Player Watch #9: Luke Davies-Uniacke - signs until end 2025! Runner up in the 2022 Syd Barker Medal Award

[nelroo]

If he’s not right don’t play him. May as well play Tyson as an unfit LDU gives us nothing.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

For whatever reason, he has gone backwards in the first 6 weeks. Not sure how bad the calf is, but he's got no pop. And some pf the defensive running looked poor.

 

[The acurate one]

Probably says more about how fit our players are than Luke’s achievement.

He looks like he wants to crack in ,but something holds him back. Is he a bit thick and struggles with positioning and structures? Should we just be giving him a license to see ball, get ball?

Egyptian Express The acurate one , any reports on his footy nous?

you will get me in trouble Micky. Dusty Martin isn't the sharpest tool in the shed lucky for the Tigers he's a swiss army knife on the footy field.
LDU also isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, unfortunately on the field he's a rubber mallet.

But we're working on that and will continue to do so. Also I think he wasn't fit last night.

 

[SunnyBoner]

you will get me in trouble Micky. Dusty Martin isn't the sharpest tool in the shed lucky for the Tigers he's a swiss army knife on the footy field.
LDU also isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, unfortunately on the field he's a rubber mallet.

But we're working on that and will continue to do so. Also I think he wasn't fit last night.

UDL's kick for goal a few week's back with his shoelace undone really surprised me from a professional player who is a very high draft pick. I don't think i've ever seen that in 40 odd years of watching AFL footy.

 

[DrZaius]

UDL's kick for goal a few week's back with his shoelace undone really surprised me from a professional player who is a very high draft pick. I don't think i've ever seen that in 40 odd years of watching AFL footy.

He did that because the countdown clock had already started.

 

[Firebat]

If you just can't physically go with them mate, then all the good intentions in the world won't amount to much.

I 100% agree. But I don't see anyone banging the door down in the VFL and the club seem determined on him 'making it'. He's incredibly frustrating as a player and hopefully isn't trying to emulate what Cunners can do at times by fending off multiple players when he's just not there physically.

I hope he proves me wrong but we are at that stage where top picks show what they're capable of... We've seen a good quarter this year and a great praci game.

 

[archereleven]

He is clearly not fit, I was saying it in the game thread.

That said, he has played half the amount of games of comparable kids in his draft class. Have some flipping patience ffs. It's there and it'll come out at some stage.

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[RossHenshaw]

Will Phillips isn't AFL fit either, but strangely no one's bitching about that.................yet.

Phillips is an 18 year old who missed all of 2020 with some sort of virus that went around?!
LDU was meant to be our messiah by all north reports who has been in the system for what 3-4 years ? Still can’t get him match fit to run a whole game out at the very least FFS!

 

[speedy]

Other than not chasing, not tackling and not looking interested, how do we know he is carrying a significant injury?

Even if he is carrying a slight niggle it doesn’t justify some of his efforts.

 

[Samsquanch]

He did that because the countdown clock had already started.

He is allowed to put the ball on the ground and inform the umpire. Remember Jack Rhinewort doing that and pacing out the distance between him and a bloke that he thought was in the protected zone a couple of seasons back.

LDU bouncing the ball while in a tackle happened in the same game as the shoelace incident.

He might have the ability. He doesn't look to be very interested in football though.

 

[Psicosis]

Other than not chasing, not tackling and not looking interested, how do we know he is carrying a significant injury?

Even if he is carrying a slight niggle it doesn’t justify some of his efforts.

Was LDU the only player with poor defensive efforts yesterday?

Don’t really see any other player threads blowing up like this one.

Good to know that if we drop LDU all our issues will be resolved.

 

[speedy]

Was LDU the only player with poor defensive efforts yesterday?

Don’t really see any other player threads blowing up like this one.

Good to know that if we drop LDU all our issues will be resolved.

i suppose it’s because he is a prized draft pick and his effort has been questioned many times already and nearly every time the excuse has been his fitness.
We all hope LDU is part of the solution to our issues, but he won’t be if his efforts continue to be sub standard.

 

[DuckYeah]

Phillips is an 18 year old who missed all of 2020 with some sort of virus that went around?!
LDU was meant to be our messiah by all north reports who has been in the system for what 3-4 years ? Still can’t get him match fit to run a whole game out at the very least FFS!

Im Jeckyll and hyde on LDU.

in his defence, he’s had 3 coaches in as many years. He has had OP and other niggles impacting pre seasons and intrinsic and extrinsic pressure would be enormous.

 

[Psicosis]

i suppose it’s because he is a prized draft pick and his effort has been questioned many times already and nearly every time the excuse has been his fitness.
We all hope LDU is part of the solution to our issues, but he won’t be if his efforts continue to be sub standard.

Okay, so this is due to your personal expectations.

I personally think you and other posters need to readjust your expectations of a 21 year old that has been plagued by injury and only managed 30 odd games. Throw in the fact he’s being played out of position & coming off an injury which appears to have effected his engine (likely due to doing less cardio over the last month).

This whole “He was pick 4 so needs to be a finished product NOW” logic is just so short sighted & frankly, pathetic.

Any half decent viewer of AFL can tell you that Luke has shown some pretty special traits in his limited exposure. I recommend supporters also try to understand that certain players do take years in the system to show consistency (Cunnington, Tarrant, Goldstein, McDonald, McKay, Anderson ring any bells?).

It’s a positive that despite not being close to a finished product & playing out of position, he’s averaging 20 Disposals and getting shots on goal.

 

[Frank Thring]

Lack's intensity from what I've seen. Unless he ramps that up , he will just be a run of the mill mid.

 

[Shinboner1]

Phillips is an 18 year old who missed all of 2020 with some sort of virus that went around?!
LDU was meant to be our messiah by all north reports who has been in the system for what 3-4 years ? Still can’t get him match fit to run a whole game out at the very least FFS!

Missed like 1.5 years of that with injury

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

For whatever reason, he has gone backwards in the first 6 weeks. Not sure how bad the calf is, but he's got no pop. And some pf the defensive running looked poor.

One thing‘s for certain, he looks completely different on field to what he looked like during Q1 of the PA game and I want to know why.

Chalk and cheese.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

I’ll be genuinely worried if he’s putting these performances in off the back of an ‘uninterrupted’ preseason.

 

[Grogg]

Reckon my iq has halved reading the last few pages of this thread.

 

[Samsquanch]

You think people need your opinion to know that?

Get back to your chardonnay & training wheels.

Chardy and COLA. A powerful combo.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Chardy and COLA. A powerful combo.

 

[Only Forwards]

I'll be stunned if he's 100% fit.

Agree.

No way that he is.

Had unrealistic expectations on here before the season started which is exacerbated now.

We'll need him to get through this year even if he has to limp through it.

I thought we'd see him really come on late this year. Given he's not fit, that'll push back to next year now.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Why cant he ever get fit then?

 

[archereleven]

Agree.

No way that he is.

Had unrealistic expectations on here before the season started which is exacerbated now.

We'll need him to get through this year even if he has to limp through it.

I thought we'd see him really come on late this year. Given he's not fit, that'll push back to next year now.

I suspect he will track Brayshaw/Cerra etc 50-60 games in and he'll play a game or 3 where all the naysayers will look like complete **** sticks.

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[TennisPlayerAndy]

If Rawlings could give us an update of where his explosive agility has gone, I’d be forever grateful.