everyone loves Sammy
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Right now there are some concerns. I jumped on the Draper train, then stood near the door ready to jump… not sure what to think.
Did some nice things… and very very clearly a loved identity around the club… passion etc etc.
However the skills are woeful. Yep he collects the ball beautifully, sells some candy, dashes off and then… dumps an ugly kick straight to Adelaide.
Typical blitz that we can’t talk about him without either side going to extremes. Do I think he should be delisted? Heck no… do I think he should even be dropped? Nope, probably not… do I think we should possibly look at giving Byran a run… yes. Do I think we should keep looking for ruck options… yes. Am I sold that Draper is going to be a superstar? No.
There is a middle ground on players and Draper is in that middle ground for me. Has done enough to get you excited… and there is potential there for something very special… but there is also enough to suggest that the bridge is too far.
That kicking action isn’t just bad… it is horrendous. Not sure in the modern game you can carry that when so many teams are lethal off the rebound/counter attack.
It’s not the kicking action, as much as the ball drop.
Dropping it from that high just leaves far too much up to chance.
Either way, don’t let ruckmen kick.
Drapes is going just fine. He’s the type that generates energy amongst the group. His highlights are glorious viewing guaranteed to make you smile and his grunt work/heavy lifting helps drive “blue collar” standards. He’s going just fine
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Just tell him to always handball.
Reckon his kicking was better before the acl. Not perfect, but he seems to have regressed during the injury layoffs.
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Yep. Even in his pre draft highlights vids - there’s only a few kicks, which is important to note - he drops it OK.
Weird.
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When Hooker retires does anybody think we could play Draper, Wright and Bryan as our Ruck, FF , Resting ruck and just rotate them around and bury the opposition ruckman with work rate.
It’s not that dissimilar to our current setup, maybe a tad tall, but with Bryan and Drapers mobility and Wright and Bryan skills it could be a real advantage.
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We could.
It’d suck.
But we could.
In theory we could
In theory I should be dead by now….
….In theory
Has a lot to work on but has a heap of star potential. There’s literally only Naitanui who can burst away from a stoppage like Sammy did on the weekend.
He’s giving us more right now than Bellchambers gave us for the last 5 years.
His weapons will be his bullocking work at the stoppages, round the ground athleticism and aggression. Skills such as goal kicking, general field kicking and overall ruck craft will gradually improve to acceptable levels with added experience so I don’t think there’s anything to stress about.
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You have to love his enthusiasm and the X factor he brings. He’s shown a ton of promise but he’s a 22 year old from a non football background who’s been injured and played a total of 14 games. Let’s cool our jets. There’s a lot of development and improvement to come.
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Goldies been in very good form recently, killing opposion in the ruck and around the ground. Big game for Draper. The game earlier this season, Phillips and 2MP did a good job on him and we killed North.
Saying it now, if Goldie has an outing next week, we will struggle and maybe lose.
Does “recently” mean “for about 12 years”
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I don’t watch enough North (with good reason), but I thought Goldie had dropped off a little early this season.
He doesn’t look quick by when he gets the ball everyone around him stays still. He has matrix like powers. I absolutely love him and what he might be, and but I wish he could at least look like he can kick. It is cringeworthy and painful to watch. I’m sure they are working on it
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Are you suggesting playing Draper FF?
Reckon there’s some double standards here about Draper’s kicking.
At least he manages to contact the ball.
Unlike a certain Lizard playing for Sydney who managed to miss the thing entirely on Sunday.
And this from a set kick behind the mark.
reckon he could jump higher before the acl too
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His kick after his run and bounce was borderline worse than the set shot. The the ball drop was so bad that the pill had almost flipped side on when his foot got to it.
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