Toast Leon Davis

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there are a lot of ifs there, is what i'm saying, i couldn't be ****ed commenting on everyones game just the one that filled me with the most agony.
 
This thread is a disgrace.

There were plenty of players with a less than average output - Leon being one of them, but to say we can't win with him in the team or that he was in some way responsible I just pure crap.

Leon makes up 4.5% of the fielded team and kicked 11.1% of our goals. I thought he pressured well and some of the above posters are completely correct, our gameplan and the way the game was played didn't suit.

I am as dissapointed as anyone, but honestly, lay off the guy. And bring on next week. Leon will play.
 
A really tough call this one.

Leon is not the force he used to be in terms of fitness. Can't break a game open with pace, so survives on rat cunning. Occasionally it works - such as against the Bulldogs in key matches this year.

Sometimes it doesn't, generally against Geelong.

Leon couldn't run out the game, with a small amount of TOG. For that amount of time, he was below par, that needs to be said. However, when Collingwood made opportunities in the last half, against quality opposition, the best of these came from Davis and Macaffer.

Davis had a good run of play from late in the 3rd to early in the last.

For all the negatives, he was able to execute when the pressure was at its greatest, and it made me sick to think that the "ironic" comment from McAvaney - a person who has never played the game - was being echoed in pubs - again by people who have never played the game.

Now, onto the task of this week, it's a terribly hard decision. Goldsack is in a really good place to play for mine, with a likely matchup for a half as a Goddard-tagger/annoyer. Mick Gayfer Jr.

However, who comes out is a difficult selection.

If Davis goes, I think the Pies are giving up an attacking option to strengthen defence.

In essence, giving the game to St Kilda on their terms.

If Davis or indeed Blair are to come out, the only players who could come in for them are Lockyer and Medhurst, both of whom appeared shocked by the pace of the game when they returned recently.

My call would be Lockyer in for Blair, and it's only gut feel. Could easily be no change, could easily be Lockyer in for Davis.

Medhurst...no, but he has to be considered with his larger body being more able to put physical frontal pressure as distinct from speed. In a second half of a match, that would be crucial. First half edge to Davis/Lockyer/Blair, but last half edge to Medhurst.

If that was Leon's last kick for Collingwood, if he indeed doesn't get over the line and play this match, thank God it was an amazing goal. Thanks for the memories. I will never forget the moment you delivered something in a Grand Final.
 

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One thing that I think we need to remember.

I think Davis and Prestigiacomo could quite easily have played their last games for Collingwood.

I can't see Presti running around next year, and Davis, if he is cut for this game, why should he ever be brought back?

Massive call to take Davis out, particularly as I believe we should be trying to get the game on our terms this time and not the Saints. We should be making it an open expansive game with more run and carry. Work to our strengths and not the opposition.

That's why I err on giving Davis another run. I at least though acknowledge there are significant other sides to the argument, and if there's any little fitness niggle we can find, sorry Leon, that's it career over.
 
Was really happy when he kicked that goal because I thought we would go on with it and he could say that he made a vital contribution to a premiership win.

As it is he probably shouldn't play next week, but you never know. It seemed to me that the value they see in him might be that he takes up the position closest to the ball carrier when we set up our box or whatever they call it. I think they see his pace and repeat effots as crucial to the pressure we put on the opposition. So it may not be quite so much about tackels as it is about the pressure he is able to exert.

And if he had got the free kcik for in the back and kicked the goal we might be looking at him a bit differently.
 
It's a real tough one.

He had an ordinary game...and is not worthy of selection.

On the other hand...he did 2 pieces of play where he crumbed a pack at full pelt, was clean below his feet and set up a goal.

1 was the handpass to Dale Thomas which was just brilliant play...but Daisy missed it.

The other was the critical final goal of the last quarter.

If Dale had kicked his goal...we would probably all be toasting Leon for 2 defining moments in the game.


