Reiwoldt ?????

[Barking Owl]

I have been reading this forum for some time now, alot of good opinions, some weird ones. I am going to open myself up for some flack, but the obvious needs to be said....
Reiwoldt - Is he overrated (especially this year???).
When was the last time he won a game for us?
Last night:
Second efforts on the ball were pathetic, continually went to ground. Look a the other power forwards of the comp, they will at least compete well at ground level.
Continually was out of positiion, or out positioned one on one
Continually looked to the umpires for a free after loosing a contest, and generally there was no free there.
Chasing was second rate. Did he lay a tackle?
At least he kicked straight on the two opportunities he had.
Is he injured?
He definetly is not showing the form that has made him be classified as a star.
Admittedly the ball is not delivered well to him, and for some reason is almost always in a two on onecontest, but???
As has been mentioned, we definetly need a foil for him......
And we need an X factor if we are to go far in September.....

[Moods]

On what occurred last night you are right Barking Owl. I saw him hurt his knee in the 2nd 1/4 I think. Up to that point I thought he had been good, and Ben Reid who I rate very highly, had to be moved off of him. After that he had no 2nd efforts in him, and looked like he could barely run. His 2nd efforts were non existent making Tarrant's job very easy. I was very disappointed with him last night, IF he wasn't injured. The fact that Lyon kept him out on the ground indicated to me that he wasn't. One thing about Riewoldt this year is that his tackling and 2nd efforts have been very good. Last night they weren't. I know he's carrying knee tendonitis, and apparently he was hobbling after the game. He wasn't listed as injured and Doc Larkins didn't mention he was injured either.

Certainly don't think he's overated. This year he's been ordinary, but if anything he's been underated the last 7 years

[saintspremiers]

Roo appears mentally shot this year.

Was terrible against the filth.

Perhaps he was sooking over the GF loss last year?

I hope he is seeing a good shrink - his head is clearly still a big mess.

[spert]

The guy has played great footy for us, but we, and I suspect he, are frustrated that it's not happening anymore. It's pretty obvious that we have seen the best of Roo in years gone by, and at 28yo he is not going to regain that stellar form. He has lost a lot of what he had for whatever reasons and sadly is sooking when he gets beaten- the last thing I would want to see from a captain.

[Barking Owl]

I dont like to bag out the guy, he has been a great servant for the club and a terrific leader, but we seriously need to look at our forward line structure if his output is an indication of what we will get for the remainder of the season.
BJ is not the answer, he is more damaging across half back.
One too many backs last night. We need another forward option and I am not sure where that is going to come from this year.....

[Dan Warna]

he ran like the wind, leading and leading. OUr mids and Half backs didn't give him a chance.

second half he was playing lame, and the delivery didn't help.

[spert]

he ran like the wind, leading and leading. OUr mids and Half backs didn't give him a chance.

second half he was playing lame, and the delivery didn't help.

Run he can, but at some stage, the CHF needs to win some on-on-one marking duels..if your opponent can get the ball, then so can you.

[matrix]

yeah dead wood
sack him
over rated and over paid

had lace out delivery all night and couldt take a mark if he had friggin glue on his hands
not


some flack alright
4th post and you decide to get into the capt
blimey no wonder most of the new posters get thought of as trolls

[Barking Owl]

Good on you Matrix, thanks for the positive comments.
Can you actually read? Others have agreeed!
Sorry for having an opinion, which is based on observation and evidence....
Is this forum a forum, or an elitist commentary for just a few..
Dont really appreciate the troll comment.....

[bergsone]

Anyone else thing he seems to be struggling when ball is on the deck,doesnt look to me to be able to get down to the ball,maybe hammies are giving him grief still ,or maybe I am seeing things

[Wrote for Luck]

i think its a fair post but only in relation to last night. Reiwoldt was lousy.

[Dan Warna]

Playing riewoldt injured vs not playing him.

I think he is so good, that playing him injured at CHF is better than him off altogether.

I think its up to the running players and other forward to make better decisions.

the number of times he lead hard and the ball was at his shoe laces or over his head was embarrassing.

that said, we had them but couldn't kick straight, it cost us in 2009 and 2010.

1.9 to half time in GF2?

[perfectionist]

I have been reading this forum for some time now, alot of good opinions, some weird ones. I am going to open myself up for some flack, but the obvious needs to be said....
Reiwoldt - Is he overrated (especially this year???)......

His name is spelled Nick Riewoldt. If you can't remember how to spell it, don't guess, just use that Google thingy and it will help you. He is the captain after all.

Players who drag two opponents are rarely overrated, especially when they kick a couple of goals. Generally speaking, opposition coaches don't assign two players to negate someone who is no good or average. No matter how good he is, his simply cannot repair the skill errors of his teammates, some of whom think that kicking it to him in the general direction of the forward line equates to a pin point pass.

[Dan Warna]

I have been reading this forum for some time now, alot of good opinions, some weird ones. I am going to open myself up for some flack, but the obvious needs to be said....
Reiwoldt - Is he overrated (especially this year???)......

His name is spelled Nick Riewoldt. If you can't remember how to spell it, don't guess, just use that Google thingy and it will help you. He is the captain after all.

