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Gaz_Brownlow

Premiership Player
Aug 28, 2007
3,818
1,081
Indonesia
AFL Club
Geelong
That is, pay Shannon Byrnes a compliment!

He looks sharp! I think he might be ready to step up this year.

He is that little bit of extra pace we need at the moment, and i have to admit, he has worked his way into our best 22. Disposal is never going to be Ablettesque, but he has developed a bit more composure and besides his goal kicking he deserves praise for his ability to use the ball effectively.

He does seem to plug a little bit of a hole that we have - in that he is a fast accelerator both defensively and offensively - Travis may have legs, but he can't seem to hit top gear when he has the ball. Others in the mix like Djeukerra (not quite there, but promising), Tenace (can't kick at all) and Hogan (still developing the composure) don't offer what the tiny little superguy is at the moment

There is a spot in our 22 for him and i hope we have him selected for round 1.

Now, let the critics speak!
 

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He will never go up a level until he learns how to kick, and he still makes ridiculous errors than only he (and maybe Kane) can make - such as taking a bounce only to have the ball shoot through his hands into a waiting Carlton players lap, plus his decision making is appalling at times.

But I will give him credit, he was pretty handy last night.
 
Byrnes :thumbsu:
Varcoe :thumbsdown:

Neither in the 22... Anyone 'still' have Varcoe in their best 22?? Do you need more convincing?
 
Not in the 22, no way.

I understand that the coaching staff want a speedy goal sneak type of player, but neither he or Varcoe are reliable. If Stokes isn't fit then put one of the two in, thats just my opinion though.
 
I've seen him play better, but he did ok. When he hasn't got the ball he can put some pressure on...the problem is when he gets the ball.

At the moment he is ahead of Varcoe, but then at the moment I wouldn't have either of them in the best 22.


He might be ahead of Varcoe, who had a bad night out, but what does that really mean ? Come round 1 will either, as you suggest, be in the 22 ?

Byrnes, I believe, is giving it his best and needs to be acknowledged for having a real go. On last night's performance he has the pace, and can get a reasonable amount of the ball but his field and goal kicking are not up to a standard that means he can hurt other teams consistently when he gets the ball. His decision making also seems at times to fail under pressure - or he lacks awareness or time when its a 'bit hot' in the kitchen. He does not have the strength to risk breaking a tackle and rarely seems to balk an opponent. Just cannot see him progressing to the point where he will be in the best 22 come the finals.
 
Not much between Byrnes and Varcoe right now. Both have strengths and flaws and both are up and down with their form.

The major difference for me is that Varcoe is what, 20 or 21 years old, and showing signs of improvement and capable of plenty more. Byrnes on the other hand, is in his 7th or 8th season at the club and hasn't got significantly better in recent years. He hasn't improved his kicking or decision making (in fact, it has now become a mental issue to the extent where he seems to have the yips) and at this age and stage of his career, he is now unlikely to.

For this reason, I think we will see some of both of them playing in 2009 but I'd like to see Varcoe given preference where possible to give him the chance to improve and become the player he is capable of being and the player we want to see successful in that role.
 

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At least Shannon had a genuine crack last night, which is morethan I can say for Varcoe.

Absolutely spot on. Byrnes may have his deficiencies but he runs hard and - maybe because other teams don't rate him- is able to get loose and create space- which helps Geelong beat flooding/zone tactics.

Yeah, at times his disposal let's him down and he makes the odd glaring error but as previously mentioned he has a real crack- something that Varcoe doesn't seem to be doing at the moment. Which is a shame considering his grand final performance last year.
 
Byrnes is well ahead of Varcoe or DJK on current form. His work in the 3 games so far has been better than 2008 (gets lots of possession, field kicking Ok, handball Ok, chase and tackle OK, kicking for goal as per usual. )

Varcoe has now played 2 poor games in a row and after one reasonable game DJK can't find it.

Even if Byrnes turns over 20% (and he doesn't) he still provides many more opportunites than the others. He either has a big engine or reads the ball well as he is always in the action.
UNLESS ... all this experimenting with GAB/Bartell/Kelly/ Stokes/Selwood/ Chapman etc is leading to a set up where an extra on baller plays and some midfielders take their turn in the pocket. .......Sorry....... forgot Prismall has gone and can't find another midfielder ready yet.

So its Shannon of the beard. The 2007 premiership player still has his nose in front.
 
Not good enough. Turns it over way too much.

Thats crap. He didn't turn the ball over - and compared to others in the midfield/half back line, that turned the ball over an unprecedented number of times (admittedly because we were trying some things), he was pretty good. In fact, this preseason Byrnes has looked quite composed over the ball. Byrnes of the past has been ordinary, there is no mistake about this - but so far this preseason he has looked the goods and importantly he has looked better than his rivals for a spot - Varcoe, Djukerra, Tenace and Hogan.

His intensity and effort are about double that of Varcoe, and his acceleration to and from a contest (his effective speed) are superior and importantly his disposal has been reasonably good (although still can't kick a goal). Varcoe has to seriously lift if he wants to command a position over Byrnes at the moment.

If a player like Byrnes can cop as much criticism as he has and continually go back and work on his game and put in on the field, then i think his opportunities will present themselves. He is not a permanent small forward, he is a midfielder who will push forward.

I guess we will find out in the proper season whether he really has progressed.
 
Why can't a player kick straight after 7 years in the system? Can someone please answer this, it is doing my head in. Same with Kane Tenace, what is going on. Why can't they spend a Summer learning to kick properly? How hard can it be when nearly every first year draft player can kick more accurately. Is it in his genetics to be a shit kick? Fair enough being shit at decision making since that requires a "football brain" which he clearly doesn't posses, but kicking is a physical movement, it can be learned. I don't expect him to kick every goal, but at least have a positive ****ing ratio of goals to behinds. 27 goals, 48 behinds must be one of the worst ratios in the AFL, he should aim for a behind then he might actually kick a goal.
 
On 17..."He can't kick so forget him in SC and he doesn't get it enough for DT"

Re cat, can you translate that for us 50+ people who do not understand your lingo?
 
should have sacked byrnes,lonergan,d johnson and tenace and drafted kids before QLD come into group.Could have then made room for a.lovett...


Is that you Della?
 
I do not think that anyone can dispute the fact that Shannon has some serious skill problems. He cannot turn to his non-prefered side or kick on it. In facy his favoured foot is below par when kicking for goal. These are skills that I would expect under 16 kids of today to have developed.

But I think that it is also hard to dispute (although I wait with baited breath) that Shannon has the ability to find tha ball and get into the game than the likes of Travis.
Travis seems to me to be a bit of a sheepdog waiting for the ball to come out of a contest or pack. This is why I think that he will never be a centre player. Maybe on the wing where he can play wide of his opponent.

Shannon is far more likely to attack the ball than wait for it to come to him. I cannot honestly accuse Shannon of a lack of courage or committment to the ball. He has that in stores. Shannons problems are skills that are fundamental to the game of football. I have asked the question: Why have these skills not improved over the past summers? Surely we have skills coaches who see and work on the deficiencies?
 

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