You like having that sort of X factor there. It's just hard to justify keeping GOldsack out for a guy who can only do 2 good things a game. But I do like having a guy up there who can turn a game in a single play...even if he is having a quiet one.


Tough call for MM.
 
lol at this "it was Leon's fault for putting us in this position". Maybe if Thomas registered a score, rather than nothing from a Davis handball which should have been an assist we would have won the game. Maybe if Cloke had registered at least one goal from two attempts in the second qtr (all very gettable) we would have gone away with it. Maybe if Dawesy knew his limitations and stopped having set shots from outside his kicking range 55m+ (that dropped short) maybe we could have won. Maybe if Steele showed a little more composure in the dying minutes instead of hurrying a shot on goal that dropped short and was marked by Gwilt we could have won. If only Jarryd Blair had drilled the goal from 30m out directly in front, we could have won.

Sure, Leon was well down on output, however, he did something that nobody else did when the game was in the balance and we were crying out for someone to do something- kicked an amazing goal (our first for the second half!)

Leon must play for mine because we don't have anyone else that can play the small forward role. You need genuine X-factor in big games and he offers us this, even if he does it once or twice for the entire match.

I agree with the sentiment of this post, really well put. In such a close game you can look back at dozens of plays from both teams that could have made the difference. It wasn't Davis's fault. While he didn't have the greatest game by any stretch - equally it was two of those little pieces of class that almost stole us the game. His crumb and goal was sensational, noone else in our team could have done that. Thomas was also pretty wasteful with that snap that Davis created.
 
exactly right Quicky.

Let's just remember that there were already 30 players around the ball at all times. There was no need for Davis to be in every contest.

His 2 pieces of brilliance alone nearly won us the game.


I want more output...and i'm not forgiving him for been quiet....but he was handy at 2 crucial times in the match. His output was probably not much worse than Milne.


That said...it is a weighing up exercise. I would bring Goldsack in to tag Goddard all match wherever he goes.

So we have to ask what is more valuable.....the 2 potential goals Davis was a part of...or stopping the 2 goals Goddard kicked??

I think MM will err on the side of stopping Goddard...which means for Davis to hold his spot...it may mean someone like Beams loses his.
 
I put toast because this week should be full of positives...

Leon has given us over 200 servicible games as a Collingwood player

I am perplexed as to where he stands now...

He has an interesting image from coach to supporters...even yesterday " he was very poor, went missing oh, but that spectacular goal looked like he'd won us the game " There is a lot of "what he might do" instead of being picked for form.

He is very lucky because nobody has stood up to take his position away this year - Medhurst, Lockyer, Goldsack etc

What perplexes me is he was outstanding last year rotating through the midfield. This year that has not happened even to run him into form against weaker sides.

Has he been carrying a nagging injury? Has he lost pace? What's happened?

Obviously, the club has been painfully, particularly Bucks, louding his forward pressure and tackling stats BUT it seems more of a justification for picking him.

It is obvious to everyone now that his last chance in a final has now passed. We have gone to great lengths to recruit big game players. We have some outstanding young players coming through who could play a similar role.

So where does this leave Leon Davis? He is taking a spot that Dick and co. can play next year.

He really blew an enormous opportunity yesterday. Should he retire? Thoughts?

Please don't make this a slagging off at Davis thread...thats too easy and not constructive. I would like to know where he is at and why in other peoples minds.

Wow, I knew some venom would flow into this thread..it was meant to be constructive..I was looking for some logical answers.

After reading this his place actually does depend on all the match ups and the fitness of other players...it's possible he could hold his place as crazy as that seems...maybe its not as simple as dropping him for poor form.
 
Couldn't put it better than this clip thanks Mars

[youtube]u_XAxzCS7rQ[/youtube]

Keeping his head while everyone around lost theirs. The first goal in the game for 18 mins and our first for more than a quarter...including at least 7 misses in a row.

Watching this I kept thinking outside of Brad Dick there's no one in our list who could do this.
 

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Toast Leon Davis

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