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WellardSaint wrote:That sniper-accurate kick to Nick, lace-out, how effin good was that.
How many times has Nick got a hamstring-strainer aimed at his toes?
He got none, tonight
As was the deep kick to the skipper, after the Curren handball. Roo needed it deep as he had worked in behind Hurley and his 2nd opponent. I reckon Roo knew who had it, pointed to his right and a little back, Jack saw the signal, belted the cover off it to get it there quickly and dropped it over the top and into Roo's lap. Roo only needed a 1 step block, to interrupt Hurley working back (the 3rd man couldn't get there because the ball got there quickly), then just complete the chest mark.
I reckon Roo will enjoy the young fella having the ball in his hands. A very high probability Roo will get it just where he wants it.
And, if you watch the replay you'll see Jack at the next contest, not long after he's been involved in the previous, or actually delivered it. He puts himself about, does Jack.
'I have no new illusions, and I have no old illusions' - Vladimir Putin, Geneva, June 2021
Old Mate wrote:It's hard to compare Billings to a single player. Definitely a bit of Stevie J, a little Schneider and a lot of Jimmy Bartel IMO. Very strong above head and clean with the ball. Doesn't fumble. Can find distance with his kicking very quickly. That pass to Schneider in the goal square was sublime.
Yeah, Old Mate, after seeing some footage I went with bits of Johnson and Bartel, too. Like Bartel, he's surprisingly strong when he's off the ground and against bigger bodies. And, he can do it from various angles, too. Bartel's listed at 187cm, Jack at 184. Just pinch a few centimetres of late growth (he's still 18) and the "bit of" comparison will get some more legs.
He's a great package, is young Jack.
'I have no new illusions, and I have no old illusions' - Vladimir Putin, Geneva, June 2021
WellardSaint wrote:That sniper-accurate kick to Nick, lace-out, how effin good was that.
How many times has Nick got a hamstring-strainer aimed at his toes?
He got none, tonight
As was the deep kick to the skipper, after the Curren handball. Roo needed it deep as he had worked in behind Hurley and his 2nd opponent. I reckon Roo knew who had it, pointed to his right and a little back, Jack saw the signal, belted the cover off it to get it there quickly and dropped it over the top and into Roo's lap. Roo only needed a 1 step block, to interrupt Hurley working back (the 3rd man couldn't get there because the ball got there quickly), then just complete the chest mark.
I reckon Roo will enjoy the young fella having the ball in his hands. A very high probability Roo will get it just where he wants it.
And, if you watch the replay you'll see Jack at the next contest, not long after he's been involved in the previous, or actually delivered it. He puts himself about, does Jack.
That delivery was beautiful. Rooey didn't have to run 600 meters and crash a pack to win the mark. He'd have another 100 career goals if he had more of that kicking coming in. I talked to Jack at the JO training and I thought he and Eli were about 12 months off because of their size. They both seriously look about 13. How he has transitioned so quickly is amazing. He is a really quiet shy kid and looked like he would take ages to adapt to the lime light. Great recruiting.
Haven't seen any footage of last night's game. Those who went/ watched can you give me any insight into how he will played for the rest of the season...vest candidate, regular, in /out of team., etc.
Schillaci wrote:Haven't seen any footage of last night's game. Those who went/ watched can you give me any insight into how he will played for the rest of the season...vest candidate, regular, in /out of team., etc.
Hard to tell, Grey Horse. It'll depend on how his body stands up. But, given his lack of training in his last 2 years of TAC Cup, the late start newly drafted kids get, doing his quad(?) in Colorado and the way he performed last night, I reckon he'll play most games if he can stay perpendicular.
One of the main reasons is he is very efficient when he's got it. You could play around with how you use him, depending on his physical condition, and still get productive output from him. He's good close to goal, so you could leave him around there if he's a bit flat physically. He could a lot of damage with relatively low possession numbers.
'I have no new illusions, and I have no old illusions' - Vladimir Putin, Geneva, June 2021
Schillaci wrote:Haven't seen any footage of last night's game. Those who went/ watched can you give me any insight into how he will played for the rest of the season...vest candidate, regular, in /out of team., etc.
Hard to tell, Grey Horse. It'll depend on how his body stands up. But, given his lack of training in his last 2 years of TAC Cup, the late start newly drafted kids get, doing his quad(?) in Colorado and the way he performed last night, I reckon he'll play most games if he can stay perpendicular.
One of the main reasons is he is very efficient when he's got it. You could play around with how you use him, depending on his physical condition, and still get productive output from him. He's good close to goal, so you could leave him around there if he's a bit flat physically. He could a lot of damage with relatively low possession numbers.
Yep, very similar to Schneider in that each of their possessions generally have more value than most.
Old Mate wrote:It's hard to compare Billings to a single player. Definitely a bit of Stevie J, a little Schneider and a lot of Jimmy Bartel IMO. Very strong above head and clean with the ball. Doesn't fumble. Can find distance with his kicking very quickly. That pass to Schneider in the goal square was sublime.
It was a great pass OM. I thought Scheiderman was going to stuff it up when he didn't initially take the ball cleanly.
