I was wrong about Jack Steven

[perfectionist]

A couple of weeks ago, after the Sydney game, I said that Jackie was one of the worst players that I had ever seen play for the Saints. Well, I was wrong. He is without doubt THE worst. At least Jarryn Geary took a good mark before he kicked it straight to three Collingwood players. At least Sam Gilbert had a little bit of pace before he simply stopped running, or even walking, in the last five minutes and let his opponent run all the way into their forward line. But Jackie set new depths tonight - bouncing the ball into his knee being just one of his gems. If you watch the last quarter of the 1991 GF you will see why our coach likes him.

[whiskers3614]

nimbat, clown!

[mad saint guy]

We saw the best and worst of Jack tonight. His great clearance work and breakaway pace were on show, yet most of the time he had the ball, the next disposal was by a Collingwood player. He needs to seriously improve his skills if he's going to be a long-term player.

[andrewg]

He will get better but did make some rubbish decisions. Still I think we have to persist with him

[Middo]

A couple of weeks ago, after the Sydney game, I said that Jackie was one of the worst players that I had ever seen play for the Saints. Well, I was wrong. He is without doubt THE worst. At least Jarryn Geary took a good mark before he kicked it straight to three Collingwood players. At least Sam Gilbert had a little bit of pace before he simply stopped running, or even walking, in the last five minutes and let his opponent run all the way into their forward line. But Jackie set new depths tonight - bouncing the ball into his knee being just one of his gems. If you watch the last quarter of the 1991 GF you will see why our coach likes him.

NFI ....!!!!

[SainterK]

I find a thread picking on someone with under 50 games is a unique take on dealing with the loss.

[desertsaint]

Spelling and grammar is quite presentable for someone who's obviously had one too many sherrys tonight.

[saintkev]

He wasn't on his pat malone in decision-making, or delivery. What were Kosi's stats? How many limp-wristed attacks on the football did Gram make? How slow is Saad in getting rid of the ball? How tall are our key defenders? For a team that made heaps of mistakes and were killed by umpiring decisions we weren't far away from winning. Watters can now try a few other youngsters. There's nothing to lose.

[perfectionist]

Spelling and grammar is quite presentable for someone who's obviously had one too many sherrys tonight.

I don't drink at the football. But I actually saw his performance at the ground rather than listened to the game on the radio or watched it on TV. Of all the players to take the kick from the out on the full it had to be him. It was a 100% certainty that he would stuff it up and he did.

[dragit]

I was wrong.

Cheers.

[SaintPav]

Get your hand off it Perfectionist. Seriously, aren't you exaggerating a little bit?

[HelenR]

I was at the ground as well. Not watching on tv or listening on the radio. What I saw were mistakes sure but there was pressure and intensity from the opposition. Mistakes were made by more experienced players than Jack. I guess not everyone can be a "perfectionist" like Perfectionist. Easy to sit on the other side of the fence and be a critic. Why support the Saints when all you do is bag them.

[perfectionist]

.. Why support the Saints when all you do is bag them.

Wrong. I bag him, not them. Read some of my posts about other players before you make such a stupid comment.

[Jacks Back]

40% disposal efficiency tonight. That's not good.

[Richter]

Clearly poor kicking of the footy tonight and needs to learn how to use the ball more effectiviely. Trouble tonight was that with him, Polo, Jones and Gilbert running through the midfield/forward line that's probably two poor kicks more than you can afford through that area.

[HelenR]

Did you not bag Geary and Gilbert as well. My god when you bag three players in the one post I consider that bagging them. Give us some positive comments about other Saints players from tonight's game and maybe it will change my opinion but as far as I have seen in this post it is a continuation of u bagging them - the team. As far as it being a stupid comment, support is support and you don't show much when we lose. Tonight was disappointing but Jack was not the worst . If he was maybe he should of been subbed off instead of Polo.

[perfectionist]

Did you not bag Geary and Gilbert as well...

No, I said they were better than Jackie, despite their mistakes.

