Toast Mathew Stokes

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Jeff76 said:
Pre season 2013. Last week he said the Cats have absolutely no chance to win this years flag, I reckon he's still getting over 2007, hehehe 119 :)
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I've always loved Stokesy, but I have to admit that pre-season 2013 even I thought he was in potentially career-ending trouble.
Not that anyone from Tredrea's era at PA is in a position to slag off any other player as the worst in the League. I reckon they've had more over-rated passengers in their short history than any club ever - Collingwood always excepted, of course.
 
Baffles me that his name is never brought up by anyone when discussing All-Australian candidates from the season thus far.

And I'd go further than merely suggesting that if he continues this form he deserves to make the squad; IMO, his first twelve rounds have been best 22-worthy. He's out-performing Selwood and Johnson.
 
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Baudolino said:
Baffles me that his name is never brought up by anyone when discussing All-Australian candidates from the season thus far.

And I'd go further than merely suggesting that if he continues this form he deserves to make the squad; IMO, his first twelve rounds have been best 22-worthy. He's out-performing Selwood and Johnson.
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Why has he only got one "T" in Mathew, that is part of the reason.
Seriously, if he is not easily leading our B&F, it is not a fair voting system. Super consistent, and effective, gutsy, and fit. And I have not been a regular fan.
 
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Vdubs said:
Why has he only got one "T" in Mathew, that is part of he reason.
Seriously, if he is not easily leading our B&F, it is not a fair voting system. Super consistent, and effective, gutsy, and fit. And I have not been a regular fan.
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Id probably be one in the same camp , but these last two years he has done all that could be expected. The one thing I noticed on Sat , he reads the play well, he intercepted a pass by just wait for an opponent to what he foresaw.And was it two weeks ago , he played forward again (and his comment post game said it all, he hoped he didn't have to do it too often ) but he marked the ball as well as he had for some time.

Stokes developed into the player he is from an FP , and that's a position that we need to fill again. I wonder if Lang , who showed all the type of skill required could play that role for us? He a smart little player and I loved the way wouldn't give up on the tackle, kept at it like a Beaglier chasing a ball.
 
Turbocat said:
Id probably be one in the same camp , but these last two years he has done all that could be expected. The one thing I noticed on Sat , he reads the play well, he intercepted a pass by just wait for an opponent to what he foresaw.And was it two weeks ago , he played forward again (and his comment post game said it all, he hoped he didn't have to do it too often ) but he marked the ball as well as he had for some time.

Stokes developed into the player he is from an FP , and that's a position that we need to fill again. I wonder if Lang , who showed all the type of skill required could play that role for us? He a smart little player and I loved the way wouldn't give up on the tackle, kept at it like a Beaglier chasing a ball.
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Agree, I loved Stokesy early on, can recall a game, maybe his first, v Port at Geelong, and he was irrepressible.
Lost a little faith in him in 08 post that GF,
Then some more after the other issue,
But all is forgiven, and I think even Stokesy has been very hard on himself.

I would not forget about the forgotten George though, really rate Burbs and we have not seen anything near his best this year.That spot could be his too.
 
Vdubs said:
Agree, I loved Stokesy early on, can recall a game, maybe his first, v Port at Geelong, and he was irrepressible.
Lost a little faith in him in 08 post that GF,
Then some more after the other issue,
But all is forgiven, and I think even Stokesy has been very hard on himself.

I would not forget about the forgotten George though, really rate Burbs and we have not seen anything near his best this year.That spot could be his too.
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My issue with him , in game , was that FP is a development position unless you are a high grade specialist and once our older guys started to slip , him at his age and experience should have been taking some of the load, just like he has the last two years.
The 08 GF certainly annoyed some people , to a degree he was no worse than many playing with below par fitness but that was the mindset. Old ground but he had credits in the bank(imo) from the previous year. The "other" , well who know if the full story will ever come out but the club has stuck by him since , that shows something I suppose.
The just last year as a FA , he comes out and say I'll take what left , I owe Geelong etc. Yeah , Id say all is forgiven.

Oh on GB , mmm I guess i have lost a little bit of faith in him. Im going to have to be convinced a bit now.
 
Love the Stoker.
Not always been a fan, thought as a small forward he had a tendency to lead and take space from key forwards (not your job as a 2'4" small!) but had well and truly turned himself into one hell of a player.
 
Turbocat said:
Id probably be one in the same camp , but these last two years he has done all that could be expected. The one thing I noticed on Sat , he reads the play well, he intercepted a pass by just wait for an opponent to what he foresaw.And was it two weeks ago , he played forward again (and his comment post game said it all, he hoped he didn't have to do it too often ) but he marked the ball as well as he had for some time.

