I’ve seen salad that’s tougher to get through than zaka is in a contested situation
Zaka is the kind of guy that would take credit for someone else’s big salad
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I saw Zaka last night in one of the corporate areas at the Melbourne City FC game.
I didn’t harass him but noted he’s looking fit as ever. Wouldn’t say he’s bulked up but looks rather cut/honed. I’d say he’s been running heaps and doing plenty of HIIT.
And before anyone asks he wasn’t on the beers or out with the lads, he was with a couple of older blokes in their 50’s or 60’s so it could have been his uncles or some kind of business networking, or whatever.
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More of this. Really small .gif
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Reckon how many games this guy gets this year will be a key indicator of whether or not we have improved.
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We don’t have any wingers better than him
He’ll play when fit
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I reckon it’ll tell us almost nothing, TBH.
Looks like he’ll be a little bit of a late starter but I daresay he won’t play more than 1-2 in the VFL.
The new regime will find him out. Their non-negotiables are defensive accountability (2-way running), tackling pressure and contested ball. On all 3 counts he doesn’t stack up. No doubt in my mind that the likes of Townsend, Hibberd, Guelfi, D.Clarke, Snelling, etc will get games ahead of him. Workrate and self-sacrifice over perceived talent.
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I doubt it very much, unless Zahakaris declines
Well everyone in here is talking about how our improvement will be measured by whether our young players come on or not - including Guelfi, Clarke, Snelling, Begley, even Mutch etc etc - not to mention other guys like Townsend, Hibberd, Cutler etc.
My point was that if any of our young midfielders do come on, surely Zaka would be the first one to go out of the established crew (Heppell, Smith, Shiel, Parish, Merrett etc).
Then again I could be totally wrong. I often am!
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I don’t care if he declines or not. If, and I expect this to be the case, the Rutten/Caracella gameplay is implemented as I expect it to be, he will be a square peg in a round hole. I hope it happens too because the players need to know there’s a new sheriff in town, they won’t be playing favourites and if you don’t bring the required intensity and discipline you won’t get picked.
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I know what you’re saying. I just don’t think it will happen. I think Zaharakis is underrated by many on here. If he’s playing to his usual standard he’ll be in the team
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Ham and Cutler are the only two who will really be competing with him IMO.
The rest are more inside leaning players, and all of them are lack either speed or footskills, or both.
Which is our achilles‘ heel to begin with.
If Ham manages to keep out Zaha all year, he’ll have done really really well.
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I reckon young Ham has something about him.
Haven’t heard much about him during the preseason yet though, so will have to wait and see if he has improved.
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Agree, but equally though if one of our young inside players come on it could force Shiel or Smith out to a wing, where their disposal and pace would be best used.
What is this you say about Shiel and his disposal being an asset?
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Hmm good point. Speed then!
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Take 2 of our most accomplished & explosive clearances players away from the clearance, to utilise their fairly ordinary footskills a bit more?
I like it.
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Easily best 22. Easily.
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Smith has fairly ordinary footskills?
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