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Player Watch Reilly O'Brien - Re-Signed to End of 2028
- Thread starter DREAM TEAM BUFF
- Start date
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Reilly O'Brien has now been on our list for 2 years. In that time he's played 2 AFL games, and got himself promoted to the senior list. Considering his age and experience, he's a really, really exciting prospect.
There's a lot to like about this kid... and that's the problem.
Jacobs is a clear #1 ruckman at the Adelaide Crows. He's currently 28, turning 29 in April. He probably has at least 3 years left on the clock. ROB is too good to be left waiting on the sidelines for 3 more years.
The modern template for ruckmen is for clubs to develop them on the rookie list, and then poach someone else's when you need a ready-to-go replacement (if you don't have any quality rookies of your own). This is exactly what we did with Jacobs, and I can see someone else doing it to us with ROB.
I think there is a very good chance that other clubs will come knocking at the end of 2017, when ROB's current contract expires. I think at least one of them will make him an offer he can't refuse, promising him opportunities that simply won't be available at Adelaide.
Is there any chance of Adelaide holding onto ROB? What can/should/will the club do, to provide him with the opportunities he needs to develop, and a career path that entices him to hang around until Sauce's departure?
There's a lot to like about this kid... and that's the problem.
Jacobs is a clear #1 ruckman at the Adelaide Crows. He's currently 28, turning 29 in April. He probably has at least 3 years left on the clock. ROB is too good to be left waiting on the sidelines for 3 more years.
The modern template for ruckmen is for clubs to develop them on the rookie list, and then poach someone else's when you need a ready-to-go replacement (if you don't have any quality rookies of your own). This is exactly what we did with Jacobs, and I can see someone else doing it to us with ROB.
I think there is a very good chance that other clubs will come knocking at the end of 2017, when ROB's current contract expires. I think at least one of them will make him an offer he can't refuse, promising him opportunities that simply won't be available at Adelaide.
Is there any chance of Adelaide holding onto ROB? What can/should/will the club do, to provide him with the opportunities he needs to develop, and a career path that entices him to hang around until Sauce's departure?
I tend to agree we could lose him
The flipside being Jacob's continues his downward trend and ROB demands the number one spot
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The flipside being Jacob's continues his downward trend and ROB demands the number one spot
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Jacobs should have 3 years left on him from an age standpoint but he's on the edge of the precipice for mine, the only question will be if the selectors see his spot under pressure or not. I believe its as good as a fact now that if his body is less than 90% right his form is at 50%
if Jacobs has three games in a row as bad as his return from injury last year at any point next year - and I'm ROB and I don't get the tap on the shoulder from Pykey I'm telling my manager to start asking around, simple as that.
if Jacobs has three games in a row as bad as his return from injury last year at any point next year - and I'm ROB and I don't get the tap on the shoulder from Pykey I'm telling my manager to start asking around, simple as that.
ROB should expect 5 games min, probably I hope he'd get about 7-12. Year after that he'd want more than half. He showed us he could play this year. No excuse not to next year. More pressure on for spots. I like it.
The benefit of AFL moving away from having 2 bonefide rucks in a side is that there's generally a few decent rucks available each year due to oversupply, so whilst I'm a fan of ROB, I won't be too fussed if we lose him before Jacobs finishes up. The main thing would be to try and get some value for him IMO.
ROB's still a bit lanky but he moves so much better than Sauce and can actually jump
- Sep 30, 2014
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Need 3+ games from ROB and some strategic resting of Sauce. Hope we learned our lesson from last season.
ROB has perfect scenario at crows ... He's the clear 2nd ruck with a slowly declining sauce in front of him
No need to think about leaving in this scenario , he's 21 next season ?
He just needs to keep working on his game so he's ready to go and to try reach sauce level as soon as he possibly can then surpass it
No need to think about leaving in this scenario , he's 21 next season ?
He just needs to keep working on his game so he's ready to go and to try reach sauce level as soon as he possibly can then surpass it
I'm not a fan of the 'one' ruck man set up. Call me old fashion but 2 genuine ruck men (Jenkins is a forward in this case) gives the team a whole different look and balance.
Last year if Sauce was getting beaten, that was it. Goldstein took him apart in one game and we couldn't change our set up. Throwing O'Brien at him as an alternative would have changed things up and the dual threat of jumping into Goldstein gives him no peace for the whole duration of the game.
This tactic of allowing Sauce to ruck 80% of the games was fine to a point but it wore him down by seasons end.
