Kane Lucas

[Juddernaut08]

Kane Lucas.

I hate giving one of our players a Roast, but frustration levels have reached boiling point with "Sugar".

I don't get what he brings to the table besides from being a good runner with above average pace?

He is soft and never goes in to win the hard ball. He rarely shepherds, preferring to run on to receive the handball. In one-on-one contests he often goes in half-hearted although he did take one contested mark last night. He gets 90% of his possessions as a cheap outlet running round the outside of packs. This would be acceptable if he was a traditional outside player.

However, Lucas' disposal is below average. He can accurately hit his man with a 15-25m short kick, but other than that he's a spray gun. To play as outside as he does, he needs to have Dal Santo or Shannon Hurn-like disposal.

Instead, we have a player who doesn't put his body on the line, repeatedly shanks the ball and accumulates 20+ useless possessions each week.

Thoughts? I really can't see why he's getting game.

 

[Omega Blue]

I still have faith in Lucas reminds me a lot of simpson in his younger days

 

[walshy93]

Careful OP, you may just have upset a fair chunk of the forum!

I think that when we are going well, Lucas goes well. But in games where there are pressure situations... close games that is, his name tends to come up as one that cracks.

Hopefully he uses this to build some mettle, but at this stage of the season, it's getting more and more risky, to risk having him make clangers at crucial times.

All is good and well when he picks up 20 and kicks 2 in a comfy win, but when the pressure gets on, he just needs more refinement.

 

[Claypigeon]

I wouldn't be so harsh, as he is improving but I can see everything that you are saying here. .. He pulls out of contests and gets spooked too easily and it frustrates me to no end. .. He makes good space though and provides a linking option and is an opportunist goal kicker. .. I assume he is doing the job Mick wants of him. .. Reminds me a bit of a young Simpson, so hopefully he develops into the same. ..

 

[Silvagnis]

Roast the team.

Next.

 

[Juddernaut08]

Don't get me wrong - I wish Lucas the very best and hope he becomes a great player because he wears the Navy Blue. I wish nothing more than for him to turn it around and if he became half the player Simpson is I'd be content.

But that still doesn't explain how he's getting a game. Unfortunately he's one of our three softest players but that's coupled with close to the worst disposal outside our ruckmen.

 

[Bradschi]

last night half the team made a ridiculous turnovers, dodgy disposals were spread around the team not just lucas

 

[BlueBelle]

Roast the team.

Next.

I'm all for giving players a fair go but think Lucas has had this to date this year.

Why should he remain in the side in your opinion and why don't you think he needs to learn from his mistakes and be sent back to the twos to do so?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts without sarcasm btw.

 

[mike ockerts]

I wouldn't be so harsh, as he is improving but I can see everything that you are saying here. .. He pulls out of contests and gets spooked too easily and it frustrates me to no end. .. He makes good space though and provides a linking option and is an opportunist goal kicker. .. I assume he is doing the job Mick wants of him. .. Reminds me a bit of a young Simpson, so hopefully he develops into the same. ..

I hate to harp on about it, but missing from 5m out is just not acceptable clay, and that includes from anybody not just Lucas.

 

[Claypigeon]

I hate to harp on about it, but missing from 5m out is just not acceptable clay, and that includes from anybody not just Lucas.

I agree. .. He should have opened up and made sure of it (took a step inside and check sided it from out in front) but got intimidated into a rushed shot by a defender coming at him when he had time. .. However against Brisbane he was a shining light in front of goal, so I'm not going to crucify him for that miss despite it being a morale killer like Bells was in the aforementioned Brissy game. ..

My main issues are not his kicking nor his poor decision making with the handball on occasion. .. Its that he is obviously intimidated into mistakes and needs to improve vastly in this area to play in pressure games. ..

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

Panics way too often. Doesn't have the penetrating footskills that you'd want from a purely outside player (though is a good short pass). Normally pretty good in front of goal. Good speed, average endurance. Poor decision maker. Terrible tackler.

 

[Claypigeon]

Panics way too often. Doesn't have the penetrating footskills that you'd want from a purely outside player (though is a good short pass). Normally pretty good in front of goal. Good speed, average endurance. Poor decision maker. Terrible tackler.

succinctly put. ..

 

[mike ockerts]

I agree. .. He should have opened up and made sure of it (took a step inside and check sided it from out in front) but got intimidated into a rushed shot by a defender coming at him when he had time. .. However against Brisbane he was a shining light in front of goal, so I'm not going to crucify him for that miss despite it being a morale killer like Bells was in the aforementioned Brissy game. ..

My main issues are not his kicking nor his poor decision making with the handball on occasion. .. Its that he is obviously intimidated into mistakes and needs to improve vastly in this area to play in pressure games. ..

Is the kid mentally weak maybe? The way I see it with footballers, is you either have toughness ( the stones) in you or you don't have toughness in you ( the stones ) you can't teach it, it's in you or it isn't, when the loose ball is there to be won, you either go or be gone and made to look like a cat, I'm afraid young Kane is the latter IMO.

 

[Blue DNA]

I'm not sure what this thread is meant to achieve. BigFooty has many threads roasting or questioning young players only to find that after 50 consistent games those same players become unquestionably best 22. See for example:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/henderson-what-do-we-do.841533/

I completely understand that Lucas can be frustrating. I was up on my feet shouting un-nice things at him when he missed that goal. But, hey, even our clear best 22 make crazy mistakes.

