay - not waiting for the years it might take for a second ruck to develop, while our superstar list get brought back to the pack by age.

i just sincerely hope hope our ruck division isn't what costs us more premiership success...

Our ruck division didn't hurt us last year, did it? Yes, if Ottens goes down then we might be in some bother, but every other club will struggle if their number one ruck goes down. No club has two top class rucks in the prime to rely on.

The club had to look to the future and with King's injury history and his inability to play out a full season for six years you can't blame them for going down the route they did and I fully support the move. I commend you for your loyalty but giving King two years would have been fraught with plenty of danger.

 

[JUBJUB]

What actually was wrong with Blake's disposal on Thursday? All I've read is people bleating, "I cannot believe he can't kick!" "He still can't kick, blah, blah, blah, f**king blah."

What was wrong with his disposal last week?

The kick to Mooney in the goalsquare was perfect.It was Mooney who botched it by dropping the mark.

 

[dadonis]

yeah, look i'd like to proven wrong more than anything. much as i admire king for all the years of work, the team will always be first. if blake can step up, i'll be glad to eat my words and be one of the loudest to praise him!

till then, i'll just silently stew....

 

[Achilles]

Our ruck division didn't hurt us last year, did it? Yes, if Ottens goes down then we might be in some bother, but every other club will struggle if their number one ruck goes down. No club has two top class rucks in the prime to rely on.

The club had to look to the future and with King's injury history and his inability to play out a full season for six years you can't blame them for going down the route they did and I fully support the move. I commend you for your loyalty but giving King two years would have been fraught with plenty of danger.

there is more danger in blake tanking and sooking to sen, than offering king a 2 yr performance fee deal

Let's not forget the blake blackmail, and that is why the heat is on

this guy's old man has a few people not seeing straight

 

[Achilles]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

How dare he be upset because he missed out on premiership. He played his heart out all year for what? He missed both flags, while King played in both. If you aren't entitled to be a little pissed off then you aren't genuine and shouldn't be playing the game.

How did he show little respect for King? What did Blake actually say? Please enlighten us. He virtually kept quiet until this year about the whole GF saga.



Like? Please don't state the Collingwood PF because if you go back and look at the game, you'll find that Blake was nowhere near as bad as the media or panicky Cat fans made out.

We lost four for the year for crying out loud! Are you blaming Blakey for all four losses?



Handled what well? Getting traded? Not getting a game?

happy for emotion and all, he should not have disrespected the club by letting the message out, and having it smsed to sen

i will make this really simple, list the games where blake broke even or won in the ruck

it is not a matter of blame game, it is a matter if you step up to the plate demand a king's ransom then deliver or face the rath of the great achilles

if your old man will sook, then make sure you both deliver when you have a chance, by the way i didn't hear his old man after the last pa game, he was a bit silent, total mouthpiece he was late last year

as for blake's disposal around the ground, name one game where he looked good.

blake at the moment is the weakest link in the gfc team, so he needs to step up, or the mummy will get him

 

[CatFanatic]

Theres no doubt that Blake played absolutely crap footy all night and seemed to repeat the same stuff time and again instead of trying something different.
Theres also no doubt that he is all we have until West and Co develop.
(Otto excluded).
Lets just hope that he learnt something from getting smashed all night.

 

[Achilles]

and maybe st kilda wanted king all along, and screwed the cats into paying too much to sen sook
i hope we don't lose a mid because we paid too much for this dud

 

[bigdroppunt]

go back and watch Blake in the 06 NAB granny Then watch the 08 round 1 game and see the differance.... i did and blake has improved a hell of alot...

Geez i think i even seen him Running past Gaz To grab the hands .....That the kinda stuff cox does..... I too was pissed about the way the whole King Vs Blake thing went on....But F*ck it its done and dusted now...Ive moved on.

 

[Redemptionin09]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

happy for emotion and all, he should not have disrespected the club by letting the message out, and having it smsed to sen

i will make this really simple, list the games where blake broke even or won in the ruck

it is not a matter of blame game, it is a matter if you step up to the plate demand a king's ransom then deliver or face the rath of the great achilles

if your old man will sook, then make sure you both deliver when you have a chance, by the way i didn't hear his old man after the last pa game, he was a bit silent, total mouthpiece he was late last year

as for blake's disposal around the ground, name one game where he looked good.

blake at the moment is the weakest link in the gfc team, so he needs to step up, or the mummy will get him

Round 3 vs Melbourne

 

[dadonis]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

Round 3 vs Melbourne

lol, his annual good performance!

