Regarding Henry

[DapperDon]

I wouldn't think he saves too many goals at all. Name the number of small forwards that have had quiet games against Essendon.

Name the one's that have torn us apart?

Motlop kicked 3 in round 1, Betts and Davis kicked 2 when we played Carlton and Collingwood the first time. Rioli, Dew and Williams only kicked 1 each for Hawks, can't remember who Slatts played on that game. Milne kicked 1 in round 8 Brown kicked 2 for Richmond when we played them (Though I remember McPhee lining up against him).

Steve Johnson beat him easily, he was in pristine form then.

Betts kicked 3 and Davis 1 in the return matches. Lecras kicked 3 for WC and Milne kicked 3 last night.

So tell me, other than Steve Johnson, where did these small forwards tear us (or Slatts) apart?

 

[Longy413]

Hocking was on him in the first quarter and had 1 goal kicked on him, he kicked 5 more for the game, all on Hank. You need to get your facts straight.

You are very, very wrong.

You are correct that Hocking is playing reserves and Hank probably will do well in our B&F, because the coaches seem to think he contributes something, I just can't see what.

That doesn't surprise me.

Those stats are correct, check them yourself. Also try to use the English language, I don't understand Bogan particularly well.

I guess when all is lost, pick on a typo.

Fact is Houli is not a better small defender than Slattery. In their only like-for-like match up both had one goal kicked on them, yet you have tried to manipulate the statistics to suit your own argument.

Not once has Houli given an example of where he is willing to go back with the flight of the ball. Let's also ensure we don't discount the number of other leads Slattery chops off.

Boo-hoo he turned it over once or twice, he saved plenty.

 

[Mad Bomber Sean]

I keep reading really dump posts by people who (perhaps) should know better
as supporters of the mighty Dons..

Who did we play against yesterday again?

It was a full strength Saints team...With a historically brilliant undefeated season up to that game.

To the few people hacking away at reputations of Slatts & NLM. Wake up & understand both played there roles well last night. Experienced tough hard bodied fierce courageous willing & sometimes violent... They may not be the best kicks, or sublime marks or the fastest players in the team like you want but they were good last night.. They both fulfilled the coaches roles & we won the game against a truly awesome team.

 

[efcboy]

no doubt he has his pros and cons - yesterday his courageous efforts saved a number of goals and probably inspired his teammates. however his skills and decision making at times are ordinary - i don't know what he was thinking in the last quarter when he was caught holding the ball right in front of st kildas goals...

ideally you'd want a quicker, more skilled player in the side but until a player such as myers or tyson slattery steps up and puts in the effort courage and defensive wise that henry does then he will continue to get a game.

in the last 2 weeks jarrod atkinson has stepped up in this area which has resulted in the slower, less-skilled heath hocking being omitted. so in 2010 we can only hope that one of myers, tyson slattery or a new recruit improves enough so that the team is so strong that there is no role for henry.

 

[The Donners]

Name the one's that have torn us apart?

Motlop kicked 3 in round 1, Betts and Davis kicked 2 when we played Carlton and Collingwood the first time. Rioli, Dew and Williams only kicked 1 each for Hawks, can't remember who Slatts played on that game. Milne kicked 1 in round 8 Brown kicked 2 for Richmond when we played them (Though I remember McPhee lining up against him).

Steve Johnson beat him easily, he was in pristine form then.

Betts kicked 3 and Davis 1 in the return matches. Lecras kicked 3 for WC and Milne kicked 3 last night.

So tell me, other than Steve Johnson, where did these small forwards tear us (or Slatts) apart?

Betts (round 3), Davis and Rioli were all playing midfield.

Motlop 4 goals
Peake 2 goals
Wiggins 2 goals
Morton 3 goals
LeCras 3 goals
Johnson 6 goals
Knights 5 goals
Betts 3 goals
Welsh 3 goals
Milne 3 goals

 

[Valve Bounce]

He had a great game last night.

 

[yaco55]

He makes one mistake a week that stands out and we end up with threads like this.

He was brilliant last night, let's not forget that he doesn't just get the oppositions most dangerous small each week but he's expected to chop off leads from power forwards.

Week after week he puts himself in a position to get smashed and keeps going back for more. A couple of his marks last night set the agenda for the night.

Yep, he makes mistakes. So does Fletcher, so does Watson...

Wouldn't be at all surprised if he finished 5-8 in the B&F.

By my reckoning Slattery would be coming 3rd in the B and F.

But of course the Coaches have no idea.

 

[Big Blow Hard]

The OP on this occasion is just plain wrong.

