Thurley deserves more credit

rickster

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I think Thurley should be getting more credit than he is. Everyone carries on about Steve Johnson coming back as though he is the miracle tonic. However Thurley kicked half our goals v Sydney and is definitely doing the job. If SJ had kicked 3 we would be rhapsodising, but because Thurley doesn't kick them from the boundary, I don't reckon he gets the recognition.
 

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jmain14

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#2
rickster said:
I think Thurley should be getting more credit than he is. Everyone carries on about Steve Johnson coming back as though he is the miracle tonic. However Thurley kicked half our goals v Sydney and is definitely doing the job. If SJ had kicked 3 we would be rhapsodising, but because Thurley doesn't kick them from the boundary, I don't reckon he gets the recognition.
I disagree. I think cameron gets as much credit from us as he deserves.

for him to kick goals for us each week is and has been great. don't get me wrong, his contribution has been invaluable. but you can't compare him to sj I am afraid. it is not so much the goals sj kicks that make him so great but rather his creativity in the forward line and the opportunities he creates for others. cameron, in a 120 minute game, doesn't produce much more than 4 or 5 kicks a week, albeit even if a couple of these kicks were to result in goals.
 

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#3
Thurley is still making the transition from AFL to VFL. He's too good for the VFL now so hopefully he can become a consistent performer in the senior ranks.

Steve Johnson probably gets a bit too much fanfare mostly because he is injured thus people can pump him up as much as they want without people questioning their opinions about his skills. When he did play this season he was pretty average.

Comparing the two guys though, Johnson is a better player, but there is room for Thurley in the team if the likes of Ablett and Chapman spend time in the midfield or god forbid Charlie G got dropped.
 

Unwritten_Law

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#4
jmain14 said:
cameron, in a 120 minute game, doesn't produce much more than 4 or 5 kicks a week, albeit even if a couple of these kicks were to result in goals.
I didn't see the game on the weekend (no foxtel and I was at work) but in his other games, Thurley would have been lucky to play much more than a third of that 120 minutes.

He is an opportunistic forward, he is not going to gather 30 possessions a week. Have a look at someone like Milne, or everyone's favourite flash in the pan Davey, and see how much of the ball they get.
 

rickster

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Unwritten_Law said:
He is an opportunistic forward, he is not going to gather 30 possessions a week.
Interesting to see whether he gets a run in the midfield as he does in the VFL (I acknowledge they are different standards). The only question is pace, I believe he has the strength for the middle.
 

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#6
Thurley is a brilliant straight set shot, which we sorely lack ATM.

But he doesn't provide forward structure like Johnson, Playfair, Ottens provide.

At this point in his career Thurley is nothing more the a complimentary forward (Like KK should be). We need forwards that are going to present, crash packs, crumb and give options all day.
 
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Thurley still has a way to go before becoming a fully fledged AFL player. His opportunities on Saturday came mainly from free kicks (4, I think) and he only had 1 tackle. I was at the game and on several occasions I remember thinking, geez he doesn't really provide a strong contest. Compare him with Chapman and Ablett and their ferocity in trying to keep the ball in the forward area and he pales in comparison.

That said, he did a job in that he kicked 3 goals. If he can do that more consistently and work on the defensive side of his game and his willingness to make a contest, I think there'll be a spot for him more regularly.
 
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#8
jmain14 said:
I disagree. I think cameron gets as much credit from us as he deserves.

for him to kick goals for us each week is and has been great. don't get me wrong, his contribution has been invaluable. but you can't compare him to sj I am afraid. it is not so much the goals sj kicks that make him so great but rather his creativity in the forward line and the opportunities he creates for others. cameron, in a 120 minute game, doesn't produce much more than 4 or 5 kicks a week, albeit even if a couple of these kicks were to result in goals.
Steve Johnson would hit the post or miss the shots that Thurley kicks, but he then would slot 3 from the boundary line to make up for it. It's ok to have a guy in the side who only gets the ball 4-5 times if he is kicking 2-3 goals. I would rather that than have Haynes or Gardiner getting 10 kicks for no goals.
Gardiner, Haynes and to a lesser extent Kingsley can't hurt sides on the score board becuase they are such poor kicks for goal.
 

