Jason Blake

[Dan Warna]

3rd most accurate kick in the league, 2nd best kick in the team for accurate kicks behind zac dawson...

100 odd kicks in 12 games, close to 90% accuracy.

i think on this years form, this should end the 'blake is a dud' threads.

you folks are so focussed on his negatives, you forget to see what he does brink to the club.

you know robert harvey was't such a great overhead mark...

blake is flawed, but he would have to be one of the best GOPs in the competition.

[marksnsparks]

Interesting stats. I agree, he's a GOP who rarely does anything wrong other than add to the freekick count a bit too much.

You need guys like him in your side doing the unheralded stuff to win a flag.

[claystreet]

Nah drop him trade him send him to the Gold Coast



Nothing wrong with the Blake, i think he does all the great clubman things, wish people would get off his case. Hes not going to be dropped hes not going anywhere and i hope the Blake haters eat humble pie.

Go The Blake

[Dan Warna]

<shrug> as free kicks for and against he's not too bad, but he usually gets a player thats considerably higher rated than him.

he's probably the most underrated player in the team, but frankly if one of your GOPs is taking 3 or 4 marks a game, and 10 kicks a game with 90% accuracy and your direct opponent kicks less than 1 1/2 goals a game, then you have a bargain...

sure you are slotting into a good defence, but each piece adds to the total.

[3rd generation saint]

I also hear that he is the best endurance runner at the club, isn't as slow as some think and is still running strongly in last quarter when others are tired.
Get's the best out of himself every week and would bleed red white and black.

[Zippy]

Awesome stat - thanks Dan.

Blake's great value - a good versatile utility.

He's about to hit 150 games - that's a well-deserved milestone. It'd be great if he could stay playing for a couple more seasons to make 200.

[SainterK]

Jason Blake does a great job, I'm a fan...

[Winmar7Fan]

<shrug> as free kicks for and against he's not too bad, but he usually gets a player thats considerably higher rated than him.

he's probably the most underrated player in the team, but frankly if one of your GOPs is taking 3 or 4 marks a game, and 10 kicks a game with 90% accuracy and your direct opponent kicks less than 1 1/2 goals a game, then you have a bargain...

sure you are slotting into a good defence, but each piece adds to the total.

Yeah great stats I love stats. Based on just those stats alone he's obviously giving his opp players a belting week in week out. Out of a million stats lets just pick out a few that make the small picture look good.

10 kicks with 90 % accuracy chipping across and backwards 15 meters to players zoning on their own running down the clock. Blake across to Zac back to Blake backwards to Gwilt on his own in goal square etc.

What about all the other stats? How many times he falls over himself? How many marks he drops? How many fumbles etc where are all these stats?

Opponents kicking less than 1 1/2 goals a game? What about all the rest of their stats? I'm sure they have some stats that can look like they gave Blake a bath.

I'm not a Blake hater I think he's a tail ender that can do a good job on the day playing at his best and very ordinary the rest of the time.

Unfortunately too many starry eyed supporters can't handle any player being criticised what so ever defensively trying to build them up into something their not.

[saint66au]

Unfortunately too many starry eyed supporters can't handle any player being criticised what so ever defensively trying to build them up into something their not.

...and conversely there are also those who seem to think that anyone who doesnt average 30 touches, 8 tackles and 4 goals are trade bait (just an observation btw not painting you with that brush )

[Saints43]

Unfortunately too many starry eyed supporters can't handle any player being criticised what so ever defensively trying to build them up into something their not.

...and conversely there are also those who seem to think that anyone who doesnt average 30 touches, 8 tackles and 4 goals are trade bait (just an observation btw not painting you with that brush )

Players should be judged on one thing in a salary capped competition:

Bang For Buck.

Blakey's nine year - four coach AFL career will continue in this environment because he provides our club with terrific value for money.

Look at base level payment players from other clubs and then compare them to The Blake.

[saintsRrising]

3rd most accurate kick in the league, 2nd best kick in the team for accurate kicks behind zac dawson...

100 odd kicks in 12 games, close to 90% accuracy.

.

There are stats and stats.....and this is classic one to be taken out of context.

Backmen dominate this stat as they have a large proportion of kicks which are chipped sideways or backwards to teammates in space where the margin for error is great as you can mis-kick and the target will still get the ball as he is alone.

