Toast Mark Blicavs

[winty]

Parents both represented Aus in basketball. A commentator said his mum was about best player in the country at one stage. Other than the genetics, he's probably learned some good lessons/habits from mum and dad.

Someone should introduce him to Lauren Jackson and hope they have a son or two, and that Blicavs plays 100+ games. Imagine the sporting genes those kids will have (not to mention the height).

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Someone should introduce him to Lauren Jackson and hope they have a son or two, and that Blicavs plays 100+ games. Imagine the sporting genes those kids will have (not to mention the height).

It's a pity that she doesn't like dudes

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

Blics has gone from a bit of a novelty to genuinely earning his spot in just 7 goddam games , his learning curve is now truly exponential. His handballing , game sense, intensity, tackling and ability to track and impact the contest is truly remarkable. Kicking looks pretty damn good as well.
He is a huge part of our innovation and adds an amazing assett to our new high speed and spread game plan. Reckon the Match Committee must be smiling all the way to the B Class rookie bank.
HE IS A KEEPER !!

 

[footscore]

It's a pity that she doesn't like dudes

iameviljez thinks this post is not necessary.

I think it's fine though

 

[FredLeDeux]

iameviljez thinks this post is not necessary.

I think it's fine though

Will be beyond the pale if you call her purple, but.

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

It's a pity that she doesn't like dudes

She doesn't ?

 

[FredLeDeux]

Which makes me think that perhaps what Scott is doing with the club is not as simple as an "evolutionary game plan", but more a philosophy that flies in the face of the way all clubs approach playing football. Lets face it, statistically Geelong are quite mediocre and this list:

Ranked 1st in Handballs Per Game

Ranked 3rd in Disposals Per Game

Ranked 5th in Marks Per Game

Ranked 3rd in Points Per Game

Ranked 5th in least Opponent Tackles Per Game

Ranked 3rd in Team to Opponent Handballs Per Game Diff.

Ranked 3rd in Team to Opponent Points Per Game Diff.

-does not seem to have any knockout blows that are glaringly obvious or innovative in it, so I am convinced there's more to it.

There are, as you say, no obvious eye poppers in those stats, or any combination of them. Apparently we are no.1 in goals scored from turnovers, if that has any significance.
Nor has it been obviously apparent to me that we are consistently (every week) using any particular one of the 4 or 5 basic conventional game plans, or any evolution of them.
We seem to have used particular game plan elements in some games and not others, eg in earlier games (but not the last couple) clearing it forward from centre stoppages and playing ahead of the ball in combo with Bartel/Corey/Stokes back of centre to protect against turnovers; or against Essendon (but not others) using one-on-one presses to slow them down in defence and force them to attack wide; etc.
It's as if, in addition to the increased concentration on and use within and between games of individual player mobility (eg, KPF/KPD swaps, or last week consistently running Motlop from much deeper in defence), we have done the same thing with game plan elements.
He seems to have taken key elements of the conventional basic game plans and jigged them together in different flexible combos for each game, or even each stage of a game. It's almost a "modular" game plan.
That's strictly a tentative hypothesis at this stage.
But whatever he's doing, it's different, and we've had 7 straight wins.

 

[mac_cat]

Someone should introduce him to Lauren Jackson and hope they have a son or two, and that Blicavs plays 100+ games. Imagine the sporting genes those kids will have (not to mention the height).

Mark's sister Sara is a very good basketballer, so maybe she'll get together with one of the unattached Geelong boys instead.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Mark's sister Sara is a very good basketballer, so maybe she'll get together with one of the unattached Geelong boys instead.

Lateral thinking, I like it.

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

I think Scott will keep him in if he continues to do what he's been doing. Big call but I think he's been _that_ impressive to our guys in the box.

I think once we get ruck availability back the MC will make a call on trying Blicvas on wing.... Don't think at this stage we can reliably carry Blicvas into a finals scenario in Ruck.

 

[iameviljez]

iameviljez thinks this post is not necessary.

I think it's fine though

What? Stop assuming that you know what I think. He's hardly being negative about her.

 

[witsend]

I a huge wrap for The Ballroom but I wonder this...
His biggest asset is his elite aerobic capacity for his size due to his Athletic background.
Is that capacity likely to diminish over time as his training base becomes more AFL and less Olympic running?
Or does he have a freakish physiological advantage a la Pha Lap or Black Caviar?

 

[iameviljez]

Lateral thinking, I like it.

China used to do this (and probably still does) with its basketballers - it basically encouraged all of the very tall men and women in the athletics squads to, well, get jiggy wit' it.

 

[5th XVIII]

I a huge wrap for The Ballroom but I wonder this...
His biggest asset is his elite aerobic capacity for his size due to his Athletic background.
Is that capacity likely to diminish over time as his training base becomes more AFL and less Olympic running?
Or does he have a freakish physiological advantage a la Pha Lap or Black Caviar?

Its something I've been thinking about as well. Would be interested to get someone with a sports science background to explain this (or even just a pseudo expert for that matter). Get the feeling its one of those unanswerable questions.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Speaking from a common sense perspective, you would think that the fitness staff would tailor Blicavs' fitness program to work to his strengths - ie: a shitload of running.

 

[ekel92]

Speaking from a common sense perspective, you would think that the fitness staff would tailor Blicavs' fitness program to work to his strengths - ie: a shitload of running.

