Gary's still waiting for further evidence to convience him that Melbourne made a mistake in passing twice on Dusty....Dear Old Gary is waiting for more evidence. Onya Gary, really adding value to the conversation.
Gary's still waiting for further evidence to convience him that Melbourne made a mistake in passing twice on Dusty....Dear Old Gary is waiting for more evidence. Onya Gary, really adding value to the conversation.
I've already said I think Pickett will go backwards to go forwards this season.
It is easy to get swept up in the hype but my take on him in the VFL was he tried to do too much with the ball for the pace of the next level and I still felt that was evident in the Grand Final, despite the total lack of pressure.
I suspect teams will quickly focus on applying increased tackle pressure on him and he will find the going tough.
My tip is he will be adjusting his game in the VFL by the midway point of the season.
Geez TBR. The bloke missed over half the season with a broken mitt, came over from W.A. n had to learn to play with a completely new team n different game style. Best two games he played for us were VFL flag n then AFL flag. Reckon your being ridiculously harsh on the bloke, he's stepped up to the mark on every occasion so far. Can't see anything to stop him being at worst a very solid AFL mid for us.I've already said I think Pickett will go backwards to go forwards this season.
It is easy to get swept up in the hype but my take on him in the VFL was he tried to do too much with the ball for the pace of the next level and I still felt that was evident in the Grand Final, despite the total lack of pressure.
I suspect teams will quickly focus on applying increased tackle pressure on him and he will find the going tough.
My tip is he will be adjusting his game in the VFL by the midway point of the season.
really ?,Marlon played a bit of his VFL time in the backline. I thought he looked a bit like a fish out of water in that possie and he didn't really shine until he was given more time in the middle. And he came back from injuries. I think fully fit and with an AFL level pre season under his belt he could be extremely influential in 2020.
I've already said I think Pickett will go backwards to go forwards this season.
It is easy to get swept up in the hype but my take on him in the VFL was he tried to do too much with the ball for the pace of the next level and I still felt that was evident in the Grand Final, despite the total lack of pressure.
I suspect teams will quickly focus on applying increased tackle pressure on him and he will find the going tough.
My tip is he will be adjusting his game in the VFL by the midway point of the season.
Correct. Reckon he'll play better with better players around him.If anything Pickett will find it easier at the top level. Will enable him to fully show off his skill set, and he's surrounded by class and the toughest hardest team in AFL footy. We will give him heaps of time and space, but he knows how to collect his own pill anyway. He's a cut above players like Macca and Naish talent wise. Will play 22 H&A.
I think we are making the same case here.
He has come from so far back I can't see how he doesn't still have plenty of learning to do before he is able to adjust to AFL level footy. The Grand Final performance was amazing but there's a big difference between a one off performance and grinding it out week after week.
I see him as being like a test batsman who bursts onto the scene with a century, but then opposition sides take notice, find a weakness and 10 tests later he is back in the Sheffield Shield honing his game.
I'm not questioning his ability to handle pressure or his toughness, I'm wondering more about how quickly he can adjust to the speed and structure of an AFL game.
I know the easy answer is look at the Grand Final but that was a Grand Final in name only, GWS's pressure parkers were lower than an Auskick game.
For example Pickett loves to do plenty when he has the ball and we all loved his blind turn, but I guarantee every assistant coach in the competition coded the tape to show that in the opposition meeting before playing his this season.
Teams will make a point of breaking the usual convention of corralling and have a mantra to press on him on every occasion. They will know he doesn't have training years under his belt so they will pummel him at every opportunity in order to fatigue him.
He will never have taken as many bumps in a game of footy in his life as he will in every game next year. Teams will make him take every step they can to blow him up. GWS won't have placed anywhere near that sort of focus on him for the GF.
That's just a couple of examples of the scrutiny you just don't find in the WAFL or VFL and it bound to take some adjustment.
It may well be that he has the sheer talent to overcome all of that but given he will be coming from a long way back in fitness base he will be a very, very special player if he is able to seamlessly continue to perform at senior level.
I hope he can and does but I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Another one where he was under pressure was in the last 1/4, if he held onto the ball for another second he gets sandwiched. Somehow he knew Lambert was behind him running forward, he got a 10 metre handball away and Lamby didn't even have to brake stride.Who doesn't love a good debate.
3 points in GF where there was extreme pressure, can't remember all the quarters and timing, (that would mean me having to watch the GF all over again for validation)
So as memory serves, 1st quarter converging players, got kick away, yes it was a grubber but resulted in Rioli goal Rioli goal.
Another on half back several players converging, calmy assessed and underground handball into space finding a player.
Running full pace to the boundary line with 2 GWS players in pursuit pushing him out of play, insanely was able to hook it back into play with his left.
Versus the one where he "tried to do too much" with a shimmy and got caught and should probably have been ball.
I love players who try to do too much but have the ability to do it. Shedda is one and Shai I think will become another.
Back to that article when he was a 17 year old.
They started him in the backline and watched him bolt the length of the field, dodging and selling dummies and making an entire opposition team look silly.
Nothing much has changed made Whitfield look silly
And quote from Jay Clark from MatchPlay training Thursday
Grand Final hero Marlion Pickett showed he has more tricks than a brilliant blind turn, pulling out a wicked sidestep on another darting run down the middle early on in the piece.
I can verify in that bit of play he made a few Tiger players look a bit silly too
Bring on 2020 and let the fun begin.
really ?,
Thats where he played all his WAFL footy until Tim Kelly left & he went into the midfield
Watching the RCD highlights in the VFL GF Fish features prominently and is all class. He makes his own space.
If oppo teams do choose to focus on dishing it out and pressuring him it will work out badly for them i reckon. Either he will make them look foolish or our other mids will take advantage.
Barring injury he's a lock this season.