Traded Sam Mayes (2012-2018)

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jackess said:
Me too. Maybe 1 of Cutler and Mayes at half back and one on the wing. Will depend on our recruitment as well.
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Id rather Mayes playing Lesters role. I think Mayes has the better speed and goal sense. Lester is probably a better set shot but Mayes can pull those freak goals out when needed and really make his defender work.
 

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I've always been firmly against his move to the backline and was hoping he would return to the HF/Wing spot as I believed he had the ability to be a dangerous forward, however, I think he started to really grow into his role as a half back towards the end of season 2016. Whatever position he plays next season I think one thing for sure is that he will be a more rounded, superior player to one he would have been had he not spent time developing defensive skills and adding more strings to his bow playing in the backline similar to how Aker improved and learnt valuable lessons playing in the backline early in his career.
 
Mayes is set to go from a 'whipping boy' to a significant and widely appreciated player under a new coach. He has shown great leadership potential and strength this year and really impressed. Well done Sam Mayes.
 
3KZ is Football said:
Mayes is set to go from a 'whipping boy' to a significant and widely appreciated player under a new coach. He has shown great leadership potential and strength this year and really impressed. Well done Sam Mayes.
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It's a bid sad Leppa will not get the credit for helping to unlock that potential.
 
Player Reviews: No. 31 - 35

In 2016, Sam Mayes built upon a strong pre-season to nail down a spot on the half-back flank. In a career-best Season, Mayes averaged a total of 17.7 disposals, 6.3 handballs and 11.4 kicks per game. Mayes’ best game came in Round 14 against Richmond, where he finished with 27 disposals, with a disposal efficiency of 80%, while also gaining a team high of 500 meters. He re-signed midway through the Season, making him a Lion until at least the end of 2019.

Coach’s notes:

Sammy played 21 games for the Season, missing just the one game. He finished just outside the top 10 in the Best & Fairest. His ability to run and carry from half back and gain meters was a big impact for us - his best Season to date. Another one who has been rewarded with an extension of his contract for three years, and moving forward we see him being a mainstay in our backline.
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sammayes2016.jpg
 

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13Beast said:
Seems very clear that they have no intentions of ever playing him forward again.

Who knows, hope a new coach has other ideas :)
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You want to force him to ask for a trade because we won't play him in his preferred position? :(
 
dlanod said:
You want to force him to ask for a trade because we won't play him in his preferred position? :(
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Who says forward is his preferred position? Mayhap he has decided his future is as a defender.
 
notliondown said:
He's also stated a few times his preferred position is in defense...
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I don't think he ever has, and if he did, he isn't going to say in an interview that he doesn't want to play in the position he is placed in by his coaches. Will be interesting to see where he plays under the new coach.
 
Always been annoyed by this. Had such a great first year playing forward.

Makes me think of the comments re Beveridge last week in that his approach is to focus on a players strengths rather than weaknesses.

If we had focused on giving Sam every opportunity to play as a forward, where would he be as a player now?
 
TBH we could see Mayes move into the middle or a wing next year and it wouldnt be a poor reflection on Leppa. Mayes found some form in the back line this year, that shows development and improvement in his game. If moving him there was to develop aspects of his game then it is probably mission accomplished and a move further up field might have been on the cards anyway.
 
Wherever Mayes plays next year I reckon he will elevate his game under Fagan. His second half of the year in 2016 was actually pretty decent. He sort of regained some confidence after all the contract stuff was sorted out and he looked really comfortable playing his role. He has 70+ games under his belt now and he'll be entering his 5th season next year so he should be able to start playing at his best on a consistent basis. Would be very handy if Mayes started to live up to his top 10 pick status from next year onwards as he is very talented. His first season was great but from there he sort of stagnated. Started to get going again in the second half of 2016 and hopefully he can build on that and work towards bigger and better things from now on:thumbsu:
 
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