He's still vanilla.
You betcha.
FFS!
All I was trying to say was that the player, Shaun McKernan, known as Smack is a puzzling player.
FFS.
FFS!All I was trying to say was that the player, Shaun McKernan, known as Smack is a puzzling player.
FFS.
Stop being so ambiguous.
He is known quantity, and that hasn't been much this season. l would rather take a punt on a new ruck, than risk a repeat of the same.As others have stated, found it hard to get a game when the team was decimated and even then, wasnāt very convincing when he had the chance.You would like to think that team management know something that we donāt.
I would hazard a guess that our pick 19 will be the best ruck option available.
I think given he was taken out of the VFL finals and put in for surgery suggests 2 things.
- He will be on the list next year.
- He was severely hampered by injury this year.
Keep in mind he came top 10 in the B+F in the 1ās with a full squad in 2015. He must have had something going on with his body in 2016 that restricted him to so few games. Coaching staff must believe he is capable of getting back to 2015 form and a 1 year deal is probably worth the risk.
Plus when he played in the first few rounds it was as a permanent forward, which does not seem to be a role heās suited to. His best form has been in the ruck, where heās been pretty poor at the actual ruck contests (given away a lot of frees), but excellent in his attack on the ball and general ability to get it going our way, as well as taking marks around the ground.
I see him as a big ruck-rover, not a knock ruckman, although he can pinch-hit as one. Iām glad it seems heās going to be retained. If heās fit and used properly, he can be a real asset.
But youād never play him as a ruck rover. How is he going to be more of an assett in the middle than Watson, Heppell, Myers, Hocking, Howlett, Goddard, Stanton, Kelly or even most of the young developing inside mids.
He is so frustrating because he is one of the most talented players on the list. If he was 5cm taller he would be a brilliant ruckmanā¦ but he isnāt. The only way he makes it is as a forward and he has struggled there. I like him between the two 50 metres playing as a mid as someone else has suggested.
His problem is all the coaches see his talent but they donāt know where to play him.
I think we just write off 2016. He was clearly injured. for me he gets another 12 months and unless he proves himself once and for all he is gone.
He infuriates me and it is hard to keep the faith but I still reckon there is a player in there somewhere.
Enigmatic.
Enigmatic.Sexist.
He is so frustrating because he is one of the most talented players on the list. If he was 5cm taller he would be a brilliant ruckman... but he isn't. The only way he makes it is as a forward and he has struggled there. I like him between the two 50 metres playing as a mid as someone else has suggested.His problem is all the coaches see his talent but they donāt know where to play him.
I think we just write off 2016. He was clearly injured. for me he gets another 12 months and unless he proves himself once and for all he is gone.
He infuriates me and it is hard to keep the faith but I still reckon there is a player in there somewhere.
His problem is heās not big enough to ruck, and doesnāt read the play or mark the ball well enough as a forward.
I donāt think heās particularly talented. Certainly not top five as youāve said. Heās a handy stop gap, and thatās about it. Expectations have been way too high for Smack. There is a good reason Adelaide delisted him two years ago. Heās just not that good.
He is so frustrating because he is one of the most talented players on the list. If he was 5cm taller he would be a brilliant ruckman... but he isn't. The only way he makes it is as a forward and he has struggled there. I like him between the two 50 metres playing as a mid as someone else has suggested.His problem is all the coaches see his talent but they donāt know where to play him.
I think we just write off 2016. He was clearly injured. for me he gets another 12 months and unless he proves himself once and for all he is gone.
He infuriates me and it is hard to keep the faith but I still reckon there is a player in there somewhere.
His problem is heās not big enough to ruck, and doesnāt read the play or mark the ball well enough as a forward.
I donāt think heās particularly talented. Certainly not top five as youāve said. Heās a handy stop gap, and thatās about it. Expectations have been way too high for Smack. There is a good reason Adelaide delisted him two years ago. Heās just not that good.
