Our most skilful players

[PremierPie13]

Who do you think are our 10 most skilled senior listed players? General skills by hand and foot as well as decision making and clean handling of the footy.

I'll give it a go:
1. Pendles
2. Didak
3. Ben Reid
4. Heath Shaw
5. Sidebottom
6. Dayne beams
7. Alex Fasolo (clean hands, a lot of potential in the middle with his kick)
8. Thomas
9. Swan (by hand is quite clever, had a shocker last week by foot)
10. Johnson

Clarke amongst others have potential to make the top 10 but I think it highlights a need to recruit for skillful footballers like we did with Sidebottom, Beams and Fasolo. Obviously the former 2 were high draft picks but I definitely feel as though we should prioritize footballers over athletes like Geelong and hawthorn have been doing (other than buddy )

 

[Quicky]

Clarke deserves a mention for his kicking skills. His handballing leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Thomas would be behind only Pendles and Didak.

 

[Magpies2010]

I reckon Pendles would have to be almost top of the league for skills, definitely for wrong foot, he has an amazing right foot for a left footer. If he was still playing Leon Davis would get my #2, the guy was a super accurate kick on both feet. I remember someone saying last year that out of 66 kickins by Davis all of them had been efficient and remember that goal he kick in the prelim against the hawks? left foot BANG goal. I rate Swan higher, has this nagging ability to hit targets when he looks like he's stuffed the kick, didn't see his game on Saturday so can't judge on that. Ben Reid's kicking has improved by a mile. Shaw get some plaudits for his very skillful bouncing, down and up. I haven't seen the other a lot in the last 6 months so I need a bit of an update.

 

[Knightmare]

Who do you think are our 10 most skilled senior listed players? General skills by hand and foot as well as decision making and clean handling of the footy.

I'll give it a go:
1. Pendles
2. Didak
3. Ben Reid
4. Heath Shaw
5. Sidebottom
6. Dayne beams
7. Alex Fasolo (clean hands, a lot of potential in the middle with his kick)
8. Thomas
9. Swan (by hand is quite clever, had a shocker last week by foot)
10. Johnson

Clarke amongst others have potential to make the top 10 but I think it highlights a need to recruit for skillful footballers like we did with Sidebottom, Beams and Fasolo. Obviously the former 2 were high draft picks but I definitely feel as though we should prioritize footballers over athletes like Geelong and hawthorn have been doing (other than buddy )

If we are talking purely kicking then the absolute elite are:
Reid (No player in the league has his combination of penetration, accuracy and ability to get the ball from point a to point b with the speed and accuracy Reid can execute it. His kick is without equal around the league)
Didak (With the combination between decision making and his tricks is just incredible by foot. Duel sided and does it all. Kicking last year was plain terrible but assuming he can recapture his best by foot he is absolutely in this category)
Clarke (Love his long kicking and it's just so precise. Doesn't miss targets and weights it perfectly and every time will deliver the ball to where the leading player wants it. Would be very much suited to playing at Hawthorn with his precise footskills)
Pendlebury



Overall most skilled if you combine decision making, kicking + handballing Pendlebury is clearly the man and overall by a long shot the most skillful. Decision making is without equal around the league and no player executes like Pendlebury. By hand is incredible being able to execute any handball to anyone he likes under any circumstance - was absolutely in awe of his talent in that 1st half v Hawthorn by hand. Never seen any individual performance like it with the way he could execute.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Pendlebury
Didak
Thomas
Krakouer

Alex Fasolo
Luke Ball


The rest.

No exaggeration. That's it.

 

[forwardflanker]

Sidebottom is at least top 5. He might go missing for large portions of the H&A season but in finals conditions, with the exception of Pendlebury, no one in the side is as good at finding targets under pressure imo. Also has excellent left foot

 

[Thommo 42]

Sidebottom's skills being criminally underrated here.

 

[daics cousin]

Sidebottom equals gun,big game finals player def will be an A grader

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Sidebottom's skills being criminally underrated here.

Not really.

Sidey turns the ball over a fair amount for someone who averages less than 25 per game.

Both his kicks and handballs also drop short a lot too.

Sidebottom's biggest strength (and he does this probebly better than anyone in the team bar Pendles) is his abilitiy to read play and know where the ball is heading, or to be in the right place to win the ball.

Basically, he has good awareness of what's going on. Not Pendlebury levels of awareness, but no that far off either.

 

[TradeDraft]

Not really.

Sidey turns the ball over a fair amount for someone who averages less than 25 per game.

Both his kicks and handballs also drop short a lot too.

Sidebottom's biggest strength (and he does this probebly better than anyone in the team bar Pendles) is his abilitiy to read play and know where the ball is heading, or to be in the right place to win the ball.

Basically, he has good awareness of what's going on. Not Pendlebury levels of awareness, but no that far off either.

That is my Biggest Knock on Steele is that his Disposal fall short most times. Though he put the Ball to the Players Advantage

 

[Thommo 42]

Not really.

Sidey turns the ball over a fair amount for someone who averages less than 25 per game.

Both his kicks and handballs also drop short a lot too.

Sidebottom's biggest strength (and he does this probebly better than anyone in the team bar Pendles) is his abilitiy to read play and know where the ball is heading, or to be in the right place to win the ball.