Lucas also reminds me of a young Simpson. Kane is 22 and has played 28 games. He was in and out of the side for 18 of those. Like many players he needs consistent game time to develop. Under MM he is showing good signs. He kicked three goals against Brisbane two weeks ago. The game we kicked from memory 13:20.

We are not patient at Carlton, and rightly so. But Lucas needs more patience than 28 games. My view is that two years from now we will look back on this thread with the same shake of the head that applies to the one on Henderson quoted above.

 

[Claypigeon]

Is the kid mentally weak maybe? The way I see it with footballers, is you either have toughness ( the stones) in you or you don't have toughness in you ( the stones ) you can't teach it, it's in you or it isn't, when the loose ball is there to be won, you either go or be gone and made to look like a cat, I'm afraid young Kane is the latter IMO.

You cannot learn determination but you can build it from learning that without it you cannot make it. .. He has the tools, so I'm not going to completely write him off but I'd be all for dropping him, if he needs to go back to the twos to find it. ..

 

[James_Blues]

He also goes hunting for the cheap disposal way to much. There was one instance last night (can't quite remember when), when the ball was kicked into our forward 50 with Judd, Armfield and Lucas running towards the ball with a few Essendon players chasing. Lucas gets in Judd's way as Judd's bent over trying to pick up the ball and ends up making Judd run over it. Further to that he didn't even look like considering about putting on the shepard to some of the Essendon players. After that, it was a turnover and it was kicked out of our forward 50.

 

[Claypigeon]

I'm not sure what this thread is meant to achieve. BigFooty has many threads roasting or questioning young players only to find that after 50 consistent games those same players become unquestionably best 22. See for example:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/henderson-what-do-we-do.841533/

I completely understand that Lucas can be frustrating. I was up on my feet shouting un-nice things at him when he missed that goal. But, hey, even our clear best 22 make crazy mistakes.

Lucas also reminds me of a young Simpson. Kane is 22 and has played 28 games. He was in and out of the side for 18 of those. Like many players he needs consistent game time to develop. Under MM he is showing good signs. He kicked three goals against Brisbane two weeks ago. The game we kicked from memory 13:20.

We are not patient at Carlton, and rightly so. But Lucas needs more patience than 28 games. My view is that two years from now we will look back on this thread with the same shake of the head that applies to the one on Henderson quoted above.

Kind of agree but you are misrepresenting that thread. .. The parts in bold were well written and especially the second is quite correct really. ..

Clearly he is slow and unfit and just can't seem to mark the ball.

I still think he can be a player in ther future but what do we do with him now because he's just not giving us anything and today was a big chance to stand tall and he didn't !

Should he be back at the Ants trying to get some consistant form and confidence ?

Looks to be more at home at CHB to me where his main job is to punch the ball ?

What do we do ?????

The two

 

[SBYM]

...when you're given the licence to play exclusively outside, you must have very good disposal skills and use the ball that your teammates earned through hard fought, contested possessions with precision.

Second time I've quoted the above since it is so spot on.

As I see it, Kane's role is two-fold;

-put the ball on the chest of a forward inside 50.
-finish the job yourself.

Don't expect him to go in and get the contested ball...that ain't his gig. Instead, ask yourself if he's doing what dropdead1 described.

 

[CrippsonBlue]

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/henderson-what-do-we-do.841533/

What was wrong with the OP from that thread, or this one?

Lucas could go on to be the best player in the comp in 5 years; doesn't make this thread any less valid, or a spell in the twos any less necessary.

 

[le dominateur]

You cannot compare a young Henderson to Lucas, Henderson was lambasted on this board for failing to hold marks and rightly so, not failing to tackle, sheppard and jumping at shadows.

 

[frank87]

A young Simpson hmm... i don't recall Simpson running away from a contest to get a handball receive every time.. or peeling off when he needs to be the one to win the ball or scared of body contact or scared to to tackle because he might break a nail. Amongst all those unacceptable traits his disposal is very very average.. So a high draft pick is not what we hoped but lets not insult one of our most consistent and tough players over the last 7 years in the process...

 

[mike ockerts]

You cannot learn determination but you can build it from learning that without it you cannot make it. .. He has the tools, so I'm not going to completely write him off but I'd be all for dropping him, if he needs to go back to the twos to find it. ..

I don't know clay, maybe your right, but what I will say is, having played footy at a pretty good level in my past, watching somebody "dog it" for a better word I suppose, can be so demoralising to the rest of the team, it can spread like a cancer.

 

[Silvagnis]

Panics way too often. Doesn't have the penetrating footskills that you'd want from a purely outside player (though is a good short pass). Normally pretty good in front of goal. Good speed, average endurance. Poor decision maker. Terrible tackler.

Decision making will improve with more games because he was a clean player in his first season. It's there, but he's only played 27 games in four seasons. No different to your view that Casboult will improve his kicking. Has more ability than Armfield who has progressed with more development.

Mick wouldn't suffer fools and pick players who didn't have anything to offer.

Endurance, agility and speed at draft camp were there with the best and on par with Lewis Jetta.

 

[Sin City]

Panics way too often. Doesn't have the penetrating footskills that you'd want from a purely outside player (though is a good short pass). Normally pretty good in front of goal. Good speed, average endurance. Poor decision maker. Terrible tackler.

I thought from memory his endurance was right up there?

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

I thought from memory his endurance was right up there?

Just an observation that he seems to play better early as opposed to later in games. Could be wrong re: his endurance.