Goodbye Mabior Chol

[leon]

Mabior has a gift from footy god.

The most beautiful moving big I think ive ever seen

Nah, depends if you're old enough to see him play, or just go and look up his highlights reel if not, but I posted a long way back: Mabs is the
best moving big man since the greatest ever indigenous ruckman, the legendary Polly Farmer. Made the game look easy; always appeared to be on cruise control and could do everything gracefully. [Paddy Ryder currently a smooth operator too].

Steven Michael was also a magnificent player but never got to the VFL but was more a forward/ruck I believe. More aggressive type too.

 

[ejort]

Yep, Mabs is a smart, sublimly skilled footballer of rare athletic fluidity.

I loved watching him in this game - sublime was the word. Glided in and took big grabs down the line, dished the tap down the throat of our mids on the move (they seem to have a great connection / trust that Mabs will give them first look), and it seems to be a set play where he bolts forward after the tap to get the handball receive and deliver into F50 (he did it last week as well).

 

[Tiger Pops]

Showed more than glimpses on Saturday night. A few defense efforts where I though - come on Chol, jump and get a fist on it - bang your body into the pack... but that is Nankervis through and through. Without Nank and Asbury I think his defensive side was so so... despite a number of intercept marks. Ball in hand he looks like a silky left foot midfielder Would love him to make another big statement Sunday night v Eagles. If he plays well on Sunday, I think we win. If the tweets mid game are " gee we miss Nank", the Chol debate to keep/trade/delist will continue for a few months.

 

[MD Jazz]

I think he has a good, instinctive feel for the immediate contest around him.

When the contest is a few metres further away, he often shows more uncertainty about what to do.

If he lacks any footy IQ, maybe it's in the area of not anticipating how the play is unfolding, so he ends up watching rather than participating.

By participating I don't necessarily mean rushing to the contest itself, but re-positioning himself to be of greater assistance either defensively or offensively.

But he's shown that he's coachable, so there's every chance we'll continue to see him improve across the board.

IIRC he took 3 (maybe 2) defensive marks in the opening quarter? He read the play and made perfect position. I simply think he runs out of gas and can't get to where he needs to be.

And hopefully he will learn to have shots rather than pass to Shai! Shai is good but Mabs passed to him against 2 opponents in the pocket when he should have just had a shot.

 

[daniel30]

disagree. i think it is confidence, game smarts and fitness. when any or all of those things are missing it looks like a lack of desire and want, but it is not.
hopefully he is building all 3.

Saturday was clearly his best game since the saints on 2019, and probably his first truely good game since then. Im not sure Andrew Phillips and Nik Cox are the most intimidating ruck combo going around though so I'll resist getting too excited for at least another week. If I see him jumping over NicNat then beating him for ground balls then I might consider jumping onboard the Chol express.

Each to there own that's my opinion he cruises around to much and goes missing and then pops up for one great quarter.

Sometimes we're to hard on players to alot made about Nantanui , but he goes missing in games to a few highlights here and there.

 

[Smoking Aces]

Crazy. No footy IQ? Did you see him tap the ball out of contested situations directly to teammates when the ball was in a contest? His kicking is sublime, he tried to get a little too cute but his left foot is a weapon.

His one glaring issue is clearly fitness, why did he have such a commanding first quarter? He spectated at times because he was gassed, not because of a lack of footy IQ.

Have a look at Max Gawn, he is now an aerobic beast (how lean is he) and look at where he has taken his game. You run more you get to more contests, there is no secret.

I don't think it will come down to him or CCJ but if it did Mabs is the one I would keep.

Brilliant posting MD.

For Chol now its all about getting to that next level fitness wise. Being able to push his body to a point where he feels like a good old vomitt.

*smile* Gawn was smoking Winnie Blues when he first started AFL. Look at him now. Aerobic beast.

 

[UKTiger]

We should be a little circumspect in praising Mabs as the next messiah of RFC after one good but not spectacular game. After all look what happened to our last one - McBean

 

[Tony Braxton-Hicks]

For Chol now its all about getting to that next level fitness wise.

Didn't he do a big pre-season in western Victoria before 2020? By now he should have the fitness. He may just have the burst metabolism rather than a decent endurance ceiling.

 

[AngryAnt]

We should be a little circumspect in praising Mabs as the next messiah of RFC after one good but not spectacular game. After all look what happened to our last one - McBean

Mabs went past McBean a long time ago.

