Past Niall McKeever (2010-2013)

Remove this Banner Ad

Doesn't look like he has any understanding of the game whatsoever. I'm not sure he is worth persisting with. Dumb football just drags other players down.
 
Grimreepah said:
Doesn't look like he has any understanding of the game whatsoever. I'm not sure he is worth persisting with. Dumb football just drags other players down.
Click to expand...

Probably is hurt a bit from the large stepup from NEAFL to AFL. It was his first game back and was against a pretty dominant side.

Probably needs another decent run at AFL level before he can be written off IMO.
 
Grimreepah said:
Doesn't look like he has any understanding of the game whatsoever. I'm not sure he is worth persisting with. Dumb football just drags other players down.
Click to expand...

He showed tonight that he is still a project player. He isn't anywhere near AFL level.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Project ended in my opinion. I so want him to do well but he is just a dumb footballer. Not his fault - just having not grown up with the game it seems evident. I would now like to see his rookie evaluation transfered on to clarke - be good if u could do that!
 
I am kinda sitting on the fence on this one. I agree with the ones who say he is a dumb footballer but I also agree that he is worth persisting with. He showed enough last year IMO to keep developing him. It is very frustrating watching his simple mistakes however!
 
Tom Walsh from Sydney is a year older and can't get a game (albeit in a far superior team) and Setanta never really got it. It's probably tougher for KPPs.
 
Sorry guys, but if we are to persist with him to see how he develops he will have to do it in the 2's- too expensive/heartbreaking to play him in the 1's given the plethora of other turnover merchants in our team.
 
The punch out of bound (forget when it was) when there was no one around him was pretty bad. Imo unless he has some really solid games we can't persist with him all year - he'll have to improve in the 2s.
 
jackess said:
Tom Walsh from Sydney is a year older and can't get a game (albeit in a far superior team) and Setanta never really got it. It's probably tougher for KPPs.
Click to expand...

That was the comparison I was going to make too. KPP players have it tougher because they can't just look good hunting the ball. I always felt like it was Setanta's kicking that let him down in the end - his positioning and anticipation was pretty good after a few years. I personally hope we persist with Niall for at least a year more, maybe two.

Elixuh said:
The punch out of bound (forget when it was) when there was no one around him was pretty bad. Imo unless he has some really solid games we can't persist with him all year - he'll have to improve in the 2s.
Click to expand...

Meh been watching plenty of footy this year with the Telstra iPad app + games live on 7mate and there are plenty of players who grow up with the game who do the same thing. Usually the less experienced ones (which McKeever also falls into that category) but even experienced defenders.
 
Seriously what game where you guys watching, made a couple of small mistakes with the ball, but Spoiled everything in the air and was not outmarked once by his opponent Keefe who was being talked up as a future star all game. Also registered more possessions then Keefe with is a bonus for a 195cm defender, who's job is to stop his man, not create rebound. And he stopped his man quite comfortably. And you's are here saying to never play the man again? Seriously
 
bigfootw said:
Seriously what game where you guys watching, made a couple of small mistakes with the ball, but Spoiled everything in the air and was not outmarked once by his opponent Keefe who was being talked up as a future star all game. Also registered more possessions then Keefe with is a bonus for a 195cm defender, who's job is to stop his man, not create rebound. And he stopped his man quite comfortably. And you's are here saying to never play the man again? Seriously
Click to expand...

Yeah, have just watched the game again and was going to say something along those lines. Was a long way from our worst.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

I am on the fence about whether he should be in our team at the moment, I am in the "I want Merrett back camp" but have no problems with Niall being on the list. He is tall, athletic and is very new to the game, I would say he does more inexperienced things than dumb things. I don't think his "lost" expression helps him though.
 
His kicking is still a concern though and his lack of confidence means that he handballs unless there's no other option. He had 3 kicks and 11 handballs last night.

I still get too many flashbacks to Wade Mills with the same resultant career.
 
Round 10 vs West Coast

Although Polkinghorne kicked the match-winner, there were heroes all over the field for the Lions, with Niall McKeever's rushed behind just 30 seconds earlier proving crucial. He won a 50m foot race with Eagle Jack Darling when a goal looked imminent.

7332577960_0ec3155c3d.jpg
Click to expand...

[YOUTUBE]IiWRdVQEmsM[/YOUTUBE]
 
I couldn't believe he touched that. Phenomenal effort.

I think his elite endurance came into play late in the game in that situation.
 
Again, go back and watch the tape and look at how many times the ball was kicked to Lynch and was fisted away by Niall. The answer is every time. I think you people must judge players games on the commentary as commentators very rarely commend a spoil, which is in fact one of the most important aspects of winning a game, just cos u dont hear the name mckeever doesnt mean he isnt playing well
 
His defensive work is pretty solid, he can get out positioned at times by the better teams. His biggest issue is his disposal and general decision making. He is a good prospect, and one i would like us to persist with, he has some natural talent, even if his kicking style does look god aweful (altho i love it, has cult following written all over it).
 
I reckon McKeever had his ups and downs today. A terrible spoiling effort on Darling where it was 3 on 1 and a dodgy looping handball or two in the middle of the ground, that said the defence worked really well as a unit and he was part of that so he was definitely doing something right.
 
He's not the sort of player that can be brought in and out of the side. Needs an extended run to get used to the standard. He uses the ball reasonably well after the mark but I'm pretty nervous when he gets it in traffic.
 
Definitely improved as the game went on, which is a promising sign, and his 1 on 1 defensive work is solid. But his reaction time is still a bit slow (particularly off the mark when his opponent is leading) and general awareness/decision making given his disposal is poor.

But he's a tall guy who can fill a role we desperately need filled, so I'm happy to see him stick in the seniors.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Past Niall McKeever (2010-2013)

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top