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Can't see him playing this year, though like Tommy Walsh, you never say never in a long season. But a freakish mark from an athletic 199 cm bloke against one of the best - a lot to like about that!
IMO I reckon that one mark will go a long way to gaining him a spot on the senior list for 2011
Gaertner and Lynch were huge highlights for me.... they appear to be naturals. I agree Pavlich's effort to take the mark was a bit ordinary but Gaertner's level of self belief (and skill) to attempt let alone succeed to outmark him was great to see.
"He spoke of his stride, his power and his willingness to push himself to exhaustion. All of the things that are on display each weekend in the No 12 jumper" Garry Lyon
I was seriously impressed with Gaertner. He just kept on getting it and did well when he got it, from memory. That mark was just the icing on the cake.
He was tipped to go top 40 in the 2007 National Draft, but missed out (when he was "bottom age") and missed out again in the 2008 National Draft.
I've been excited by his prospects since I first saw this footage of his efforts in the 2008 TAC Cup Grand Final (where they were badly beaten) and it was great to see him do so well last night.:
Anyone who stands 199cm and can move like that is worth putting some serious time into and if we want Stanley to play key forward, Gaertner could be well worth developing for the "no.2 ruckman" role. His athleticism is phenomenal and he showed he can mark and it would seem his kicking has also improved since 2007. By the sound of it he's been played all over the place, too, so his versatility is also an asset.
It's worth remembering that Dean Cox would get laughed at when he first got to West Coast, as he apparently "couldn't kick over a jam tin" (and is now excellent on both sides) and they reckon he would practically fall over his own feet, as he was so unco-ordinated. Steven probably won't get near the level Cox is at, but it seems he's a lot more advanced than Cox was at the same age. He has a lot of upside.
Beej wrote:More about Pavlich's dismal effort in that contest than anything else...
Pav thought he had it in the bag as Gaertner out positioned himself initially...didn't count on the guy turning himself inside out for the mark, and who would have!?! Great effort.
AnythingsPossibleSaints wrote:I was seriously impressed with Gaertner. He just kept on getting it and did well when he got it, from memory. That mark was just the icing on the cake.
He was tipped to go top 40 in the 2007 National Draft, but missed out (when he was "bottom age") and missed out again in the 2008 National Draft.
I've been excited by his prospects since I first saw this footage of his efforts in the 2008 TAC Cup Grand Final (where they were badly beaten) and it was great to see him do so well last night.:
Anyone who stands 199cm and can move like that is worth putting some serious time into and if we want Stanley to play key forward, Gaertner could be well worth developing for the "no.2 ruckman" role. His athleticism is phenomenal and he showed he can mark and it would seem his kicking has also improved since 2007. By the sound of it he's been played all over the place, too, so his versatility is also an asset.
It's worth remembering that Dean Cox would get laughed at when he first got to West Coast, as he apparently "couldn't kick over a jam tin" (and is now excellent on both sides) and they reckon he would practically fall over his own feet, as he was so unco-ordinated. Steven probably won't get near the level Cox is at, but it seems he's a lot more advanced than Cox was at the same age. He has a lot of upside.
interesting comment from natham burke in this weeks "inside football"...described players like matty maquire as list cloggers...and that keeping goose would have kept players like stanley and gaertner from developing and getting game time.....
.everybody still loves lenny....and we always will
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As a junior, Gaertner always showed great athleticism, was a good mark and had a number of 'tricks', especially for someone his size.
Unfortunately the knocks on him were for the two most important things in footy today - his kicking and his decision-making. All the talk of him going high in the draft was bulltish, certainly didn't come from the recruiters.
Personally I'm really pleased that we gave him a chance, as the potential upside could be enormous, but he still has a long way to go.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it......no I don't want to read about it anymore!!!
He certainly does have a long way to go, but there's an awful lot to work with there, if he's prepared to do the hard-yards. The fact he was played last night before and for much longer than Will Johnson, especially and Cahill, may say something about how they rate him at the club.
I'm not sure what his kicking was like a few years ago, but it certainly doesn't look "bad" now. It might not look like Goddard, Rich or Hodge's, but how many guys his height do? He sure as hell seems to kick it better than Tommy Walsh, for a start. As stated earlier, Cox's kicking was apparently laughable when he first arrived at the Eagles and Steven seemed to kick it fine last night, so I don't see it as a big issue.
Interesting about his decision making - last night at about half back flank, commentary side, he was about to go inside to someone but held the ball up and made a different decision to a better option. I thought at the time "that boys got footy brains" so hopefully if it was an issue his apprenticeship is working....
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CJ's kicking was his knock too...funny how watching him have it on a string made me wonder if he was just about the most important midfielder now?! Who else tags the big names and sends them down and/or gets clearance after clearance?
CJ's ability to push on with so many 'knocks' on him e.g- age, kicking skills is an inspiration for many players battling to find a spot.
Hopefully we 'forget' the Gaertner kicking issue and be super impressed with his height and mobility (and outmarking Pav) in the near future.