Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn - Mabior Chol

[eldorado]

What makes a player look disinterested to you?

I sat upon level 4 with Eldo and watched Mabs work pretty tirelessly from the first quarter.

But I couldn't hear a word he said, so he is laconic!

 

[Ned Ryerson]

This is a good news story. It doesn’t need to be about skin colour. Unless you make it that way.

Except there are still loud mouthed peanuts in the crowd and even more so on social media who do unfairly target non-white players.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

He came into Hawthorn with a reputation for being lazy in the front line with inconsistent effort. A reputation he admitted he had earned and he was committed to reversing. People are understandably laser-focused on that reputation. And he works his backside off, fortunately gets another guy he teams well with to play full forward, and takes his opportunity to contribute.

This is a good news story. It doesn’t need to be about skin colour. Unless you make it that way.

It doesn’t need to be, but it certainly is for some, whether you choose to accept that or not.

 

[scrim reaper]

How much do people genuinely expect their 200cm KPFs to chase? I would say he does more chasing and defensive work than most, I'd even go as far as to say he has a genuine presence of perceived pressure in the forward 50 which is impressive for his size.

Bear in mind he doesn't necessarily have a huge tank.

He makes a contest of everything that comes his way, always does well when he chops out in the ruck, and at the moment is the main man in a forward line with a 32 year old Gunston who has never been a contested mark player, and a 5th gamer.

When (if) Lewis is back and he and Chol can start to get some chemistry in the forward line we will see Chol really flourish.

Anyone who thinks this team is better without him in it right now genuinely has no idea what they are talking about. I have no idea how anyone could even suggest that after we've all watched 3 years of Jacob bloody Koschitzke.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

I have no idea how anyone could even suggest that after we've all watched 3 years of Jacob bloody Koschitzke.

This. Very much this. The fact that Kosi can’t get a game in an injury ravaged side that’s managed 1 win speaks volumes.

 

[SSSSSS]

Watching the highlights again I thought his tap down to Moore was incidental but on replay he 100% meant that.

He's doing all the right team things at the moment.

 

[SSSSSS]

yep I was sitting on L2 on the wing on Saturday and there was another passage where he ran from the forward line all the way down to the Crow's forward line chasing and pressuring. Was amazing to see, and then to see him presenting a couple of mins later in marking contests...

Must be extremely fit, one of the hardest workers in the team each week - the opposite of lazy!

He's come a long way within a few months.

Against the Bombers he was completely gassed out before 3 quarter time. He was long way off match fitness at AFL level.

Now his repeated efforts are inspiring his younger teammates.

 

[Mr Lizard]

Watching the highlights again I thought his tap down to Moore was incidental but on replay he 100% meant that.

They were doing these in the warm up, absolutely the intended outcome.

 

[SSSSSS]

They were doing these in the warm up, absolutely the intended outcome.

Hale was the master of this. No doubt will be giving him some pointers.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Mabior appreciation post

Just wanted to acknowledge something that I've seen the majority of this season that some of our fans have failed to and that is the chase down and repeat efforts of Chol this season. I really think it's due to his laconic look (in the face) that it sometimes gives the appearance that he is disinterested and doesn't try but I'm not buying it. His laconic look makes for an easy whipping boy when we're struggling but I'm calling BS as I feel outside of that period where he was playing hurt he's been giving his all and I feel he's been a great pick up for us and if he one day ends up being the third banana up front then so be it.

5 minutes to go in the game and the big fella is chasing like we're down 30. You love to see it and I saw this from him multiple times and then he gave an ample chop out in the ruck too. Well done Mabior I appreciate you!

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He's got that same turbo boost right before the tackle that Cyril and Puopolo had. They chase to be close enough and once the guy with the ball has underestimated they go ZOOOOOM and get them.

He's regularly running 50-80m to lay these tackles. Most key forwards will do token efforts and give up/not bother if it's more than 30m

 

[PenAndPaper]

It is really strange for someone who is so disinterested to be leading the comp for average tackles inside 50.

