Opinion Mark Blake

[Tay29]

Blake was destroyed by a bloke who had a casual 10 centimetres and twenty kilos on him. The fact that Sandilands was allowed to do whatever he wanted to him in the duel exacerbated the situation. Hopefully he'll learn from it and be a better player for it. But to suggest that on this game, and ignoring his previous three good games, that Mumford has more potential shows how irrational your Blake hatred has become.

We must have been watching different Blakes in the previous two weeks. Against the Saints we got smashed at the clearances and King beat Blake. Last week, Jolly was one of the Swans best. I've never been a big fan of Blake and my hopes are with West. At least the guy actually looks like a footballer and he has skills just not the experience or the body size yet. He also carries some of the weight of responsibility for the lack of clearances too but he's not our #1 ruck. Blake has had the opportunity to really step up and he's not doing a very good job.

Blake left Bartel and Taylor having to contest with Sandilands in a marking contest because he was too bloody lazy to run with him. It was a disgraceful performance and needs to see him dropped as he obviously feels his spot is cemented in the 22, this should be a huge wake-up call for him.

This is what really concerns me about Blake. He is not competitive around the ground at all. Hille beat him to the ball every time in Round 2 even though we thrashed Essendon. In the previous two matches, not only is he still struggling around the ground but the big worry is that he isn't even competing on the goal line where his lack of speed doesn't hurt as much. Look at Jolly lat week and Sandilands this week take several uncontentested marks in our forward 50. In fact have a look at some of the ball ups from the Freo game. Blake is sitting back watching the play while Sandilands first figures how how to solve world peace and then goes about disposing of the ball.

 

[djlowz]

You know what, I have always thought he was useless, always. And when I hear people saying that he has potential, the skillbase, the blood bla bla bla I think to myself - why can't these people actually see him for the footballer he is?

And in the last couple of weeks after the numerous comments you guys have posted on here I have started to question myself and think that maybe I'm wrong, maybe these people are seeing something that i'm not??

Objectively, i'm sure they're not, I think that he has only generated fans because he is, put simply, shit, and people get a rise when he does the one or two good things in a game, like kick the ball straight or take a mark - the rest of the team do this constantly, Blake does it once and he has 'potential'? Come on..

I do think he has got a little bit better this year, only because he has toughened up a bit, but obviously not enough, and the fact is that he just doesn't have it in him. Now you could try and train him so that he will eventually become a solid player, and although it probably is possible, it would take years. Or you could persist with more of a natural footballer who already at least has a fundamental football brain and will develop a lot faster and give the club a lot more.

Away from football I think that he's a really nice guy, so this isn't a personal attack, but for the clubs sake I just think he has to go.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Away from football I think that he's a really nice guy, so this isn't a personal attack, but for the clubs sake I just think he has to go.

Assuming Dawson improves out of sight in the next couple of years, and either West or Mumford overtakes Blake, then you're obviously right. But as it stands now, Blake is a better option. Ottens will be done after his 2011 contract you would have to say. And to add, Blake is clearly a better option than King would have been - simply for the fact that he doesn't twang something every 3 - 4 weeks.

 

[djlowz]

Assuming Dawson improves out of sight in the next couple of years, and either West or Mumford overtakes Blake, then you're obviously right. But as it stands now, Blake is a better option. Ottens will be done after his 2011 contract you would have to say. And to add, Blake is clearly a better option than King would have been - simply for the fact that he doesn't twang something every 3 - 4 weeks.

Yeah you're right. It's good we've got a few talls developing and hopefully one of them can come good in the next couple of years, you bet they'll be fighting for it..

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

Yeah you're right. It's good we've got a few talls developing and hopefully one of them can come good in the next couple of years, you bet they'll be fighting for it..

Settle down, Blake is not all bad. He is never going to be a superstar but from what i have seen this year, his ruck work has come a long way....

Ok granted, i didnt see the Freo game, and yes by all sounds of it Sandipants destroyed him. But dont write him off, i was at the Essendon game and was very impressed with his game...he clearly had the better of Hille, especially in the ruck.

I was also at the Saints game and he drew even with King there...

He will be a good 2nd tier ruckman, nothing more nothing less...and remember we still do have Ottens to come back. Mumford could be anything, Simpson i havent seen and West you get the feeling would be a better Key position player, but could be a handy mobile ruck.

