EUAN AITKEN

[Como Connection]

I just want one shock selection just one Mary. A Wiliame at LC a Fuimaono at RC, BB starting, Clune picked over Norman. Just something a bit ballsy.

All the best of luck with that.
Mary's record shows it won't happen.
CC

 

[Wittenberg]

Agree he had potential and he showed it at times but I can’t put his lack of development all down to Mary. Agreed Mary has not developed many, if any of our players, yet some of our players have gone forward, or at the very least have not gone backwards. Aitken just doesn’t seem to have a footballing brain. I’m afraid he may lack the positional and defensive nous to succeed wherever he plays, backs or forwards. Mary won’t do it but Euan needs to be cut adrift.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Agree he had potential and he showed it at times but I can’t put his lack of development all down to Mary. Agreed Mary has not developed many, if any of our players, yet some of our players have gone forward, or at the very least have not gone backwards. Aitken just doesn’t seem to have a footballing brain. I’m afraid he may lack the positional and defensive nous to succeed wherever he plays, backs or forwards. Mary won’t do it but Euan needs to be cut adrift.

This fact is spot on and whilst Mc85 will tell you he's given debuts to many players, none have developed their game under his tutelage. You could even go as far as saying even the established players have stagnated.

 

[Dragsters]

Yeah I do think he will be a surprise packet. Seems much improved from last season. Looks to have had a good off season. I would love him at centre but I know it’s not happening.

Rav played well at centre in a couple of test matches last year.

Has a good pass on him and importantly, he has a sense of timing, which is something euan does not...

 

[avocado]

Agreed Mary has not developed many, if any of our players, yet some of our players have gone forward, or at the very least have not gone backwards.

??

Tell me one player that has “gone forward, not gone backwards”

Once very good players; Hunt, Frizell, Norman are a shadow of their former self.

Countless promising juniors including Aitken, Dufty, Luc, Field, simply haven’t kicked on.

The only players I can think of playing career best are McInnes, Vaughan and, before f day, JDB.

95% of players have either stagnated or gone backwards under McGregor.

 

[avocado]

Rav played well at centre in a couple of test matches last year.

Has a good pass on him and importantly, he has a sense of timing, which is something euan does not...

Yes. I can see him being a very good centre.

 

[SBD82]

??

Tell me one player that has “gone forward, not gone backwards”

Once very good players; Hunt, Frizell, Norman are a shadow of their former self.

Countless promising juniors including Aitken, Dufty, Luc, Field, simply haven’t kicked on.

The only players I can think of playing career best are McInnes, Vaughan and, before f day, JDB.

95% of players have either stagnated or gone backwards under McGregor.

There are a few players that have definitely improved under Mary’s tenure, but I wouldn’t give him credit for it. I think it’s just been the natural development of gifted players. McInnes, JDB, Vaughan and T Sims I would put in this category.

Edit. Just saw that you’d pointed to these players anyway.

 

[avocado]

There are a few players that have definitely improved under Mary’s tenure, but I wouldn’t give him credit for it. I think it’s just been the natural development of gifted players. McInnes, JDB, Vaughan and T Sims I would put in this category.

Did you just skim read my post?

Anywho. T Sims had a great 2018 but he was pure shit in 2019 due to injury. A coach with a clue would have, you know, rested him?

 

[avocado]

I may be shot down but I consider Frizell to be actually quite ordinary.

 

[SnowDragon]

Time to post against the grain, at least a bit

Aitken was one of my favourites a few years back, and I (like some who have posted) think he has skills. His running game is powerful, decent speed and lateral movement, and he has got a defensive game. However, he lacks a passing game which makes him a little 1 dimensional, and his defensive positioning is often poor.

This analysis clearly shows (to me) he needs better coaching and development. I am not saying he can be turned into an elite player, or that he is worth the effort, but he still has potential. Given the poor form of the last 18months, I suggest the following options:
- he needs a change of location and environment to develop (ie not first grade at saints)
- if he stays at saints, he needs to take a low base salary and spend a year developing in CC (1 year contract to sort out his role)
- during the next year or so, he needs to find out if the major issues he has can be solved, or if he is better suited to the pack, or even develop as a utility player (bench player who plays in the middle when players start to tire, but can fill in in the back line if needed.

