Taken For Granted

[ledge]

I tend to think Jones would be better as the CHF.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Jarrad Grant has a unique combination of skills, being a very good mark, fast, tall and with a quick football mind. However my anxiety tells me he has a very poor mentality which leaves his skills unfulfilled. He is like A. Everitt in that regard and the antithesis of a Boyd or Dale Morris who have the mental skill of being able to get the best out of themselves. Instead he shoots himself in the foot. It is hard for this type of player to change their character and mindset. Hopefully this is just my anxiety but talent is nothing without character and application. He needs success and experience. He needs to believe its his ball and that he belongs out there.

[the banker]

Jarrad Grant has a unique combination of skills, being a very good mark, fast, tall and with a quick football mind. However my anxiety tells me he has a very poor mentality which leaves his skills unfulfilled. He is like A. Everitt in that regard and the antithesis of a Boyd or Dale Morris who have the mental skill of being able to get the best out of themselves. Instead he shoots himself in the foot. It is hard for this type of player to change their character and mindset. Hopefully this is just my anxiety but talent is nothing without character and application. He needs success and experience. He needs to believe its his ball and that he belongs out there.

This

[Bulldog Joe]

I think he is an exceptional talent. He needs to be played deep forward, leading high, then dropping behind the last line of defenders. He has the pace to be effective doing that, hopefully his repeat effort endurance has improved to enable him to do so. Any suggestion that we send a developing forward to the half back line is a bit silly IMO. He needs time and continuity in his best position.

I see Grant as perfectly equipped to play the role that a fully fit Bobby Murphy excelled at in 08/09.

He has terrific pace and good hands and if he just could put in the work with continual leads he would burn off most defenders and become a really creative weapon.

He has been around long enough now to have developed some sort of endurance to play that type of role.

This would also allow Jones to be deeper and become a great one-on-one marking option closer to goal.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

I see Grant as perfectly equipped to play the role that a fully fit Bobby Murphy excelled at in 08/09.

He has terrific pace and good hands and if he just could put in the work with continual leads he would burn off most defenders and become a really creative weapon.

He has been around long enough now to have developed some sort of endurance to play that type of role.

This would also allow Jones to be deeper and become a great one-on-one marking option closer to goal.

I agree wholeheartedly but he cannot become that player unless he can see himself as that player and that may be very difficult for his personality. Not everyone can do that. If he can't visualise it himself and believe it, it ain't gonna happen.
I remember the first game he played. He would linger near the ball but not go for it. He would get to the contest and wait for it to come to him. He's great with the ball in his hands, but believing you are the one that should have it more than anyone else out there, and getting it, is another skill altogether that comes to many without thinking but if it doesn't come naturally its hard to believe you belong at the level. Nathan Ablett, Shane Loveless, Andres Everitt etc.

[mjp]

I see Grant as perfectly equipped to play the role that a fully fit Bobby Murphy excelled at in 08/09.

I disagree. He can't kick well enough to hit the 'next' target the way that Murphy is able too. Grant becomes a ball stopper up high - he cannot hit the next target and he knows it, so he is burdened by indecision and slow to move the ball on.

Needs to play deeper.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

From that article he doesn's sound like a guy who doesn't care about his performance, which is great considering that seemed to be a bit of a knock on him through his actions on the field.

Some players really need to learn about being a balanced person and footballer the hard way, whether they make it from that point is speculative, though if they don't make the realisation they're no chance. Hopefully the comments from Grant in the article aren't all about the required lip service and rhetoric, and he matures into a rounded individual with diverse interests and attributes. He'll be a much better footballer if he gets that right.

I think he is an exceptional talent. He needs to be played deep forward, leading high, then dropping behind the last line of defenders. He has the pace to be effective doing that, hopefully his repeat effort endurance has improved to enable him to do so. Any suggestion that we send a developing forward to the half back line is a bit silly IMO. He needs time and continuity in his best position.

You could hardly say that Grant has exceptional talent.
Began to show some ability in 2010 after an injury wracked career. Showed little application and desire last year. An indifferent kicking style is a concern.A rejuvenated Grant to support Liam Jones would do wonders for a forward line that lacks class.