He takes big pack marks quite regularly when he is on at the level below. He is a force of nature in the 2ās when fit and healthy. Heās just never quite shown that he can do it all that often at AFL level.
He is so frustrating because he is one of the most talented players on the list. If he was 5cm taller he would be a brilliant ruckman... but he isn't. The only way he makes it is as a forward and he has struggled there. I like him between the two 50 metres playing as a mid as someone else has suggested.His problem is all the coaches see his talent but they donāt know where to play him.
I think we just write off 2016. He was clearly injured. for me he gets another 12 months and unless he proves himself once and for all he is gone.
He infuriates me and it is hard to keep the faith but I still reckon there is a player in there somewhere.
His problem is heās not big enough to ruck, and doesnāt read the play or mark the ball well enough as a forward.
I donāt think heās particularly talented. Certainly not top five as youāve said. Heās a handy stop gap, and thatās about it. Expectations have been way too high for Smack. There is a good reason Adelaide delisted him two years ago. Heās just not that good.
He takes big pack marks quite regularly when he is on at the level below. He is a force of nature in the 2ās when fit and healthy. Heās just never quite shown that he can do it all that often at AFL level.
Heās eight seasons into his AFL career and heās never had much of an aerial presence. I donāt think he reads the ball well in flight or the flow of play for that matter. He can definitely jump, but he just doesnāt get his hands to the ball.
He's still vanilla.
But heās our gorilla.
He was good in 2015
Horrible in 2016
Maybe go best out of three in 2017
The kernel
So why no contract announcement yet?
So why no contract announcement yet?
Might be waiting to see if anything pops up in the DFA list, this time or next.
I certainly agree that heās not good enough of a ruckman and not the KPF weād like him to be.
I do think heās a great mover for his size though, strong, agile and a good kick. Iād like to see him in the guts. Itās a shame heās not at least āpassableā as a ruck because when the ball hits the deck heād make up for not being better.
Heās perfect as a back up player as many have alluded too.
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All comes down to confidence when he puts together some consecutive games watch him dish off fakes to one side then deliver a perfect pass inside 50. The problem is he doesnāt do this enough and we havenāt exactly been a good side the last 2 years to judge him accordingly.
Good below his knees for his size too, I really enjoy watching him snap kicks around his body for goal
We need another ruckman or 2 on the list anyway so he might be lucky because of that. However we should win more games than the lat 2 seasons combined so how is he going to win a spot in the best 22 ?
Iām a fan of Smack but realistically we need someone better that can contribute. He still doesnāt have a set position and there are other players coming that are taller (T-Bell, J Stewart, Hooker)
His only hope IMO as others have said is to greatly increase his fitness and become a Blicavs type 3rd man up while linking up between the center and forward 50. He not tall enough for any key position but he is definitely skillful enough to make it work
I certainly agree that he's not good enough of a ruckman and not the KPF we'd like him to be.I do think heās a great mover for his size though, strong, agile and a good kick. Iād like to see him in the guts. Itās a shame heās not at least āpassableā as a ruck because when the ball hits the deck heād make up for not being better.
I personally feel that he needs to try less in the ruck. He gets himself all frustrated and just ends up giving away free kicks.
If he just saw his role as being nuisance value whoās main aim was not to give away frees, but to be the extra midfielder at the fall of the ball, I think he would get a lot less rubbish from supporters.
Itās hard not to be very hopeful with Smack, albeit getting much easier as the years tick by.
I see him as a player in limbo, in a spot between Watson the forward and Goodes the follower. Heās not as good as either unfortunately but he does have attributes that suit the roles.
He kills it in the 2ās when fit. He has a crack in the 1ās too and we shouldnāt forget his reasonable efforts in 2015.
Best case, he has an injury free year and enjoys some consistency in a determined and focused team that has something to prove. His motivation will be to prove that he has something to offer, but unfortunately for him the planets will all need to line up for the best opportunity.