How else would you suggest comparing players?
Not a single player on field has the same set of instructions.
Both are inside/outside midfielders that roll forward.
Well I didn’t say anyone was poorer. Was just pointing out the relative response against some objective measures.
My point above was really addressing the ‘different stages of career’ aspect. Based on this one game and the reaction to it.
In regard to different positions, sure that makes a difference - I often read how Zaka gets cheap outside possessions - but in this particular game he had 11 contested to go along with a pretty good finishing game. I also read what a poor user some reckon he is - in his comeback game someone said he needed to lower his eyes (in that game a few weeks back he had 14, yes 14, score involvements). In this game he had zero turnovers and lots of score involvements (not quite 14 but 11 is up there), so at least prima facie he had a pretty ok game, both inside and outside.
Nothing against Parish - he was good, very good, with some eye-catching intensity, and I reckon he’s looking much more like a possible star now than early in the year. I’m just pointing out how harshly Zaka seems to get marked regardless of output.
High possessions, high de, high cp, score goals, zero turnovers (not bad from 11 CP), game-high 11 score involvements = “meh”.
If half our players -whatever their age or position - play their role better than this, we probably win a flag.
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Fair enough, I do get what youre saying but I loathe when people look to youngsters to paint a senior players game in a more positive light.
Further, I dont like the use of stats to point out things like turnovers etc. Multiple times Zaharakis was streaming forward and kicked pretty garbage balls going forward which absolutely kill momentum and fark up a real chance at scoring. I rate these pretty much just as bad as turnovers as you go from a situation in which you should be scoring, to a stoppage/ throw-in etc.
Zaka is not a out-out star, he is just a solid contributor/role player / COG in our midfield engine.
Footy in 2018 isnt about a few stars, its about the sum of the parts…Cotchin is more about playing his role in defenisve structures accross the field etc…
Zaka is fit, can play inside and outside and we have other better players ie- zerrett who clubs put the tag on so hes missing out on that.
I think most on here rate midieflders on the following catgeories
1 did he rack up 30 disposals
2 did he turn it over, what was disposal efficiency
3 did he kick any goals.
Not everyone can rack up 30 a game sometimes 25 possies with some inside 50’s and score involvements is a good game, plus doing team things, chasing, shepherding, running hard to create space, or drag opponents from dangerous space for forwards to lead into…
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Zaka is the new Stants.
It will be this way until he retires, … we better learn to just deal with it I’m afraid.
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Better player than Stanton for mine but still suffers from being a regular for essendon for 10 yrs or so and never playing in a successful team (same as stants). People therefore likely associate them with the ■■■■ years of EFC.
I also think these two are similar whipping boys because the errors 10 years into their career are the same as they were 6/8 years ago (ie. zaka sometimes soft, stants getting tackled from behind with a lack of awareness etc).
4 were his disposals ‘cheapies out the back’ or was there real blood involved?
- What’s his hair like
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- Did he smile
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- did he protect the kids
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Both Stants and Zaka have been targeted by one particular Blitzer for years, who mainly claimed that they didn’t provide enough 2 way running to help out in defence. Nonsense of course. At times both players have been deep in the backline late in games, doing just that. At times they have been the only midfielder to have gone back to provide any sort of run.
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If you name names, we can start a fight!
l think you know who it is. l don’t want to make them famous by saying who it is.
- Darren Bewick!
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I’ll defend you with my usual verve & gusto!
(till I get bored)
Trust you to make an analogy with your sex life.
A stock broker come psychologist?
On that defensive running. Both guys do an enormous amount of running during the game. Occasionally they get/got caught in a position when they’ve just done a heap of running then they need to chase someone and they are simply too buggered to get to full tilt. That’s often when they get/got hammered (unfairly) for lack of defensive running… imo
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There is a big difference between playing in the backline and running and being a 2 way runner
In the off-season he really needs to take a look at Devon Smiths game videos every single day, and learn to become a similar player. If he did more of the hard things, ie one percenters the difference between his worst and best would not be so far apart.
Even Hirdy said that Zacha can be soft at times and its very true.
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