What's happened to Jack Steven?

[Legendary]

In the first 7-8 weeks this year, we had one of the competition's genuine A-grade midfielders.

Since the mid-season bye, that same player has struggled to impact games - a good quarter here and there, but no consistency of performance.

Is it injury? Tagging? What's the cause?

It's seriously impacted our results. Rather than having a reliable A-grader who delivers each week with 2 or 3 bad games a year, Steven has been B-grade at best in the second half of 2017.

Yes, we've seen significant improvement from Ross, Billings, Acres, Sinclair and the addition of Steele, all of whom have further upside. Dunstan's last month has also been very good.

But none of those guys (except Ross) are consistently A-grade. And there's no doubt we need more cream.

Has Jack Steven peaked? Have we seen the best of him? Can he become a consistent A-grade midfielder in 2018, or will he never reach that level?

[WellardSaint]

In the first 7-8 weeks this year, we had one of the competition's genuine A-grade midfielders.

Since the mid-season bye, that same player has struggled to impact games - a good quarter here and there, but no consistency of performance.

Is it injury? Tagging? What's the cause?

It's seriously impacted our results. Rather than having a reliable A-grader who delivers each week with 2 or 3 bad games a year, Steven has been B-grade at best in the second half of 2017.

Yes, we've seen significant improvement from Ross, Billings, Acres, Sinclair and the addition of Steele, all of whom have further upside. Dunstan's last month has also been very good.

But none of those guys (except Ross) are consistently A-grade. And there's no doubt we need more cream.

Has Jack Steven peaked? Have we seen the best of him? Can he become a consistent A-grade midfielder in 2018, or will he never reach that level?

one or two folks suggested the punctured lung in Perth has affected him a lot?
A couple of games after he returned, he was wearing padding to protect the ribs, and was seen to be holding his ribs.

Given that he got injured months ago, why should it still be affecting him?

[tony74]

Dodgy groin.

[WellardSaint]

this year, he's averaged about 25 disposals
Importantly, he seems to go missing for long stretches in games, unsighted.
Has stopped breaking the lines with his big runs.

He won't even make Top 10 in this year's B n F...

[Junction Oval]

As Tony said, a dodgy groin. You can see it if you watch him closely, especially at stoppages, when he tries to ease the pain.

He is no longer being tightly tagged all day, so we are missing a former key contributor. Let's hope that he can recover for 2018, although groins can be long term, nagging injuries.

[CURLY]

As Tony said, a dodgy groin. You can see it if you watch him closely, especially at stoppages, when he tries to ease the pain.

He is no longer being tightly tagged all day, so we are missing a former key contributor. Let's hope that he can recover for 2018, although groins can be long term, nagging injuries.

He is getting tagged weekly.

[WellardSaint]

As Tony said, a dodgy groin. You can see it if you watch him closely, especially at stoppages, when he tries to ease the pain.

He is no longer being tightly tagged all day, so we are missing a former key contributor. Let's hope that he can recover for 2018, although groins can be long term, nagging injuries.

He is getting tagged weekly.

No, he is getting tagged strongly

[spert]

Out of form and needs to be "managed" or dropped from the team as he is not providing us with the run and line-breaking we need.

[Vazelos]

I predict after the season we will find out he was carrying an injury that was bothering him more than we knew.
You can't drop off from 3 years of elite form in your peak for no reason.
Upside is he can get back to that form next year.

[saintsRrising]

I predict after the season we will find out he was carrying an injury that was bothering him more than we knew.
You can't drop off from 3 years of elite form in your peak for no reason.
Upside is he can get back to that form next year.

It was said above that he has a groin problem.

The punctured lung may have set him back fora bit as well.

[bigred]

Love to see how you lot would be going running 10+ kms per week after taking only two weeks off for a punctured lung.

This Jack gets a pass regardless.

Least of our worries.

[older saint]

looks like carrying something

[skeptic]

So he has a dodgy groin... we choose not to rest him... NEVER rest him. Not even for a little bit.

No let's continuously play an injury hampered player.

It's strange though, for some reason our strategy of playing hampered midfielders has not improved the midfield fadeouts that have plagued us all season.

