I know there are a lot of Draper haters.
But I actually think his form since coming back from injury has been good overrall.
Just remember - HE IS NOT A FORWARD so do not judge him on his forward work.
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Yeah overall it was one of his better games for the club.
Just dont pretend like he didnt ā ā ā ā the bed in the last 10 minutes. He did, massively.
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It would be quicker to list the players who didnāt ā ā ā ā the bed in the last 10 mins.
Not sure why youād single Draper out
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I mean, he missed 2 goals less than 30 metres out on a slight angle, then proceeded to completely fark up 2 contests just outside their 50 with a minute to go.
Thats why.
But I agree he wasnt alone.
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Anyone who genuinely thinks that Draper was a problem last night knows as much about football as Dodoro
Merrett missed a sitter
He had a good game, no doubt fatigue set in last qtr
He did
That was just very poor coaching.
Draper should have been in the back half defending the goals. Caddy should have been hanging back. It was just poor use of players in a stressful period.
Just reinforces to me that we do not have any good game day coaches. Would make more sense to let Sheedy sit in the box and give instructions.
Why wasnāt he standing 35m out direct in front in the last 2 min? They have 2 x 200cm forwards and we leave that space empty for them to run into.
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I dont know how you can blame his 2 extremely poor efforts in a 1 on 1 contest on the coaches.
Sure, his positioning was incorrect there, but the actual contest work which was embarrassing is on Draper and no one else.
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Coaching. We sent Langford back as the spare who positioned himself in no-manās land.
Bryan took the throw in and Draper was down the line for the dump kick on Collins. We swap Langford and Draper does the same result happen?
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Who knows
I thought he was our best last night.
The first quarter was poor. I thought we were going to get the Draper that has a terrible game.
Once he kicked a few in the second quarter, his confidence rose and he kept us in the game.
Yep, he was one of many that missed goals in that last quarter.
We have so many forwards who are genuine forwards. Stringer, Langford and Caddy. Yet Draper was the best of them (Caddy a close second).
The kicking to him was poor, but he kept presenting and competing.
Yes, he didnāt halve the contest that led to Gold Coastās goal on the siren, but in the ten minutes preceding that play, he took two pack marks on the wing. That is what you get with Draper. You cannot have the good without the bad because he minimises the bad, heāll end up minimising the good.
I disagree that he should have been in the backline for that last play. He was on Collins (a Gold Coast defender). Bryan should have been the extra in the backline. Not sure where he was though. Maybe Witts dragged him away from the forward line to allow for Mac Andrew to take that mark.
Hopefully he has an uninterrupted pre-season and has his best year next year. Given what he went through during pre-season, Iām surprised with the season heās had to this point. And heās clearly playing out of position (a forward) because his fitness isnāt there yet.
Will be interesting to see how the Bryan / Draper combo works when Draper demands more ruck time (which we look our better with him there than Bryan) and whether Bryan can find a way to impact the game as a second ruck.
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Agreed, or just players that realise their job is not to recite internet memes on the field, but instead realise that they are literally part of an internet meme club and are responsible for changing that.
At risk of going āOld Man Yells at Cloudā, itās what ā ā ā ā ā some of us about these celebrations, it just reeks of being totally content with where the club is at. And last night we witnessed exactly where that is.
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He was good last night except for those 2 contests in the last minute. They were Alwyn Davey Jr like efforts.
He was good and combines with Bryan as well as i think he covers Drapers defciencies well.
If he wants to go to the next level though he ices the game.
Gawn would.
Against the grain Im backing him in as one to really mature next year.
He does care and shows passion and i reckon on reflection he might find a hunger to be the guy that cares more about making the right descions in the dying moments instead of being the poster boy for the lovable larrikin.
Overall Draper had a very good game. He was the reason we were in the game, not the reason we lost it, and yet in typical fashion Blitz wants to concentrate on the things he didnāt do, rather than what he did. He is not a natural forward but was played there because 2MP has gone missing. His fitness isnāt quite there yet, hence the need for Bryan to share ruck duties. Together they are providing a positive point of difference to other teams. Draperās tap work has improved markedly, despite what people were saying in here only a couple of weeks ago. Sam is also taking contested marks, something 2MP had become allergic to. Although he missed two late shots his kicking for goal is now much better.
As for goal celebrations? They are such a non issue, l donāt know why people are bothered about them. They are part and parcel of his on field character, if he tries to stifle them he wonāt be playing and staying true to himself. Blitzers bemoan the lack of personalities in the game/team then criticize someone who shows joy at kicking a goal. There are many other issues that are more important and worthy of more discussion.
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I dont bemoan the lack of personalities.
Id draft a team of literal robots if they won a final.
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The ball was not kicked to him, it was was just bombed out of the backline in panic. He was not in good position on either occasion. Sure maybe he should have punched it away, but blaming him is just wrong.
This is the worst game day coached side I have seen at Essendon since Barry Davis was coach. Even John Birt was better.