
almagoo
Senior List
- Aug 24, 2012
- 165
- 451
- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
100% this. Eric’s pressure, willingness to get to the contest and work ethic have been consistently improving and impressive if you take the time to watch instead of b*tch.Eric Hipwood has been a very easy target for commentators and keyboard warriors for some time. His kicking has been wayward, his marking substandard, he has been criticised for not attacking contests or making poor choices or not defending sufficiently. Some of that was warranted at times but he, like so many tall forwards, especially those who are lighter-framed, needed time to develop.
His efforts to get to and impact contests last night was excellent. He leads hard and to the right spots. He runs up the ground to get involved, he is so much more aware of space than he used to be. He is often putting pressure on even if he can’t make the tackle. It has been some time since he looked lethargic while defending.
He was never ready-made like many other talls who are drafted with the expectation that they eventually will be too tall and too strong for defenders. Hipwood came into the team very slight, very young and very raw partly out of desperation for a tall forward presence, lost an important developmental year to an ACL, has struggled to find a role aligned with his strengths. But more and more he is beginning to play the game to those strengths.
He will perhaps never be a big unit who can dominate a game regularly, but if he keeps going he has the ability to develop for a few more years yet. He plays in an unusual forward line that has no one dominant presence like many other teams, but he is playing his role well and opposition coaches will increasingly have to think about the right match up for him. Slowly, frustratingly so at times, his goal kicking is becoming more consistent.
And yet that crazy woman behind me still insists that he should be dropped every week!
Great post AFLQLD.