 

[SBD82]

Did you just skim read my post?

I sure did. Apologies. I edited my post to acknowledge it.

Anywho. T Sims had a great 2018 but he was pure shit in 2019 due to injury. A coach with a clue would have, you know, rested him?

I wouldn’t say that he was pure shit. But he certainly wasn’t anuwhere near as good as 2018.

But he was better in 2018 than 2017. And that’s kind of the point. He did improve under Mary’s tenure. (No credit to Mary). Although given 2019, I guess the Mary effect catches up with everyone eventually.

 

[RufusRex]

Any forward who tucks the ball under and runs hard and straight will do well in Mary's game plan .. it is not the coaching .. it is simply the environment.

Tariq, run straight at the gap between half and edge forward - brilliant coaching ... We need to thank Tariqs under 10 coach for that one.

 

[Como Connection]

I may be shot down but I consider Frizell to be actually quite ordinary.

Absolutely agree with you.
CC

 

[Como Connection]

Time to post against the grain, at least a bit

Aitken was one of my favourites a few years back, and I (like some who have posted) think he has skills. His running game is powerful, decent speed and lateral movement, and he has got a defensive game. However, he lacks a passing game which makes him a little 1 dimensional, and his defensive positioning is often poor.

This analysis clearly shows (to me) he needs better coaching and development. I am not saying he can be turned into an elite player, or that he is worth the effort, but he still has potential. Given the poor form of the last 18months, I suggest the following options:
- he needs a change of location and environment to develop (ie not first grade at saints)
- if he stays at saints, he needs to take a low base salary and spend a year developing in CC (1 year contract to sort out his role)
- during the next year or so, he needs to find out if the major issues he has can be solved, or if he is better suited to the pack, or even develop as a utility player (bench player who plays in the middle when players start to tire, but can fill in in the back line if needed.

He 25 years old.
Pass.
CC

 

[Como Connection]

Any forward who tucks the ball under and runs hard and straight will do well in Mary's game plan .. it is not the coaching .. it is simply the environment.

Tariq, run straight at the gap between half and edge forward - brilliant coaching ... We need to thank Tariqs under 10 coach for that one.

Why cannot Frizz work that out.
CC

 

[SBD82]

He 25 years old.
Pass.
CC

That’s the problem.

He can’t.

 

[RufusRex]

There are football players that want to dominate the opponents weaknesses ... Blokes like Tariq will run at the little guy because that is the weakness to exploit ..

Then there are footy players that want to take on the opponents strengths ... That is Friz. In a dragons game he wants to cart back into the middle, that is where the opposition strength is and the coach is not strong enough to get frizz into a more useful role.

Probably need to put an 8/10 on frizz and be done with it.

 

[Como Connection]

There are football players that want to dominate the opponents weaknesses ... Blokes like Tariq will run at the little guy because that is the weakness to exploit ..

Then there are footy players that want to take on the opponents strengths ... That is Friz. In a dragons game he wants to cart back into the middle, that is where the opposition strength is and the coach is not strong enough to get frizz into a more useful role.

Probably need to put an 8/10 on frizz and be done with it.

One smart footy player, and one not real smart footy player.
CC

 

[avocado]

Another player who wasn’t paying attention in U8s was Mitch Rein.
A worse passer of the football from dummy half you’ll never see.
I recall one game at half time Pricey had his assistant teaching Mitch to pass the ball IN FRONT of the forward running onto the ball.

We all know who that assistant was.

Poor old Mitch lol he never stood a chance.

 

[Belta]

I may be shot down but I consider Frizell to be actually quite ordinary.

I was one who voiced an opinion that some of his performances last season were ordinary for a player of his calibre, and in comparison to what we all know what he can do. I do feel there was underlying issues that affected a few of the players last season, Tariq was another I felt under performed. For mine McInnes was one of the few who consistently played with any real conviction.

In the trials I watched Friz closely and it appeared to me that the effort areas of his game had returned somewhat. I sometimes wonder if players like him and Vaughan get disheartened by the inadequacies of our fumbling backs and eventually think what’s the point, although if I was a betting man would say something internally was distracting Friz, anyways hope it’s sorted for this season