Gets another week, I don’t think we should make any changes. but how soft he is, is a joke
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You watched the game three times you say?
I reckon he could face the chop for Howlett or Bird. Some of his efforts were pretty poor, and the coach will be keen to set a standard.
Some harsh critics in here.
Zaka is no Luke Hodge we know and could go harder at some contests but he still racked up 18 possessions & 5 tackles.
If anyone is getting dropped for another inside mid like Howlett it’d be Langford who was statistically our worst midfielder with only 11 possessions.
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I mean I’d suggest it but I reckon I’ve said my bit in that space…
Except they play completely different roles and are at different stages of their careers with different expectations placed on them.
If he doesn’t get dropped this week he should at least be put on notice. He’s one of there most experienced players and should be much better than he was on the weekend. His first half was embarrassing, especially watching him getting worried out of it and avoiding contact.
Zaka’s problem nowadays is he’s superfluous to requirements. They’ve tried him in the backline, but he zones out and goes away daydreaming with the fairies; they’ve tried him in the midfield, but he’s useless inside ( not tough enough) and goes to the wrong places outside; he’s really more of a HFF, but we already have a full complement of those, and all of them better than he is.
Yes, I know he can have flashes of brilliance (All together now: “Remember Anzac Day ?!”) but the brilliant flashes are getting rarer with each passing year and the cold tripe he dishes up in between those rare flashes is at least unpalatable if not utterly stomach-churning. Add to this his apparent zealous desire to avoid any personal injury and you can see we have a real problem with him.
Zaka needs a kick up the transom: send him back to the Magoos until his effort matches his undoubted talent.
The other one who was disappointing on Saturday was Kyle Langford. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to come up to the mark and said so before the match. I’m sorry to say I was right. Let him keep Zaka company down below.
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Agree with this. Drop them both. There is not much point talking about our depth if it is never tested. We should not wait until injuries force us to make changes. Those 2 performances were sub-standard, and the players responsible for the poor efforts should be held accountable for them.
Send 'em down bailiff.
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Couldn’t agree more. A lot of people on blitz are overly sensitive when it comes to Langers but I just can’t see him making it in the midfield. He just looks way to slow. I think he could maybe make a decent forward but I don’t see a spot for him there at the moment.
Based on…1 game?
You know Whoosh well.
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Ok, 10:40 to go in the 2nd and Jobe kicks one over Zakas head for him to run onto, it grubs and Burgoyne coming in faster lines him up, Zaka lets Burgoyne grab it and Zaka bumps him towards the line. Ball went out for a throw in half way up the ground. Sure, he could have gone harder but i doubt Woosha will drop him for that.
The other one is with 45 sec on the clock (2Q) and they we are scrambling in front of goal, Green sends a loopy handball to Zaka who is caught standing under it. It slips through his fingers. Certainly had eyes for the ball and the commentators said “he spent that before he had it”. His opponent soccered it and Hwaks got a point down the other end. Certainly wasnt a squib, he just farked up.
I think you blokes should go have another look, and look at his whole game before dropping him.
If he is as soft as you are making out then Woosha will surely drop him, right??
Lets check back here after the team’s announced next week…
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The problem is it wasn’t 1 game he is a serial offender. Has all the skills and ability in the world but it’s well known by many that he can often shirk the hard ball. That is all that is stopping him from going to the next level.
I’m gonna have to watch again. I remember in the game thread saying Zaka was one of the guys who looked up to speed in the first half, but that was more his running and linking looked good. I vaguely recall he sat back to let the opponent get the ball but it looked like more of a tactical ploy to weigh up how to effect the contest better, by letting them receive the ball and applying a tackle.
Guess I’ll have to check it again.
I disagree.
Not that he hasn’t room for improvement - he certainly has.
But that ‘smashing into a contest against someone twice your size ((Gibson))’ is the issue. He needs to get back to his confident days. He is not, and will never be, the Kelly/Ambrose type of physical player. That’s who he is, and to say that a player needs to disable himself to be valuable to the team is just wrong. This reminds me of gladitorial spectatorship. Thumbs up or down, stuff faces with hotdogs and watch 'em bleed. Different bodies, and mentalities make for different types of players. Unless you ask farkin ‘dermie’ of course, who is so tough, he’s the toughest. Or farkin ‘brownie’. Or farkin ‘hallie’. Or farkin ‘the big hairy farkin cat’. I’m sick of the brainless crap people farkin spout.
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Nah, I’m not buying any of it. Ansett cup form means squat. Round 1, he eases himself into the game, letting the returnees have some limelight. This guy gonna put egg on faces any game now.
Remember, his name is Za Ha Ra Kis
Howlett is the ideal replacement for him if needed. Benny was terrific Saturday. But Zaka deserves another shot. His second half was okay imo, but boy oh boy did I go mental when he absolutely squibbed a contest inthe second
If he’s no good against the lions, then he can play vfl
No one is asking him to crash packs or belt people but when it’s your turn to go you go.
People bag the hell out of Gleeson on here but if Zaka had 1/8th of the ticker Marty does we would be talking about him as a genuine elite player.
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Gleeson does indeed, have ‘ticker’ to spare.
He also over-estimates his size and strength…so when he ‘goes’ as you put it - he loses. He cannot shrug those tackles he thinks he can. He can’t outrun those speedsters. He isn’t ever going to win the punch-up with Vickery. But he doesn’t know it. He has many skills, and I love the guy. I also apreciatte someone who knows their body and limitations, and where/how they can acheive the best out of them.
Once again though - I’m not saying Zaka doesn’t have room for improvemnent. I just don’t think it’s as simple as …uggg bash crash uggg…
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Zaka … more a Hugger than an Ugger …
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To me they are two different sorts of hardness. I don’t want Marty or Zaka busting through packs or taking on bigger bodied blokes but what I do want is that when a high ball or hospital handball comes in you stand under it knowing that a much bigger bloke is roaring in on you. That’s the type of courage I’d expect from every player who pulls on our guernsey regardless of size.
The best example was Dyson in that last quarter, sat under the high ball surrounded by 4 Hawks and knowing he would possibly be crunched, if bet that Zaka would of pulled out if he was in that situation
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