Casting my eyes across our list…I can’t see evidence that we have transferred Jobe’s clearance skills to any of our youngsters.
That will be a great shame, if Jobe leaves, and we don’t have someone with the beginnings of his handballing clearance genius…
key thing to look for is losing your feet in a contest and going to ground too easily. Jobe was great at at keeping his feet but is showing signs unfortunately esp last week. losing weight has’nt helped either.
Jobe 2 to 3 times a game gets in goal getting positions, he’s only nailing it about 1 of the times on avg at the moment, but he’ll improve.
Ummm, zero goals and an incredible knack of finding the opposition. He’s a liability at the moment.
Liability?? Wow
Good performance yesterday, despite the conjecture about whether he still has “it” or whether he has the desire to play, that’s 3 decent games in a row. 28 possessions and 7 tackles. No doubt his kicking penetration has diminished but as long as he uses the ball well over short-medium distances then fine, and I don’t recall any howlers by foot yesterday. Like Priddis at WCE, you can have one guy who is that slowish accumulator so long as you have pace around him. That is the problem, and the club has to redress that balance…
He was pretty good yesterday and when reasonably fresh is still a good clearence player. However defensively Jobe was always a liability, he was just that good at what he did we were happy to run with it. Clearly the output has dropped off which is hurting us the other way. I’m not going to pot him he has been immense, he is an Essendon champion and he is still contributing but clearly our mix needs to be addressed. Worsfold would be well aware of this and that’s why we are seeing Tippa, Fantasia and Green get a run at times. I think it’s become painfully clear that we are 2 very good midfielders away from competing at the top level and this must be our focus now and in the offseason. Langford needs to be a regular in the second half of the season.
Those 20m handballs!
Really starting to have a positive impact, but not yet the Jobe of old.
Building.
Wait until after the bye, … then we’ll see it I reckon.
Don’t think he’s done quite yet. At his best he was one of those players who created space. He was slow, but no-one could touch him. He’s lost that, and his kicking has gone off too in general - but then you see the beautifully weighted kick to Green running onto the ball, and a few more of those long, sweeping handballs and you think, still best 22, and probably still best dozen.
The problem is, as others have pointed out, is our mix of pretty slow on-ball players. That has to be addressed, but no real signs that it will be.
Serious? We already have 2 forwards with kicking issues. I watched the game with my 8 year old yesterday. When he realised it was Watson that had the shot at goal he said “oh no”. Sadly the kick just backed up those thoughts.
I think Watson is improving as the season goes on so I hope that continues.
Watson’s work in the middle in the first 2 qtr’s was why we were in touch at half time. Was second best afield against a stacked list of an opposition apparently full of the country’s best young kids, duffs as many kicks as Zerrett, who also misses easy goals, as does Hepp
Some people here are seriously losing it.
Is in the team until one of Langford/Laverde/Francis demands his spot as our premier inside mid/clearance machine. Till then he is in our best 22.
Sometimes the mind just reels at the extent of dumbness …
Still hasn’t quite got that “Jobe” touch consistently back yet, but is improving on it every week, with the DE around 70% this week, which was down on his near 80% last week.
Leading the list as far as AF points go, being one touch off having the most disposals. If he’ had 80% DE this week on top of his other numbers,… he’s a definite best on ground, and verging on being the Jobe of old, and will be after the bye.
Liability?? Must have been stoned.
Context.
He is 100% a liability defensively. That’s not a new thing and he’s hardly Robinson Crusoe there.
But that liability should in no way keep him out of the side either because he’s doing great work inside.
Really??
Equal game high 7 tackles. Equal game high 6 clearances. 9 contested possies, along with Zerret … 1 off Hepps game high 10
He had a decent game but he doesn’t defend well. Not many good mids do though
I thought Watson played well on Saturday. I do think, though, that he has been exposed this yea,. but by a problem that applies equally well to Myers, Heppell and Howlett as well. If you are going to be a big bodied truck you are going to be exposed for foot speed so a) you have to consistently win the contested ball and b) you have to hurt the opposition with your disposals. Pre ban Watson was doing both, so opposition mids had to pay him more respect.
I am inclined to think that all the banned players are still finding their feet and “touch”. I think Jobe has found the going harder, being older, but I think he has been improving each week.
Really.
Inside = very good. Outside and in defensive transition he’s a liability. There’s no two ways around it. He’s simply to slow on the spread in defence. But as I said, he’s not alone there and it’s not about to keep him out of the side now he’s found his groove inside.
How do you cover for him? Win more ball so he doesn’t have to chase! 
It’s true. As teams are not tagging and running harder the other way, players like Jobe etc. must make every disposal count, otherwise the team gets punished if the ball gets turned over.
This comes back to the inside 50 disparity this year. We have too many one pace mids, and the fast ones we have are not getting it enough or are not damaging enough.
Problem is, the kids we recruited are much the same, except Morgan who is constantly injured!
Anyhow, this issue won’t fix itself in the next couple of years, not unless we get a Dusty type player.
I’ve just made myself depressed. Keep Jobe in though, he’s earned it.