 

[Catman]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

happy for emotion and all, he should not have disrespected the club by letting the message out, and having it smsed to sen

Everyone knew he'd be gutted, but he didn't let get out, did he? It wasn't him who messaged SEN.

i will make this really simple, list the games where blake broke even or won in the ruck

No, you answer my question. I'm not the one making the big statements, so put up or shut up.

it is not a matter of blame game, it is a matter if you step up to the plate demand a king's ransom then deliver or face the rath of the great achilles

He's had one senior game since demanding this "king's ransom". A little early to pass judgement, wouldn't you think? But if you've got some animosity towards him then it's not too premature at all.

if your old man will sook, then make sure you both deliver when you have a chance, by the way i didn't hear his old man after the last pa game, he was a bit silent, total mouthpiece he was late last year

He was sticking up for his son. He probably could have gone about it differently but is that Mark's fault? Seems it is.

as for blake's disposal around the ground, name one game where he looked good.

Once again skirting around the question and attempting to turn it back on me. I asked what was so bad about his disposal on Thursday. Answer it, either you or one of the others who claimed it was no better than last year.

 

[Redemptionin09]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

Everyone knew he'd be gutted, but he didn't let get out, did he? It wasn't him who messaged SEN.



No, you answer my question. I'm not the one making the big statements, so put up or shut up.



He's had one senior game since demanding this apparent "king's ransom". A little early to pass judgement, wouldn't you think? But if you've got a strong dislike of him then it's not too premature at all.



He was sticking up for his son. He probably could have gone about it differently but is that Mark's fault? Seems it is.



Once again skirting around the question and attempting to turn it back on me. I asked what was so bad about his disposal on Thursday. Answer it, either you or one of the others who claimed it was no better than last year.

I really don't think he did anything of note wrong (around the ground that is) kicking and handball was decent and he did what we needed him to do around the ground (apart from one big blue), played the link-up role well and was there for the quick mark and handball play-on or long quick kick i.e the kick to Mooney

 

[BigBadCam]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

Once again skirting around the question and attempting to turn it back on me. I asked what was so bad about his disposal on Thursday. Answer it, either you or one of the others who claimed it was no better than last year.

He did one good thing that I saw. He charged through about three blokes and set up a shot at goal. He was murdered in the ruck, and around the ground, he was definitely ordinary. He tried hard to be part of Geelong's gameplan, but ****ed up on numerous occassions in the first half. He looked dopey, slow, and uncoordinated. In fact, by the end of the game, I saw players deliberately choosing not to give the ball to him. Instead they chose to do big long U-turns, and as a result of this, our momentum and flow was lost.

A cut throat unit like Geelong cannot have any weak points. Other teams will be thinking of ways to isolate Blake and take advantage of this weakness. Collingwood did a good job of this during the preliminary final. If you think otherwise, you need to watch the game again. He was made to look like a hack by two of the worst ruckmen in the AFL. I have never seen him take a game by the scruff of the neck.

My point is, I think in the future, our midfield is fine. Our backline is looking solid, and with Hawkins on the rise, our forward line is looking good. Our ruck division is the one area that I am concerned about. I am of the opinion already that Blake is not the answer. I think most people knew this a long time ago, but for unknown reasons, are not prepared to bite the bullet. As suggested in other posts, I think we need to see a bit more of our younger ruckmen this year. We need to look to the future.

I was prepared to put up with the 'softly, softly' approach on Blake a few years ago. I was prepared to accept the fact that the young guy was learning and that he had time to improve. Time has passed though, and this young guy is now a man. There has been little to no improvement, even though he has been given huge opportunity and huge incentive, and Blake is now a man, but still gets manhandled as much as he did when he was a boy.

 

[dadonis]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

ok, i don't like blake, especially in light of the king situation. but, even i have to admit that he steadily improved for most of last year, unfortunately tailing off by the end quite badly. still, i think that was alot to do with youth and a long season.

i admit i don't really believe he has the natural talent, but we should give him a chance ot keep growing before we really stick the boot in.

not a fan, but i live in hope of being corrected. west's a long way off, and ottens needs reliable support...

 

[Catman]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

Just how much time do you personally give a ruckman to develop?

Not every ruckman will be a Dean Cox clone, I think too many supporters, of all clubs, not just Geelong, want their ruckman to be the next Cox, as he is the benchmark of modern day ruckmen.

I've seen Blake develop close-up over the past few years and while it isn't pretty at times, the progress he has made over the last three seasons is encouraging. It's not easy to come in and boss a game against seasoned opponents, especially for late-blooming ruckmen. There is much to learn and when they struggle, their failings are highlighted due to the heavy scrutiny from media sources and supporter expectation. I think the expectations on him are too high at this stage.

I think too many people are critical of him because of the King departure and depending on what story you believe, many blame Mark for that. All I ask for is him to get a fair crack of the whip, something he doesn't get in my opinion.

