Leon Davis - a chance at redemption

[Colin Wood]

He is the luckiest man in the world right now.

This is his last chance. If he cant perform tomorrow then he MUST be traded from the Club. There is no other option.

I was a non fan of Leon for a long time. Wanted him traded years ago because he was HOPELESS in Finals. Then, he turned me around and was brilliant for a couple of years and I was a fan. Then, last years Finals series, he did it again...he was HOPELESS. All year ive been waiting and waiting for Leon to come out and blow a game apart...he did it against the Bulldogs half way through the season....then he's done very little since.

This might sound silly, but if I was Malthouse, I would start Leon in the Midfield tomorrow...let him try to get his hands on the ball early and get some confidence up....then go from there depending on how fit he is.

I hope the Club has bought his whole family over for the game, because he usually plays well when he's in Perth and his family are watching him.
I hope Malthouse has given Leon one of those special pep talks we all have heard about that he gives to some players to get them "up" and I hope...I pray...that Leon realises that this is IT for him. Surely...surely he knows that this is the game that will probably define his Footy career and he can get out there and do it.

 

[Primetime Pricey]

I love Leon.

Just not in finals. Mick just cost us a flag. I'm sorry, I know I made a promise to be positive, and until THIS selection was made, I WAS being positive. But Mick is purposely making it VERY hard for me to have confidence in us winning.

Playing in a Grand Final with 21 players is just asking for trouble.

I pray Leon proves me wrong, but 10 years of not performing in finals isn't going to just change overnight. No matter how much you all want it to.

cost us a flag? WTF is this rubbish?
Leon has been our best defensive fwd all year. Why do people think he has to get 20 touches and kick 2 goals a game for him to have contributed? He doesnt play midfield anymore so he wont be at his All Australian standard. Jesus Christ.

 

[Sloth]

Leon it's time to pull the finger out

 

[boxy2010]

He looked really focussed on the way back to the westpac centre.

 

[Forgotten Legend]

cost us a flag? WTF is this rubbish?
Leon has been our best defensive fwd all year. Why do people think he has to get 20 touches and kick 2 goals a game for him to have contributed? He doesnt play midfield anymore so he wont be at his All Australian standard. Jesus Christ.

This.

He doesn't play his midfielder role in which he recieved AA status last year! He is playing as a pocket forward who'se main priority is to keep the ball inside 50 by tackling and pressure. Obviously he wont rack up massive possessions because he isn't rotated in the midfield (I hope he is a little for GF day tho) so you can really only measure him on what the coaching staff want him to. However I desperately hope like many that he is able to produce something magical and kick a few goals and push up the ground to set a few goal assists and get to feel the leather so he gets his confidence up. He is our magic man (along with dids) and he can tear a game apart.

Stop hating and support not just Davis but the team and coaches in their decision.

 

[Mickaman]

I believe in you Leon go out there and destroy the Saints.

Just remember he as come in for Goldy. Now if I remember correctly Goldy was a fumbly mess last week. He would only be worse this week with the pressure 10 fold. Goldy needed to be dropped after last weeks performance.

We all know Leon has not done much in the finals but he is aware of it MM is aware of it so lets hope that will spur him on.

Also note that MM has stated that the final 22 was not locked in until this morning after training. I would personally like him in the final 22.

 

[FIGJAM]

Hmm.. I'd prefer the selection of a player that didn't need redeeming in the first place.

Like who?

Brad Dick is injured.

Medhurst has been off AFL pace for most of the year primarily due to injury.

Goldsack was shit last week and a late replacement fro Leon who otherwise would have played. Point blank, its a question of who out of Sack and Leon, and given the Saints forward line players, it's a no brainer.

 

[Supernova]

cost us a flag? WTF is this rubbish?
Leon has been our best defensive fwd all year. Why do people think he has to get 20 touches and kick 2 goals a game for him to have contributed? He doesnt play midfield anymore so he wont be at his All Australian standard. Jesus Christ.

This.