Slattery may not have the bells and whistles and flash of some of our other players. But he is so, so, so, critical down back. His role is so underrated. I did not see anythin Slatts done last night as the cause of St Kildas fight back. Rather, I look to the instance when he made the call to leave his man and cut off a pass into 50 that would most likely have ended in a St Kilda goal. It takes guts to do something like that, and it also highlighted how switched on he is. Our prolems down back come from inexperienced guys selling each other int trouble, and experienced guys like NLM making the occassional same mistake.

Slattery = More than Adequate.

 

[Smyth94]

Whoever fails to understand what Slatts brings to our side has never played footy, or a team sport for that matter.

 

[Big Blow Hard]

Whoever fails to understand what Slatts brings to our side has never played footy, or a team sport for that matter.

Exactly. I can't think of a sport I have played that has not had one of those nuggety, unglamorous, usually defenders, who just quietly go about doing there job each week. They never get the accolades and recognition they deserve, but those on the team always know how important they are. This goes for hockey, basketball or any team ssport like you said.
And you soon notice as a teammate when they are not there.

 

[Darealrath]

Whoever fails to understand what Slatts brings to our side has never played footy, or a team sport for that matter.

Great to see him doing well like last night, now that our midfield actually put some pressure on.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

He needs to improve another few % to get us out of the rut of middle of the road into premiership contender.

He's doing enough to hold his spot and at 23 and 70 games he should be entering the prime of his career.

I can see him becoming a real leader next year and form the backbone of a great defence the next 7 or 8 years.

 

[Tambu]

He's the kind of player some people won't realise how important he is until he's out of the side.

 

[Strike Swiftly]

He had an awesome game yesterday. Milne kicked a couple, but really had very little impact on the game. Why is Hank copping so much flack? I can think of a few players worthy of a smack from yesterday, one being McPhee. Continually made blunders. Back on topic, Slatts is a required player.

 

[Knight Ryders]

He's the kind of player some people won't realise how important he is until he's out of the side.

I have an idea - why don't we play all the glamorous nice looking players that rack up cheap possies and look after numero uno first. Hey even better, why not just barrack for Port Power!

 

[monty1104]

They are all Full Backs, I suggest you choose some more reasonable comparisons if you are going to mount an intelliget argument.

You said defenders. I gave you defenders. What does it matter if they are KPP or not anyway? They are defenders. They defend. End of story.

And I suggest you may want to spell intelligent correctly if you are going to accuse me of not giving an intelligent argument

 

[stay true]

Definitely unfairly maligned.

I don't agree with the few people that have said Houli/Atkinson could do his role better with more pace and skills. Those 2 aren't shut down defenders and it's not about how many disposals they have - it's about how the limit their direct opponents impact.

2 words. Team balance.

 

[bombre-boy]

Slatts was solid yesterday.
Did what he was supposed to do and does so most weeks.
As has been previously stated, Houli and Atkinson could not do the same job as slatts.

 

[BrunoV]

I would like to reiterate that I appreciate Slattery's heart. It is his heart and willingness to put himself on the line that would place him in a B & F. That does not mean that he is the best long term option in the position. If you had a taller, faster and more skilled Henry Slattery would you not select him each week? We need to find a replacement that suits the modern game.

It is obvious that Houli will not stop better than Slattery at this stage of his career. The OP states the words 'taught to a player like Houli'. It is clearly implied that such a move would be a project with a further implication that we would take a step backwards to go forwards in that position. Houli's name shouldn't have been mentioned any further in the thread because as an individual he is irrelevant. Myers, Slattery, T and Hocking could have been named but I chose not to because it has been Houli that has been tried in the position.

Slattery is unique because, off the top of my head, I cannot think of one other small defender that is not expected to provide drive going forward. He plays like a Presti, Glass or Hudgton yet he is not playing on key forwards.

To those who state that his mistakes are amplified because he plays back, I aplaud you on the obvious. The exact opposite logic applies and a player should not be afforded the lenience that Slattery benefits from just because he is down back and under pressure. Is it not his role to be there in the critical situations and be defensive?

Finally, I specifically said that this was not a response to last nights game. The straw that broke the camels back was Brisbane and the comical extent of the funbling and decision making.

It is all well and good to be defensive (and overtly aggressive as some of you are) but you highlight your own stupidity by weighing in on these debates without reading or acknowledging the OP. I am not opposed to be proven wrong. There are some good points amongs the vitriol and other garbage mainly posted.

 

[Kong]

Whoever fails to understand what Slatts brings to our side has never played footy, or a team sport for that matter.

Hear hear.

 

[Kong]

[....]

Motlop 4 goals - Slatts shut-down Motlop when on him; Motlop kicked a few when Slatts was on Ebert
Peake 2 goals -
Wiggins 2 goals - Myers
Morton 3 goals - Pears
LeCras 3 goals - Played on a wing
Johnson 6 goals - Hocking/Slatts
Knights 5 goals -
Betts 3 goals
Welsh 3 goals - As in WB's Welsh? Since when was he a small forward?
Milne 3 goals

 

[SirJimi05]

Like I said, his turnovers are not refelcted in stats.