[Mantis]

I disagree. He can't kick well enough to hit the 'next' target the way that Murphy is able too. Grant becomes a ball stopper up high - he cannot hit the next target and he knows it, so he is burdened by indecision and slow to move the ball on.

Needs to play deeper.

Yep. Probably doesn't have the tank to play a 'high' role too.

He needs to play deep and to use his pace on the lead.

[jeemak]

You could hardly say that Grant has exceptional talent.
Began to show some ability in 2010 after an injury wracked career. Showed little application and desire last year. An indifferent kicking style is a concern.A rejuvenated Grant to support Liam Jones would do wonders for a forward line that lacks class.

I'm fairly comfortable with saying he does. For me the only skill related query on him is his goal kicking technique, while he has a very good leap and is extremely quick. He is also creative with his hands.

What he hasn't had to this point is the consistent run with his body and attitude. His one good year to date wasn't capitalised on, whether his attitude was poor or he had cooked his own brain with expectation as the article suggests I'm not too sure.

[Ghost Dog]

I disagree. He can't kick well enough to hit the 'next' target the way that Murphy is able too. Grant becomes a ball stopper up high - he cannot hit the next target and he knows it, so he is burdened by indecision and slow to move the ball on.

Needs to play deeper.

Ok MJP. For me, it's ALL about his ability to kick well or lack of. If he could just finish a bit better, everything would flow from there. He has so many other strings to his bow. Pace, good hands, good brains, tall enough. It all comes back to his foot and that has to be focused on intensively. His ability to kick will tie the package together or leave fans very frustrated. I hope Barry can spend more time with him.
Hally has an action like a well oiled machine - rarely seen one better in recent AFL forward.

[ledge]

Ok MJP. For me, it's ALL about his ability to kick well or lack of. If he could just finish a bit better, everything would flow from there. He has so many other strings to his bow. Pace, good hands, good brains, tall enough. It all comes back to his foot and that has to be focused on intensively. His ability to kick will tie the package together or leave fans very frustrated. I hope Barry can spend more time with him.
Hally has an action like a well oiled machine - rarely seen one better in recent AFL forward.

Panos if he makes it

[BulldogBelle]

Yep. Probably doesn't have the tank to play a 'high' role too.

He needs to play deep and to use his pace on the lead.

His endurance is limited

Even playing deep as a defensive forward he doesnt seem to have the mongrel or endurance to chase the oppositions defenders

If he could play deep as a Full Forward, use his pace on the lead, develop his endurance to chase opposition defenders all day, and kick 40+ goals this season we would all be over the moon

[Sockeye Salmon]

His endurance is limited

Even playing deep as a defensive forward he doesnt seem to have the mongrel or endurance to chase the oppositions defenders

If he could play deep as a Full Forward, use his pace on the lead, develop his endurance to chase opposition defenders all day, and kick 40+ goals this season we would all be over the moon

You left out cure cancer and bring peace to the Middle East

[Bulldog Joe]

I disagree. He can't kick well enough to hit the 'next' target the way that Murphy is able too. Grant becomes a ball stopper up high - he cannot hit the next target and he knows it, so he is burdened by indecision and slow to move the ball on.

Needs to play deeper.

You are consigning him to deep forward as he can't venture outside 50 if he can't hit a target.

Surely they can build a structure that would have a good ball user going past if his delivery is to remain an issue.

What he does have is good hands without the ability for the real contested mark. He also has terrific pace.

Quick leads and good hands surely makes his best ball winning as the leading target.
When he starts to get plenty of possession he will be contributing much more than he did in 2011.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

When he was drafted, contested marking as noted as one of his main strengths. In his few early games, he showed this too -- particularly that night v Fletcher in the NAB Cup game.

That element of his game has certainly gone missing (save face for the one he took v Melbourne).

Perhaps the coaches really are playing him out of position, and as a result, his game has hit a downward spiral. We recruited him as a FF -- but we continue to try and make him be a HFF.

When drafted, Grant said he "wanted to be the man" in the forward line. I'd like to see us throw it over to Grant, put him at FF, and say "be" the man.

I can see us treating Liam Jones as Barry Hall, whereby EVERY passage of play gets directed through him, even if he's got four on him.