As has been mentioned his role is in many ways is very different to what it has been in the past including finals. To say this one selection has cost us the game is nothing but out and out stupidity. Fair enough it's your opinion not to have faith in Leon, but the one(s) who've said it will cost us the GF clearly have little to no faith in the other 21 blokes to get the job done either.

 

[rose jam]

MM in the conference today has said that in the last 3 years of finals Leon has voted in 50% of them and is a bit miffed at why people want to talk about 1 match 8 years ago when he was a young man.

What also gets me as well is that people always talk about the 2002 and 2003 grand finals. My recollection of Leon in the 2003 grand final was that he was actually quite up and about but giving the suffocation from the Brisbane backline it was never going to be a break open match but he did OK.
Just checked the stats 10 touches in a 249 possession game and 1 goal 1 behind, would be about 15 touches today which I still stand by as a hard fought effort for a forward pocket that day

 

[mrmagoo]

I love Leon.

Just not in finals. Mick just cost us a flag. I'm sorry, I know I made a promise to be positive, and until THIS selection was made, I WAS being positive. But Mick is purposely making it VERY hard for me to have confidence in us winning.

Playing in a Grand Final with 21 players is just asking for trouble.

I pray Leon proves me wrong, but 10 years of not performing in finals isn't going to just change overnight. No matter how much you all want it to.

I would just like to add. As much as I love Presti I'm shattered that N Brown was dropped. Brown and the Sack dropped for Leon and Presti to me seemed like it was done on the basis of their contribution to the club over many years. Presti has'nt played for 5 weeks and Leons recent form has been below par. His finals performance's also have been below par. I was waiting to hear Tarks and O'Bree's names in the side.
I wish I had as much faith in Leon as others here but I'm afraid that all you need do is look at his record. It's pointless saying if he fails then trade him. We have a chance at winning the GF, why risk it with a toss of the dice. We demolished the Cats last week, the side should have been left intact IMO.
No doubt if we loose everybody will be calling for Malthouse's head.

 

[4#Didak#4]

I surprisingly have a good feeling about Leon. Providing he is fit and he has not been a lot of the year I think it could be a key selection. It may come down to a couple of half chances & we know he can create & execute those. The focus leading in has been on everyone else & he is a dangerous player to let slip under the guard. I can't actually think of a great match up they have for him, he may even drag Baker away from Didak at some stages.

I really want to see that pace, zip & clean ball handling early on. If he has that & hits the score board early he could be the ace up the sleeve.

 

[Rowdy Brown]

I surprisingly have a good feeling about Leon. Providing he is fit and he has not been a lot of the year I think it could be a key selection. It may come down to a couple of half chances & we know he can create & execute those. The focus leading in has been on everyone else & he is a dangerous player to let slip under the guard. I can't actually think of a great match up they have for him, he may even drag Baker away from Didak at some stages.

I really want to see that pace, zip & clean ball handling early on. If he has that & hits the score board early he could be the ace up the sleeve.

I also have a good feeling about Leon. Correct me if i'm wrong, but IF we win, would Leon become the first Aboriginal footballer for Collingwood to win a premiership? Mick should ask him how would that make him and his people feel. Do ya thing Leon, i'm with ya all the way.
Sida by Side people.

 

[magpiewarrior]

I also have a good feeling about Leon. Correct me if i'm wrong, but IF we win, would Leon become the first Aboriginal footballer for Collingwood to win a premiership? Mick should ask him how would that make him and his people feel. Do ya thing Leon, i'm with ya all the way.
Sida by Side people.

I know you are one of the Collingwood family but geez I HATE that comment.
As long as we refer to people of differing ethnicity as different people we are not judging them on their ability and performance, just on their ethnicity which is where racism and racist generalizations originate. Would you ask Eddie how his 'Broadie People' would feel if we win the flag?
Of course Leon, his family and acquaintances would be over the moon if he is part of a successful GF.
I personally think that MM erred on the side of caution last week (with Leon's' suspected injury) because he doesn't have a great track record against the Cats. Why let him increase the pressure on himself if he got toweled-up? Instead he gets a week off (his best games have been after he's missed a game or 2) and he has a good record against the Aints. He will be cherry ripe this week, his selection has my vote, and I also have total faith in MM and the selection committee.