 

[CD Xbow]

Except there are still loud mouthed peanuts in the crowd and even more so on social media who do unfairly target non-white players.

Yeah, I got an earful about him from a friend who is hawks supporter after I said he was such an upgrade on Kosi and could be an A grader. It wasn't rational, it was a fearful little brainstem shouting out. Very sad.

 

[TassieGrown]

What i like about Chol in the ruck is he actually jumps to tap the ball at its highest point.

Unsure why our 7 foot ruck looks for body (assumed coached this way) rather than doing what Chol does.

 

[A1fromDay1]

I've backed Mabs in all season, the perfect 2nd or 3rd option going forward.

Provides great forward pressure, elite ball use and is clearly a well liked player off the field inside the club.

Great pick up

 

[Slaatybaadfaast]

Massive pick-up! Huge presence. Looms about the forward line like a cruising shark, waiting to strike. Still only a pup, too. Body seems resilient. Many years of reliable service ahead...

 

[CrimminsSquad]

What i like about Chol in the ruck is he actually jumps to tap the ball at its highest point.

Unsure why our 7 foot ruck looks for body (assumed coached this way) rather than doing what Chol does.

Couldn't agree more. I also love there is some mongrel with that knee near the opp ruckman's ribs and head which discourages the next bounce.

In the last quarter he sharks his own tap, goal side if you look at the camera it actually happens in apparent slow motion, but when you count the ground he covers in a couple of steps it dawned on me that this is why he looks laconic (and defiitely not lazy, the guy is anything but). The people who have genuine speed always take distance with long strides and expend as little energy as possible straining muscles, they just do it because they can naturally, they stay relaxed which means they go faster still.

He's just a particularly beautifully put together athlete, who I love that little bit more because he terrifies the opposition when chasing or leaping.

 

[rei154]

I don't think this is fair tbh. He had 3 disposals, 1 tackle and 5 pressure acts in the first half. He did look disinterested for a fair chunk of the match, that was prior to being moved into the ruck.

That takes nothing away from the fact that he was a huge presence in the final quarter. He had 6 pressure acts in the last quarter alone and was chasing very hard despite being on for 100% of game time that quarter. He turned it around in game which was great to see.

I think that kind of critique that SYL posted about is entirely fair given the racial vilification he has copped.

The fact is thst as a society there are large sects of people who are willing to, and far more likely to criticise a work ethic based on skin colour and players like Mabior are far more likely to cop it than those who are lighter skinned.

To claim otherwise is just a factually inaccurate and not reflective of the society we live in.

I'm more than happy to give a more detailed breakdown of this divide when I'm not on my lunch break, but I don't think it's fair to try and explain away racially motivated claims by ascribing less malice on behalf of a bigot (not that I mean to imply that that's you're intent, Kermit, but it's something that I see so much of and it drives me insane).

 

[DogDaySonny]

Except there are still loud mouthed peanuts in the crowd and even more so on social media who do unfairly target non-white players.

Don't feed the trolls, then. Why besmirch Chol's achievements on the field, particularly his second efforts that have been extraordinary, by giving oxygen to the "peanuts"? **** the peanuts. They get their kicks by seeing the mess they stir up. Nothing they do mounts to one atom of influence over the value Chol brings to the team. Give them the same attention.

 

[DogDaySonny]

It doesn’t need to be, but it certainly is for some, whether you choose to accept that or not.

Of course there are small-minded bigots in the world. It's not a matter of acceptance. It's a matter of not letting them set the agenda with the limp dicked trolling and bigotry. I ignore them because they are irrelevant. Chol isn't doing well despite his skin colour or what the morons say on social media. He's doing well period.

 

[CrimminsSquad]

Of course there are small-minded bigots in the world. It's not a matter of acceptance. It's a matter of not letting them set the agenda with the limp dicked trolling and bigotry. I ignore them because they are irrelevant. Chol isn't doing well despite his skin colour or what the morons say on social media. He's doing well period.

too true, giving oxygen to these imbecilic morons is what they want. I'd rather celebrate how good he is on the field and what a ripping bloke he seems to be off it.

