Player Watch #20: Nick 'Souva' Larkey - 23AA/24 NM VC

[KangaRooster]

I remember an interview with Carey where he said one of his best attributes to being great was reading and understanding his teammates and their strengths and limitations.

If you’re 50m from a bloke who’s accurate kicking it 40 but has to bomb it to get it 55 your first thought shouldn’t be to lead away from him for a higher % shot at goal.

Larks has a great understanding with PC when he gets it at high half forward, he knows Paul can turn and deliver it low and hard on his left into space in the pocket, and Larks is often ready to lead as soon as he gets it.

Then his incredible set shot accuracy turns him into a bag-kicking KPF.

Darling prowling FF might discourage Nick from looking for the easier shot from closer to goal with the much more difficult mark, to favour an easier mark and more difficult set shot. I think his abilities suit that plan perfectly anyway.

 

[shinboner magic]

Would start this guy as the chf and have darling start in the square.
Would love him more involved and can use his running capacity to his benefit

 

[hotchilli]

Would start this guy as the chf and have darling start in the square.
Would love him more involved and can use his running capacity to his benefit

I personally prefer him closer to goal, I think his accuracy in front of goal is his greatest strength.

 

[nj23]

I personally prefer him closer to goal, I think his accuracy in front of goal is his greatest strength.

I wonder if having souv closer to goal better stretches a defence which might suit us if we want to increase time in our forward half…

 

[lockheed]

Those guys will all play at some point agreed. They just shouldn’t be first picked anymore.

Pick the team on form, their ability to help us win matches and team balance. All else being equal, pick players on their potential. If this means that players like Simpkin, Tucker, McDonald don't play every game, it's a sign that we're improving both in terms of talent and depth.

 

[shinboner magic]

I personally prefer him closer to goal, I think his accuracy in front of goal is his greatest strength.

He’ll still get his shots within distance - his footy brain is what gets him in the position to receive the ball. He hasn’t got great strength , elite speed or a great mark - he outsmarts them.

 

[Lomas]

He’ll still get his shots within distance - his footy brain is what gets him in the position to receive the ball. He hasn’t got great strength , elite speed or a great mark - he outsmarts them.

 

[hotchilli]

Yeah but he’s not really an accumulator of the football. He’s not a great bomb down the line target.

I just think that with someone who is as good as Souv is around goals you play him as the deeper forward.

 

[shinboner magic]

Yeah but he’s not really an accumulator of the football. He’s not a great bomb down the line target.

I just think that with someone who is as good as Souv is around goals you play him as the deeper forward.

Yeah look at Jack Riewoldt when he won the Coleman’s and when they won the flags.
Sometimes you’ve got to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team.

 

[amaz199]

I actually think Larkey has decent pace on him and can get separation. It's just that our forward line structure is so dysfunctional and needs to establish a connection. Let's see how it goes in 2025.

 

[hotchilli]

Yeah look at Jack Riewoldt when he won the Coleman’s and when they won the flags.
Sometimes you’ve got to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team.

And we are a better team by using a player closer to goals if that’s where he is able to impact the game the most.

 

[Only Forwards]

He’s got some mates

Some?

Loads of times it seemed like there was the player kicking the ball and 17 blokes refusing to move at all.

I am not sure how you’d measure it but we would have one of the most stagnant forward ball movement in the league.

In an era where chaos forward movement is a major driver of scoring we have some of the most stale movement ever.

 

[the big lebowski]

Some?

Loads of times it seemed like there was the player kicking the ball and 17 blokes refusing to move at all.

I am not sure how you’d measure it but we would have one of the most stagnant forward ball movement in the league.

In an era where chaos forward movement is a major driver of scoring we have some of the most stale movement ever.

Yeah they’ve been conditioned for the easy ball out the back. That’s why I’m optimistic on darling. Might show them a thing or too.

 

[DuckYeah]

Yeah they’ve been conditioned for the easy ball out the back. That’s why I’m optimistic on darling. Might show them a thing or too.

Yeh, at training.