Euan Aitken

[The Nick]

Oh yeah my name isn't coasty and i'm not your mate your not really funny but not a troll either maybe just an annoying merkin but thats okay to.

Awwwww don't be like that, precious!

 

[gitano]

Gasnier loved to receive early ball so he could beat his opposition with footwork. Cooper on the other hand preferred it (ball) just before the line. I'm think this kid is more a Cooper style of player, both in attack and defence.

Spot on re Cooper and Gaz and the service their games preferred.

I agree he's more in the Cooper mould, I am looking at it from the fact he's currently getting the ball from a standing start a lot of the time. Speed is power, when he engages at full tilt he's a gun. It looks like his timing, or that of our right side, is a bit out. When he's at his best, from watching him well before this season, he's hitting the ball at pace with a bit of time.

We aren't the only team to have a more clunky right side, aside from a few players like Jarrod Mullen, slick left to right sweeping plays arent a strength among playmakers. That's where Gaz earnt his money, our right side playbook was basically just feed him. Cooper always got slick service on the left edge.

Aitken needs better service than he's getting currently. Both the amount he sees in good ball and the timing of those around him.

Duges steals his role sometimes too, but it's the Duges and he usually produces

 

[bottle]

This may help. Can only hope,

[youtube]cFRk0FfaQi0[/youtube]

 

[Get2dachopper!]

Spot on re Cooper and Gaz and the service their games preferred.

I agree he's more in the Cooper mould, I am looking at it from the fact he's currently getting the ball from a standing start a lot of the time. Speed is power, when he engages at full tilt he's a gun. It looks like his timing, or that of our right side, is a bit out. When he's at his best, from watching him well before this season, he's hitting the ball at pace with a bit of time.

We aren't the only team to have a more clunky right side, aside from a few players like Jarrod Mullen, slick left to right sweeping plays arent a strength among playmakers. That's where Gaz earnt his money, our right side playbook was basically just feed him. Cooper always got slick service on the left edge.

Aitken needs better service than he's getting currently. Both the amount he sees in good ball and the timing of those around him.

Duges steals his role sometimes too, but it's the Duges and he usually produces

You're certainly right about that, most players prefer passing from right to left, hence why the defending teams right edge is under the most pressure.

I'm sure Marshall will feed aitken some quality ball as the season progresses, still very early days in his career. Just glad we resigned him, Titans were sniffing around a few months back.

 

[Vasilevsky]

In my humble opinion, both our centres are solid first graders but the team is still short one really good centre and one big prop who would have taken it to the Bullgrubs pack in that first 15 to 20 min (before our smaller forwards got on top and the grubs needed the refs to intervene.)
Has Blake Ferguson resigned with the Roosters? How about Israel Folau with the ARU?

 

[Mr Red]

defense - check
toughness - check
fitness - check
workrate - check
mental awareness and maturity - check

tackle beating ability - still to be proven
pace over 50m - 90m - still to be proven

 

[BennyV]

Would like to see him aniffing around Friz more often, theres offload potential there, might even get a better chance to see him in space...

 

[The Nick]

defense - check
toughness - check
fitness - check
workrate - check
mental awareness and maturity - check

tackle beating ability - still to be proven
pace over 50m - 90m - still to be proven

Close to the line I'd love to see him running some Benny Creagh type lines onto a short ball off Benji (the slight of hand type he did for Gareth on the weekend) with Dugan sweeping around the back as a decoy. Basically the same move involving Hornby/Creagh/Boyd under Bennett. I think with his footwork and leg drive, complimented with Benji's sneaky hands we could jag a few 4 pointers that way.

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

He's 19.

Wait til he's 21 with 50 games under his belt.

Kids a beast and he's got a brain. Hasn't looked uncomfortable at any stage.

