Wells Form

[Briedis]

What does everyone make of Daniels current form?

He did some magical things last week. THAT pass to Thommo was a piece of absolutley exquisite skill.

Did notice though that he was not running as hard as normal and was a little soft around contests at times. Didn't shepherd a couple of times and didn't attempt a couple of tackles. Looked a little half hearted when they had the ball. Unlike him I thought.

Did anyone else read his game the same way? Has anyone heard if he is carrying an injury?

 

[Ausgard]

He might be just a little tired

Played 12 weeks in a row plus 3 Wizza's I think.

There isn't a lot of him so the normal bumps and scrapes of AFL are going to be felt a bit more than with an Archer type body.

The weeks break will probably do him the world of good. I'd like to assess his form after that.

I know this is herasy but it might be worth dropping him back to the VFL for a week or 2 appraching the finals just to give him a rest (or even just give him a rest).

He's a kid so you have to expect him to be a bit up and down

 

[Z_K]

Did anyone else read his game the same way? Has anyone heard if he is carrying an injury?

I read it exactly the same way. Just looked to be cruising a bit too often. Not exactly pushing himself super hard to contests where he was not certain to recieve the footy I reckon. Really differen't attitude to the kid that would chase arse all day in his first year for no result, but he burnt himself out.

I would like him to work harder.

Still not convinced he is 100% FWIW.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

A BF forum the other day (sorry i couldnt find the link) mentioned that his one-percenter stats are down 200-300% from '03. This was one of his major assets when we drafted him. I dont' think he has slackened off so this proves he isnt at full fitness

 

[Twinkletoes]

Originally Posted by Ausgard
He's a kid so you have to expect him to be a bit up and down

............which sums it up IMHO. Plus he's a targeted player for other sides to clamp down on. It has to take some toll at his young age.

Patience is required I reckon. I watched Aaron Davey closely yesterday and he spends the bulk of his day walking fairly slowly, before bursting to life when required to have an impact, and he receives far less attention than Wellsy.

I wouldn't drop him to Port at any stage.

T'toes

 

[Briedis]

............which sums it up IMHO. Plus he's a targeted player for other sides to clamp down on. It has to take some toll at his young age.

Patience is required I reckon. I watched Aaron Davey closely yesterday and he spends the bulk of his day walking fairly slowly, before bursting to life when required to have an impact, and he receives far less attention than Wellsy.

I wouldn't drop him to Port at any stage.

T'toes

Agreed that he should not be dropped. That is not an option. No way.

Take your point on him being targetted more these days. It is a good one. I would have thought though that this would be all the more reason why he would be working harder at contests to get involved more.

 

[R00StaR]

He does seem a little flat at times. Perhaps he has OP or wasn’t leaving enough in the tank to run offensively where he’d really hurt teams. Maybe he’s having trouble working out which defensive chases or contests are worth while really pushing for rather than pushing for all of em?

Sure we want t see solid defensive skills, but he’ll win us games with the offence. Im not worried provided he’s enjoying himself at Arden St.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Originally Posted by Briedis
I would have thought though that this would be all the more reason why he would be working harder at contests to get involved more.

I think he's knackered........just badly needing a break, which will come after this Sunday.

Don't forget the "X factor" either.......the return of his partner in crime, Junior. Wellsy will get through this patch. He's still doing some quality things and gaining more experience all the while. Once the fire for the 1%ers returns, and the energy to carry them out, we'll have one hell of a footballer.

T'toes

 

[Devil Fish]

A BF forum the other day (sorry i couldnt find the link) mentioned that his one-percenter stats are down 200-300% from '03. This was one of his major assets when we drafted him. I dont' think he has slackened off so this proves he isnt at full fitness

Gee, that's an interesting stat. My other big concern with Wells this year has been the deterioration in the accuracy of his kicking. It started against Collingwood this year & hasn't improved since. I'm not sure what to make of it.

 

[Lidge]

Don't forget (as pointed out above) he's still a kid and is just getting accustomed to a heavy tag each week.

All part of his education.

Will be dux of the class in 2006.

 

[FootyGirl]

He does seem a little flat at times. Perhaps he has OP or wasn’t leaving enough in the tank to run offensively where he’d really hurt teams. Maybe he’s having trouble working out which defensive chases or contests are worth while really pushing for rather than pushing for all of em?

Sure we want t see solid defensive skills, but he’ll win us games with the offence. Im not worried provided he’s enjoying himself at Arden St.

I just can't forget the two shots I have seen of him now kick the ball and wince in pain. Not a tired wince, a hurt wince. Maybe from muscle strain but I winced too when I saw it.

 

[Tas]

I just can't forget the two shots I have seen of him now kick the ball and wince in pain. Not a tired wince, a hurt wince. Maybe from muscle strain but I winced too when I saw it.

He looks to be carrying some sort of injury but is playing on despite it. I think he will enjoy the break.

 

[Dingster]

Take your point on him being targetted more these days. It is a good one. I would have thought though that this would be all the more reason why he would be working harder at contests to get involved more.

Laidley drummed it into Wells and Harro all pre season that they would be targeted more this year. No doubt that knowing that it`s coming and beating consistently takes some time.

