I think he has been garbage since returning and yes whilst ACL scenario is there he really should be building his form in the VFL not the AFL (DJR said he was playing average in VFL before came into senior side also)
Was not better than Baguley last week & for the majority of last nights game was utterly terrible
Missed too many targets around ground. Dropped marks. Done for HTB trying to take tackler (2 opponents) on when should have handballed
Yes kicked 2 goals very late, was a nice finish the one from 40 after the LAV run down and the other was from 3m out in goal square off the ground
I get why Bags went out, Fantasia needed to play close to goal as was short of a gallop but I’d honestly rather Jake Long be played forward ahead of Begley at present. Quicker, more agile, gets more of the footy & better ball use.
Back to the 2nds for mine. I like the kid but he needs to have more of an impact. We need more pace in the fwd line the ball was coming out to easy. Begs out moz in.
I don’t think Jake is faster, to be honest. He is indigenous - but not fast. Go figure.
He is an excellent field kick, though. I’d welcome that. He has also been playing mainly hb in the 2’s, with a bit of wing.
So is Begley the new Langford or Parish that we debate endessly about having talent but needs to show more output?
The kid is early in his career at AFL level coming off an ACL. He is a footballer’s footballer. He is not an “athlete who can learn the game”. IMO he will absolutely make it as a player. We just have to persist.
Brown will probably come back in for Jake. Leave Begley in! We have a fantastic group of younger players finally playing multiple games as a group. Keep them going
Begley is one of my favs when on. But he is clearly still trying to find the rhythm of the game at this level & his output is simply not enough to warrant inclusion. Agree with others that his two goals although viral flattered him a lot.
His confidence would be up from that experience & it is great to see him running so hard. His fitness levels are a
testimony to his hard work. But it’s the pace of the game, knowing where to be, finding the ball & his contested side and even his kicking has been down.
I agree with others that Brown should be played ahead of him. Without Stringer, we need another marking forward to play along side Mckernan. I’d be dropping Begley to play him in the VFL in a Stringer type role 50/50 mid / fwd to find his touch.
We known this guy is going to be very good again. But I don’t think he is effective or impactful enough at the moment and we can’t afford to be carrying players if we want to play finals.
Beat the Eagles and we are actually looking ok again. Huge ask. But with our mids & defence going well, I reckon it’s possible even without Stringer, Daniher, Smith & Begley.
Brown, Smack Fantasia & Laverde and
Tippa can still kick a winning score - will need some help from the mids as well with Merrett & co kicking goals.
) for the Pies game last year which was frenetic