I have the fortune of having watching every game live so far this year.
I saw recently an article showing how highly correlated the number of tackes a side had to their wins was. Breaking that down, the more pressure you put on the oposition the more you win.... so I will include a pressure on the opposition comment with each player.
Shane Edwards - I though't he showed enough poise in his debut to show he will be a 10yr player. He is lacking leg strength and stamina at the moment, however and all things being equal, he will only get better and better. Pressure on opposition - meduim, when he matures this will be very good I expect.
Nathan Foley - I love this gutsy little guy. He is just a terrier. His skills are adequate, but I would't like the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. But he is a real engine room player that puts a lot of pressure on the opposition. One of the few 'strong' bodied players we have ..
Joel Bowden - not having a year I would expect from him. Is there something wrong? Is he fit? His pressure on opposition has been below what I would expect from him. So is his impact on the game this year.
Darren Gaspar - playing well, just the usual Gaspar. He is an assett, but I am always worried that he will give the ball to the oposition. Does he make it harder for his teammates? His pressure on the opposition is first class.
Chris Newman - I have been surprised by how many times I have noticed him involved in a fine bit of play. The pressure he applies appears to be good.
Graham Polak - has been between serviceable and very good. Definatley a very handy recruit for the cost of virtually nothing if you believe that Jack Reiwoldt would have been our top pick before we traded it away - and I think we hit the mark there. Only time will tell the full story. Pressure on the opposition - not sure ... seems adequte but not overwhelming - he may need to address this given the key posts he gets.
Andrew Raines - a bit up and down. Definatley one of our best players, however some little things are hurting his performance to date; eg. to many times he has gotten caught with the ball trying to run away from an opponent. It is just a form thing I guess and I am sure he will make the right modifications to his game and come back tip top real soon. Pressure on the opposition - good.
Andrew Krakour. Well I had hoped he would not be on our list as he would never be fit enough. I like him as a roving forward - he is always going to make something happen. It looks like there is a chance yet that he will make it. Pressure on the opposition - very good.
Richo - Sadly I hope he retires at years end. I don't think we will win a premiership with him in the side. He dominates to much of the ball just to give it away. He could have been one of if not the greatest player ever had he been able to kick the easy ones. That said, I thought the same of Earl Spalding so many years ago and he won one with Carlton. I hope I am wrong. I saw his accuracy recently compared quite well against many greats such as Gary Ablett and Doug Wade. What this didn't take into account was when he kicked the goals or missed - ie. what stage of the game, or how demoralising some of his misses are - or- the number of out of bounds on the full he gets. He is such a great player in so many other ways. Pressure on the opposition - low.
Luke McGuane - I just don't know what to think. Most of the time he keeps surprising me with good spoling efforts or good bits of link play. He is a chance to cement his spot. I still have serious doubt's about his game nouse .. but I am slowly having those answered - I hope it keeps going this way and he becomes a 10 year player. Pressure on the opposition - medium to high.
Troy Simmonds. Quite simply a game turner. One of the only few we have. Case in point is the third quarter against the doggies on friday night. What seemed obvious to me in the first two quarters was that the Tiges just were not able to or prepared to (take your pick) put the opposition under any physical pressure. In the third quarter it started with the strong play of Foley and Simmonds. Perhaps is gave the others
I suppose to really sum it up, it is like we are a team of boys playing against a team of men. Simmonds is one of the few mature bodies we have on the team who will apply pressure to the opposition.
Jay Schulz - could be an absolutley great third option up forward. As a second option he is capable. He will never be a dominate first option though as he is just a touch undersized for that post. And that's the way he seems to be playing this year. The big concern for me is how he lands....I think he needs to take special classes as he puts his body under such risk and if he contiues to do it I wouldn't be surprised if he contiues to get injured. Overall he has earned his money this year so far. Pressure on the opposition seems a little low.
Shane Tuck - he's been usefull and in quite good form. He has lacked a touch of polish from time to time, but generally hit the targets and stood up in the crunch times. Pressure applied - not sure - I think it's ok?
Greg Tivendale - well I had hoped he was not on the list this year...and he has been one of our best week in week out. His consistency has been fine, his kicking as good as anyones. Pressure applied - ?
