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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Jacob Townsend
- Thread starter Vlossy
- Start date
tigertim said:
Prior to his time with Fly the bloke had no idea, tim. He got no education at GWS. Used to specialise in tackling - with his head. His recruitmen was a disaster.
During his 2016 with Fly we dropped all this head tackling business. All gone. Townsend started to learn midfield play. He's a running mid who comes through the line with the ball and has the dash to get away with it. He will neutralise (static tackle) but that's not his primary game.
It was actually 2016 that he showed his aptitude forward. With Kane Lambert jr, Adam Marcon, the great Andrew Moore and some Anthony Miles in the midfield Townsend got to spend time forward learning to come through the line with the ball and kick truly. First snap last week was what you'd expect.
In 2017 Townsend may have been told to sharpen his forward game but in the VFL he gets bugger all opportunity there because no Lambert, Moore or Marcon, and Miles only plays every second week so Towner plays #1 mid half the time. This is the year that Townsend levelled up to VFL strike mid. (Not forward. He did that last year.) That's why he's not kicking the goals this year. He's in the guts.
Here's the rub. To get enough ball at AFL level he needed to level up to VFL strike mid class. Which he's only done in 2017.
His path from GWS backslider to kicking six against FREO Witches Hats has been much steadier than it will seem if you just look at the AFL stats. Townsend won't meet that class again unless he's at least #2 mid. That was VFL company in which he got to play forward with AFL supply - that was a fluke. But he will kick more AFL goals. Because he's levelled up twice in Fly's team. And that's why I'm pretty sure we'll keep him.
When I look at his development over the past two years I wonder what we might achieve with Lin Jong.
If NSWTiger is at the game i'd say he's already slingshot the elastic from his undies into the 3rd tier.
If he kicks another 6, i'll need a new pair myself.
If he kicks another 6, i'll need a new pair myself.
NSW Tiger knew something we didn't. These last two games Townsend had shown what he can do and showed he has a future with us. Good luck to him, a long time coming but looks like he has come of age
BiddiscombeSkills said:
Never thought he would make the grade as a forward but there you go. Tagger was my most optimistic projection.
B
Bill James
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