Player Watch Ned Long

[sr36]

The problem for me last night with Long was having Anderson in the side with him. I haven't seen the stats, but I assume that Long got many more touches than Anderson and was the more effective player. I don't think both should play at the same time. We need to balance whichever one of them plays with someone much quicker and/or classier. Ned seems also to be caught more often in possession of the ball than in his early games when he was so often able to stand up in a tackle and still dispose of the ball. But Anderson is the player I'd be switching out of the team rather than Long.

You've got to cover the midfield rotation though - and with Pendles and Mccreery out, what do you do? You'd end up moving Crisp or Josh in there - probably not improve much in the contest, but be heaps weaker in terms of transition and getting those handball chains going - which kept us in that game - despite the clearance mauling.

 

[ANewDawn]

You've got to cover the midfield rotation though - and with Pendles and Mccreery out, what do you do? You'd end up moving Crisp or Josh in there - probably not improve much in the contest, but be heaps weaker in terms of transition and getting those handball chains going - which kept us in that game - despite the clearance mauling.

I understand why the two played together against Hawthorn, but I wouldn't want them together in the midfield with Pendles, McCreery and Harrison fit and firing.

 

[sr36]

I understand why the two played together against Hawthorn, but I wouldn't want them together in the midfield with Pendles, McCreery and Harrison fit and firing.

Agree. It's good though that we've now got enough competent midfield options that we don't need to rob the flanks if we've got a midfielder out.

 

[Roverjg]

No other top 4 team has a full time mid who regularly struggles as much as Ned. Constant turnovers and normally struggles in clearances. When he gets the ball in congestion he’s so slow to make a decision he kills all our momentum and allows opposition to create a stoppage

The optics of a few ugly disposals — hack kicks, rushed handballs forward to nobody — can really skew how Ned Long’s game is judged.

Zoom out, though, and a lot of Long’s hack kicking last night came when he was about to be tackled and simply had to move the ball on. His pressure, contest and clearance work were genuinely game-shaping.

There’s a fair argument he was one of Collingwood’s more important players, even if he wasn’t one of the cleanest.

64%DE
9 tackles — team high
5 clearances — team high
30 pressure acts — game high
Most contested possessions — game high

Those numbers show him doing the hard stuff, not a player whose role is to look polished on the outside. And if we’re talking damaging inefficiency, Darcy Moore and Naicos going at 50% DE with 9 turnovers arguably hurt more.

 

[jmac70]

No other top 4 team has a full time mid who regularly struggles as much as Ned. Constant turnovers and normally struggles in clearances. When he gets the ball in congestion he’s so slow to make a decision he kills all our momentum and allows opposition to create a stoppage

That’s like saying no other BF board has a poster who bags the shit out of players but knows nothing about footy.

 

[jmac70]

The optics of a few ugly disposals — hack kicks, rushed handballs forward to nobody — can really skew how Ned Long’s game is judged.

Zoom out, though, and a lot of Long’s hack kicking last night came when he was about to be tackled and simply had to move the ball on. His pressure, contest and clearance work were genuinely game-shaping.

There’s a fair argument he was one of Collingwood’s more important players, even if he wasn’t one of the cleanest.

64%DE
9 tackles — team high
5 clearances — team high
30 pressure acts — game high
Most contested possessions — game high

Those numbers show him doing the hard stuff, not a player whose role is to look polished on the outside. And if we’re talking damaging inefficiency, Darcy Moore and Naicos going at 50% DE with 9 turnovers arguably hurt more.

You would be better off explaining Ned’s game to a rock.

 

[PieBeast]

Unless he inherits Pendles brain, I think what we see is the best we will get form this guy, just a poor decision maker, AA already has him covered in brains, just needs more games now. Letting Newcombe waltz out of the 50 continually was unacceptable

You are right, there isn't a hell of improvement left in Long, especially when it comes to game sense and skills.
But fair crack of the sausage, Newcombe is one of the premier mids in the league.

 

[sr36]

You are right, there isn't a hell of improvement left in Long, especially when it comes to game sense and skills.
But fair crack of the sausage, Newcombe is one of the premier mids in the league.

Yeah his job on Newcombe was fine. He's a star who didn't have a great game by his standards.

But there's a heap of potential improvement left in Long. Becoming middle of the road is the easier part. And if he becomes middle of the road in terms of decision making, he'll be valuable as he's well above average in a couple of areas

It's the blokes who are middle of the road in everything who have less scope to be effective.

 

[Bogsey]

I love what he does for our midfield!

I feel like the standard we have for 23yos are skewed because of Nick. But he gives us a real hard edge in congestion.

I understand the knock on him being the poor DE% and the clangers. But his defensive work he puts in is great. His tackling is top rate, they stick and they are on the biggest opposition inside mids.

If he keeps up that side of his game, while he learns off pendles and sidey about clearance work and sprining Nick free, he can be a good pairing for Nick and Anderson for years to come!