That final game against Sydney was his worst. The bloke could hardly jump was ineffectual and in reality a liability in that game. (Jenkins couldn't help because he was on one leg ...another bad selection.)
The coaching staff must take a lot of blame for player management last year.
Jacobs needed resting and freshening up throughout the season but we didn't put time into a legitimate second ruck.
Every game in the run home was a mini final and we didn't have enough guts to trust a young O'Brien to share the load. By simply sharing the ruck load and playing both, we would have had the flexibility to cover a bad performance or an injury.
Jenkins, Sauce and O'Brien can rotate off the bench and cover each other for short bursts.
There is always this argument trotted out that an extra ruck man means we have one less quick on the bench to rotate. It's not where the game is heading. So what!
Stop playing Thommo and our leg speed improves immediately.
Trends are just that, they're not set in concrete or law. A dual ruck threat may work for us!
I really believe last years failure can be put down more to poor selection and gutless list management than available talent.
To answer the initial question...Rein in Jacob's time on the field whether he likes it or not and select O'Brien in the same team.
He is our future ruck man, play him now, get games into him and by seasons end we will have legitimate and multiple options going into the finals.
Last year if Sauce was getting beaten, that was it. Goldstein took him apart in one game and we couldn't change our set up. Throwing O'Brien at him as an alternative would have changed things up and the dual threat of jumping into Goldstein gives him no peace for the whole duration of the game.
This tactic of allowing Sauce to ruck 80% of the games was fine to a point but it wore him down by seasons end.
That final game against Sydney was his worst. The bloke could hardly jump was ineffectual and in reality a liability in that game. (Jenkins couldn't help because he was on one leg ...another bad selection.)
The coaching staff must take a lot of blame for player management last year.
Jacobs needed resting and freshening up throughout the season but we didn't put time into a legitimate second ruck.
Every game in the run home was a mini final and we didn't have enough guts to trust a young O'Brien to share the load. By simply sharing the ruck load and playing both, we would have had the flexibility to cover a bad performance or an injury.
Jenkins, Sauce and O'Brien can rotate off the bench and cover each other for short bursts.
There is always this argument trotted out that an extra ruck man means we have one less quick on the bench to rotate. It's not where the game is heading. So what!
Stop playing Thommo and our leg speed improves immediately.
Trends are just that, they're not set in concrete or law. A dual ruck threat may work for us!
I really believe last years failure can be put down more to poor selection and gutless list management than available talent.
To answer the initial question...Rein in Jacob's time on the field whether he likes it or not and select O'Brien in the same team.
He is our future ruck man, play him now, get games into him and by seasons end we will have legitimate and multiple options going into the finals.
- Sep 23, 2012
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You just have to look at Australia Test team - chuck out the old non-performers and bring in quality kids and its a different team
Would love to play 2 ruckmen but reckon would have to be a mobile Natanui type who's really a ruck rover otherwise you're a midfielder down (especially if they're silly enough to play Thommo).
Think Sauce and O'Brien should play alternate weeks depending on travel etc, and whoever's freshest at the end plays finals.
- Oct 19, 2013
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The problem with playing ROB for a lot of games next year is that it gives other clubs a good look at him. No-one's going to come with big money and the promise of no.1 ruck for a 21 y.o. with 2 AFL games. Of course, if Sauce's form fails, bring ROB in but really Sauce was pretty good last year. Like the team, he dropped off a bit at the end and looked pretty sore and like the team, that's how people choose to remember his whole season. But ROB's still only very young in ruckman terms. Giving him games just for the sake of it could be counter-productive.
ROB can mark and spoil so miles ahead of Sauce in some areas already. Has real strength unlike "big mid" as well.
Sauce needs to get back to his best or he is in real trouble.
I would like to see the Crows implement a 2 ruckman policy so Jacobs doesnt do 90% of the work. Im not sure an extra tall will hurt us that much.
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Jack is Back
Premiership Player
- Apr 17, 2013
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Well looks who's back and surprisingly it is another negative post about the Crows, T2.
It's going to be a very long school holiday period this year.
Its reality not negativity
But Sauce thrives on continuity and huge workload plus there's no 'resting' clause in his contract.
I think, to be smart, we should use O'Brien a few times in the year. Give Sauce a rest, expose O'Brien on the AFL stage. It will give us and him confidence if the worst happens and Sauce goes down, and at the end of it if he decides to leave, his exposed form gives us a reason to ask for a good trade in return.
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