where to now for Rix? (And Brooks!)

[st_Trav_ofWA]

would rather hang onto Brooks than Rix

agreed

at brooks has the tools to make the grade, rix is VFL standard, in fact he struggled at VFL level this year.

Personally I believe they will wait a few weeks to see how gards pulls up.

Rix who played in almost all of the saints games this year is VFL level yet the mangod Brooks whos potential is sooo huge its yet to be seen has not played in any game except that heroic performance in a game when in all honestly the fans were the next best option to play

seriously this love in for brooks is getting insane

Rix > Brooks

need proof who got chosen in the selected side more ????

[n1ck]

what about proof as to whos been kept on the list longer? by two coaches?

[Zed]

1 has a big heart but no talent. The other has buckets of talent but no heart.

what a shame we couldnt combine the 2

[Viking3]

Spot on Zed. Rix is a battler and will never be anything better. What he does give us is 100% effort at the contest. Brooks has exceptional skills for a big man but lacks the motivation or a bit of grunt to take the next step. If we could put Rix's heart in Brooks we would have a player better than Cox.

[Teflon]

Gardiners feets the only thing of interest here...

To me hes the X factor - can go fwd and monster in the ruck...King in a support role for mine......

Lets hope we havent given Gardiner a nice 2 year holiday for zip in return..........even though we got him for stuff all (and it was worth it IMO)....youd like to see him on the park a tad.

[The_Dud]

basically, you add up all the pros and cons, and you end up with Rix > Brooks

so Rix should be kept ahead of Brooks

so is our dream set up next year (if everything turns out its best) Gardiner 1st ruck, King 2nd, Kosi permanent Full Forward?

[st_Trav_ofWA]

what about proof as to whos been kept on the list longer? by two coaches?

rix was drafted late brooks was kep by lyon cause hackland walked GT kept brooks cause he gave ap two big picks for him

brooks isnt half the player Rix is and rix is bearly half the player the AFL demands so you work it out

[Solar]

what about proof as to whos been kept on the list longer? by two coaches?

rix was drafted late brooks was kep by lyon cause hackland walked GT kept brooks cause he gave ap two big picks for him

brooks isnt half the player Rix is and rix is bearly half the player the AFL demands so you work it out

my arguement is that brooks is worth more because he could play forward pretty well as well as pitch rucking. Rix is average at best, yes he gives his all but he does not have the tools.

Personally the trade period has changed my view on who should go. If I was in charge I would delist brooks, rix and mxqualter and draft a 18yr old ruck with a later national draft pick.

If we do get into the situation where our top 3 rucks go down (kosi, gards and king) then I would rather give the likes of VR or a draftee a shot at it then go in with only 21 players which happens when you select rix.

[saintsrule]

he'll get a few games

[skeptic]

See this 100% effort thing is one of the biggest used car salesman lines ever

you know who else gave 100% effort... Mark McGough, Trent Knobel, Justin Plapp, Matthew Clarke etc etc see my point?

I'm not a particularly big Brooks fan but surely he's a better bet than Rix... Got nothing against Rix personally but he does NOTHING. He's not good enough at the tap work and offers nothing around the ground... his best performance ever = not too bad.

Brooks is more or less coming into prime and should be able to improve, this is the best of Rix we'll ever see... the BEST as in it only gets worse from here.

I just don't see where the positive is in keeping Rix, i'd rather blood a youngster

[OneEyedSainter77]

1 has a big heart but no talent. The other has buckets of talent but no heart.

what a shame we couldnt combine the 2

lol, why, then we'd have somone with noe heart and no talent.... oh wait, you were talking about the other attributes...

[st_Trav_ofWA]

See this 100% effort thing is one of the biggest used car salesman lines ever

you know who else gave 100% effort... Mark McGough, Trent Knobel, Justin Plapp, Matthew Clarke etc etc see my point?

I'm not a particularly big Brooks fan but surely he's a better bet than Rix... Got nothing against Rix personally but he does NOTHING. He's not good enough at the tap work and offers nothing around the ground... his best performance ever = not too bad.

Brooks is more or less coming into prime and should be able to improve, this is the best of Rix we'll ever see... the BEST as in it only gets worse from here.

I just don't see where the positive is in keeping Rix, i'd rather blood a youngster

your right all players should be giving 100% but some players dont have a look at this years dome game against the WC doc clarke looked as intrested in the game as a person watching grass grow

the up side to rix is he put his body on the line and give chase and at least create a contest

brooks well he'll still be playing in the scorps

[skeptic]

the up side to rix is he put his body on the line and give chase and at least create a contest

which all equates to nothing... he gave a chase = lagged behind his opponent, gets to the contest but may as well not have... puts his body on the line, what does that even mean, some of u guys are so caught up in cliches

Always tries 100%
Has a big heart
Has a big engine
Makes a contest
Chases
You know what you're going to get
Will compete

These are all terms used to find positives about players that have no skill, talent or room to improve.

His ruckwork is ok against the second string ruckman but he can't compete with the big boys

He's SLOW

He wins NO BALL

His tackling is not that good

Can't take a contested mark

His disposal is WOEFUL which is why he always handballs

Doesn't know where to run... at least Doc would put himself in useful spots

He's a virtual pedestrian after the ball is bounced... the rumours of him pbeing able to play as a backman are just that

I still don't see the appeal

[st_Trav_ofWA]

the up side to rix is he put his body on the line and give chase and at least create a contest

which all equates to nothing... he gave a chase = lagged behind his opponent, gets to the contest but may as well not have... puts his body on the line, what does that even mean, some of u guys are so caught up in cliches

Always tries 100%
Has a big heart
Has a big engine
Makes a contest
Chases
You know what you're going to get
Will compete

These are all terms used to find positives about players that have no skill, talent or room to improve.