Richard Tambling - has had a real up and down year. Some quarters have been good, some great but the vast majority he has been pretty inconspicuous. The big bugbear I have with him at this stage is I don't think he really puts enough pressure on the opposition. He has some great assetts and I think he will be a very good player for us ... just hasn't really broken out and put a stamp on the game so far. Offensively he has all the skills to be great, but seems to lack a bit of confidence to use them. I think he really takes it to heart when he mucks up and doesn't really then go for it. Theres a lot to like still and a lot to do if he is going to be a player that's a part of a winning side.
Kayne Pettifer - has moments of balking this issue but is quite tough most of the time. I haven't seen him do much to help the side this year. He may be a better winter player than autumn. I have not noticed him applying pressure to the opposition.
Dean Polo - good link player. Will never win the brownlow, he has just not created enough opportunities for others. Has been a good running link player and that's about it. I doubt he will ever put on the body strength required to become a dominant player that breaks the lines and creates more opportunities for others. I do have questions about the pressure he applies - this is probably due to his body size than anything else as I get the feeling he really tries hard.
Jake King - He is a trier alright and I am glad he is getting his opportunity. He measures 'taller' than he really is I suspect, as it looks like he has a short body, long neck and short arms....but he seems to overcome these odds to get where he has. The problem I had with him was that his skills seem to lack a bit of polish .. this could change as he gets comfortable at senior level. I would like to see more of him, but he is facing an uphill battle. The pressure he applies seems good.
Kane Johnson - I used to be pretty high on this guy, but whilst he is serviceable, gives his all, i think he is just not as good as some of his opponents and doesn't either win us games cause us to lose them. My gut feel is his pressure is just adequate.
To sum it all up, we don't apply enough pressure through the middle of the ground to force bad kicks into our backline or create turnovers allowning quick opportunities. When we have had chances we have wasted them. We are not unlucky to be 0-4 as that's how we have played . That said, the efforts we gave have meant that we could have been 3-1. I have trouble seeing how we will be more than 0-8 .. but I guess we will get a few surprise wins and I expect us to be 2-6.
I saw recently an article showing how highly correlated the number of tackes a side had to their wins was. Breaking that down, the more pressure you put on the oposition the more you win.... so I will include a pressure on the opposition comment with each player.
Shane Edwards - I though't he showed enough poise in his debut to show he will be a 10yr player. He is lacking leg strength and stamina at the moment, however and all things being equal, he will only get better and better. Pressure on opposition - meduim, when he matures this will be very good I expect.
Nathan Foley - I love this gutsy little guy. He is just a terrier. His skills are adequate, but I would't like the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. But he is a real engine room player that puts a lot of pressure on the opposition. One of the few 'strong' bodied players we have ..
Joel Bowden - not having a year I would expect from him. Is there something wrong? Is he fit? His pressure on opposition has been below what I would expect from him. So is his impact on the game this year.
Darren Gaspar - playing well, just the usual Gaspar. He is an assett, but I am always worried that he will give the ball to the oposition. Does he make it harder for his teammates? His pressure on the opposition is first class.
Chris Newman - I have been surprised by how many times I have noticed him involved in a fine bit of play. The pressure he applies appears to be good.
Graham Polak - has been between serviceable and very good. Definatley a very handy recruit for the cost of virtually nothing if you believe that Jack Reiwoldt would have been our top pick before we traded it away - and I think we hit the mark there. Only time will tell the full story. Pressure on the opposition - not sure ... seems adequte but not overwhelming - he may need to address this given the key posts he gets.
Andrew Raines - a bit up and down. Definatley one of our best players, however some little things are hurting his performance to date; eg. to many times he has gotten caught with the ball trying to run away from an opponent. It is just a form thing I guess and I am sure he will make the right modifications to his game and come back tip top real soon. Pressure on the opposition - good.
Andrew Krakour. Well I had hoped he would not be on our list as he would never be fit enough. I like him as a roving forward - he is always going to make something happen. It looks like there is a chance yet that he will make it. Pressure on the opposition - very good.