When he brings up his 100 games for us, I'll be delighted we get to see his kids (hopefully) playing for the brown and gold for years to come and hearing from them about how dad kicked six in a winning grannie, and that they hope to do to.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Don't feed the trolls, then. Why besmirch Chol's achievements on the field, particularly his second efforts that have been extraordinary, by giving oxygen to the "peanuts"? **** the peanuts. They get their kicks by seeing the mess they stir up. Nothing they do mounts to one atom of influence over the value Chol brings to the team. Give them the same attention.

Look I wish it was this easy, but in this day and age it’s not that simple. The trolls can come straight to the source and players get directly abused. Like earlier this year - not exactly easy to just tell Eddie Betts’ kids ‘just ignore the guy who yelled slurs at you in the privacy of your own home when you’re just outside playing’. Similarly not easy to just say ‘ignore the trolls’ when they hurled bananas at Eddie Betts when he was just doing his bloody job as a footy player. One of our own was directly abused on social media over the weekend and as Sam pointed out in the presser, it impacts them.

 

[Bugs1977]

Look I wish it was this easy, but in this day and age it’s not that simple. The trolls can come straight to the source and players get directly abused. Like earlier this year - not exactly easy to just tell Eddie Betts’ kids ‘just ignore the guy who yelled slurs at you in the privacy of your own home when you’re just outside playing’. Similarly not easy to just say ‘ignore the trolls’ when they hurled bananas at Eddie Betts when he was just doing his bloody job as a footy player. One of our own was directly abused on social media over the weekend and as Sam pointed out in the presser, it impacts them.

Agree with all of this. I didn't really want to mention it here because this thread should be a celebration of Mabs but I saw a fair amount of terrible comments on a recent social media article about the Hawthorn racism saga. The comments which I really hope weren't Hawthorn fans but couldn't really be sure we're calling the accusers a bunch of money hungry b**ngs looking for a cash grab. No matter which side you believe in all of that it really does take the lowest of human beings to say something like that. It really doesn't matter if they were Hawthorn fans in the grand scheme of things but it does make me sick and embarrassed that it could've been.

The stupid thing with all those comments is that all of the accused (the coaches) would decry them and once again just confirms how far we've got to go with racism in our country. As Sam said in his presser if you're that way inclined then we don't want you!

 

[Nick the Pig]

His running style is deceptively fast. It would take him five steps to make the same distance the Wiz would take twenty. Mabs is like our own version of the Undertaker. His long strides silently catching his opponents and then burying them. I reckon a Mabs tackle hurts.

 

[Baz_hawk]

Really disappointing to hear he is being subjected to hate from some of our own supporters. Disgusting behaviour towards a player that has been a huge part of why our forward line is looking so dangerous this year.

Chol has exceeded my expectations this year, I hadn't seen a lot of him previously but there was a lot of talk about him being lazy or disinterested which was concerning. This is not a description of the player we got. His defensive work is so good, I recall being frustrated watching Kozi repeatedly jog after his opponent as they ran the ball out of defence. Now I'm finding myself applauding his chases and effort. He had two repeat efforts this weekend gone where he put on enough pressure to turn the ball over.

Additionally, as others highlighted earlier his knock to Moore was something he's been doing for a lot of the season. I'm not even sure if we are using him as a marking target that often and more using him as link up as he has great field kicking or to just bring the ball to ground when the forward line is flooded.

I think having Gunston in the side and Hale as forward coach is making him a smarter player. Hale was amazing at those smart little taps and loved coming in from the side of a pack to take a grab or force the ball in the desired direction.

 

[toomanysquibs]

Can't tell you how much I love what he brings to our side. He's already a success, and I get the feeling he's building still given his fitness base looks to be improving (as does Calsher's).

Just based on the comments in this thread alone, there is a lot of love and admiration for him. I hope as someone else said, one of the guys getting to training tells him this.