Interesting specimen is McKernan.
If he’s switched on and aggressive at the contest, he’s a beast.
He does suffer lapses in concentration and can be dominated by monster ruckman.
But his passion and sharp reflexes helps compensate for those deficiencies at times.
I like the bloke because he gives his all, in the main.
Takes nothing for granted knowing as a rookie his last game can come at any time.
Glad he’s getting another chance to shine.
As already discussed McKernan will match McEvoy and Vickery.
He weighs the same as them and is ‘only’ 4cm shorter + has a good spring.
And of course, those long arms help make up the difference.
McKernan’s long term prospects …
The conversation about him being a big bodied mid certainly has some merit.
Wow. Just watched the highlights. Maybe, just maybe he will make it…?
His highlights have always been good. It’s what happens between them that’s the worry.
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McKernan’s Midlights.
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Smack upgraded to senior list.
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Deserves to play up until he has one of those “Oh yeah well then there’s that” games and DING DONG slots back in.
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Lol.
Cruel but classic nickname that would make, … “Midlight” Mckernan…
It’s poised and waiting to come down like a yoke round that double story neck, … I hope he rises like a beast to the challenge & avoids it, … but …
100% agree Dill.
This stuff about a “big bodied mid” is just a reflection of his second efforts at stoppages.
If he’s anything at AFL level, he’s a key forward who is mobile and good at ground level, and can ruck if he has to.
Whether he’s good enough to play that position at AFL standard consistently is something we’ll hopefully find out this year, but almost certainly not in the next two weeks while he’s our starting ruckman.
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If he continues to kick goals when forward in the fashion of a big bodied HFF, then when Leuey or TBC is ready (and that could be an interesting decision), he may hold his spot as a 3rd tall/big mobile forward who can save JD from having to provide ruck backup.
I, amongst others, argue that this is his obvious forte, which has never been tried at AFL level. He has always come in when we have no ruckmen left and in past incarnations as a KP player.
He can compete for a time but cannot sustain it against the big boys. This has always been the knock on him. But if he is our best combination of a forward who can ruck effectively for a limited time, why wouldn’t you play him when one of Leuey or TBC comes back?
All he has to do is kick a couple of goals in the first two matches and this should happen IMO.
With JD, Hooker, Walla, Raz and Green/Colyer/Zaka, I think he could really complement that forward line and provide ruck relief in a way which makes the greatest sum of the parts that nobody else can.
Best wishes Smack, I hope you finally find your slot when a 1st ruck returns, be it Leuey or TBC.
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If there’s a ruck we COULD get away from playing Smack against it’s probably McEvoy. He’ll win the hitouts but Smack is far more agile, just needs to make sure McEvoy doesn’t drift forward. I guess we risk losing to obtain a win, or play Belly and just have a nil-all draw ruck wise.
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If he plays a big part in getting a win against the Hawks we give him another year.
- Yes that’s how bad I want to win this one.
Yep agree with all that, I recon himself and Stewart will be fighting for that spot. When the big boys are back. Can’t really see TBell and Luey been in the same side.
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to supercoach or not to supercoach?
It’s a hard one isn’t it…
Wasn’t planning on doing it but have now made a team based on the fact I’ve included Tippa and made him captain
I watched him closely as a full time forward last year and he has terrible forward craft. I think the problem with Mckernan and it always has been, is that his best position is as a ruckmen. The problem is he is too small for that position full time so therefore gets put as a permanent forward, where he is near on useless. You’ll notice the games where he kicks multiple goals are usually when he is playing as ruck. I don’t mind him as ruck at the centre bounces i like his follow up work, it’s around the ground at stoppages where he gets pantsed and gives away too many free kicks cancelling out his good work around the ground. He also seems to be one of those guys that plays better when he has to prove himself.
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Sorry, but this is plain wrong. All his games last year were pretty much playing this role. JD and Brown were the two main targets, Leuy was rucking. Of the 6 games he played in 2016 five of them Leuey played in, and I think the sixth one Jamar was the ruck. He was also tried in this role at Adelaide. The problem is, he is totally rubbish at it. He has no real idea of forward craft at all.
Look at his goals last week in the JLT. One was him outmanoeuvring the other ruck to win the tap and kick the goal in the square. Another was a wild kick out of the F50 to where McKernan was lurking, he marked it, ran in and belted it back from distance. I think the last was also out of the congestion around a stoppage. None of that was forward craft. It was him being more mobile than the other ruckman. Put him on a more mobile KP Defender and he generally gets taken to the cleaners. Which is why he didn’t get more games last year when we were crying out for more tall options up forward.
McKernan’s advantage is that he is more mobile than other rucks, but he loses that when played on key defenders. And his advantage is a disadvantage in the hit-out department as his mobility comes at the cost of height.
Or what Bully said…
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Mine is just an opinion to add to the discussion. Last year our forward line was crap and Smsck struggled for form and fitness, In a better side in 2015 he was a better player. I confess to writing last year off in terms of what he showed us.
Fair enough he wasn’t the main ruck last year when he did play, but Brown is no Hooker so he wasn’t clearly the third tall and the opposition defence had it pretty easy other than JD. I don’t argue that Smack is the main man.
He was struggling for form and fitness as well last year, but if EFC thought he was total rubbish we wouldn’t have given him early surgery and re-sign him albeit as a rookie.
I think you and Bully make fair points but the proof is in the pudding and I hope he gets his chance as a good part of a much better forward line.
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Spot on
Have we actually elevated him yet?
I put Smack’s drop in form last year down to injury. It’s this reason I feel stopped him from being a regular senior player last year. He would have been really valuable in the VFL final campaign, but the club sent him straight to the surgeon instead. Only explanation that makes sense to go from a 10 game top 10 B&F year to no impact during the suspensions.
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