Im pretty sure they would tailor it around his weaknesses. ie. less running more gym. Its like getting selwood to do tackling drills all day... whats the point

 

[dazbroncos]

Im pretty sure they would tailor it around his weaknesses. ie. less running more gym. Its like getting selwood to do tackling drills all day... whats the point

The tackling bags at Geelong Liked you post and want your policy implemented...

and they would like to James Kelly to the list too...

Go Catters

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I know that at the moment Blicavs currently a 'B rookie' outside the list, but surely based on his first 7 games Geelong would already be talking to him about promoting him to the senior list at seasons end and they have to make a move before it gets to the end of the season which will give other teams get the chance to talk to him and get into his ear about more money, longer deal etc.
He is improving with each game he plays and he will only get better; he has a lot of upside and no doubt the other 17 teams would be taking notice - just don't want to see us get into the same position we were with Mumford where another team was able to come in & trump the offer (no complaints about the addition of Duncan though, is going to be a 10yr player for the Cats).
I know the club is probably currently dealing with a new contract for Taylor & making sure he stays, but I hope they don't just ignore Blicavs until it is too late as I doubt we would be lucky enough to keep him as a rookie next year with no one else putting an offer to him, and with the way he has played so far this year you want the option to pick him in the 22 without the next to promote him first.

I think if we've got the list spots we will promote him at year's end.

If not we will probably ward off other clubs by offering him a 2 or 3 year deal where he spends 1 more year as a rookie, and then has guaranteed elevation at the end of next year. North did this with Daw in 2011 and Carlton did it with Bell at the end of last year, in both cases to ward off other clubs who were offering senior list spots to their player.

 

[BrockBlitz]

This is a very basic answer to the "will his running ability decrease?"

yes, and no.
Obviously he is a freak runner. Given. Think of him as any other young footballer. They take between 2 and 5 pre-seasons to build their aerobic capacity. Once your body reaches a new level of fitness, it is easier to get back to it the next time after a lay off. So he doesn't have to do as much running to maintain his fitness, he just wont get any better. Hence why the older blokes at clubs start a few weeks later, it doesn't take as much to get them back to that level of fitness. His capacity will decrease because he's put on 20 or 25kgs - and he is not running somewhere between 120 and 240 km a week like he was depending on the training block. However, I think the 80 rotations cap coming in will change the entire way clubs train. Endurance based again rather than burst. He will have an even bigger field day. I'm not sure how much the extra weight has decreased his running ability but when he got to Geelong he was a good minute faster than the most elite afl runner in the comp over 3kms.... Personally I think he will end up being a given a "licence to do what you want" and played off the wing.

 

[manboob]

I a huge wrap for The Ballroom but I wonder this...
His biggest asset is his elite aerobic capacity for his size due to his Athletic background.
Is that capacity likely to diminish over time as his training base becomes more AFL and less Olympic running?
Or does he have a freakish physiological advantage a la Pha Lap or Black Caviar?

No doubt he has to be a freak to even be even in contention to make the olympics. His body seems to be coping just fine with AFL so I doubt he'll put on too much size.

 

[iameviljez]

The tackling bags at Geelong Liked you post and want your policy implemented...

and they would like to James Kelly to the list too...

Go Catters

Cue thousands of women and quite a few men applying to be the tackling bag...

 

[meto]

Speaking from a common sense perspective, you would think that the fitness staff would tailor Blicavs' fitness program to work to his strengths - ie: a shitload of running.

That's the thing, elite runners don't need that much to maintain extraordinary running power, it just comes naturally

 

[Old_Man_James]

Note *Following is just old man' rambling and not even pseudo science*

I always got the impression that top level runners had similar constraints to lots of other engineering problems where you have 3 factors and you can choose any 2 but not all 3. (or can only be mediocre it all 3)

For running that could be weight, endurance, speed.

ie. you can have endurance and speed - but must be built like a Kenyan.
speed and weight - like track sprinters/NFL players, but will have poor endurance.
weight and endurance - solid types with reduced top speed, like Cameron ling perhaps.

 

[Moggy]

This is a very basic answer to the "will his running ability decrease?"

yes, and no.
Obviously he is a freak runner. Given. Think of him as any other young footballer. They take between 2 and 5 pre-seasons to build their aerobic capacity. Once your body reaches a new level of fitness, it is easier to get back to it the next time after a lay off. So he doesn't have to do as much running to maintain his fitness, he just wont get any better. Hence why the older blokes at clubs start a few weeks later, it doesn't take as much to get them back to that level of fitness. His capacity will decrease because he's put on 20 or 25kgs - and he is not running somewhere between 120 and 240 km a week like he was depending on the training block. However, I think the 80 rotations cap coming in will change the entire way clubs train. Endurance based again rather than burst. He will have an even bigger field day. I'm not sure how much the extra weight has decreased his running ability but when he got to Geelong he was a good minute faster than the most elite afl runner in the comp over 3kms.... Personally I think he will end up being a given a "licence to do what you want" and played off the wing.

Good post.
In the recent interview, Blitz said his running performance had definitely taken a hit and that he had put on 8kgs, not 20. Pretty sure of that.

Even with the decline, he is still well ahead of the rest of the squad (and the competition perhaps).

I am sure his training program will see him maintain his edge and not bulk up too much. No point removing his biggest weapon. Hopefully he will be focussing on movement, overhead marking and foot/hand skills, so that he can really hurt the opposition when he inevitably finds space.

 

[JUBJUB]

Mark's sister Sara is a very good basketballer, so maybe she'll get together with one of the unattached Geelong boys instead.

Joel,get to work on it now
A key position ball magnet in 2032 would go nicely