JLT game 3

[spf]

Talking about skinny.... i walked past Dylan Buckley today... I think he was walking with Gorringe ( tall bugger with long lochs??? ) & I was gobsmacked at how small he was.
I thought he'd  putt on a bit in the upper body over the last few yrs but by God, he looked like a 14 y o boy ????

I'm not blind. I knew he wasnt a big kid but honestly didnt realise he was that small.
I've been a massive backer of this kid. I love his positive play. Attacking and using his run whenever possible. Trying to make something happen when it seems that everyone else around him has given up. Ive been hoping this kid would make it, especially as he's Jimmys boy too but after seeing him today, Ive gotta hand it to the kid... I dont know how he has lasted this long.
May he make it big time this yr. May he find whatever the hell it us that divides the great from the also rans. May he have a great long career at the mighty blues.
I'd be absolutely stoked for him...........
But unfortunately, I cannot see how a kid his size "could" make it????

Kade Simpson seemed to have found a way. I remember what they said when he started out and we had no choice but play him. In a different time he may not have gotten the chance to forge a career - now he is one of our best players consistently and has given fantastic service to the club.

[DJC]

OK, one more time as it appears we have a lot of midgets on the site.

Everyone was over Jaksch prior to the start of the 2016 season. However, when we were going bad, he was kicking a few goals in the 2's. We continued to go bad. Yet he wasn't played. Every man and his dog was calling for him to be played because he HAD to be better than what we had playing for us. His stocks went up, simply because our teams had gone down.

Now, the moment comes and he is picked. Then he plays.....not that you could tell. He was pathetic. People realised why he wasn't picked in the first place and got over it.

I hope we play A. Silvagni now....so people see what he offers.....whatever that may be. Then people wont build him up to be somewhat of a saviour when he does get picked

I don't recall more than a couple of people calling for Jaksch to be promoted.  Those regular NBs watchers were expressing concern about his ability to to take the step up to AFL and many others doubted the wisdom of his recruitment from the word go. 

Similarly, I don't think anyone is building Alex Silvagni up as a saviour, except perhaps in your own mind.  Most folk realise that he is a delisted player who was given a rookie spot to provide cover in the event of a LTI.  I suspect that he is down the rookie pecking order but I am more than happy with the idea of having an experienced, competent defender on our rookie list.  I think that he will acquit himself quite well if he does get another opportunity at AFL level but he's a long way off best 22.

Now, repeat after me, "No-one thinks Alex Silvagni is a saviour!"

[Gointocarlton]

*sigh*

Nobody. Yet.

I'm looking into my crystal ball.

As i just got through saying, nobody thought anything of Jaksch at this stage of last year. However, when we start falling in a heap, we start looking for 'hope' in all the wrong places. My prediction, Silvagni will be that hope that people will turn to in 2017.

As many have just said, he is a gap filler. Agree. He is not a hope.

Just trying to temper peoples expectations early. Hope the club plays him early which will assist in tempering his expectations.

Well I reckon your crystall ball is a little hazy and you cant see in it properly. No one would look to Alex as anything more than a gap filler in a time of need, simple as that.

[sydneybluesfan]

Kade Simpson seemed to have found a way. I remember what they said when he started out and we had no choice but play him. In a different time he may not have gotten the chance to forge a career - now he is one of our best players consistently and has given fantastic service to the club.

The only chance you have of making it at that size is to be absolutely elite in terms of your skills and decision making when you have the ball. You also have to be able to read the play well to be able to avoid big collisions wherever possible.

This is where someone like Simmo excels compared to others.

My knock on Buckley has always been that despite his endeavor, speed, courage and dare, his skills and decision making are ordinary at best. You are simply never going to make it at his size in his position unless you are excellent at setting up play with each possession you get.

[DJC]

The only chance you have of making it at that size is to be absolutely elite in terms of your skills and decision making when you have the ball. You also have to be able to read the play well to be able to avoid big collisions wherever possible.

This is where someone like Simmo excels compared to others.

My knock on Buckley has always been that despite his endeavor, speed, courage and dare, his skills and decision making are ordinary at best. You are simply never going to make it at his size in his position unless you are excellent at setting up play with each possession you get.

That is very true and we won't make the top four and beyond while our best 22 includes players who don't impact games.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Buckley is a cameo player at best and doesnt get enough of the footy and as suggested at this size you have to be very good with the ball when you do get it and he isnt...

[flyboy77]

That is very true and we won't make the top four and beyond while our best 22 includes players who don't impact games.

Does anyone think Buckley is even close to our best 22?

What is his position in any event?

Not a defender, not a mid, not a small forward.....

A poor man's Denis Armfield, on current form/ability?

And Army's a filler from here on in.

[Baggers]

Buckley is a cameo player at best and doesnt get enough of the footy and as suggested at this size you have to be very good with the ball when you do get it and he isnt...

Romantically, being the son of a great and all, we'd love Bucks to make it but sadly he's another of our 'almost' blokes. Most have been sent packing and I suspect the last of them will leave PP at the end of this year.

[jeza]

Problem I have is that we traded Touhy for an underweight pick and a player, who ended up being Smedts because Caddy, Lang, Cockatoo et al. were either not available or told us to F off.  Thus, there is some weight of expectation for Smedts to balance out the deal, so yes I do have a problem if he ends up another list clogger.  Seriously, I'd only have picked Smedts before about 2 blokes from their list and we got stiffed.

Touhy = Marchbank + Pickett + Smedts.

You think we got stiffed?

What deal would you be happy with?

[jeza]

I am not having a go at the playing of Jaksch. I in fact thought he should've been given at least another week in the 1's.

However, peoples expectations of what he would bring to the side were ridiculously high.

Jaksch played 1 game in the forward line in a team that got flogged then dropped. Which was a shocking way to treat a player.