Richo - Sadly I hope he retires at years end. I don't think we will win a premiership with him in the side. He dominates to much of the ball just to give it away. He could have been one of if not the greatest player ever had he been able to kick the easy ones. That said, I thought the same of Earl Spalding so many years ago and he won one with Carlton. I hope I am wrong. I saw his accuracy recently compared quite well against many greats such as Gary Ablett and Doug Wade. What this didn't take into account was when he kicked the goals or missed - ie. what stage of the game, or how demoralising some of his misses are - or- the number of out of bounds on the full he gets. He is such a great player in so many other ways. Pressure on the opposition - low.
Luke McGuane - I just don't know what to think. Most of the time he keeps surprising me with good spoling efforts or good bits of link play. He is a chance to cement his spot. I still have serious doubt's about his game nouse .. but I am slowly having those answered - I hope it keeps going this way and he becomes a 10 year player. Pressure on the opposition - medium to high.
Troy Simmonds. Quite simply a game turner. One of the only few we have. Case in point is the third quarter against the doggies on friday night. What seemed obvious to me in the first two quarters was that the Tiges just were not able to or prepared to (take your pick) put the opposition under any physical pressure. In the third quarter it started with the strong play of Foley and Simmonds. Perhaps is gave the others
I suppose to really sum it up, it is like we are a team of boys playing against a team of men. Simmonds is one of the few mature bodies we have on the team who will apply pressure to the opposition.
Jay Schulz - could be an absolutley great third option up forward. As a second option he is capable. He will never be a dominate first option though as he is just a touch undersized for that post. And that's the way he seems to be playing this year. The big concern for me is how he lands....I think he needs to take special classes as he puts his body under such risk and if he contiues to do it I wouldn't be surprised if he contiues to get injured. Overall he has earned his money this year so far. Pressure on the opposition seems a little low.
Shane Tuck - he's been usefull and in quite good form. He has lacked a touch of polish from time to time, but generally hit the targets and stood up in the crunch times. Pressure applied - not sure - I think it's ok?
Greg Tivendale - well I had hoped he was not on the list this year...and he has been one of our best week in week out. His consistency has been fine, his kicking as good as anyones. Pressure applied - ?
Richard Tambling - has had a real up and down year. Some quarters have been good, some great but the vast majority he has been pretty inconspicuous. The big bugbear I have with him at this stage is I don't think he really puts enough pressure on the opposition. He has some great assetts and I think he will be a very good player for us ... just hasn't really broken out and put a stamp on the game so far. Offensively he has all the skills to be great, but seems to lack a bit of confidence to use them. I think he really takes it to heart when he mucks up and doesn't really then go for it. Theres a lot to like still and a lot to do if he is going to be a player that's a part of a winning side.
Kayne Pettifer - has moments of balking this issue but is quite tough most of the time. I haven't seen him do much to help the side this year. He may be a better winter player than autumn. I have not noticed him applying pressure to the opposition.
Dean Polo - good link player. Will never win the brownlow, he has just not created enough opportunities for others. Has been a good running link player and that's about it. I doubt he will ever put on the body strength required to become a dominant player that breaks the lines and creates more opportunities for others. I do have questions about the pressure he applies - this is probably due to his body size than anything else as I get the feeling he really tries hard.
Jake King - He is a trier alright and I am glad he is getting his opportunity. He measures 'taller' than he really is I suspect, as it looks like he has a short body, long neck and short arms....but he seems to overcome these odds to get where he has. The problem I had with him was that his skills seem to lack a bit of polish .. this could change as he gets comfortable at senior level. I would like to see more of him, but he is facing an uphill battle. The pressure he applies seems good.
Kane Johnson - I used to be pretty high on this guy, but whilst he is serviceable, gives his all, i think he is just not as good as some of his opponents and doesn't either win us games cause us to lose them. My gut feel is his pressure is just adequate.
To sum it all up, we don't apply enough pressure through the middle of the ground to force bad kicks into our backline or create turnovers allowning quick opportunities. When we have had chances we have wasted them. We are not unlucky to be 0-4 as that's how we have played . That said, the efforts we gave have meant that we could have been 3-1. I have trouble seeing how we will be more than 0-8 .. but I guess we will get a few surprise wins and I expect us to be 2-6.
I read past the comment I disagreed with and most of your assesments are fair. 