The same mis-kick to a forward target will see the ball spoilt or marked by the opposition and hence will show up as an ineffective kick..


Goddard is a much more accurate kick that Blake. If you think Blake is better kick you are dreaming.

But BJ is the guy that has to make the "hot" kick forward to a contested situation...often made harder by kicking it 50/60 m...rtaher than an easy 20-30 m back or sidewards.

A backmen can also often kick the ball under little pressure...as the opposition wait for the ball. Whereas a midfielder or forward will normally be pinced upon nad have to kick under pressure.

[stinger]

3rd most accurate kick in the league, 2nd best kick in the team for accurate kicks behind zac dawson...

100 odd kicks in 12 games, close to 90% accuracy.

i think on this years form, this should end the 'blake is a dud' threads.

you folks are so focussed on his negatives, you forget to see what he does brink to the club.

you know robert harvey was't such a great overhead mark...

blake is flawed, but he would have to be one of the best GOPs in the competition.

makes the idiots that diss him all the time............well,,,,,,,,,,idiots....but we knew that already......blind freddie can see his benefit to the team............go the blake.......stick it up 'em......


whilst zac is the top kick for accuracy and jason next best......when it comes to handball, zac is rated third behind baker and ,,,wait for it.....blake...

...combining both......zac overall is the best......the efforts to down play both zac's and jasons efforts on the basis that they are backmen and chip the ball a lot doesn't really wash.....as the next best two for kicking accuracy...or efficiency ...are sam fisher and sam gilbert,,,,but they are way...way behind the other two........with over 20% difference between zac and sam gilbert...


anyway.....read the rticle for yourselves....


"
Ad

sport
Give it to Zac Dawson
Ar

Mark Robinson

June 19, 2009 11:30pm

WHEN Zac Dawson lined up for the match-winning goal against Carlton two weeks ago, many watchers would have had hope more than confidence.

Not his former Box Hill coach Damien Christensen.

Nor the Champion Data stats gurus.

It might surprise, but Dawson's kicking efficiency is 94 per cent, which makes him No. 1 at St Kilda and, for players who have had more than 50 kicks, clearly the most accurate in the competition.

Urged to handball more than kick at Hawthorn, where Dawson eked out just 14 games in four years, he has flourished at the Saints.

Of his 70 kicks this year, just four have been ineffective.

Of his 75 handballs, just eight have missed their mark. Of Saints players who have had more than 50 handballs, Dawson is ranked third (89.3 per cent), behind Steve Baker (92.3) and Jason Blake (91.3).

Overall, his disposal efficiency is 91.7 per cent, which places him No. 1 at the club.

So, when the awkward-looking left-footer had the ball in his hands against the Blues, Christensen had no doubts.

Christensen was quick to offer that Dawson was drafted as a key forward.

He was even quicker in saying Dawson was an original member of his 2009 SuperCoach team. "He was a bargain," Christensen said.

"And I was confident he was going to kick it against Carlton, he's a pretty good kick, Zac, a long kick.

"I threw him forward in a few games.

"He had a couple of pretty good years. There was a patch there when he was playing really good footy at full-back, but he couldn't get a game.

"In reality, in VFL and through TAC, he has been pretty solid at both ends of the paddock."

Christensen coached Dawson in 2006 and 2007 at Box Hill and has seen the improvement first-hand, mainly under Hawthorn's specialist kicking coach David Raft, and defensive specialists Danny Frawley and Ross Smith, and now Stephen Silvagni at St Kilda.

"Zac was pretty unlucky in lots of ways," Christensen said. "Stephen Gilham came in and at the time Steve was a pretty good kick and at the end of the day that was probably the difference (between them) at the time."

With Dawson, as with most players, kicking was mental more than anything, Christensen said.

"Rather than thinking of the positive you're thinking the negative when you've got possession," he said.

"Now he keeps it simple. He picks the best option and pulls the trigger, the first option, he doesn't think about it. He sees a target, turns and hits it.

"Obviously he's grown in confidence in his ability to play league footy. Sometimes for many players it is a mental game and once they get over that mental barrier they are away.