Ah McBean. Always makes me laugh how much some otherwise astute types were invested in him.

 

[Willo]

We should be a little circumspect in praising Mabs as the next messiah of RFC after one good but not spectacular game. After all look what happened to our last one - McBean

I think it’s just acknowledging his improvement mate. Nothing wrong with that. But can he reproduce it consistently?
McBean, ah only what if? Nah, he’s found his niche.
Mabs is no Mabjesus.

 

[zippadeee]

Ok he did almost exactly what i thought.
Started off like Brad Ottens and slowly drifted into Ty Esler.
He needs to contribute more.

 

[Smoking Aces]

Not sure the 'was' in that sentence is completely accurate.



We'd have won 5 flags if McBean had played 150 games by now.

He surely can’t be on the darts now!

 

[Tigers2011]

Two goals for this week:

1. Compete with Natanui on every contest - no second thoughts, just give it 100%.
2. Push back into defensive 50 & contest every time. Make a difference.

 

[eZyT]

I reckon Mabior is gonna get a premiership medal this year.

Dimma's been tying himself in knots with the ruck men plural V speed conundrum.

But Mabior is *smile* fast.

and if her can play 60% game time as a 2nd ruck,

he'll be even faster for longer.

bit of a no brainer IMHO

 

[Tigers of Old]

Two goals for this week:

1. Compete with Natanui on every contest - no second thoughts, just give it 100%.
2. Push back into defensive 50 & contest every time. Make a difference.

Whilst I'd love to see Mabs outleap him, Natanui is going to be a huge task for a non full time ruck but point 2 is a big one..that was Chol's most glaring weakness last week. He can't drop back into D50 & then not compete.
By point of comparison Nank is a beast in those aerial situations in defence.

 

[caesar]

I reckon Mabior is gonna get a premiership medal this year.

Dimma's been tying himself in knots with the ruck men plural V speed conundrum.

But Mabior is *smile* fast.

and if her can play 60% game time as a 2nd ruck,

he'll be even faster for longer.

bit of a no brainer IMHO

Hopefully Ralph Carr can work his magic on Mab's as well

Leppa on SEN today said he asked Blair Hartley whether player managers played a role in a players development and which player managers are best at it.
Blair replied Ralph was the best, telling, and getting, his players to put in the work and i'll get you the contract.
Mind you he had pretty easy canvases to work with Dusty & Shai.
Mabs switched to Ralph end of 2019 and immediately engaged a personal trainer in Warrnabool in a bid to build cardiovascular fitness.
Quinton Narkle joined Ralph at the start of 2021, (great mates with Shai), and he is now playing some great footy. When there were rumors of Narkle coming to Richmond in the trade period I were hoping we could get him.

 

[Long Lost Hernaman]

Hopefully Ralph Carr can work his magic on Mab's as well

Leppa on SEN today said he asked Blair Hartley whether player managers played a role in a players development and which player managers are best at it.
Blair replied Ralph was the best, telling, and getting, his players to put in the work and i'll get you the contract.
Mind you he had pretty easy canvases to work with Dusty & Shai.
Mabs switched to Ralph end of 2019 and immediately engaged a personal trainer in Warrnabool in a bid to build cardiovascular fitness.
Quinton Narkle joined Ralph at the start of 2021, (great mates with Shai), and he is now playing some great footy. When there were rumors of Narkle coming to Richmond in the trade period I were hoping we could get him.

Makes sense. Short, eccentric fellow with a toupe who is not a member of the footy boys club probably has a lot of personal experience on the determination needed to achieve someting/break through in career path of choice.

 

[eZyT]

He surely can’t be on the darts now!

Joe Daniher regularly sits alone at the bar of The Boundary Hotel in West End, enjoying a schooner.

I like Joe Daniher. and I think he likes being Joe Who? in Brisbane

 

[seven]

Two goals for this week:

1. Compete with Natanui on every contest - no second thoughts, just give it 100%.
2. Push back into defensive 50 & contest every time. Make a difference.

Can he keep Nick Nat down to 1 mark for the game?

 

[caesar]

Two goals for this week:

1. Compete with Natanui on every contest - no second thoughts, just give it 100%.
2. Push back into defensive 50 & contest every time. Make a difference.

Will 100% get monstered in the ruck by Nic Nat, same height, similar leap but 20kg difference, it takes a brave man not to get out of the way of that.
Can still play his role around the ground.