-
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.
Jake Batchelor
- Thread starter felix
- Start date
tigersnake said:
If your saw his game last year versus Port live like me you'd realise woeful is actually a kind description of his performance. Some of the finest comedy I've seen on a footy field since johnny Manton kicked out from a point straight to Dunstall on the mark.
Hoping, crossing fingers, toes, anything is not going to turn this guy into an AFL level footballer. Neither will finding nicer ways to describe his short comings.
I remember that game too. I'm sure Batch would like to forget it. He had a problem back then where if he lost confidence early it just kept going down and the longer he was on the field, the worse he got. He seems to have recovered from that to an extent, so the improvement hasn't been all physical, either.antman said:
BBQ lamb chops instead of wagyu. There's a time n place n price point for everything.tigerlove said:
Batch is having a crack and deserves his spot in the 22 against the Dogs.
No world-beater, yet if he turns into a consistently solid and reliable player then he won't do the Tigers' ambitions any harm.
No world-beater, yet if he turns into a consistently solid and reliable player then he won't do the Tigers' ambitions any harm.
Mr Magic said:
Give us the details of those 20 games, and what he did in each of them that make them so bad. Don't just give us low stat counts, that's not an indication of his effectiveness, as he doesn't play an accumulating position. Stats of his opponent would be more relevant. He's only played 53 games, so it should be easy enough for you.
Batch was pretty reliable last Thursday. He certainly got to the right positions and kicked to his team mates.
I was happy with his disposal.
I was happy with his disposal.
Admitted on Talking Tigers this week that he was overweight last season.
Good to see that he put in the extra effort in the offseason to rectify it.
Good to see that he put in the extra effort in the offseason to rectify it.
Mr Magic said:
There's the star BP/ HBF (you forgot Chris Johnson) and your footsoldier variety. Don't think anyone is denying JB is in the latter category, (as was Worsfold BTW, the poster boy of low possession high impact defenders). As for your 20 games, you still being over the top, as is your want, and you could make a case for the games prior to his exile to the seconds, (I thought he was gone, still might not make it long term), but hasn't been 'woeful' since. Might have had some poor games, and the port one was probably a stinker. He definately ain't a star, but to describe him as woeful is gross exageration at best or wrong at worst. A team can't all be champions and stars.
as a side note. The bagging of Batch and Morris really underlines the deep need some people have for a good bagging. Sure they aint champs, but every side has some battlers, some bargain basement fringe players, we all know that.
The quality of our bottom tier players has improved out of sight, and we don't have that many. They used to be terrible AND 30-40% of the side. Remember the debates we used to have over Tim Fleming? An obvious bum, but a goer. It was like a revelation, understandably, that we actually had a player that went hard at every contest. It used to drive me mental how our bottom tier were untalented AND timid. Even the biggest most compulsive bagger would agree that nowadays our bottom tier player are at least goers.
tigersnake said:
You make a lot of sense and for the record I stick up for far more players on here than I put down. I have always stuck up Jackson, S Edwards.....even Krakeour and Tambling and I've got it wrong on occassion also including with Griffiths and Rance.
The point I am alluding to in positioning on Jake is that whilst we play average players with obvious shortcomings we will not be a premiership side. Simply put the best teams don't carry foot soilders anymore.
Hawthorn have Birchall, Suckling & Gibson, Sydney - Malceski (until this year), McVeigh who are all around the same height as Batch and play similar roles however are clearly superior. It makes no sense to me that we wouldn't be playing a Lennon or McDonagh in his place now. Batch struggles at VFL level, I can't recall reading one of Tim Clarke's reports that ever indicated Batch had played a high quality game at this level which speaks for itself.
He is definately fitter this year, however, you have to ask yourself why its taken him 4 years to get to a satisfactory level of fitness.
For what its worth I suspect C Ellis will take his place in the team very soon, and Astbury maybe as soon as this week. It remains somewhat frustrating though that our coach keeps dipping in the tried and not proven well on a regular basis.
I watched the replay of carlton richmond from 2013 during the week, and Batch looks about 7kg lighter now. Much fitter, I hope he continues to present a role for the club. I like that our club now has the option to choose between batchelor and others. We've come along way.
