AFL Game Day - Round 2, 2025

[jeemak]

Fair enough, but the coach shouldn't have brought it up the way he did. Was he using it as an excuse for Gawn being beaten?

Pretty much.

[Uninformed]

Couldn't be happier for Jacko at the moment. The game changed over the last few years and we needed to inject pace into our mix, and unfortunately that pushed him to the periphery and he's not a peripheral player (and posters might know I advocated for him to replace Libba as our main source midfielder, due to Libba's concussion history - which I'm looking silly for given Libba's form).

Here's how he's started his career at the Saints vs. his last All Australian season with us in 2021:

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_compare?playerStatus1=A&tid1=16&playerStatus2=A&ti d2=16&type=A&pid1=3800&pid2=3800&fid1=S&fid2=P&fopt2=2021

Here's how he's going vs. Libba for this season:

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_compare?playerStatus1=A&tid1=16&playerStatus2=A&ti d2=8&type=A&pid1=3800&pid2=3486&fid1=S&fid2=S

Jack's metres gained in round one weren't great from memory, so he's a bit behind his 2021 numbers of 462. Libba's have been good and perhaps it's just a part of his game I don't notice enough (Footywire hasn't got his career number, but last year he was averaging 293m, so this year is a massive step up), it's maybe something he's had to lift in lieu of Bont being out.

Both of these guys use the ball really well. Jack needs, as always, to hit the scoreboard more.

The comparison between these two will be a good watch this season.

It is great to see Jacko doing well. He compares well with Libba, but there is only one Libba! Shows that there is only that one spot per team though.

With one exception I am always happy to see players we trade out do well even if we really wanted to keep them. It is a business and a living these days. A couple I forgot to mention are Lewis Young and Patty Lipinsky too.