Here is something that you learn after watching football for 50 years. There is really only one skill that matters in football and that's kicking. You can have 18 players who do the right thing all game, but three or four turnover merchants will loose it for you every time. Their first two goals came from Jack's errors. He finished up being the opponent to Darren Jolly when he marked and kicked their third. Can't really blame him for that but he didn't even make a contest. Then there was the bouncing the ball into his knee incident. I've never seen that before in AFL/VFL football. Our comeback in the third all occurred when he was off the ground. In the last quarter, he made two crucial errors that cost us the game. He will never improve. He is not fast enough to run away from (decent) opponents, he is not tall enough to take any sort of mark overhead and he lacks foot skills, not being able to even kick forty metres. I've seen it all before. The only way to success to get rid of poor kicks and try new players. If they aren't good enough then they have to be churned as well. Otherwise, you can resign yourself to never seeing the team win a flag, and settle for making excuses for dud players.

[evo]

Spelling and grammar is quite presentable for someone who's obviously had one too many sherrys tonight.

I don't drink at the football. But I actually saw his performance at the ground rather than listened to the game on the radio or watched it on TV. Of all the players to take the kick from the out on the full it had to be him. It was a 100% certainty that he would stuff it up and he did.

Jack will improve his kicking I am sure, I doubt that you however. will ever improve your posts...

[HelenR]

Yes those Geary and Gilbert comments were so complimentary, I really can't wait to see an actual good comment about a player. Whatever keep on bagging cos that's no doubt what you have done over the last 50 years of watching football. I have been watching for 35 years and unless I have some power at the club the best I can do is support the club and the team, even when we lose. That is what I have done and will continue to do. We lost by a goal and i don't think Jack was the only one to blame. It is a team game so maybe the team is to blame, goals instead of points, easy marks dropped, kick outs straight to opposition. Again I say easy to be a critic from the other side of the fence. Watchers have so much more experience.

[Scollop]

FAAAARKING full of it, if you think that Jack is THE worst ever!! What a ridiculous statement!! Then you trot out some diarrhea explanation. Should Geelong have dumped Hawkins two years ago because he couldn't get a touch and when he got it, he couldn't kick? Like SainterK said; the kid has played under 50 games.

Jack is playing midfield now and he's been good overall for 2012, but with Milne and Schneids retiring he could be a permanent forward in a year or two. Like a lot of others have told you; we would not be able to field a team if we were getting rid of kids that make mistakes. Do you want Milne dropped for his mistakes, do you want Roo dropped for not kicking straight? Jack Steven will improve. You won't because you're a stodgy, grumpy old turd

[barks4eva]

Jack Steven is a very important player for us

this thread is a disgrace

[Ghost Like]

If you've watched footy for over 50 years, try for the next year with your eyes open because I can't believe you've never seen a player make a bad bounce or get a bad bounce when running with the football...amazing! Jack Steven constantly runs to contests and more importantly runs from one side of the ground to the other to try to pressure an opposition ball carrier whilst some of his team mates are more than happy to run up and down in the square, basically no man's land. Jack Steven will become a very important player for us over the next few years, post Lenny, by then I suspect you will have your sights set on some other 2nd or 3rd year player!

I do agree with you in regards to players who turn the ball over or fail to at least kick it to the advantage of a player. It's very hard for our 15 players to beat the other 21 on the field who manage to kick it to each other. Not just last night but over a long period, we have been let down by the disposal of Jones, Gram and Gilbert. Two don't have right sides and suspect left sides whilst the other bombs one from outside 50 at a rate of one in fifty whilst the other 49 simply bomb! It would be great to have them all with the class and decision making of Dal or BJ but they don't, so until we get some games into more kids with exceptional footskills we will struggle as we make do with them. Which makes me ask, why was Polo given another game ahead of a kid that could use the experience and development???

[SydneySainter]

The more I see Steven kick, the less he looks AFL standard.

Actually, he isn't AFL at this stage.

[gringo]

Wow constructive, honest, brutal, imbecilic, misguided and naive all in one. Steven is one of our few quick players, he also contests hard and has good skills when gathering the ball. He is relatively inexperienced and will get better. You either don't watch much footy or have a few issues with being let down by your sporting heroes.

[SydneySainter]

Wow constructive, honest, brutal, imbecilic, misguided and naive all in one. Steven is one of our few quick players, he also contests hard and has good skills when gathering the ball. He is relatively inexperienced and will get better. You either don't watch much footy or have a few issues with being let down by your sporting heroes.

I think some of the observations on Steven are perfectly warranted.

Yes, he's quick, can find the footy and has goal sense. Doesn't mean supporters can't acknowledge that his foot skills let him down.

At this stage, his foot skills aren't AFL standard and that's just the hard, honest truth.