Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mjp
Does anyone else feel the same as me or is all of the positive press we have been reading accurate?
It's easy to ignore words, especially in this case as it's second hand via Croz.
You can't ignore actions though and Libba was back training two weeks before he had to be. Players who are 'just going through the motions' don't do that.
I'm bullish on some players (very on some - Dunkley) and worried about others (run line through Boyd, Bailey Dale is a concern, can we deal with Doc's occasional brain fades and do teams work out Daniel down back?).
Libba strangely is not one I'm particularly worried about even though I have doubts about his lateral movement after two knee recos.
Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
Found some comments here really hard to read but can't argue with them. I am an unabashed Libba fan and although his 2017 was terrible he wasn't our worst. He has a lot of paying back to do and turning up 2 weeks early really has started that off on a great note our midfield is far far superior with a fit Libba and I am hoping he has a big year.
Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
I'm hoping the fact that not 1 club seemed to approach him last season is a huge kick up the bum that gets him going again.
Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
One thing that Libba has going for him Dahl doesn't is that he is an elite talent. If Libba has a day where he gave 90% he's still probably a decent contributor. When he gives 100% (and is fit) he's elite. We haven't seen it since 2014 sadly (2016 IMO he was still not his best coming back from the knee) so the question of if we'll get to see it again is valid.
Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
Some valid points raised, but underneath the joker exterior is a pretty proud kid who no doubt loves playing footy with his mates.. everyone says he is the ultimate team-mate and you can see that by the way he plays & supports his team-mates on the field (how many times is he first on the scene when there is a scrimmage or to push over the offending player when Toby has drawn a free from a head-high tackle?)... but as mentioned he's pretty close to having this taken away and I don't think that sits all that well. His body looks cut and by reading the reports he seems to have given himself every chance to play some really good footy.
Whilst he will never get back to his form in 2013-4 when he was the best extractor of the contested ball in the competition, we probably don't need him to given he has a much better support crew to work with, but at 80-90% of this is still an extremely valuable commodity given his elite vision and distribution skills.
Hope he has a good run at it as I'm sure we will be happy with the results.
Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
Libba more than most is a hard person to read. He doesn’t participate in a lot of the media bubble - he’s not going to pop up as a regular on SEN. Whatever motivates him is much more mysterious than for most.
The knee reconstructions may have prompted realisation that footy mortality is short and reignited his desire to play his best possible footy, or he may have absorbed the reality that hard work doesn’t guarantee good fortune.
It’s hard to read anything into these formulaic articles. We’re not exactly going to read: “Crozier dumps on Libba. Says his team mate is selfish and lazy.”
Every year players are “flying”, “in the best shape of their lives.” Many of the articles could be cut and paste from previous years. It’s the real season that tells the tale, and I really hope we’ll see a 2019 Libba who is sound in body and mind, because at his best he offers us something unique and valuable.
Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
I'm expecting a lot from Libba, he has shown us what he's capable of, I want to see it again
Re: Libba 'flying' as he prepares for comeback: Crozier
Some good posts. I'm hoping for Nathan Jones type consistency. No off-field stuff.