Stokes developed into the player he is from an FP , and that's a position that we need to fill again. I wonder if Lang , who showed all the type of skill required could play that role for us? He a smart little player and I loved the way wouldn't give up on the tackle, kept at it like a Beaglier chasing a ball.
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Definitely like that idea TC, I think Lang's got what it takes to jump the queue and grab that role, with a further eye on eventually developing into a midfielder..

as for Stokes, I'm pretty sure I've given him MVP thread votes in every game that he's played this year, and I reckon he must just about be top of the leaders board for the Carji at this point in the season.

to have such an upward spike in form and influence so far into his career really is pretty astounding, he's always given terrific service to the club but his contribution these past two years has been a crucial element in keeping us a competitive. as Fred said earlier, I actually thought he might struggle to be a best-22 player post-2011 ..
 
Turbocat said:
Id probably be one in the same camp , but these last two years he has done all that could be expected. The one thing I noticed on Sat , he reads the play well, he intercepted a pass by just wait for an opponent to what he foresaw.And was it two weeks ago , he played forward again (and his comment post game said it all, he hoped he didn't have to do it too often ) but he marked the ball as well as he had for some time.

Stokes developed into the player he is from an FP , and that's a position that we need to fill again. I wonder if Lang , who showed all the type of skill required could play that role for us? He a smart little player and I loved the way wouldn't give up on the tackle, kept at it like a Beaglier chasing a ball.
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There's a passage of play in his highlights reel where he lays 3 tackles in about 5 seconds and forces a turnover in the forward pocket, exceptional stuff.

Could see him as a real addition early on as a FP or in the backline, that defensive pressure and run and carry he has from HB could be of great value until he bulks up a bit. I would suggest they see him in the middle down the track with his hardness, pace and disposal ability. Maybe down the same path as Guthrie. Lang, Thurlow and Bews in defence could be pretty classy in 2-3 years time though!
 
Catatonic Shock said:
Love the Stoker.
Not always been a fan, thought as a small forward he had a tendency to lead and take space from key forwards (not your job as a 2'4" small!) but had well and truly turned himself into one hell of a player.
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Same here. First to admit I thought he was on the out after 2012 - amazing turn around.
 
Ive always liked Stokes, ever since seeing him play 'live' in (?)2007.
Didn't get a lot of stats, but you could see he was smart. Did a lot of stuff that doesn't get noticed but showed bravery skill and footy nous.
(I remember watching a funny looking new guy called Garry Hocking in a game years ago and thinking the same thing )
We seem to perform better as a team when he (Stokes) is playing, even when not getting huge possession numbers. Maybe just my imagination.
Glad to see him getting Kudos.
Not having to read the regular calls to drop him every couple of weeks is a bonus.
 

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Turbocat said:
My issue with him , in game , was that FP is a development position unless you are a high grade specialist and once our older guys started to slip , him at his age and experience should have been taking some of the load, just like he has the last two years.
The 08 GF certainly annoyed some people , to a degree he was no worse than many playing with below par fitness but that was the mindset. Old ground but he had credits in the bank(imo) from the previous year. The "other" , well who know if the full story will ever come out but the club has stuck by him since , that shows something I suppose.
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No the mindset was he declared himself fit to play when he knew he wasn't. That's not a minor thing when you're picking players for a Grand Final.

To his credit he's completely reinvented himself in the last 2 seasons. So much so I can't think of any player who has done it to the same extent.
 
There's not enough praise in the world I can bestow on Stokesy.

How he has transformed himself from a fringe best 22 player to arguably the league's most improved player has been nothing short of incredible.
 
A lot of people have talked about how Stokes constantly gets compared to Motlop, Varcoe and Bundy because of this weird passive racism that sees all indigenous players as being the same - quick, outside, 'magic' etc. Healy was doing it explicitly during the game, referring to the 'quartet' or something. Obviously, Stokesy doesn't really fit the stereotype at all. But it occurred to me on the weekend - do commentators stereotype Stokes because they can't accept what he actually is? If you posted a thread on the main board at the start of the year and said a short, not very quick player with tidy rather than outstanding disposal would be leading a top 8 club's B&F midway through the year and should be under consideration for AA, you'd be ridiculed. If he was running around in a state league, you probably wouldn't give him a second look. And yet...
 
