2nds Northern Blues 2014

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HARKER said:
Wouldn't even be talking about Lucas if not for the fact of what he showed in 2010.
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Recall watching him run down the wing and slotting it from 50 in a practice match in Perth in 2010. He will be judged a bad pick but he definitely had something when he came to us.
 
mediumsizered said:
Not in the Mitchell league, but he gets caught with the ball a lot less than he did last season.

I think some people forget that at a similar age to Graham, Mitchell was a plodder running around in the VFL & in his first 2 virtually complete seasons in the Hawks' seniors he averaged less than 20 disposals per game. His breakout season came in 2006 as a 23 year old.

I believe Graham has the footy smarts to be a very good midfielder at AFL level, but with him still only 19 years of age, supporters need to be patient & give him time to fully develop what it is the coaches are wanting from him.
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20 in 4 days time....:)

It's sort of creepy with some elsewhere, wanting to get rid of him at years end.
The coaches talk about him so glowingly with the work he puts in through the course of the week, he sticks up for his team and team-mates before himself but that's not the player/character we want, is it? :rolleyes:
 
I don't know what you guys think, but I feel like as a supporter base we're expecting a lot more of our players at a much younger age, across the board. Massive generalisation, I know, but it's almost as if we expect them to be ready for AFL in their first/second year, or they've gotta go. Are our expectations unrealistic? I'm assuming that the coaching staff have set goals, KPIs, whatever you want to call them, for each player. Is it naive to trust that they know what they're doing?
 

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MEB_ said:
I don't know what you guys think, but I feel like as a supporter base we're expecting a lot more of our players at a much younger age, across the board. Massive generalisation, I know, but it's almost as if we expect them to be ready for AFL in their first/second year, or they've gotta go. Are our expectations unrealistic? I'm assuming that the coaching staff have set goals, KPIs, whatever you want to call them, for each player. Is it naive to trust that they know what they're doing?
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Not at all.

Our most senior player yesterday was Lucas (excluding the once only Judd) and Lucas doesn't carry himself as a senior. Watson does though.
We then had kids all over the park and two guys new to the game.........Sheehan and Byrne, yet we beat a team with much more experience.
(I didn't expect we'd beat Sandringham and had banked on a 10 goal loss)

It will ebb and flow and Holman, Johnson, Reynolds, Giles and even Cripps won't be in the bests every time they take the field.

Other than the Essendon VFL game, the kids have played with desire, determination and occasionally with flair. Can't ask for more.
 
James_Blues said:
Some players seem to have forever to get rid of the ball in traffic like Sam Mitchell, whats Grahams ability to negotiate his way through traffic like?
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From what I have seen, it's game awareness and reading the play. If you could take these skills and put Lucas' running ability on him I have little doubt he would already be a permanent senior player.
 
The Grunt Match Report


Cachia and Graham lead the on-ball brigade to a 45-32 advantage in the clearances, finishing with a combined 65 possessions and three goals.
The Northern midfield division helped control Sandringham’s output, winning the disposal tally by 66 for the afternoon.
Cachia stood particularly tall in a third term that saw four lead changes before Northern kicked away to an 18-point advantage late in the quarter.
Speaking post-game, Cachia said he felt ‘relieved’ to break the losing streak and play his role for the team.
“I think we played the conditions well for most of the day,” said Cachia.
“We came in with a plan that if we executed correctly we were confident we could get the win and we were able to do that as a side.”

The improved execution of the game plan was assisted largely by the ongoing development of Irish talents Ciaran Byrne and Ciaran Sheehan.
Sheehan had his best game of Australian Rules to date in the game with 17 touches in a defensive role across half-back.

Matthew Watson and Dylan Buckley also offered plenty in defence, with Buckley showing determination to return from a knock to his wrist in the second quarter.

NORTHERN BLUES 3.3 5.5 9.7 11.7 (75)
SANDRINGHAM ZEBRAS 3.2 4.6 6.7 9.7 (63)

GOALS
NORTHERN: T. Thomas 2, Wilson 2, Graham 2, Wilkinson, Johnson, Cachia, Reynolds, Temay
SANDRINGHAM: Zijai 2, Webster, Graham, Ong, Stanley, Armitage, Gwilt, Minchington

BEST
NORTHERN: Cachia, Graham, Sheehan, Cattapan, Watson, Buckley
SANDRINGHAM: Webster, Gwilt, Holmes, Weickhardt, Roberton, Ong

That's better, with Sheehan being included in the bests.
 