Blake deserves his spot in the team, he will be ok, just calm down.

 

[TheYid]

Blakey is not that bad- he's improved tremendouly. He's even kicked a couple of goals and against Freo actually kicked it long and straight. He got beaten by the best ruckman in the comptetion. There is little shame in that.

We really, really need Ottens to come back- the combination of him and Blake is a proven formula.

 

[PoidaCat]

His kicking is just unacceptable...just pathetic...

 

[Catman]

One bad game and the usual suspects return.

As for the physical contest, we had one of the softest ruckman going around, who we made captain, yet his attack on the footy was seldom questioned.

 

[forrrestGump]

Blake fans - we've been vindicated!

everytime there is a challenge he fails

 

[CF]

His kicking is just unacceptable...just pathetic...

Didn't Blakey kick a nice goal in that game? Honestly his kicking was better than mackies.

 

[forrrestGump]

The great forrrest called it weeks ago. Blake is not up to it against a decent ruckman. The mids have to work harder when he rucks. The opposition rucks have a chance to be bog when against blake.

As i stated 4 weeks ago, bring on the mummy and he did not disappoint. He was on the ground, laying tackles, awesome for a first gamer.

I hope he gets time with Otto, will be the next cox of the afl.

A revisionist, eh?

Let's not get out of our depth now forrrrrrrrrest.

Is this something personal between the 2 of u Forrest? Because you are not much of a "supporter" if you are personally attacking one of your team just because u think he isnt a good enough footballer...

forrest, I realise that barrow you're pushing is getting heavier and heavier and part of me admires the fact that you are sticking to your guns even though, for the last three weeks, you have been proven wrong.

Seriously, admit defeat and wait to write this dribble when Blake actually gets touched up because you are boring me greatly at the moment

Garbage, but all of your posts are.

Great game by Blake on Saturday. Answered the critics.

Poor Woofy/Forrest, just cant get over poor old Stevie...guys, the club made a decision based on the future, deal with it and move on.

The experts say that King just shaded Blake in the game - in my view, a 30 yr old experienced ruckman who is fit for the first time in 5 years SHOULD be too strong for a 22 yr old ruckman who has played less than 40 games. The fact that he only just shaded Blake shows that the club made the right move IMO.

Blind Forrest could see that Blake is improving with every game, and given that ruckman dont peak until late 20's traditionally, he has huge upside...King on the other hand, is over 30 and unreliable fitness-wise. Doesnt take EInstein to work out that the decision was the correct one.

Cats are 4-0, winning comfortably, and our ruckman is playing a role in it all. As a proper SUPPORTER, i am going to keep SUPPORTING all of our players as they are all part of our club...

enjoy the humble blake pie

 

[forrrestGump]

Blakey is not that bad- he's improved tremendouly. He's even kicked a couple of goals and against Freo actually kicked it long and straight. He got beaten by the best ruckman in the comptetion. There is little shame in that.

We really, really need Ottens to come back- the combination of him and Blake is a proven formula.

given your theory the best ruckman is the opposing ruckman to blake.
cox is not better yet, but this week sandilands is better than lade

well done

 

[Barabbas]

I'm impressed by how much his kicking has improved, I think all that's confirmed really is that he's a number 2 ruckman, and not quite ready to be number 1. Hopefully Ottens will return soon, so we can see that Blake actually is a decent 2nd ruckman.

 

[PoidaCat]

Didn't Blakey kick a nice goal in that game? Honestly his kicking was better than mackies.

Well this thread is about Blake not Mackie.

Mackie's kicking has no impact on Blake's kicking.

 

[forrrestGump]

Well this thread is about Blake not Mackie.

Mackie's kicking has no impact on Blake's kicking.

good observation, nice to see some people keeping on the topic

which in my opinion is the ability of blake (or really the lack thereof)

 

[Catman]

Well this thread is about Blake not Mackie.

Mackie's kicking has no impact on Blake's kicking.

At least Blake's kicking didn't directly result in goals to the opposition.

 

[forrrestGump]

At least Blake's kicking didn't directly result in goals to the opposition.

no just his lack of ruckwork

 

[The Casey Cat]

no just his lack of ruckwork

I can deal with his poor kicking and inferior ruck skills to Sandlands. Was his lack of effort and resolve that had me so appalled. Hope gets the decent kick up the @$$ from our leadership group he deserves.