That's it, I'm off to bed.

 

[thejester]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

Round 3 vs Melbourne

Round 10 vs St Kilda.

EDIT: I watched the replay over summer and thought "Damn, Blake was rucking really well an doing well as a linkman through the middle of the ground", but it was only just then I discovered he got 2 votes in the Charlie for it!

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

I've watched the grand final DVD about 50 - 60 times (no exaggeration) and King was pretty woeful in the ruck. His real saving grace in that game was smacking Cassisi in the face and forcing him off under the blood rule. King missed shots on goal, dropped a couple of marks, got caught holding the ball, tapped directly to opposition mids and gave away frees. Honestly, Blake is not much worse. The thing to remember here also is upside. King has none. He got his flags at Blake's expense, so none of this "Geelong owed him" crap - So many players finish their careers without even an AFL Grand Final appearance, and he got a free ride into one.

 

[Achilles]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

Everyone knew he'd be gutted, but he didn't let get out, did he? It wasn't him who messaged SEN.



No, you answer my question. I'm not the one making the big statements, so put up or shut up.



He's had one senior game since demanding this "king's ransom". A little early to pass judgement, wouldn't you think? But if you've got some animosity towards him then it's not too premature at all.



He was sticking up for his son. He probably could have gone about it differently but is that Mark's fault? Seems it is.



Once again skirting around the question and attempting to turn it back on me. I asked what was so bad about his disposal on Thursday. Answer it, either you or one of the others who claimed it was no better than last year.

did lade dominate the ruck yes
did lade dominate up forward yes
did blake have an influence no

and don't quote me that he beat byrnes in an intraclub match in the ruck as an example of him having an influence

he is a major loser

 

[thejester]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

A cut throat unit like Geelong cannot have any weak points. Other teams will be thinking of ways to isolate Blake and take advantage of this weakness. Collingwood did a good job of this during the preliminary final. If you think otherwise, you need to watch the game again. He was made to look like a hack by two of the worst ruckmen in the AFL. I have never seen him take a game by the scruff of the neck.

I have never seen Cameron Ling, Shannon Byrnes, Matthew Egan, Tom Harley, Woja, Joel Selwood, James Kelly, Josh Hunt, Andrew Mackie, Tom Hawkins, Darren Milburn or even Brad Ottens 'take a game by the scruff of the neck'. I guess they must all be hacks and we should get rid of them.

Earlier in the thread you said that Blake wasn't as good as some of the kids running around out there. I asked you to elaborate on just who these players were and you haven't. The reason, I would suggest, is because you were talking bollocks. Not every ruckman will be a Cox clone, as Catman has already pointed out, and it's not like we blew a high pick (38) on Blake. More to the point, the only 2nd string ruckman in the competition better in the hitouts than Blake is Peter Everitt.

 

[BigBadCam]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

I have never seen Cameron Ling, Shannon Byrnes, Matthew Egan, Tom Harley, Woja, Joel Selwood, James Kelly, Josh Hunt, Andrew Mackie, Tom Hawkins, Darren Milburn or even Brad Ottens 'take a game by the scruff of the neck'. I guess they must all be hacks and we should get rid of them.

Earlier in the thread you said that Blake wasn't as good as some of the kids running around out there. I asked you to elaborate on just who these players were and you haven't. The reason, I would suggest, is because you were talking bollocks. Not every ruckman will be a Cox clone, as Catman has already pointed out, and it's not like we blew a high pick (38) on Blake. More to the point, the only 2nd string ruckman in the competition better in the hitouts than Blake is Peter Everitt.

I wanted Geelong to try and get their hands on Brad Moran. Unfortunately, he went to Adelaide, and Geelong offloaded King to StKilda. I hope we see a bit of Dawson Simpson this year too. I remember reading an article about him, and he is a country boy who chose football over joining the army. He sounds like the kind of kid who will give it 200%. At the height he is at, I would have a lot more patience in his progress than I do in Blake's.

 

[djlowz]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

Do you think that Mark Blake would still be on our list if he wasn't father/son?

The answer to that question is unequivocally no. He got killed in the U/18 league and throughout his junior career by other ruckman, all he showed in the falcons is that he was tall, he would never have even been drafted if he didn't have the name 'Blake'.

 

[thejester]

Re: Mark Blake - A question:

I wanted Geelong to try and get their hands on Brad Moran. Unfortunately, he went to Adelaide, and Geelong offloaded King to StKilda. I hope we see a bit of Dawson Simpson this year too. I remember reading an article about him, and he is a country boy who chose football over joining the army. He sounds like the kind of kid who will give it 200%. At the height he is at, I would have a lot more patience in his progress than I do in Blake's.

So really there aren't kids better than him, just kids that might be.