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Player Watch Wayne Milera

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Hi All. Long time lurker and all that...
Long been a fan of Junior, and honestly think he could have been anything if he didn't have such bad luck with injuries. Last night's game though was next level. Far better than anything he's produced before. I really hope he can stay injury free becasue I think he'll just go strength to strength from here.
 
Cranky Bear said:
Hi All. Long time lurker and all that...
Long been a fan of Junior, and honestly think he could have been anything if he didn't have such bad luck with injuries. Last night's game though was next level. Far better than anything he's produced before. I really hope he can stay injury free becasue I think he'll just go strength to strength from here.
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Great to see you on the board Junior. Well played last night!
 

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I reckon players like Milera, Walker, Laird, Smith and Crouch are going extra hard because they appreciate just how rare an opportunity there is this year.

Milera has been playing for a decade, 118 games, and is yet to play in a single final. He debuted in 2016 and played nearly every match in 2017, yet missed out on finals, and we haven't played one since. Back then he would have expected to be targeting a flag every other year. Probably would have thought he'd have 200 games and a couple of flags under his belt by 2025. But it didn't work out that way.

He'd know that this is his chance to finally have a genuine crack at a premiership, and he has elevated his game accordingly. Tex has stepped up in recent weeks (multiple goals in each of the last six matches), Laird has accepted his new (old) role and played it well, and Smith and Crouch are playing their backsides off in the SANFL looking for opportunities to be a part of it all.

Those players who have been around for a long time can sense the moment.
 
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot said:
Last night was the first time I’ve seen the aggressive, attacking, tackle-breaking Milera since his various injuries. It was like he found his old mentality again and it was great to see.
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He's been aggressive and trying to break tackles all year. Friday was just his best game.

Took a while for people to stop hating him that's all.
 
StonesThrow said:
He's been aggressive and trying to break tackles all year. Friday was just his best game.

Took a while for people to stop hating him that's all.
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No, there were several marks he took where he immediately played on running forwards. The mark at half back that led to the Crows first goal is a prime example.

I haven’t seen that from him for a while. It was much more aggressive than he’s been earlier this year.
 
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot said:
No, there were several marks he took where he immediately played on running forwards. The mark at half back that led to the Crows first goal is a prime example.

I haven’t seen that from him for a while. It was much more aggressive than he’s been earlier this year.
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Yeah, he's been doing it for a while.

I mentioned this only last week before Friday's game.
 

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I gotta admit, I never understood the 1001 chances the club kept giving Milera. Never saw anything elite in him at all. However, I will gladly admit that I was wrong in the sense that - though I still believe he doesn't bring anything elite - he has definitely become rock solid. And tbh that's more than satisfactory.
 
Redleg Crow said:
His best game tonight. He actually sought the contest. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.
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I can't remember him ever shirking a contest, courage is not something he's ever lacked. Just couldn't get involved enough at times. Always been very good at breaking tackles too, deceptively strong core.

Love seeing it all come together for him now after potential career ending injuries.
 
lacrow said:
I gotta admit, I never understood the 1001 chances the club kept giving Milera. Never saw anything elite in him at all. However, I will gladly admit that I was wrong in the sense that - though I still believe he doesn't bring anything elite - he has definitely become rock solid. And tbh that's more than satisfactory.
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He's definitely elite at breaking tackles and kicking skills wouldn't be far off the elite category.
 
Thrillthorpe7 said:
I can't remember him ever shirking a contest, courage is not something he's ever lacked. Just couldn't get involved enough at times. Always been very good at breaking tackles too, deceptively strong core.

Love seeing it all come together for him now after potential career ending injuries.
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There’s a difference between shirking a contest and seeking the body, the former I don’t think he’s guilty of the latter which he did against hawthorn.
 
lacrow said:
I gotta admit, I never understood the 1001 chances the club kept giving Milera. Never saw anything elite in him at all. However, I will gladly admit that I was wrong in the sense that - though I still believe he doesn't bring anything elite - he has definitely become rock solid. And tbh that's more than satisfactory.
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He's certainly an elite kick. One of several we've got, along with Walker, Fogarty, Dawson etc.
 
I think one thing he has added to his game is the body work. He looks strong and thick (like a lot of our players) through the middle.

His kicking is super strong and has 75% Kicking Efficiency over the season with 89% on Friday night, which is really good for a game with not many uncontested possessions on our end.

His marks going back with the flight into a hole have been super and we all love the guy who does the term "dodge, duck, dip, dive and... dodge" justice. I want more of that, like two game would be good!
 

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StonesThrow said:
He's been aggressive and trying to break tackles all year. Friday was just his best game.

Took a while for people to stop hating him that's all.
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Could never work out the hate. Crows loving junior IIRC who has had shocking run with injuries.At his best, which we are now seeing again, he walks into every team in the AFL

Anyway glad most seem to have come around and there no more Nank vs Milera discussion
 
119others said:
Could never work out the hate. Crows loving junior IIRC who has had shocking run with injuries.At his best, which we are now seeing again, he walks into every team in the AFL

Anyway glad most seem to have come around and there no more Nank vs Milera discussion
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I was one of those calling for Nankervis to be in over Milera at the start of the year. But even so, I freely acknowledged that a fit and in-form Milera is a weapon, and certainly ahead of the 2025 version of Nankervis.

The issue was that we had seen Milera return from serious injuries multiple times before, very much not fit and not in form, and spend ages getting back up to speed, only to get injured again. There was no reason to expect this time would be any different... and let's face it, players don't often improve after multiple serious injuries. The feeling was we had probably already seen the best of Milera, well below the heights that he should have reached.

And besides all that, very few people were expecting us to seriously contend this year. The feeling was, let's fast-track the development of our younger players so we can start our premiership thrust in 2026.

Thankfully, Milera got back to his best form fairly quickly and has been a valuable member of the team all year. Which is fortunate, as we need his type heading into September.

If we were languishing near the bottom of the ladder, I would still be frustrated at the likes of Nankervis being kept out the side by experienced senior players, even if they are better players. But since we're at the top of the ladder and at the pointy end of the season, playing our best team is clearly the correct strategy.
 
He's being more aggressive with his ball use now, which is the biggest thing. Whether that's confidence in himself or coaching directives, it makes him a much better player. That goal we kicked to end the 1st is a perfect example of it. 3 months ago he's holding that and playing it safe with a short kick.
 
Jr has always been a high level player. Prior to his injuries he was one of our best. People just have short term memories on here, and get blinded by the new shiny thing (Nank) and forget about the gold right in front of them.

Hes a great player who is needed in our side.
I just hope he can stay healthy.
 
MRB37 said:
He's being more aggressive with his ball use now, which is the biggest thing. Whether that's confidence in himself or coaching directives, it makes him a much better player. That goal we kicked to end the 1st is a perfect example of it. 3 months ago he's holding that and playing it safe with a short kick.
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I reckon he feels safer in his selection now and can afford to take risks.
 

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