"You can see it, he's taking a few more risks. There was one moment a few weeks ago . . . he got around a bloke, got off a handball, and I think it ended up being a goal up the other end. In the past, as a young kid, I think he might've frozen a little bit and rushed it through, and you can't do that now.

"He's come along in leaps and bounds."

Dawson's matchwinner was a dream result for the former Doutta Stars and Calder Cannons junior, but his talent by foot goes far beyond the dagger he delivered to the Blues.

Dawson has become an crucial member of St Kilda's pin-point defence.

While Dawson tops the list in kicking efficiency, four of the top six at St Kilda are defenders.

It reads Dawson at 94.3 per cent, followed by Max Hudghton (90.9), Jason Blake (87.9), Ben McEvoy (83.3), Sam Fisher (77.9) and Sam Gilbert (77.2).

Hudghton and McEvoy have played two and three games respectively so their percentages lack depth of numbers so, effectively, St Kilda's top four most efficient kicks are defenders.

The evidence is overwhelming -- St Kilda's defence is the one of the main catalysts for the team's 12-zip run.

That four of the six players have played deep defence (Dawson, Blake, Fisher, Gilbert) tells us 1: the group is crisp with its disposal, and 2: it is able to distribute the ball without having colossal pressure applied by opposition teams.

Their percentages show the Saints set up by kicking short -- on the switch, to their ball carriers, to each other.

Champion Data guru Ted Hopkins labelled Dawson's output outstanding and St Kilda's defence as integral.

"The thing about Dawson and Blake is they don't get the ball a lot, but what I think is happening -- and it's

a team thing as well, because St Kilda is so dominant at keeping opposition teams on the back foot -- the ball's really not getting deep into the opposition forward line in a threatening manner.

"People who are good thinkers, who can kick the ball like Dawson and Blake, they are getting

very good efficiency out of the backline, really fantastic numbers, and I think it's because opponents are struggling to put pressure on them."

That's the key.

Clubs have identified "forward pressure" as a vitally important ingredient to success, but they ain't, as yet, applying the blowtorch to St Kilda's back six.

Planning against the Saints, at a guess, would start with matching up in the midfield and then dealing with Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke and the pesky Stephen Milne.

Instead, the statistics show, as did the Blues two Friday nights back, that to beat St Kilda, or get close, clubs also have to disrupt the clean getaways from defence.

Too frequently, the Saints are able to effortlessly get their first kick away, which has to be curtailed.

Of course, efficiency ratings at all clubs are dominated by defenders, but not to the numbers of St Kilda's.

"Backline players who run deep are expected to be able to hit their targets because they've got wide open spaces in front of them and plenty of options," Hopkins said.

"What we find is deep defenders have an effectiveness rate about 16 per cent more than the players who are upfield and really have to hit sharp targets.

"Overall, Dawson and Jason Blake are outstanding at kicking the ball.

"The average kicking efficiency for a St Kilda player is about 67 per cent and you have to put in 16 per cent expected improvement of backline players, but it still makes them very good."

[Dan Warna]

goddard is one of the top players at st kilda and in the competition.

if goddard was on the open market, he would be going for 500k or so.

to compare blake to goddard is a bit unfair.

blake is blake, and he is a valuable player, goddard is one of the guns of the competition and could play almost anywhere on the ground including CHF.

yes goddard is better than blake...

[stinger]

goddard is one of the top players at st kilda and in the competition.

if goddard was on the open market, he would be going for 500k or so.

to compare blake to goddard is a bit unfair.

blake is blake, and he is a valuable player, goddard is one of the guns of the competition and could play almost anywhere on the ground including CHF.

yes goddard is better than blake...

that's a given...but blake isn't the mug footballer he is made out to be...or as i heard one carscum suporter refer to him at the ground,...a real spastic.....

[saintsRrising]

yes goddard is better than blake...

Well you may but it was your OP and opening line that asserted that Blake was the third most accurate kick in the competition.

He is not.

He is not even the third most accrurate/best kick at St Kilda.

Following stats blindly may be interesting, but you will often just end up in meaningless blind alleys .

This is one such blind alley.

[derby Street]

Interesting stat about Blakes effective kicks - based on that I am not sure why I go into a panic everytime he does kick it "I scream at the tele give it to Dal, give it to Goddard " Even so he is a very versatile & much under rated player

[Sainterman]

yes goddard is better than blake...