Basically, he has good awareness of what's going on. Not Pendlebury levels of awareness, but no that far off either.

thanks. Now I'm certain he has great skills.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

thanks. Now I'm certain he has great skills.

Thanks. Now I know your skill is closing your eyes, sticking your fingers in your ears and screaming "LA LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!".

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Agree with Shpeshal Ed. Sidebottom lacks penetration with his kicking. he can probably kick a bit further than Ball but not by much.

He does have an excellent left foot, though.

 

[Thommo 42]

kicking penetration != skill

Simon Buckley is an extremely penetrating kick, Sidebottom is a very efficient and skilful kick can do it off both sides, and usually puts it to advantage when nothing is on up ahead.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

kicking penetration != skill

Simon Buckley is an extremely penetrating kick, Sidebottom is a very efficient and skilful kick can do it off both sides, and usually puts it to advantage when nothing is on up ahead.

I never said Sidebottom is a hopeless player, so not sure why you're getting so defensive.

He's just not one of our most skilled. That also doesn't suggest he has NO skill.

Why are so many Collingwood supporters on this board so sensitive?

 

[Thommo 42]

I wasn't even responding to you, so not sure why you're being to paranoid. I was talking to Atheist. I gave up debating anything with you long ago, its a pointless exercise.

 

[forwardflanker]

The way I am looking at it is who are the best players we have of gathering the ball cleanly, choosing the best option and distributing the ball to that option whilst in close andunder pressure from the opposition. This is what finals are like and its efficiency here where matches are won. Sidebottom is easily in the top 5 at the club for this. I note that several people have mentioned Martry Clarke as part of our most skillful set of players and this may be the case with yards of space on the wing but how does he go with players all around him. The same goes for a lot of our players who may in theory be more accurate and penetrating kicks under no pressure, but Sidebottom is clearly better than most in close where it matters.

You only have to look at Geelongs core group to see this, Selwood, Chapman, Bartel, Corey, Kelly, Ling, Ablett from a few years back. With the exception of Chapman, none of them you would say are elite kicks however when under pressure they are all super effective in cleanly getting the ball out to targets whilst under loads of pressure. That went a long way to them dominating especially in the wet.

 

[Ed D]

As good a player as Sidebottom is, his actual disposal isn't that great. He might be in the top 10 at the club (might not be either) but league wide I wouldn't even mention his name when thinking of players with elite disposal.

 

[TradeDraft]

As good a player as Sidebottom is, his actual disposal isn't that great. He might be in the top 10 at the club (might not be either) but league wide I wouldn't even mention his name when thinking of players with elite disposal.

No way he is Close to Hodge and Goddard.

Though his Disposal is not top Notch he puts the ball to Advantage a lot

 

[vjknight]

a never ending impression of pendles was in what i think was his 1st (or very early) game vs sydney in sydney.

on his knees, gathered the loose ball, simply swayed out of the way of the approaching opponent, and calmly handballed off with precision.

"ooo thats nice". the rest is history. quickly approaching hird like status. certainly the most talented player ive seen at the club.

long precise kicking will always leave an impression on me, so reid & didak for sure.

ability to dish off quickly with precision under pressure also handy, so include thomas, ball, swan, sidebottom. and im desperate for wellingham to join that list....soon.

 

[Ed D]

No way he is Close to Hodge and Goddard.

Though his Disposal is not top Notch he puts the ball to Advantage a lot

Yeah, that comes down to being a smart player, which Sidebottom certainly is. He knows how to play the game well, but I think some people confuse this with having elite disposal which IMO he doesn't have, at least to this date.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Yeah, that comes down to being a smart player, which Sidebottom certainly is. He knows how to play the game well, but I think some people confuse this with having elite disposal which IMO he doesn't have, at least to this date.

Thank you.

Glad more common sense has entered the thread.

No doubt he's a good player, but in terms of raw skill, he's not blessed with it. As I said, Steele's strength is his smarts and awareness.

The players I mentioned in my post are the only TRULY skilled players we have. In terms of actual raw skill.

I should probably edit my post to inlcude Krakouer.

 

[Thommo 42]

The only ones?

Ben Reid could knock an apple off your head with a 50m left foot pass coming out of defence, but he isn't truely skilled? He is just about the most penetrating kick in our team.

Pete Yagmoor has no idea how to win the ball, but his left boot is a thing of beauty.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

The only ones?

Ben Reid could knock an apple off your head with a 50m left foot pass coming out of defence, but he isn't truely skilled? He is just about the most penetrating kick in our team.

Pete Yagmoor has no idea how to win the ball, but his left boot is a thing of beauty.

Having a nice left boot and being skilled aren't really the same thing. Aren't you the one that said penetration doesn't equal skill?

When I think of skill, I must be thinking of something different to what you are I guess.

Put it down to that.

I'm in the camp where skill is more often than not related to the X-factor, more freaksh players.

Hence why I listed Pendlebury, Didak, Thomas and Krakouer as our most skilled.

These are players with the package. Footy smarts, but they're accurate and creative by hand and by foot (generally both feet mind you), can find their way through traffic, and do th freakish stuff that we love ot watch.

It's also why I had Ball and Fasolo a bit lower, but they're still both skilled. Luke Ball is deceptive because people focus on his lack of penetration, which has nothing to do with skill.

Swan is a great footballer for example, but skilled is FAR from a word I'd use to associate with him.