 

[Big_Tazz]

Blake is just too inconsistent and at times looks like a lazy prick, not enough effort

 

[CF]

Well this thread is about Blake not Mackie.

Mackie's kicking has no impact on Blake's kicking.

being a bit touchy aren't we? Blakes kicking has improved out of site and quite frankly I think you are wrong. That is just my opinion.

Blakes is just not in the top tier of ruckmen and so the better ones tear him a new one and the ones closer to his ability he is competitive with. That seems to be the pattern so far this year.

 

[BigBadCam]

I know exactly what you mean. It seems as if he's either scared, complacent or a mixture of both. I knew after he was dropped for the grand final that he would either take one of two paths. He would either give up and approach the rest of his football with Geelong with a 'who gives a ____' mentality, or he would appreciate the faith shown in him through the departure of King and come on in leaps and bounds.

It seems to me that he has tried hard over the off season and has improved his skills, but his commitment is not there. I wonder sometimes whether he is disillusioned with the game of football, never had it in the first place, or just that sure of himself and his position in the team that he thinks he needn't try. Whatever the case, I am not impressed.

 

[Woof Dog]

One bad game and the usual suspects return.

As for the physical contest, we had one of the softest ruckman going around, who we made captain, yet his attack on the footy was seldom questioned.

Mate, he was a bloke who played with injuries that any of us wouldn't get out of bed to go to work with, a 1/4 fit King is still better than a fully-fit Blake.

 

[krisholio14]

Mate, he was a bloke who played with injuries that any of us wouldn't get out of bed to go to work with, a 1/4 fit King is still better than a fully-fit Blake.

Good joke.

Fair dinkum people, have a look at how many games Blake has played, and then tell me how many ruckmen you know of who were dominating with the same amount of experience.

As far as i'm concerned, he's made a good fist of carrying our ruck with two guys who to this point have a combined total of 6 games on the board. He's copped a lesson from two of the premier ruckmen in the comp, and was beaten but not disgraced against another of the leagues best rucks, and has beaten three other pretty handy ruckmen in the other games.

When a guy like Sandilands is literally throwing you out of the way at every single contest, theres not a hell of a lot you can do. Blake was physically manhandled by a guy who manhandles a lot of this comps best rucks (and plenty of bigger and better rucks than Mark Blake). To me, his confidence looked shot after 20 minutes, not to mention he would have been absolutely physically spent trying to combat a behemoth like the one he was up against. To suggest he simply didn't care/gave up/wasn't trying is an absolute crock of shit. When you have a guy who is dominating you in every facet, what else are you supposed to do? It's not like he could keep a crow bar in his sock. I've said it before and i'll say it again. Blake is very much a confidence player, and it will take time for him to learn to keep his chin up when he is taking a beating.

When I say 'keeping his chin up' I don't mean it as an inference he wasn't trying either. More that when your confidence is shot, your ability to make the right decisions goes out the door. Blakey spent the second half completely unsure of what to do, and hence he made poor choices. He spent most of the time looking like a rabbit in the headlights, but hey, he's not the first player to have that problem and he wont be the last. It's part of what gaining experience is all about. He will learn from this, and i'm sure what happened on Friday night will be a key part in his continued progression as a footballer.

The main thing here is that Blake was supposed to be our no 2 ruck this season. He's showed me enough this season to suggest he can do that. Once Ottens comes back, Blakey can return to the role he was intended to fill and continue to develop as he has been these last 18 months.

You must also remember, it took his Dad 9 YEARS at senior level before he became a top shelf ruckman, at which point he won our B&F and finished third in a Brownlow while being an integral piece of a side that won the minor premierhip, and finished a kick out of GF's two years running.

He's still got a ton of work to do, in every department, but geez cut him some slack and let him learn. He's come a lot further as a player than just about all of the people who constantly bag him would ever have thought, and i'm confident he will be ready to take over the no 1 mantle by the time Ottens hangs them up, which will more than likely be in two or three years.

 

[someday-somehow]

Good joke.

Fair dinkum people, have a look at how many games Blake has played, and then tell me how many ruckmen you know of who were dominating with the same amount of experience.

