Player Watch Josh Rachele - Sent To The Gulag!

[Go the Guts]

He’s a match winner. Don’t get the hate.

It is because he has no defensive game. Purely a forward, front runner. Struggles to tackle or apply any kind of defensive pressure. Has so much to learn still if he is to become a great AFL player. Talent alone won't make him that. He clearly has the talent, but he really needs to go to school now, swallow his ego a bit, and start trying to learn from our coaches and leaders how to apply a lot more pressure in his field game. If he had Sam Berry or Rory Sloane or Laird's ability to tackle hard and apply pressure on the opposition ball carrier to match his forward craft, he could become a superstar. Feels like VB needs to do more work with him.

 

[ABAB]

It is because he has no defensive game. Purely a forward, front runner. Struggles to tackle or apply any kind of defensive pressure. Has so much to learn still if he is to become a great AFL player. Talent alone won't make him that. He clearly has the talent, but he really needs to go to school now, swallow his ego a bit, and start trying to learn from our coaches and leaders how to apply a lot more pressure in his field game. If he had Sam Berry or Rory Sloane or Laird's ability to tackle hard and apply pressure on the opposition ball carrier to match his forward craft, he could become a superstar. Feels like VB needs to do more work with him.

The thought that Rachele doesn't tackle or apply pressure isn't correct, people only think that because there are a few occurrence within the game which really stand out so they think this happened for the entire game. He average the most tackles in 2023 when he transitioned into the midfield for the first 8 weeks and was excellent.

 

[rabidcrow]

It is because he has no defensive game. Purely a forward, front runner. Struggles to tackle or apply any kind of defensive pressure. Has so much to learn still if he is to become a great AFL player. Talent alone won't make him that. He clearly has the talent, but he really needs to go to school now, swallow his ego a bit, and start trying to learn from our coaches and leaders how to apply a lot more pressure in his field game. If he had Sam Berry or Rory Sloane or Laird's ability to tackle hard and apply pressure on the opposition ball carrier to match his forward craft, he could become a superstar. Feels like VB needs to do more work with him.

Rachele had 21 pressure acts tonight. 6th highest for us and top 10 in the game. I would suggest his pressure is fine. Still needs to lift his physicality a bit but most weeks he is in the top half of the team for pressure acts


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[Scorpus]

Rachele averages more tackles than Brodie Smith

33

Brodie Smith

Age

32

Ht

189cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.5

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

7.2

4star

M

4.2

4star

T

2.1

4star

MG

500.1

5star

D

17.1

4star

K

12.6

5star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.5

3star

T

2.3

3star

MG

438.9

5star

D

17.2

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

3.6

5star

 

[spenze]

I liked how Murphy accepted the kudos for Keays goal on the back of Rash tackling the Essendon gimp and the ball spilling to Murph.

Murph is a bigger fraud than Belle Gibson

 

[Scorpus]

I liked how Murphy accepted the kudos for Keays goal on the back of Rash tackling the Essendon gimp and the ball spilling to Murph.

Murph is a bigger fraud than Belle Gibson

Are you also watching the replay by any chance?

 

[dplggr47]

Rachele laid 2 strong tackles late in the game to hold the ball in that forward 50. I know he has his moments, where he gives up on the contest or squibs it, but that was a good moment for him late.

 

[dplggr47]

Rachele averages more tackles than Brodie Smith

Not hard to have a better game than Smithers though. Looked slow the whole game. Has completely lost his speed.

 

[Scorpus]

Not hard to have a better game than Smithers though. Looked slow the whole game. Has completely lost his speed.

I mean over their careers

 

[1990crow]

I mean over their careers

I don't think Racheles general tackling ability is in question.
It's that he picks and chooses.

 

[Go the Guts]

Rachele had 21 pressure acts tonight. 6th highest for us and top 10 in the game. I would suggest his pressure is fine. Still needs to lift his physicality a bit but most weeks he is in the top half of the team for pressure acts


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He also squibs the contest more than nearly any other player on our list, and has a softness to him that needs to improve. Regardless of 'pressure acts' stats. I don't hate him, I actually believe he will become great for us, but he has more work and a bit of growing up to do yet.

 

[Scorpus]

I don't think Racheles general tackling ability is in question.
It's that he picks and chooses.

So does Smith

 

[cmndstab]

I'm still mostly convinced that 90% of the things people complain about Rachele are actually him sticking to the exact plan he's been given by the coaches.

His job isn't to head into the heart of a contest and lay a thumping tackle, or win a big clearance. His job is to anticipate the bounce of the ball, and get off his opponent ready to be an attacking weapon.

For years, we've seen every Crows player make a beeline for the ball, getting in each other's way, only for it to squirt out to an opposition player who waited on the outside. I like that someone like Rachele, who can do serious damage with ball in hand, tries to get into dangerous spots outside the contest.

Yes, sometimes when he does that his opponent is going to win the ball and run away. But other times when he does that, he's going to receive the ball and generate a goal. He kicked three of them today. I'll take that any day. I don't see it as "squibbing" or "being soft". It's playing his role.

When the time actually comes to lay a tackle he's pretty good at it. It's just not his role most of the time. We have other, much less classy players than him in the side to do that.

 

[Billy_01]

So does Smith

Smith can’t hold a tackle though. His core strength has completely deserted him

 

[1990crow]

So does Smith

Smith just plain can't keep up, let alone the fact he is also picking and choosing. He's a liability and offers nothing to the side right now.

Rachele has his obvious benefits, but you can't be picking and choosing.

 

[Golumless]

**** the haters. Do you wabt Murphy or do you want someone who executes like that. He’ll come good. He’s still in nappies.

He's not in nappies at this point, but equally hasn't deserved the heat that's came his way. A consolidation year in your 3rd in the bigs isn't particularly uncommon.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

I don't think Racheles general tackling ability is in question.
It's that he picks and chooses.

I've noticed he doesn't like the symbolic ones. Sometimes you have to go, even when you know it won't make a difference because it's a bad look if you don't.

 

[MrBarry]

Don't care if he squibs a tackle here or there when he can win a game for you.

 

[relapse]

I've made this point before, but I think Rachele has been over coached.

He's a mercurial small forward that plays on instinct, I'd be willing to bet he's been constantly being told to work on his defence and his defensive efforts and he's now overthinking things and it's been affecting his ability to play his natural instinctive brand of footy.

It was great to see him really make an impact last night, but I do still think that he's been poorly coached.

 

[George Kramer]

On 22 goals, should go close to 30 which is a decent return

 

[StonesThrow]

I don't think Racheles general tackling ability is in question.
It's that he picks and chooses.

Yeah this. He can do it, but not sure if it's that natural to him. Just has moments where he seems to give up or has very weak efforts.

His output is still good though. Still has a long way to go imo.

 

[cleanhands]

I've made this point before, but I think Rachele has been over coached.

He's a mercurial small forward that plays on instinct, I'd be willing to bet he's been constantly being told to work on his defence and his defensive efforts and he's now overthinking things and it's been affecting his ability to play his natural instinctive brand of footy.

It was great to see him really make an impact last night, but I do still think that he's been poorly coached.

This applies to a lot of our young group,

 

[rabidcrow]

On 22 goals, should go close to 30 which is a decent return

23 according to the AFL website - which is equal to his haul last year already - and as you say on the way to 30. Not bad for a guy who just played his 50th game


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[Hell Boy6669]

Mini redemption for Rachele as if I recall correctly he had a flying left foot snap in the home game v Essendon and missed

 

[Scorpus]

This looks bad on first glance but Rachele clearly pulls out of the bump because he would have smashed Ridley's head and copped weeks