Apart from those guys, when I think of Billings I also think of Robbie Gray. Though he was a steal at pick 55.
Holder of unacceptable views and other thought crimes.
Schillaci wrote:Haven't seen any footage of last night's game. Those who went/ watched can you give me any insight into how he will played for the rest of the season...vest candidate, regular, in /out of team., etc.
As far as talent goes, he's clearly good enough to play every week. He'll set up goals with his precise foot skills and jag one or two himself most weeks. However they'll definitely manage his workload with spells in the VFL and wearing the vest.
"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates." - Earvin 'Magic' Johnson
I think that's the best way to put it. He has 'it'.
Knows what to do with the ball before he gets it. Knows exactly where to be, exactly where to put it. And he's got the skills to do exactly what he's thinking. And he's already thinking about the next move before he's even got rid of it! (Eg. the 1-2 handball that lead to his first goal).
Just shown some fantastic glimpses, the running goal 2 weeks ago in the VFL from 50 - he knew he was kicking that as soon as he got it. Then the cheeky kick along the boundary a bit later. Precision. Not to mention the set shot from 50, and the 2 goals from brilliant roving/placement.
An incredibly smart footballer, with the skills to match it.
'Lordy Mama' it's hard to keep a lid on the excitement about young Jack.
One of my ploys was to suggest he doesn't seem overly quick. Well, that broke down when I saw a replay of the "Gameday" segment with Richardson in the 'comfy chair'. Matthews struck the first blow when he mentioned being struck by Billings' "enormous" acceleration.
Then Richardson killed it off my ploy completely, when he agreed and commented on young Jack being deceptive because of the length of his stride, a la Rhys Jones, and went on to say just well equipped the young fella is physically. Given coaches of the more conservative school, like Richardson, ain't prone to overstatement, I'm having an increasingly difficult job even locating the lid, let alone keeping it on.
'I have no new illusions, and I have no old illusions' - Vladimir Putin, Geneva, June 2021
The OtherThommo wrote:'Lordy Mama' it's hard to keep a lid on the excitement about young Jack.
One of my ploys was to suggest he doesn't seem overly quick. Well, that broke down when I saw a replay of the "Gameday" segment with Richardson in the 'comfy chair'. Matthews struck the first blow when he mentioned being struck by Billings' "enormous" acceleration.
Then Richardson killed it off my ploy completely, when he agreed and commented on young Jack being deceptive because of the length of his stride, a la Rhys Jones, and went on to say just well equipped the young fella is physically. Given coaches of the more conservative school, like Richardson, ain't prone to overstatement, I'm having an increasingly difficult job even locating the lid, let alone keeping it on.
The kid will be a star ToT. We've known he's been blessed with natural talent but its his footy IQ that's often understated. He looks to be a step ahead of the rest. And he has a knack of bobbing up in crucial moments of games - a match winner.
The OtherThommo wrote:'Lordy Mama' it's hard to keep a lid on the excitement about young Jack.
One of my ploys was to suggest he doesn't seem overly quick. Well, that broke down when I saw a replay of the "Gameday" segment with Richardson in the 'comfy chair'. Matthews struck the first blow when he mentioned being struck by Billings' "enormous" acceleration.
Then Richardson killed it off my ploy completely, when he agreed and commented on young Jack being deceptive because of the length of his stride, a la Rhys Jones, and went on to say just well equipped the young fella is physically. Given coaches of the more conservative school, like Richardson, ain't prone to overstatement, I'm having an increasingly difficult job even locating the lid, let alone keeping it on.
The kid will be a star ToT. We've known he's been blessed with natural talent but its his footy IQ that's often understated. He looks to be a step ahead of the rest. And he has a knack of bobbing up in crucial moments of games - a match winner.
Then, OM, we see a 79 second interview with him after the game, and hear him describe how he felt going into his 1st full AFL game, against the side he followed up until we drafted him. Overconfident and cocky? Nup. Sense of destiny? Absofreakinglutely. Throw in Hudson describing him as very coachable after his 1st full game at Sandy, and the picture starts to form. Then tales from inside the Billings' family home, from the bloke who is repainting it, who I know (and he's a Saints' man), and reckons he's a terrific, level headed kid with an uncomplicated outlook, and the confidence grows, again.
mick13 wrote: And he's already thinking about the next move before he's even got rid of it! (Eg. the 1-2 handball that lead to his first goal).
Curren was equally as smart in that exchange - he held the ball up brilliantly just enough to draw the chasing Essendon players towards him and allow Billings to get away forward
It is this smart team play that I was more excited about - including a few multiple handball exchanges during the game to get us out of a few tight situations
It was a great team effort and it was glorious to watch
Will get tagged as he is so talented and can hurt you with the ball.
But will be hard to tag all of Billings, Steven, Acres, Dunstan, Eli et al in years to come
Lance or James??
There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in <redacted>. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a <redacted>investigation followed by <redacted> witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for <redacted>and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense. (Oops just got a spontaneous errection <unredacted>)
There was a situation where he did a banana off the side of his boot to dribble the ball along the ground to a teammate, instead of hand passing it in order to avoid an opponent intercepting the ball. Footy smarts and amazing skill!