As far as i'm concerned, he's made a good fist of carrying our ruck with two guys who to this point have a combined total of 6 games on the board. He's copped a lesson from two of the premier ruckmen in the comp, and was beaten but not disgraced against another of the leagues best rucks, and has beaten three other pretty handy ruckmen in the other games.

When a guy like Sandilands is literally throwing you out of the way at every single contest, theres not a hell of a lot you can do. Blake was physically manhandled by a guy who manhandles a lot of this comps best rucks (and plenty of bigger and better rucks than Mark Blake). To me, his confidence looked shot after 20 minutes, not to mention he would have been absolutely physically spent trying to combat a behemoth like the one he was up against. To suggest he simply didn't care/gave up/wasn't trying is an absolute crock of shit. When you have a guy who is dominating you in every facet, what else are you supposed to do? It's not like he could keep a crow bar in his sock. I've said it before and i'll say it again. Blake is very much a confidence player, and it will take time for him to learn to keep his chin up when he is taking a beating.

The main thing here is that Blake was supposed to be our no 2 ruck this season. He's showed me enough this season to suggest he can do that. Once Ottens comes back, Blakey can return to the role he was intended to fill and continue to develop as he has been these last 18 months.

You must also remember, it took his Dad 9 YEARS at senior level before he became a top shelf ruckman, at which point he won our B&F and finished third in a Brownlow while being an integral piece of a side that won the minor premierhip, and finished a kick out of GF's two years running.

He's still got a ton of work to do, in every department, but geez cut him some slack and let him learn. He's come a lot further as a player than just about all of the people who constantly bag him would ever have thought, and i'm confident he will be ready to take over the no 1 mantle by the time Ottens hangs them up, which will more then likely be in two or three years.

Seriously mate I couldn't have put it better myself. As far as ruckmen go he's still a young man and you can't expect him to perform like a no1 draft pick such as Kruezer....he will take time.

 

[thejester]

We must have been watching different Blakes in the previous two weeks. Against the Saints we got smashed at the clearances and King beat Blake.

Yeah, we clearly were:

M Blake: 26 Hitouts
S King: 25 Hitouts

So not only did Blake beat King in hitouts, he also had to contend with two experienced (albiet pretty rubbish) second ruckmen in Kozi and Blake. Who did they have to face off with? Trent West, who had the grand total of two hitouts and two games to his name.

Last week, Jolly was one of the Swans best.

Again...this simply shows the ridiculous standards Blake is being held to. Jolly is in his absolute prime, has 126 games under his belt and is a premiership ruckman. Blake has the grand total of 39 games and still averages more possessions and hitouts than Jolly - and while Jolly beat him around the ground, Blake matched him in the ruck.

Again, wtf did you expect?

I've never been a big fan of Blake and my hopes are with West. At least the guy actually looks like a footballer and he has skills just not the experience or the body size yet. He also carries some of the weight of responsibility for the lack of clearances too but he's not our #1 ruck. Blake has had the opportunity to really step up and he's not doing a very good job.

Neither is Blake, FFS. There's this bloke called Brad Ottens, remember? The fact that Blake is at least matching most No 1 rucks for hitouts and getting some useful possessions (and goals) around the ground is a victory for us.

This is what really concerns me about Blake. He is not competitive around the ground at all. Hille beat him to the ball every time in Round 2 even though we thrashed Essendon. In the previous two matches, not only is he still struggling around the ground but the big worry is that he isn't even competing on the goal line where his lack of speed doesn't hurt as much. Look at Jolly lat week and Sandilands this week take several uncontentested marks in our forward 50. In fact have a look at some of the ball ups from the Freo game. Blake is sitting back watching the play while Sandilands first figures how how to solve world peace and then goes about disposing of the ball.

You would suspect Blake is being ordered to sit his arse at CHB when they're on the rebound, to prevent them going through the corridor. I agree he needs to work on his skills around the ground...but he's already made huge strides from last year, when he looked like Bamby taking his first steps every time he got the ball.

Diablo has probably said everything else that has to be said, but consider this: Blake is our No 2 ruck, but he's No 4 overall for average hitouts per game. Which means he's doing his single most important job better than guys like Jolly, Charman, White and McIntosh. Can he improve? Hell yes. Will he ever be as good as the aformentioned names? Probably not, but he doesn't have to be. For the next 2-3 years he will be our No 2 ruck, and he pisses all over most No 2 rucks in the competition.