Toast Pavlich - choker no more

[Belnakor]

the mighty Pav has thrown off his choker tag.

Previously people talked about his miss in '08 a couple of his other kicks that went astray.

I think we can safely say the guy does not have an issue with pressure. Two goals kicked, last 2 goals we kick of the game, one an absolute freak of a goal.

 

[Ferntree Freo]

Hopefully more of this to come. Lets just hope that these kind of performances are repeated this year.........................a lot.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

Early call is early.

Its much harder to kick a clutch goal from a set shot than it is to take an instinctive snap.

 

[Tweedy]

Early call is early.

Its much harder to kick a clutch goal from a set shot than it is to take an instinctive snap.

He kicked the last two goals of the game - one set shot and one half volley.

IIRC, he's tended to kick clutch goals in the past. It's just a couple of misses that have defined him as a choker under pressure.

 

[Memories]

Anyone think Pavlich could have got a free just before that last goal? Looked like his jumper was being held.

 

[im_a_lazy_sod]

Yeah I thought maybe, but the umps generally don't pay frees for that so late in the game

He got the goal and that's all that matters, but it does raise the question of whether it should have been a kick and why it wasn't called

 

[Memories]

Yeah I thought maybe, but the umps generally don't pay frees for that so late in the game

He got the goal and that's all that matters, but it does raise the question of whether it should have been a kick and why it wasn't called

If it was me I'd let it go, but then there wouldn't be these ticky tacky free kicks paid in other areas of the ground either. Basically what won us the game was some "luck" because 8 times out a ten a kick like that wouldn't come off. Whereas if Pavlich got the kick, it gives him another chance to prove the "choker" is gone and also eats up some time on the clock.

There was another one where a player got "Tunneled" essentially and they call play on in our forward line.

Granted compared to many games last year the umpires were pretty good, I'm just pointing out a few inconsistencies.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

He kicked the last two goals of the game - one set shot and one half volley.

IIRC, he's tended to kick clutch goals in the past. It's just a couple of misses that have defined him as a choker under pressure.

I have never agreed that Pav was a choker, I was just attempting to temper the view that everything about Freo is new and improved after one game. I would still like to see Pav nail a few more set shots at vital moments in the game before I book my GF tickets.

Anyone think Pavlich could have got a free just before that last goal? Looked like his jumper was being held.

Definite free that wasn't called. I saw several like it throughout the game to Fyfe, McPharlin, Crowley and Hill. It seems that you can impede a player these days as long as its not a completely obvious hold. Conversely, you can have no affect on a player's progress, but if his jumper stretches you're gone.

 

[prattsta]

Definite free that wasn't called. I saw several like it throughout the game to Fyfe, McPharlin, Crowley and Hill. It seems that you can impede a player these days as long as its not a completely obvious hold. Conversely, you can have no affect on a player's progress, but if his jumper stretches you're gone.

That just comes down to it being obvious though. I don't mind it so much when the 'interpretation' is taken out of a rule. Hands in the back, holding jumpers etc should make it easier for umpires. Unfortunately they still try to interpret the above rules which is why you have all these grey areas of inconsistency week in, week out.

It's not right, but Lonergan would've had to bear hug Pavlich to the ground for that to be called given (a) the score (b) the time left and (c) the position on the ground.

It was very similar to the free-kick which was awarded to Bradley right at the end of the game. Middle of the ground, no resultant scoring shot, siren about to sound, blow that whistle Mr Lime Green man.

 

[tacopavlich]

The choker tag has only been carried by eagle nuffies and victorians looking for excuses to talk down interstate players.

 

[Notorious_29]

Was extremely happy to see that set shot at goal go through, could see another poster coming on...

 

[Fat Nyfe]

The choker tag has only been carried by eagle nuffies and victorians looking for excuses to talk down interstate players.

This, but you won't hear a word from them about Pav's game on the weekend

 

[Nodgey]

...
It was very similar to the free-kick which was awarded to Bradley right at the end of the game. Middle of the ground, no resultant scoring shot, siren about to sound, blow that whistle Mr Lime Green man.

Agreed. For mine, having this free kick paid was enough to make amends for those earlier misses. It basically ended the match. It was definitely there BTW, its just that they are occasionally let go late in games.

 

[Bradesmaen]

Pavlich was never a choker. End of story. Only the white ants will say he was.

 

[chinggis77]

Yeah, don´t agree with the choker tag. It was only brought up by a few eastern staters who only ever watched one or two Freo games, those being the two previous Geelong games where Pav missed a couple of gettable shots in the last quarter.

What they haven´t seen are all the clutch goals he has kicked in the past, all the times he has dragged us back into the contest, the times he has taken it upon himself to go into the middle during a crucial time in the game, taken it from the ruck, burst forward and kicked the goal himself.

The problem for Pav is that he was in a crap team, most of the time his herculean efforts were still not enough to get us over the line.

 

[Clay Davis]

If Cyril Rioli had kicked that last goal the entire football media would be calling it goal of the millennium.

 

[malpaso]

Pavlich was never a choker. End of story. Only the white ants will say he was.

Agreed. Never considered Pavlich a choker.

 

[Bradesmaen]

If Cyril Rioli had kicked that last goal the entire football media would be calling it goal of the millennium.

They would have cancelled footy forever because of it.

 

[imperial_oz]

Agree with other posters here. Pav has never been a choker.

What has happened in the past is that Pav runs himself into the ground in many games and his accuracy suffers due to fatigue. Thats not hard to understand, unless you're a 'sports writer' with the West or a talking head on the idiot box.

Everybody's skills fall away at least by some amount when fatigue sets in and Pav is no different.

From memory, his shots where he has missed, have been from long distances and the effort required to 'hoof it' over 50 meters can lead to missing at the ends of games. I've seen him comfortably split the goals at more than 60 meters during games yet lose his radar a bit close to the end of the same match.

Somebody needs to explain to these wallies the difference between choking and fatigue. Choking is fluffing kicks all the way through important games. Fatigue is when a champion misses because he's too bloody tired to be entirely perfect.

Its not really all that hard.

 

[smiths]

Cant believe his goal isnt even in top 3 this week for goal of the year.

 

[The Anchorite]

The choker tag is just so far from the truth. It shits me that Eastern states commentators who clearly and self-admittedly haven't watched enough of his footy to comment expertly on his career, get to be the ones to write these narratives. Pav was often the only player keeping us in games with massive clutch goals from the centre square after winning the ball himself.