Players who drag two opponents are rarely overrated, especially when they kick a couple of goals. Generally speaking, opposition coaches don't assign two players to negate someone who is no good or average. No matter how good he is, his simply cannot repair the skill errors of his teammates, some of whom think that kicking it to him in the general direction of the forward line equates to a pin point pass.

Plugger was that good.

I remember him pulling down marks with 3 on him.

Roo is just exceptional, plugger was, well once in a generation player.

[hayes66]

Riewoldt has definitely been a star but I have been disappointed with him this year. He isnt helped by poor kicking to him sometimes but the margin of accuracy players have to kick to him has decreased from what it used to be. Last nights game was a reflection of most of his games for the year (except the straight kicking for goal). I've been wondering whether its a fitness thing all year. We all know how hard he works and that his whole thing is fitness and running his opponents flat. It just seems, ive continuously said this all year, that his opponents always seem to be right on him these days. He use to bust his gut and be out on leads with a 10 metre buffer giving the delivery a little bit of margin for error. Tarrant was right next to him at every single contest last night meaning the kicks had to be spot on. Maybe his lost a touch of pace or fitness but his never free like he use to be. I dont know what he needs to change it to but maybe he needs to change his game.

[SydneySainter]

Riewoldt continues to get his arse handed to him by inferior opponents like Tarrant and McPharlin.

As much as we want to believe it's all about the delivery and him contesting with multiple opponents, how easily he is getting beaten in the one-on-ones is becoming a big problem for our only key forward.

[borderbarry]

I believe that he has been carrying an injury all year, and some matches it is worse than others.
But we have Tommy Walsh running around for Sandy. Surely his presence on the forward line would assist Roo.

[johnc19690]

He must be injured. Its the only explanation that makes any sense.

[silvertop]

His form reminds me a lot of 2005. I remember being pretty disappointed in a lot of his efforts that year. Seemed to have this beaten attitude about him. Had some bad injuries in 2005 though, don't know if that's an excuse this time round?

[oh when]

I don't think he is being the leader he should be - at the breaks he does not gather the team around him to rev them up - his body language on the ground, from where I sit, for what ever reason, looks bad.

[SainterK]

Is is injured, Ross said he is carrying knee soreness.

He def hurt his knee in the third, was up my end. Landed funny and in frustration raised him arms at both the delivery and his discomfort.

Felt really sad for him

One thing I did notice though, is he made a lead/motion/call for most of them.

There was once prior to that, were BJ kicked the ball to him I50 and it went way over his head and trickled over the boundary. He was frustrated, because had it been delivered to his advantage he would of marked. But he would of been having a shot pretty much on the 50 on a pretty difficult angle.

At that particular moment, Ben and Kosi were sitting in the goalsquare, Roo had I think both Tarrant and Reid running with him.

[Junction Oval]

A disappointing game last night from our great man. Poor delivery, double teaming and a definite knee problem are not a big help. I think that the problem knee is costing him a lot in his ability to leap, chase and bend down.

The predictability of us going to him all the time, means that he will always have players around him.

Its time that our forward line set-up and Nick's role in it needs some very serious re-assessment by the coaches.

[jamesmc]

Riewoldt has definitely been a star but I have been disappointed with him this year. He isnt helped by poor kicking to him sometimes but the margin of accuracy players have to kick to him has decreased from what it used to be. Last nights game was a reflection of most of his games for the year (except the straight kicking for goal). I've been wondering whether its a fitness thing all year. We all know how hard he works and that his whole thing is fitness and running his opponents flat. It just seems, ive continuously said this all year, that his opponents always seem to be right on him these days. He use to bust his gut and be out on leads with a 10 metre buffer giving the delivery a little bit of margin for error. Tarrant was right next to him at every single contest last night meaning the kicks had to be spot on. Maybe his lost a touch of pace or fitness but his never free like he use to be. I dont know what he needs to change it to but maybe he needs to change his game.

Fully agree. Why don't we see Nick warming up for ages before a match any more. Maybe he has lot some motivation.

[saintsRrising]

Roo was a very good player.


BUT
* in some games like last night gets louse delivery
* he is out of form in some aspects of his game
* he is probably carrying an injury...but from what I can ascertain this is not so much a restriction, but an annoyance that many players have to pay through.

AND unfortunately for Roo Max worked out exactly how to play him and has schooled the Pie backs in this, and other teams have cottoned on too.

Now in AFL, as in many other sports (ie cricket), the opposition drills through a player , their weaknesses and how to play them in order to defeat and overcome them.

Max has done this with Roo.

The challenge to Roo is to evolve and improve as a player.


If he can then he can regain his status as a champion. If not then he will drop to be that of a handy big forward.


At present he has been worked out re body contact and as such he has been restricted to essentially being of value only when on the lead.


One of the reasons I love AFL is that the game is always evolving, and the challenge in playing it is not just the physical ones, but the mental ones including tactics and strategies.

This also provides the ability for less physically gifted players to care out a role or niche.

The more gifted ones get tested more. ..and us such the opposition work on stopping Roo more.

The challenge is his to improve.

...because that has to happen too.
Which is not to say that Lyon for example does not have to work on the teams tactics, or the kicking skills in the 22. But if Roo does not sort out a response to the body on body tactics, his best days are over.

[Junction Oval]

Several good points there SaintsRrising.

Rooey does need to focus on "improving," particularly body-on-body. Read cut him out on several occasions last night.