Pretty sure Mutch hasn’t had a chance to prove himself one way or another. Fitness is his issue but has shown in VFL that he can play.
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And in the AFL. He looked pretty smooth in the short time he’s had at the top level.
For me its his kicking that concerns me. Feels like his limit is kicking 45 metres and his kicks are often to the side which slows down ball movement or high floating kicks for defences to cover in time. He does have some strengths but his fast ball movement will be the key to getting games under a Truck and Caracella system.
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A couple of other things Mutch has in his favour are an excellent tank, he’s always right at the front in any running drills and time trials, and he’s an excellent mark, just about the best for his size in the team, and we don’t have a lot of mid size players that are good marks.
I agree about his kicking, he seems to be working on it at training and practicing a flatter faster kicking style.
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Jobe had similar issues in his first few seasons (not comparing the two players) and he worked on it.
I think the coaches have already been working with the loopy kickers. For instance this year Ambrose was observed practicing flat passes during warm ups. So clearly they even work with older players to improve their games. Now if they could do something about Hurleys kicking and teach him how to do flat passes. !
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It’s because he doesn’t have a preferred foot, or didn’t in his under 18 years. He’s ok on both but not brilliant on either. Something he needs to work on.
Edit*
The Age December 8, 2016
Kobe Mutch grew up playing in the same junior teams as Isaac ■■■■■■■ and Lachlan Tiziani, who were drafted like he was two weeks ago. Their North Broken Hill side used to win by a pile of points every weekend, so his dad would send him out to play with something specific to work on. “One week he said, ‘only kick with your left foot’,” he said. “And the next week, it was my right.”
It did the trick. Mutch was drafted to Essendon with something not many young players have, or have bothered to ever work on: an ability to kick competently on either foot. It means he arrived offering something slightly different to the other midfielders on offer but it also means he has a unique challenge in his first weeks as an AFL player: to choose left or go right, and try to make one side elite.
His coaches started talking to him about it even last year, and “everyone has different ideas”, said Mutch. “Some people say ‘your right is better’ and other people say ‘go with your left’. I don’t know. It’s confusing, but I have to just pick one and go with it,” Mutch said.
"In field play I kick better on my left, I think. But if I have a set shot I usually kick on my right. I’m still working it out, so I’m coming in here on my days off already to do lots of kicking and work with the development coaches and try to make a decision because everyone says it will be better once I do.
“Even Jobe Watson said to me the other day, ‘have you picked which one you’re going to kick on yet?’ It will help my footy if I can get one up to elite level and be able to turn off and not get confused about which way I want to go or what I want to do. I want to make sure the other side stays handy too, but it’s something I’ve just got to do.”
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Just wondering whatever happend to that key forward from Northern Territory, Nigel ???
Has he been sighted at training?
is he still In consideration?
Haven’t heard anything on him since he was first mentioned
It’s all still to play out as I understand…
Yeah nah.
Not many his middling size, but those that are not overtly beaten by him: I’d take Heppell, Redman, and definitely Clarke first.
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Its simply about repetition. Practicing over and over and over. The moment you drop off whatever it is one does, you start to get a bit rusty. With professional athletes and once upon a time I was one,
the old adage “practice makes perfect” is true. Even in the athletic off season, like most of our players do, we were running distances, doing cardio and weights. Than there was Percy’s camp down at Portsea. What a killer. However I have to say it all works. The plan is not to overwork it.
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Not if you are practicing the wrong thing.
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Apparently the strength and conditioning people do not like goal kicking practice over and over…
He was at the Hanger pre Christmas but hasn’t been back since.
We may have to agree to disagree on that. I’d have him similar to Heppell but better than Redman and Clarke.
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Agree with this.
At training he was working hard after others had left the oval on flat hard passes over a distance of about 40 - 45 meters whilst mimicking pressure. For example he was running backwards a couple of steps as if scurrying back from the man on the mark and then turning left or right quickly to kick to the target, and I must say, with a high degree of accuracy.
The other thing I should have mentioned previously is how we will absolutely appreciate having Smith back fully fit. He trains impressively and has some great skills.
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All of the above makes me think the lid, which is firmly ON, may be losoening just a little.
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Are we talking the man or the appendage?
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