Well you may but it was your OP and opening line that asserted that Blake was the third most accurate kick in the competition.

He is not.

He is not even the third most accrurate/best kick at St Kilda.

Following stats blindly may be interesting, but you will often just end up in meaningless blind alleys .

This is one such blind alley.

I find it interesting though that the stats here show that our backline has been the best performed in the comp. We have 3 of the top 7 or 8 for accuracy, and all are in our backline. Zac, Blake and Max (granted Max has not had that many stats). Seems that as a whole they are going pretty well. Are these stats then still meaningless when viewed in this context?

I agree all defenders have better stats, I think the article mentions that they are generally 16% better off than others on the ground in terms of accuracy. These guys in our backline are also playing well above this, factoring in the 16%.

Take it all as you like, but I think stats still have some relevancy, particularly when viewed in a wider context such as these are in the article from this mornings Herald Sun.

[Pwoit]

Gotta love the blake

[docsaint]

Unfortunately too many starry eyed supporters can't handle any player being criticised what so ever defensively trying to build them up into something their not.

...and conversely there are also those who seem to think that anyone who doesnt average 30 touches, 8 tackles and 4 goals are trade bait (just an observation btw not painting you with that brush )

Players should be judged on one thing in a salary capped competition:

Bang For Buck.

Blakey's nine year - four coach AFL career will continue in this environment because he provides our club with terrific value for money.

Look at base level payment players from other clubs and then compare them to The Blake.

fantastic comment, he is great value for money

[Sam23]

lol so going by them stats

Zac Dawson and Jason Blake are better kicks than the following; Brendan Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Aaron Davey, Gary Ablett, Joel Corey, Leigh Montagna etc etc etc

pls

[bergholt]

whilst zac is the top kick for accuracy and jason next best......when it comes to handball, zac is rated third behind baker and ,,,wait for it.....blake...

...combining both......zac overall is the best......the efforts to down play both zac's and jasons efforts on the basis that they are backmen and chip the ball a lot doesn't really wash.....as the next best two for kicking accuracy...or efficiency ...are sam fisher and sam gilbert,,,,but they are way...way behind the other two........with over 20% difference between zac and sam gilbert...

i don't think it's coincidence that the five highest players for disposal efficiency in the side - six including max - happen to be our starting backmen.

there are two possible explanations for this:

1: we put all the players who are best users of the ball back in defence.

2: playing in defence makes it easier to dispose of the ball effectively.

which do you think it is?

[Leo.J]

yes goddard is better than blake...

Well you may but it was your OP and opening line that asserted that Blake was the third most accurate kick in the competition.

He is not.

He is not even the third most accrurate/best kick at St Kilda.

Following stats blindly may be interesting, but you will often just end up in meaningless blind alleys .

This is one such blind alley.

Opposition clubs intentionally leave the likes of Dawson and Blake on their own because they would prefer these guys kicking rather than other guys like Goddard.

The good thing for the Saints is that as a result of getting the ball a bit Zac's confidence has improved, and now he is taking risks with some penetrating kicks. Whereas Blake hasn't really improved.

Now Max is back he'll be the prefered defender to have the ball by oppositions.

[Dan Warna]

isn't our defence the most effective to date in 2009?

they must be doing something right down back given what a bunch of hack dolts they are ...

[bigcarl]

isn't our defence the most effective to date in 2009?they must be doing something right down back given what a bunch of hack dolts they are ...

agree. but there is a legitimate concern that a backline containing blake, dawson and hudghton can be exploited for lack of run.

no reason to recast it entirely, though, a tall defence being one of our great strengths.

[stinger]

lol so going by them stats

Zac Dawson and Jason Blake are better kicks than the following; Brendan Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Aaron Davey, Gary Ablett, Joel Corey, Leigh Montagna etc etc etc

pls

well.....more effective at least.......95% of zac's kicks have ended up with a team mate...and 89% of his handpasses.......the figures for jason are 88% of kicks and 91% of handpasses end up in the hands of a teammate........
the 5th on the list, kossi misses with nearly a third of his kicks.......the the two nicks and joey are not as effective as kossi.......better kicks..?.sure....more accurate..?..maybe.........more effective...?..obviously not......end of story..........and it is only an article....but an interesting one....