They are handballs to players under pressure, refusing to kick the ball even though he should and other poor decisions.

It's called following team instructions. They have a game plan and are told to implement it. It is a risky gameplan and players are often put under pressure in the back half and through the middle as a result of this. Are you trying to tell me that Slattery is the only one that does this?

Question - why on earth would Slatts refrain from kicking considering he has shown himself to be one of the more reliable kicks in the team this season? How many times does he miss a target by foot? Please give an honest answer. I was a massive critic of his, especially his decision making, kicking skills and tackling but he has improved rapidly in all 3 areas. He is now a very sound kick, gives away far less frees from poor tackling technique and his decision making has improved.

In regards to his decision making, so many people are blinded and have no real idea about football. A perfect example was the last game against Richmond. Slattery was abused by some people on the gameday thread for his apparant turnover. One of them was an incident near the boundary line where he nailed a handball to a team mate but it went at his feet and ended up going out of bounds in Richmonds forward line. What the idiots couldn't see is that Slattery did this deliberatley and it was actually very good decision making and smart play. He saw a Richmond player coming from behind and he knew that his team mate wouyld get tackled if he did indeed hit him on the chest so he deliberatley handballed low and hard at his feet so that the ball would go out of play.

I can almost guarantee you that Slattery will be part of our next premiership campaign. He is an integeral part of the team and he will help out Pears and Hurley moving forward.

I see that you backed down on your OP somewhat so maybe you realise how wrong you are? You went from saying he simply cannot play football to saying that you just think he will not be part of the best team moving forward. Either way you are wrong.

 

[Nicko_]

Whoever fails to understand what Slatts brings to our side has never played footy, or a team sport for that matter.

Or simply never played as a defender.

 

[HighettBomber]

Fact is Houli is not a better small defender than Slattery. In their only like-for-like match up both had one goal kicked on them, yet you have tried to manipulate the statistics to suit your own argument.

Not once has Houli given an example of where he is willing to go back with the flight of the ball. Let's also ensure we don't discount the number of other leads Slattery chops off.

Boo-hoo he turned it over once or twice, he saved plenty.

No. Your opinion is that he is better, my opiniuon is that he is not. Both have weaknesses and strengths, just Houli has less weaknesses and more strengths. Hank took a great mark in front of Reiwoldt, I've never said he is lacking in courage, he's also a great tackler but his inability to help us clear thre ball from the backline and his insistance on stopping, propping and kicking 15 metres backwards or handballing to someone under pressure are major negatives, especially as we rely on quick ball movement.

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why an y of the players listed are not better options as small defenders than Hank.

 

[BrunoV]

It's called following team instructions. They have a game plan and are told to implement it. It is a risky gameplan and players are often put under pressure in the back half and through the middle as a result of this. Are you trying to tell me that Slattery is the only one that does this?

Yep it is called following team instructions, problem is that he musn't understand them. At no point is there a suggestion that giving the ball to someone underpressure as a better option than kicking the ball. If his is the case then it is an unrealistic extreme and will be done away with as our team matures.

Question - why on earth would Slatts refrain from kicking considering he has shown himself to be one of the more reliable kicks in the team this season? How many times does he miss a target by foot? Please give an honest answer.

I don't know why he doesn't kick more often. His kicking isn't awful, it gets the job done. There was even a passage of play on the weekend that worked well.

Again, his turn overs are fumbles and handballs that are not picked up in stats. I wanted to post after the Brisbane game as it epitomises what I am talking about.

See argument about being the only shut down small defender going around.

I see that you backed down on your OP somewhat so maybe you realise how wrong you are? You went from saying he simply cannot play football to saying that you just think he will not be part of the best team moving forward. Either way you are wrong.

Thats is not the case at all. He cannot play football, he is a negator. When I used the term 'play' I am talking about having an (for lack of a better word) attacking game. There are structural contributions that I do not rate as being important as the general feeling around here, but if everyone sees it, then perhaps I need to re-assess my views on these strutural contributions. I have and still don't think he should maintain a spot in the side if a Houli, Remiers or Hocking developed in the position.

I think some of you cannot remove yourself from the debate enough to see the fallcy in just accepting a purely negating small back with his penchant for poor decision making and fumbling. When the Slattery folowers present the small forward stats it is like they expect to have 5 and 6 goals kicked every week when often the job of a small forward is to make good on the handful of opportunities that he gets in a game. A small forward who kicks two to three goals a week for his career is virtually achampion. Maybe it is you who doesn't understand football?