Zak Jones

[skeptic]

People are getting hung up on the mental health thing… but I think the point that’s being made is not so much about strikes or “faking” mental health as an excuse for whatever…

Rather it’s a question about whether Zak is actually willing/capable of doing the work.

It’s no coincidence that the most durable/fittest mids weren’t that because of luck…
The Hayes, Harvey, Dal, Monty, Goddard, Steele, Sinclair, Hill (at peak) etc are that way because of their prep/fitness/recovery focus. Most of those players players had the odd impact injury but were quite durable overall despite heavy work rate, bash and crash or speed etc

Right or wrong, the stories have been coming out of the club around a drinking culture and Jones is one player that has been implicated in it quite a bit.
Famously at the start of this year, I believe ITKs here (I may be mistaken) posted that one of senior mids was told to get off the booze or he won’t be played. Implication was it was Jones albeit no names were shared.

For me… the question is to make a judgment call as to whether or not Zac will
a) Do the work
b) Hasn’t stuffed his body up too much to the point that he can’t do the work now without getting injured.

1 year contract suggests to me that the club is satisfied he’ll give it a good go but aren’t convinced he can do it

[Otiman]

It makes me wonder these questions:

How much of our recruiting and poor performing/availabiliity players after a trade is on the club's footy culture?

How many more games would Hannebery, Jones, and McCartin have played in an elite environment?

It's also a bit of an insight as to why mature aged recruits have been so good for us.

[ctqs]

Disappointing result. His skills aren't up to it.

[shanegrambeau]

I think we need to do anything possible to win a game.

Whatever it takes.

We call Zac a midfielder

Our midfield is (...............)

He wasn't a midfielder at Sydney

He was a flanker

But he gives some anger and drive and he has that burst away speed, which the others have no capacity to do, except Hill, who is a bantom weight dancer on the wing.

So

if he is our 'grunt' factor , well, we better be grateful, because no one else so far - and yes - no Pou, no Windy has shown that tunnel ball terrior vibe except for mister Ronnie Byrnes, whom we think RTB likes, as opposed to another Crouch/Ross ..Witness the plight of poor Jack Bytel.

[SaintDippa]

On exposed form, foot skills are not top 8 AFL standard. If true and has been given another year, hopefully can still be improved over the break. As it is we're carrying more butchers than Ringwood Costco.

[Otiman]

On exposed form, foot skills are not top 8 AFL standard. If true and has been given another year, hopefully can still be improved over the break. As it is we're carrying more butchers than Ringwood Costco.

Footskills are less about actual footskills and more about having the ball in clear air.

Reducing pressure on the kicker with good outside mids that can spread and find space will improve the footskills of the whole team. To do this you need genuine inside mids, and genuine outside mids.