 

[Mr Red]

Close to the line I'd love to see him running some Benny Creagh type lines onto a short ball off Benji (the slight of hand type he did for Gareth on the weekend) with Dugan sweeping around the back as a decoy. Basically the same move involving Hornby/Creagh/Boyd under Bennett. I think with his footwork and leg drive, complimented with Benji's sneaky hands we could jag a few 4 pointers that way.

yeah agree with that. he definitely has the build and leg drive for some short explosive hole running close to the line.

 

[jenninga]

He's 19.

Wait til he's 21 with 50 games under his belt.

Kids a beast and he's got a brain. Hasn't looked uncomfortable at any stage.

Saw his first pass of the season and it looked a little shaky,suggesting he has been given instructions not to pass too often.
I love how he is developing and adapting to the pace and toughness of first grade and his defence is superb.
Can't wait for him to add more to his game.

 

[jenninga]

Slow burner, like Cooper when he came on the scene in 2001. Took a few seasons to find his feet. Aitken is very similar to Cooper.

Good call,Matty used to annoy me early in his career,thought he was a showpony who was error prone,but developed to become my favourite player years later.
Euan is steady and safe as he goes so far.

 

[denis preston]

Great work in progress may end up a great backrower.

 

[coast_dragons]

If he could be half as good as Coops or even quater of Gaz he'll go along way.

 

[getsmarty]

Aitken earns praise from legend Matt Cooper

By SIMON BRUNSDON

June 17, 2015, 8:43 p.m.

RUGBY LEAGUE
Premiership winning Dragons player Matt Cooper sees a little bit of his young self in rookie centre Euan Aitken.
They both started their rugby league careers with the junior Shellharbour Sharks and went on to debut in the NRL at a young age, in the same colours and in the same position.
In fact one of the only differences at this stage is the number on their back - Aitken has inherited the No. 3 while Cooper typically donned the No. 4.
Aside from the Red V jumper and their spot on the left edge, Cooper believes the young talent has adopted some of his best attributes.
"He's good defensively, he's strong, he's a good runner of the ball," Cooper said of Aitken.
"He's a good kid, he's enthusiastic ... he's a team player.
"He's a young guy with a lot of talent.
"If he keeps on track and keeps learning and training hard, I see him having a big future.
"I don't want to put pressure on him but he just needs to keep training hard and keep learning."
Aitken was a gun junior and touted as one of rugby league's next big things from a young age.
He was selected in the Junior Kangaroos side last year and was rewarded with a spot on St George Illawarra's senior list in 2015, despite still being eligible to play under 20s.
Aitken, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Tuesday, was picked to debut for the Dragons in round three in place of Dane Nielsen and he hasn't missed a game since.
And with Nielsen's contract now torn up thanks to a Code of Conduct breach, it appears Aitken is a high priority for the Red V long-term.
But with just 10 NRL games under his belt, the talented Aitken doesn't want to get ahead of himself.
"I think I've got a lot of improvement to come," he said.
"At the same time I feel like I've put my best foot forward."
Aitken grew up watching Cooper and former Dragons teammate Mark Gasnier run around in the red and white.
He admits they were a big reason he dreamed of playing centre for the club one day.
"He [Cooper] was always one of the players I looked up to, him and Mark Gasnier," Aitken said.
"He was a strong defensive player and I've always had that pride in making sure my defence was strong as well.
"I'm making a lot more tackles now that I'm defending three in," Aitken said.
Aitken is contracted to the Red V to the end of 2017.


http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/...-v-path-shadowed-by-aitkens-emergence/?cs=302

 

[Divine]

Never a good idea to get ahead of yourself.

 

[Saintsified]

If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place...
If you get a chance, take it, If it changes your life,let it. Nobody said it would be easy they just said it would be worth it...

 

[The Nick]

^^ I feel like I just read the caption of someone's gym selfie on instagram...

 

[blacksafake]

:lol:

^^ I feel like I just read the caption of someone's gym selfie on instagram...

 

[stg666]

euan definately isn't getting ahead of himself. all he said is his defence has been strong , it has , and that he has a lot of improvement left . he has . the only ones getting ahead of themselves are those who think euan is .