Why is that?

But maybe if we do it more, it'll get better.



The motto of the Saints: we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas

[thejiggingsaint]

In the first 7-8 weeks this year, we had one of the competition's genuine A-grade midfielders.

Since the mid-season bye, that same player has struggled to impact games - a good quarter here and there, but no consistency of performance.

Is it injury? Tagging? What's the cause?

It's seriously impacted our results. Rather than having a reliable A-grader who delivers each week with 2 or 3 bad games a year, Steven has been B-grade at best in the second half of 2017.

Yes, we've seen significant improvement from Ross, Billings, Acres, Sinclair and the addition of Steele, all of whom have further upside. Dunstan's last month has also been very good.

But none of those guys (except Ross) are consistently A-grade. And there's no doubt we need more cream.

Has Jack Steven peaked? Have we seen the best of him? Can he become a consistent A-grade midfielder in 2018, or will he never reach that level?

Punctured lung? Could be one reason. Let the guy get rested up in the off season, recruit a gun midfielder and let's revisit the question next season. (IMHO )

[Proph3t of egan]

In regards to his burst of play in the 3rd quarter of the Melbourne game, I heard Mark Fine of the footyology podcast say that he has been self-managong through games, as he starts off faulty low and then later in the game pushes into another gear. I've certainly noticed it over the past few weeks.

Hard to be at your best when your best players isn't at his best

[To the top]

Looks to be true glint physically

Plus he is missing his partner in crime being Number 20

Big loss

[The Fireman]

burnt out while trying to bolster a mediocre side ?

[thejiggingsaint]

The punctured lung couldn't have done him any good whatsoever. Time to look toward next season, and getting Jack back to full fitness again.

[parkeysainter]

Punctured lung in Rd 2 floored him. Bad injury to get in any sport, especially AFL.

He's probably been playing injured all year. One of those injuries that effects a player 10 or 15% but its not enough to stop playing. Maybe Jack refused to rest also as it wouldn't achieve anything.

Apparantly Dal Santo faced the same problem with his hamstring in late 09 which lasted right up until GF day.

[thejiggingsaint]

Punctured lung in Rd 2 floored him. Bad injury to get in any sport, especially AFL.

He's probably been playing injured all year. One of those injuries that effects a player 10 or 15% but its not enough to stop playing. Maybe Jack refused to rest also as it wouldn't achieve anything.

Apparantly Dal Santo faced the same problem with his hamstring in late 09 which lasted right up until GF day.

Yes mate, the punctured lung "floored" not only young Jack, but also our hopes. A lot of our woes can be traced back to that loss and the manner in which it occurred. No point in crying about it now, we need to get the guy back to good health again!

[saint-stu]

Looks to be true glint physically

Plus he is missing his partner in crime being Number 20

Big loss

Exactly, how much better would we be with full fit Stuv and Armo? Also Ross playing well and Billings giving his best every week. Josh Kelly might just be the icing on the cake

[thejiggingsaint]

Looks to be true glint physically

Plus he is missing his partner in crime being Number 20

Big loss

Exactly, how much better would we be with full fit Stuv and Armo? Also Ross playing well and Billings giving his best every week. Josh Kelly might just be the icing on the cake

I do hope you're not coming on here spreading a little bit of positivity Saint-stu!

[Sainternist]

Poor Jackie Boy needs to recuperate after this season is done. He'll be back to his former self next year.

[thejiggingsaint]

Poor Jackie Boy needs to recuperate after this season is done. He'll be back to his former self next year.

Positivity alert!

[Moods]

I just don't get it. The obvious thing to do is to rest him. If he was impacting games and playing well like Roo used to be able to do with injuries then yes, keep playing him. But he's obviously affected by it. So we have our only possible A grader who's playing like a b-c grader and we hope that he'll magically become an A grader again.

I note that at the start of the year Kieran Jack was woeful for the Swans. They rested him for a good 4-6 week period and now .... he's back to his best form again. I don't know. It seems obvious, but maybe it isn't. Too late now in any event. May as well run him completely into the ground.....