I feel the need to mention this guy, given that Ridley has been selected to play in the AFL side.
Zerk had a very very solid performance in the VFL against Sandi. It was hard to split Ridley and Zerk tbh.
Clearly Zerk is fully match fit, and was there with Ridley in the last quarter taking important intercept marks when the game was still live right to the final siren.
In terms of skills he seems to be almost AFL ready, but is probably Marty Gleeson levels of thin except taller. But as we all know, it didnât stop Bomber from playing Marty in 2014.
To be fair, Gleeson did play a whole year of VFL before being debuted. I get the size comparison, but I think just having that one year of VFL and conditioning, learning how hard the bodies are, how to take a hit etc, even if you dont put on any weight yourself, is vital.
I think thats probably what Ridley has ahead of Zerk at this point in time.
Watching the Sandy replay, I thought Zork took more contested or semi contested marks than Ridley. A lot of Ridleyâs possessions seemed to be when we shared the ball around the back. Not sure what the stats show in terms of contested possession, but just looking at it, I though Zork was actually more impressive.
Bezerk Thatcher takes flashier marks than Ridley, but yes, for most talls there is a big difference between 0.5 and 1.5 pre-seasons.
Nice thing is that Bezerk Thatcher and Ridley are clean at getting the ball off the ground or marking low. No one is Orazio, but itâs one of their big bonuses.
I would love to see Bezerk debut this year, but Ridley has been playing very well for a month now⌠not just last week. So thatâs another reason that he is being rewarded before Bezerk.
Yes, we have to remember how many games Ridley missed in 2017 with a back fracture then syndesmosis.
Ridley might also be ahead with his disposal, which is regarded highly. But as the AFL players know, its efficiency under pressure thatâs the key to preventing turnovers.
At this stage Zerk has had a clear run at it in the VFL, showed signs early and is improving. I am not so sure about his disposal. Anyone, Anyone?