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jmain14

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#12
Unwritten_Law said:
I didn't see the game on the weekend (no foxtel and I was at work) but in his other games, Thurley would have been lucky to play much more than a third of that 120 minutes.
yeah I understand that but what I was implying was that even if thurls was to play the full 4 quarters he is still only the type of player to get his 7 or 8 possessions. on a good day that maybe a 4 or 5 goal day for him, and obviously I have no problem with that.

I am not trying to bag him out here, all I am suggesting (as per the topic of this thread) is that he can not be compared to sj. dogger is by far the better player.
 

jmain14

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#13
Sammy D said:
Different type of player with different roles. Please don't compare
absolutely, PLEASE do not compare these type of players. ffs guys, stop bagging out charlie at every possible opportunity. he ain't that bad.
 

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#14
Thurley is just an oppurtunistic player who happens to be a very good set shot at goal. Not too creative and won't bring others into the game. I didn't think he could do much else except kick set shots at all...until I saw him take that first mark against Sydney the other night. He just seemed to read it perfectly, better than anyone else. A one off? Maybe...but he doesn't seem to have the pace to push up into the midfield, nor the nous to be the forward we would want him to be, should he be pushing for a regular senior spot (yeah, hinting if SJ does happen to be a gonner...but I just don't believe that at all damnit!)

So no, I don't think he needs more credit at all.
 

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#15
If only we could merge Thurley and KK. Nice size, good off the lead great hands, good on the grass and an awesome set shot.
Thurley must show something other than being a supreme finisher.There will not always be the delivery that enables the uncontested grab and set shot. In a way his accuracy shows his weakness.Low possession count,the man has to work to get his possessions up a bit. If GAJ is going to receive the hard tags, its Thurley job to draw a player to himself and away from Gary and Chapman. If he get on the other end of the ball a few times and pass it KK or Ottens he will be more dangerous and get more cred.
 

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#19
...and at FOUR FULL games into his long and illustrious career, everyone is now passing judgement one way or the other. stop stating the obvious guys, of course Thurley has areas he needs to improve in. C. Gardiner, on the other hand, is now FORTY games into his career. i think the microscope would be much more appropriately placed in his direction.
 

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Thurley is a gun, get over it, he has probably already got a higher accuracy level then Kent and will probably (and most dissapointingly) be dropped this weekend, although i hope not.
 

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#21
Saying Thurley doesn't provide much of a contest may be true at this stage, but in the VFL 2 weeks ago I saw him do something Kingsley would never do - Geelong bombed the ball forward directly to 3 opp. players and Thurley, out of position and the only hooped one there, sprinted at the pack and hurled himself at the ball, managing to spoil the marking attempt of a guy twice his size and bring the other 2 guys down as well. He landed on his head, but Geelong regained possession. He has the minerals, but perhaps has not got the timing of AFL quite right yet.

There may yet turn out to be a reason why Geelong used THAT pick to draft Thurley.
 

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#22
He needs to stay in the side as he is the only guy that has a bit of class around the goals. Solid player that could be used off the bench to kick a couple like he did against the saints.
 
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Vaughan Pitt said:
Saying Thurley doesn't provide much of a contest may be true at this stage, but in the VFL 2 weeks ago I saw him do something Kingsley would never do - Geelong bombed the ball forward directly to 3 opp. players and Thurley, out of position and the only hooped one there, sprinted at the pack and hurled himself at the ball, managing to spoil the marking attempt of a guy twice his size and bring the other 2 guys down as well. He landed on his head, but Geelong regained possession. He has the minerals, but perhaps has not got the timing of AFL quite right yet.

There may yet turn out to be a reason why Geelong used THAT pick to draft Thurley.
Well, I'm glad you've seen something that makes you think like that. I haven't seen it yet but I hope as much as anyone that I do.
 

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#24
He'll perform an act of suicidal heroism once every two weeks and spend the rest of the time trying to figure out where the hell he's supposed to be, and kicking the odd goal.
 

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#25
The bonus with Thurley is that he can take a good overhead grab. Get him one out with a smaller type defender and he's a huge chance of martaking the catch. He reads the play extremely well and can also play as a midfield forward
 
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