thylacine60
Premium Platinum
- Banned
- #801
qld uni pitch drop experiment is betterer........
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Wright didn't break stride, a perfect passLoved him looking at Peter Wright and him thinking I got him covered and making the play (admittedly Rowe made 2m Peter look slow).
Also loved the pass to Wright that was over Wrights head and kept him running to goal to set up a scoring opportunity.
Can we acknowledge how big a season O’Brien had?
For an 18yo who I thought would take at least 1-2 seasons to see any meaningful game time, I am very impressed that he managed to play 18 games and finish so well (with his two 20+ disposal performances coming in the final two rounds). He did all that without a full pre-season and I expect with better fitness & conditioning, plus the experience he gained this year, he’ll improve considerably in 2019.
I was initially skeptical that he was the right pick. With his light frame, mediocre U18 season & concerns about his toughness, I wasn’t banking on him making it. Even though I had written off last year as a result of constant injury and playing in a woeful Geelong Grammar side, there were a few red flags. Not only that, we had overlooked the likes of Richards and Fogarty to pick him.
However, he quietly had one of the better rookie seasons we’ve seen at Carlton in recent years and comfortably measured up around the league. Often with young players, you don’t need them to be flashy early. If they can be solid and do their role with minimal fuss, sometimes no news is good news.
His running capacity was exactly as advertised - elite, and only going to get better. His kicking needs to be more consistent, but he was able to use it as a weapon more frequently than I expected in his first year playing AFL.
I’m also nearly ready to completely dismiss any concerns about his toughness and defensive effort. He played a few disciplined run-with roles without any major issue. He had a number of unsung 1%ers which undoubtedly would have made internal highlight reels (he laid a ripping shepherd on the back flank in the 2nd half of the Gold Coast game to set up an attack - completely unheralded yet one of the plays of the game). To my eye, he’s made of the right stuff. He just needs to keep doing it consistently.
Even last night, he made a few bad skill errors where he missed simple 20-30m kicks. However, he persevered, kept getting involved and finished with a few really sharp kicks to advantage. That’ll be a good lesson for him.
Going forward, I’m bullish about what he can become. Initially, I was worried that he’d be a poor man’s Suckling - limited, one-sided and very outside. Now, I think he’s damaging and athletic enough to play on a wing and be very effective. He’s still certainly not a lock to make it and he has a lot of work to do, but he has easily surpassed my expectations so far. Looking forward to seeing how he develops.
Did the players appear enthusiastic doing their thing and enjoying their football (even when down by 6 goals) or is it all in my head?Hallmark of over coaching. Let the kids play their natural game with a limited set of instructions and if they **** it up at least they've had a learning experience.
I have no doubts Lochie will play 150+ games for Carlton.
It's crazy to think how people can write off kids after 20 odd games..
I think he'll end up being quite a classy player once he's done his apprenticeship.
It's been said allot but he is a little Isaac Smith clone. And you know how many game of AFL Isaac Smith had played before the age of 21 .... Zero.
Last week our list was **** and this week it's good again ...
Fickle business
Where do people think LOB will end up playing? I'm thinking maybe a wing
A lot of people had written him off already which is crazy but Looked to play with freedom yesterday and go about his natural game and he reminded us of the talent this kid has.
His kicking is sublime and is going to be a weapon going forward. Also he constantly worked both ways.
You would think a wing, but he didn't mind getting his hands dirty in the stoppages yesterday.
You would think a wing, but he didn't mind getting his hands dirty in the stoppages yesterday.