HARKER said:
BEST
NORTHERN: Cachia, Graham, Sheehan, Cattapan, Watson, Buckley
SANDRINGHAM: Webster, Gwilt, Holmes, Weickhardt, Roberton, Ong

That's better, with Sheehan being included in the bests.
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First time I agree with all of the bests.....Wilson unlucky to miss out (thought he was at least as good as Cattapan).
 
Anyone see the development side? What's Mitch Johnson's story?
 
AB_Blue said:
Is there a curnow who plays for the development team cause according to the match report he kicked 2 and got in the best? :confused:
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Yep. No relation to Ed though.

There's also a Curnow playing U18 footy as a defender who could get drafted (I think he may be Ed's brother).
 
Sin City said:
Graham is comparable to the 2010 version of McLean that started off as a furious tackling, grunt working, first possession winning extractor.
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Reminds me of a younger Carrots, only with better disposal. Just knows where the ball is going to be - at VFL level anyway.
 
AlecDuncan said:
Reminds me of a younger Carrots, only with better disposal. Just knows where the ball is going to be - at VFL level anyway.
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I think it's a McLean/Graham toss up.
Graham probably knows his lot and I wouldn't be surprised should we not re-sign McLean next year with Graham slotting straight in.

Along with many other reasons, it would be a saving of what? 100-200K?
That's a lot of money and may just be the difference in reeling in another player we need.
 
HARKER said:
Wouldn't even be talking about Lucas if not for the fact of what he showed in 2010.
Even his training form for the next couple of years made him look a quality, one touch talent.
Unfortunately though, injury got in the way of his progress over the next couple of years and what's happened since is anyone's guess.

Don't like putting the knife into players but I can't see what he can do to remain on the list next year.
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Was still clean in the 17 games he played last year. Too quick for Docherty :p.

Lucas isn't a Marcus Davies or Joseph who had their moments, but lacked talent and game awareness.

There's a thing called a lack of confidence with Mick backing an out of form and possibly underdone/injured Garlett.

If Bootsma's lack of commitment and delisting is anything to go by, Kane must have put in the effort after having hamstrings and both hips done. Club put him on the trade table, but we didn't opt to cut our losses last year. Yet Casboult has played after he was put on the trade table as well.
 

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A_McKay said:
Was still clean in the 17 games he played last year. Lucas isn't a Marcus Davies or Joseph who had their moments, but lacked talent and game awareness.

There's a thing called a lack of confidence with Mick backing an out of form and possibly underdone/injured Garlett.

If Bootsma's lack of commitment and delisting is anything to go by, Kane must have put in the effort after having hamstrings and both hips done. Club put him on the trade table, but we didn't opt to cut our losses last year. Yet Casboult has played after he was put on the trade table as well.
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Mate, you can only go by what you see.

If his injury has got in the way of his progress and the current output is his lot, then the decision may be quite easy to make.
The two weeks prior to this game he got caught on so many occasions, he looked like a development league player and not an AFL player.

If there are some hidden reasons for the way he's going about things then fine, but I'm not seeing it.
 
Harker, any chance Laidley and Malthouse have asked lucas to focus on his defensive side of his game?

His tackling seems to have improved, over the last three weeks (since being dropped) his returned 12, 5, and 8.

Looking at his stats on the weekend 23 disposals (13 handballs, and 10 kicks), 8 tackles, 5 marks, 4 hitouts it seems like his playing more contested.
 
checkpoints said:
Harker, any chance Laidley and Malthouse have asked lucas to focus on his defensive side of his game?

His tackling seems to have improved, over the last three weeks (since being dropped) his returned 12, 5, and 8.

Looking at his stats on the weekend 23 disposals (13 handballs, and 10 kicks), 8 tackles, 5 marks, 4 hitouts it seems like his playing more contested.
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checkpoints Every chance but I haven't seen much that tells me he's putting his body into things.
Players break away from a Lucas tackle and this is the VFL.

I wouldn't worry too much of the stats because they really didn't amount to anything impressive.
Having said that though Lucas rarely exerts himself when playing with the NB's. Not sure this would serve him well.
 
Cheers Harker.

Admittedly I don't follow the vfl and stats can be deceptive but I just can't shake the feeling his been asked to sacrifice his natural style of play to focus on his weakness.

Anyway I still holdout hope he develops into a Camporeale like outside mid. Hopefully he can start impacting games in the second and elevate back into the seniors.
 
HARKER said:
Northern Blues are taking on Richmond this week.
Will be interesting should Hampson and Grigg front up against some old team-mates.

I'd be happy should Curnow and Bell be back this week. Judd though may not hang around too long.
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Is that at Punt Road?
 

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