 

[Piefan16]

Just watch him run down players from behind,bbaaalllllll, the crowd will get him up and bout.

I have faith in Leon!!

 

[absy]

He looked very nervous in the parade. Hope he does well, but I couldn't imagine the pressure he would be feeling to play well..

 

[NarniMagic]

Hey guys sorry to intrude, please check out an article iv written about the history of collingwood vs saints rivalry. Leave some feedback too.
Cheers
http://www.aussiesportsfan.com/2010/09/collingwood-vs-st-kilda-history-lesson.html

 

[haydenboii]

we should play him more in the midfeild he uses the ball so well! i reckon we should play him as a midfeilder rather than a foward imo

 

[Greening Magic]

Go Leon you good thing

 

[Go_Brad_Dick]

Leon Davis is a superstar and legend of the game.
Deserves 100% to be playing, any talk otherwise is plain stupid.
Go Leon!

 

[The Zone]

Leon Davis is a superstar and legend of the game.
Deserves 100% to be playing, any talk otherwise is plain stupid.
Go Leon!

Agree 100%

Will have his eagle wings on tomorrow. Good for a Norm.

 

[Quicky]

Leon Davis's lonliness at being denied a chance at redemption.

IT must have felt like the loneliest training session of his life, but Leon Davis still went through his paces at Gosch's Paddock yesterday.
The Collingwood goalsneak was dumped from the side on Thursday, not even relegated to an emergency for today's grand final replay against St Kilda.

Leon Davis's lonliness at being denies a chance at redemption.

You always wonder how many lazy journos rip ideas off footy forums. Now I guess we can accuse the headline writers of the same thing. Tut tut tut lazy HS headline writers get your own ideas.

 

[Zahki]

He was denied the chance for Grand Final redemption? Did I just imagine last week?

 

[L_W_P]

Hey guys.

Firstly want to say good luck today.

I have been wondering about Leon all week and the same thing has been bothering me. Why is it that Leon has been played inside 50 all year?

Over the last couple of years we have seen him slowly build up time in the middle, to the point where he earned AA status. This year though he seems to have been put back as a pocket player.

Are any of you aware of any injuries that he has picked up or is it something else? Has Ball pushed Leon out of the centre? Last week I was honestly waiting for Leon to start the last qtr in the middle and try to blow us away with pace but he was never moved.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[mattys123]

Leon's been carrying an injury, I don't care what anyone says here, he has.

While like most here, I don't know exactly what injury it is, the guess is osteitis pubis, just by the may he has lost the ability to "explode" away from the opposition.

I'd love Leon to get back to his best fitness wise next season, he can still be a very dangerous player when fit, and with Brad Dick's shoulder problems, we may still need Leon next September.

I feel for him, he's given his heart and soul to this club for 11 years, and on the eve of our greatest chance since he has been here, he gets dropped.

Even if the decision was correct, it's still harsh.

 

[Somebody]

Leon's been carrying an injury, I don't care what anyone says here, he has.

While like most here, I don't know exactly what injury it is, the guess is osteitis pubis, just by the may he has lost the ability to "explode" away from the opposition.

I'd love Leon to get back to his best fitness wise next season, he can still be a very dangerous player when fit, and with Brad Dick's shoulder problems, we may still need Leon next September.

I feel for him, he's given his heart and soul to this club for 11 years, and on the eve of our greatest chance since he has been here, he gets dropped.

Even if the decision was correct, it's still harsh.

Took the words right out of my mouth, was just thinking that it v likely is OP. He still has pace, but OP prevents y9ou from doing a lo0t of running or it will get a lot worse. Didn't know about the explosive thing maybe that's another indication. From memory he had OP early in his career also.

They are keeping it a secret if he is carrying something, not sure why. That suggests it might be something the oppo could target, like a leg or foot injury, rather than OP which I doubt you can maliciously target in a game. Whatever it is, I wound't be surprised if it got worse from the intensity of finals which might be the real reason he has been dropped.