He runs smoothly when he has the ball, so I doubt that it`s a leg injury if he is carrying at all. Maybe a shoulder or ribs would be manageable, but restrict him with contact. Either way, Laidley`s use of him against Brissie worked well and might be worth trying again this week.

 

[Arden]

I get the feeling that Wellsy might have been given a bit of free rein by Laidley, in terms of trying to be more attacking, while staying out of trouble at the bottom of packs and the like. We have plenty of blokes to do the grunt work like Lance and Spud, who have the bodies to be able to cope, but to see Wellsy get hurt in a contest would be disastrous for our season. We desperately need his attacking flair and speed through the midfield, but I do agree that he may be feeling the strains of the tags he seems to be receiving.

I think a gently, gently approach is required, because he doesnt have the body to stand up to 10 or 12 seasons of hard contested footy.

 

[Refulgent ROO]

It wasnt hard to notice how much he was hurting when Tivendale fell on him and that was real light contact .....it was in the middle of our 6 goal burst when he got a soft free twenty five out....l noticed how many players came in to see if he was ok.....maybe the shoulder is sore...if you see the replay again have a look....l was critical of his attempts last week and the shoulder would be a good reason not to extend to far if it is a problem....
Lets face it theres not many of us here who know much about whats really going on...I feel sorry for the guys on here who payed a heap to be in the inner sanctum. I cant recall what level of membership it was....but they read all our dribble and may know what really is going on but wont/cant say anything...poor buggers
Here is the link with Daniels tackle stats etc ......sorry girls this isnt his actual block and tackle...
http://www.footywire.com/fw/web/ft_player_career?pid=398

 

[Angus1]

What does everyone make of Daniels current form?

He did some magical things last week. THAT pass to Thommo was a piece of absolutley exquisite skill.

Did notice though that he was not running as hard as normal and was a little soft around contests at times. Didn't shepherd a couple of times and didn't attempt a couple of tackles. Looked a little half hearted when they had the ball. Unlike him I thought.

Did anyone else read his game the same way? Has anyone heard if he is carrying an injury?

Well summed up Arnie. I've said all year that Wells seems to be disinterested at times and often looks lazy. As for not putting on a shepperd well that happened quiet a few times and is just unacceptable. When he is directly involved for example if the ball comes to him he seems to switch on and looks fairly good however when he doesn't have the ball he looks awful. Wont chase and as already said wont shepperd.
Having said all that I thought his first half was rubbish but his second half was very good and he seemed to get some touch back.

I don't quiet go along with the tag theory however as on Sunday he wasn't tagged at all. As a matter of fact he was often on his own but he just stood around watching. The big difference in the second half was that JYD put him around the half forward area and the ball started to go through him a lot more. He started to get involved then whammo he got excited again. Once Daniel gets excited then look out. His class comes to the surface.

I don't mind him being an outside player and get plenty of recieves as a matter of fact I think that is exactly how he should play however that doesn't mean he can just stand and watch as opponents run past. Is there an injury? Well Dean has said earlier in the year that he is not carrying an injury and that it was just a form slump. Whether that is true or not I guess we will never know but why would he lie? If Wells was injured he would be spending a lot more time on the bench however that is not the case.

It's an interesting one and I'm sure a lot of people are feeling a little silly after Wells was second favourite in the Brownlow betting at the start of the season. So just on that basis you would have to say he has been disappointing however he still has time to redeem his poor year by stringing a few good games together but that really needs to start back with the basics of running hard again.
The second half of the Richmond game was a good starting point for Wells to come good. He has his mate back up forward for him to kick to so hopefuly the 2 of them will click and show us some of the magic that we got last year.

 

[Briedis]

It wasnt hard to notice how much he was hurting when Tivendale fell on him and that was real light contact .....it was in the middle of our 6 goal burst when he got a soft free twenty five out....l noticed how many players came in to see if he was ok.....maybe the shoulder is sore...if you see the replay again have a look....l was critical of his attempts last week and the shoulder would be a good reason not to extend to far if it is a problem....
http://www.footywire.com/fw/web/ft_player_career?pid=398

Actually, dodgy shoulder sounds about right. And if so, then not too concerned with his output. Bloody long sleeved jumpers - can't see if there's any strapping!

Must admit I did see a bootful of sports injury tape in Carlo's car last week, so maybe that is it.

 

[Briedis]

My other theory is that he is saving himself for a Carey-like performance in the finals to take us to the flag. Had to change the sheets after that dream....

 

[KingyOrTheKing]

If the coach has asked Wells to stay out of contests ten I think he is doing the wrong thing. Why on Earth would you ask him to stop doing the things that make him unique, and the things that he is best at (Running down players) Without these things he is an average player. I personally would want him to play naturally than to be restricted by the coach. It will make him more confident and it will also improve the confidence of his team mates.

 

[mav-1]

his disposals are up from last year, but his tackles are down. I would dare say everyone's tackle count would be down this year.

My only concern is his kicking. At times it is beyond beleive ala the pass to Tommo, but at others I just shakes me head.

What I do think will be significant is the fact Boomer and Shagga can now spend a lot more time in the middle. With Jnr and Turtle up forward, Wells can roam free. The op then has to look at tagging 3 players.