His ruckwork is ok against the second string ruckman but he can't compete with the big boys

He's SLOW

He wins NO BALL

His tackling is not that good

Can't take a contested mark

His disposal is WOEFUL which is why he always handballs

Doesn't know where to run... at least Doc would put himself in useful spots

He's a virtual pedestrian after the ball is bounced... the rumours of him pbeing able to play as a backman are just that

I still don't see the appeal

thats fair hes not a top 22 player no one (with the exception of B4E ) would say that but he is better then brooks

you talk about cliches what about
potental to burn
will come good if given a chance
is a handy forward option ??
where have these things been proven for Brooks ?
rix is average and should prob. not get a game if gardi and king get on the ground but brooks is substandard and wouldnt get a game with Rix Blake or hackland on the ground

[sunsaint]

Skeptic you and few others have an agenda about Rix,
But i strongly suggest you get yourself copies of games, and sit down and actually watch his play. Then and only then will you realise why he gets a game and Brooks doesnt.
Cant tackle??? I have seen Rix run past Del Santo to run down the opposition, in a text book tackle rewarded with a free.
Speed??? He gave Dal Santo a ten metre head start to do it.
Holds his own in the center square, more taps than anyone else this year.
Yeah he cant kick to save himself, but only a handful of ruckman in the history of the game have ever been able to.
His pluses far outweigh the five years of waiting for the talent of Brooks to burst onto the scene. I dont mind people having favourite players. But you have to balance it with a touch of reality now and then.

[spert]

Coaches look for a good work ethic and it's obvious that's what Rix has and although he is doesn't trouble the stats like some, his hard body work and contesting is why he gets games. Brooks on the other hand must lack something along those lines or he would be in the seniors on a regular basis -looks like another bloke with a lot of potential who can't make the next step. Watts has shown me absolutley nothing to say he should get a senior game...big and slow.

[skeptic]

I don't have an agenda against Rix, I just don't rate him... i don't think he offers anything to the team at all.

I don't think Brooks is much better but I acknowledge the fact that he can catch the ball and roost it...
its looking like his career will amount to nothing and he'll kick himself for not working harder but i just think that if he plays 15 games next season he provide a lot more than Rix if plays 15 games

[Squizzy1970]

Skeptic you and few others have an agenda about Rix,
But i strongly suggest you get yourself copies of games, and sit down and actually watch his play. Then and only then will you realise why he gets a game and Brooks doesnt.
Cant tackle??? I have seen Rix run past Del Santo to run down the opposition, in a text book tackle rewarded with a free.
Speed??? He gave Dal Santo a ten metre head start to do it.
Holds his own in the center square, more taps than anyone else this year.
Yeah he cant kick to save himself, but only a handful of ruckman in the history of the game have ever been able to.
His pluses far outweigh the five years of waiting for the talent of Brooks to burst onto the scene. I dont mind people having favourite players. But you have to balance it with a touch of reality now and then.

100% spot on - Rix is quick for his size, desparate and tackles well. Can't kick and doesn't yet run to the right spots, but this is better than a loafer (and he will improve despite a flurry of blog commentary to the contrary). Don't try and rate the bloke as a No 1 ruckman - he's a good backup given the other three (King, Gardiner and Kosi) have had their injury concerns.

[barks4eva]

the up side to rix is he put his body on the line and give chase and at least create a contest

which all equates to nothing...

puts his body on the line, what does that even mean,

He's SLOW

Finished 5th in the time trials

your assertion is pure myth, with NO basis in reality

His tackling is not that good

absloute tripe


Sure he needs to improve and there is every reason to believe that he can, IMHO

Rix is a goliath of a man, doesn't get pushed aside and I still firmly believe that he will continue to improve and be an asset to us

[Dan Warna]

LOL b4e

Seriously is he like your younger brother or something?

[rodgerfox]

Rix is a big man who doesn't play a big man's game.

Doesn't take pack marks, and spends far too much time on his hands and knees.

He's in the team as a big man. A ruckman. But he offers nothing in this department.

If we want a bloke laying tackles and playing 'stacks on' at stoppages, we should get McGough back or lure Powell out of retirement.

I like Rix. But someone needs to teach him how to play footy like a bloke of his size should.

[RBnW]

Rix gives everything every time he plays, Brooks was like a box of chocolates....

[Solar]

Seriously B4E I would take blake over rix every day of the week. Rix is useless once the ball has been bounced, he averages less then 5 posessions a match, cannot kick over 30 metres (there were several times last season he struggled to make the distance over 30, at least ball has a reason for this!!). Cannot take a contested mark, thus is useless going forward to drifting back in front of the opposition forwards.

We seriously play one down when he is on, the guy has a big heart but so do alot of VFL standard players but going that next level can find you out. Heck he was struggling for casey in the last 3 matches of the year.

If king and gards stand up rix will not play another AFL game again.

[rodgerfox]

Rix gives everything every time he plays, Brooks was like a box of chocolates....

What type of chocolates?

I knew what we were getting everytime Brooks played. No surprises there.

[To the top]

We cannot find any commentary on the fact that we only retain 4 players 197cm and over on the main list (ex rookies) albeit that the Draft and Pre-season draft are ahead of us.

The 4 remaining are King, Gardiner, Rix and Kosi.

And this looks terribly thin to us, especially given the injury history of King and Gardiner, the ability of Rix and the preference that Kosi not ruck but play as a key forward.

We can summise that Lyon likes ruck dominance because he has recruited M. Clarke, Gardiner and King and has Van Reehan on the rookie list - so does he have someone up his sleeve to address the risk profile deficiency?

Who at 197cm and over is in the pre-season Draft?

And will we re-draft someone who has been delisted (aka Ferguson last year)?

Comments - informed of course - for we who are approaching ex-pat status!