thejester said:
A lot of people have talked about how Stokes constantly gets compared to Motlop, Varcoe and Bundy because of this weird passive racism that sees all indigenous players as being the same - quick, outside, 'magic' etc. Healy was doing it explicitly during the game, referring to the 'quartet' or something. Obviously, Stokesy doesn't really fit the stereotype at all. But it occurred to me on the weekend - do commentators stereotype Stokes because they can't accept what he actually is? If you posted a thread on the main board at the start of the year and said a short, not very quick player with tidy rather than outstanding disposal would be leading a top 8 club's B&F midway through the year and should be under consideration for AA, you'd be ridiculed. If he was running around in a state league, you probably wouldn't give him a second look. And yet...
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I'd say instead of "can't accept", simply substitute "too stupid to notice". Being quietly efficient and effective are not qualities to endear you to commentators. Everything revolves around hype and bullshit. Doing your job and playing your position very, very well (which he has absolutely done the last 2 years) doesn't create headlines, there's no hype, so they just don't notice.
 
He's a genuine courageous player who's always had massive undiscovered talent, once freed from his small forward role and given space he's clearly displayed his class.
We're all now witnessing a truly remarkable transformation, I knew it would redefine him as a footballer.
 
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Cursed_Cat said:
Definitely like that idea TC, I think Lang's got what it takes to jump the queue and grab that role, with a further eye on eventually developing into a midfielder..

as for Stokes, I'm pretty sure I've given him MVP thread votes in every game that he's played this year, and I reckon he must just about be top of the leaders board for the Carji at this point in the season.

to have such an upward spike in form and influence so far into his career really is pretty astounding, he's always given terrific service to the club but his contribution these past two years has been a crucial element in keeping us a competitive. as Fred said earlier, I actually thought he might struggle to be a best-22 player post-2011 ..
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Many of us did.
 
thejester said:
A lot of people have talked about how Stokes constantly gets compared to Motlop, Varcoe and Bundy because of this weird passive racism that sees all indigenous players as being the same - quick, outside, 'magic' etc. Healy was doing it explicitly during the game, referring to the 'quartet' or something. Obviously, Stokesy doesn't really fit the stereotype at all. But it occurred to me on the weekend - do commentators stereotype Stokes because they can't accept what he actually is? If you posted a thread on the main board at the start of the year and said a short, not very quick player with tidy rather than outstanding disposal would be leading a top 8 club's B&F midway through the year and should be under consideration for AA, you'd be ridiculed. If he was running around in a state league, you probably wouldn't give him a second look. And yet...
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Maybe on the main board. But there is plenty of weird stuff posted there.

On the more considered and better informed Geelong board :eek: that wouldn't shouldn't be so. Had an outstanding year last year too. Fourth in the Carji. Not that many votes behind the winner.

Enormous credit to a player who was at the cross roads not so long ago.
 
thejester said:
A lot of people have talked about how Stokes constantly gets compared to Motlop, Varcoe and Bundy because of this weird passive racism that sees all indigenous players as being the same - quick, outside, 'magic' etc. Healy was doing it explicitly during the game, referring to the 'quartet' or something. Obviously, Stokesy doesn't really fit the stereotype at all. But it occurred to me on the weekend - do commentators stereotype Stokes because they can't accept what he actually is? If you posted a thread on the main board at the start of the year and said a short, not very quick player with tidy rather than outstanding disposal would be leading a top 8 club's B&F midway through the year and should be under consideration for AA, you'd be ridiculed. If he was running around in a state league, you probably wouldn't give him a second look. And yet...
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It's just another example of lazy and unintelligent commentary. I mean half the time these dick bag's can't be bothered to learn the players names. And I've yet to see anyone aside from Voss or King mentation tacts. They all just parrot statistics and other useless information or talk about "footy factories producing quality hand-candy". Grouping players together on the basis of their skin colour is just another instance of this ineptitude. Honestly, if you behaved this poorly in any other work place you'd be fired.
 
manboob said:
It's just another example of lazy and unintelligent commentary. I mean half the time these dick bag's can't be bothered to learn the players names. And I've yet to see anyone aside from Voss or King mentation tacts. They all just parrot statistics and other useless information or talk about "footy factories producing quality hand-candy". Grouping players together on the basis of their skin colour is just another instance of this ineptitude. Honestly, if you behaved this poorly in any other work place you'd be fired.
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Gee I wonder who you are to talking about ... wowweeee.

Your so right about the comments. Been that way for years. I still remember the first Gary Ablett state game whee they called him Geoff.
 
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Yep the commentary has been ordinary. How they confuse Stokes with other players, just annoys me.

Early on in his career he was so up and down. Yet in the last few years he has been amazingly consistent. Just so great to see
him up there as one of the best at the club. He was a great little basketball player too.
 

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