Akermanis

[southerncross]

Is everyone still confident that Akermanis can make the same type of impact that we all hoped for once we traded for him?
Currently he looks a fair way out of his best form and we might not see him at his best until the 2nd half of the season.

[Mantis]

Re: Akermanis

Is everyone still confident that Akermanis can make the same type of impact that we all hoped for once we traded for him?
Currently he looks a fair way out of his best form and we might not see him at his best until the 2nd half of the season.

Depends what our expectations were after we acquired him. Personally I think he will add a bit of polish to the team with his excellent skills and a bit of experience to a fairly inexperienced group. He isn't the player he once was, age has slowed down the body, but his footy smarts still make him a very valuable player.

It will take him time to find his role in the team, but as you have mentioned, he will be a very important player for us at the business end of the season.

[Raw Toast]

Re: Akermanis

Didn't see the game this weekend but it sounded like he used his vision and footskills to slice through the Hawks a fair few times and was one of our better players.

Think he'll be best as a contributor with moments of magic rather than the single go-to player (hopefully he'll be one of many). Like Johnno, I think he needs to not try and do everything, but he's already shown a willingness to create for others and sacrifice his game where need be.

I think we need to get games into him as he's still adjusting to our game-style and other players will be still adjusting to the options he provides. As long as we can get him fit for the end of the year I'm still confident he'll add a fair bit to the team.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Akermanis

A couple of his kicks into the F50 at the Ponsford end were excellent. Just his vision and execution.
I thought he was playing pretty good game until the last quarter, and we had a few that had bad last quarters. He missed an easy goal, in the last if recall and got caught with the ball.

[Bornadog]

Re: Akermanis

We have to remember, Aka didn't play any games from July last year till round one this year. I must admit, I expected more magic from him, especially Sunday, twice when he was running into goal from 50 metres, I expected the ball to sail through. Other than that, I think he is getting better each time we see him and I would expect to see him in top form by the time we play Brisbane?

[GVGjr]

Re: Akermanis

We have to remember, Aka didn't play any games from July last year till round one this year. I must admit, I expected more magic from him, especially Sunday, twice when he was running into goal from 50 metres, I expected the ball to sail through. Other than that, I think he is getting better each time we see him and I would expect to see him in top form by the time we play Brisbane?

We just haven't seem him at his best and I hope the hamstring injuries are not going to be something that limits him throughout the season.

[dog town]

Re: Akermanis

I have enjoyed his contribution so far. I was not expecting him to be in AA form but am hoping that he can influence matches. He has not done that yet but he needs time to adjust back into the pace of the game. He didn't play for quite a while and then has been 2 weeks in 2 weeks out since he got back. If his hamstring holds up he will be very good for us. This week is a perfect opportunity for him to continue the upward curve in his form. On a big ground like Subi he will have plenty of one on one contests which I think he tends to thrive on.

In all 3 games he has shown patches of brilliance and has got better in every game.

Geelong- Pretty quiet but a nice goal

Crows- Tackled like a man possesed and it was clear he was trying to lift us with a string of touches and a big mark before he got injured.

Hawks- Best game for the club and showed a bit of his old flair .

[GVGjr]

Re: Akermanis

I listened to Aker tonight talk about how he is not happy with his own form and how at age 30 things aren't quite as easy as previous years. Aker is a true professional and at home behind the microphone and kept everyone laughing.

He will bounce back in a couple of weeks.

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Akermanis

I listened to Aker tonight talk about how he is not happy with his own form and how at age 30 things aren't quite as easy as previous years. Aker is a true professional and at home behind the microphone and kept everyone laughing.

He will bounce back in a couple of weeks.

He will you know. He is coming good, slowly but he is on his way.

[BulldogBelle]

Re: Akermanis

I listened to Aker tonight talk about how he is not happy with his own form and how at age 30 things aren't quite as easy as previous years. Aker is a true professional and at home behind the microphone and kept everyone laughing.

He will bounce back in a couple of weeks.

Yes, he is not afraid to admit he is not happy with his form at the moment, it will take time such a big change for him. As you mentioned a couple of weeks and he will bounce back.

[Go_Dogs]

Re: Akermanis

I think his game on the weekend was easily the best he's played for us. By round 12 expect him to be hitting his best form, and starting to feel a lot more comfortable with our gameplan. I've been very impressed with his defensive skills too - something that I didn't REALLY notice during his time at Brisbane, I guess as I was more focused on his skills and goal kicking ability.

[Bornadog]

Re: Akermanis

I am a little concerned about Akers disposals, many times he has looked good when he has grabbed a posession, but his passing has been wayward and has turned many balls over? Is this because he was out for so long and still finding his way? We had a great opportunity for a goal in the last quarter but his pass to Murphy was all over the place, mind you Murph didn't help with changing his mind when leading, but Aker kicked ity straight to the WC player. He has done this a few times over the past few weeks.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Re: Akermanis

I am a little concerned about Akers disposals, many times he has looked good when he has grabbed a posession, but his passing has been wayward and has turned many balls over? Is this because he was out for so long and still finding his way? We had a great opportunity for a goal in the last quarter but his pass to Murphy was all over the place, mind you Murph didn't help with changing his mind when leading, but Aker kicked ity straight to the WC player. He has done this a few times over the past few weeks.

I wonder if more of his kicking issues, are issues of trying to reprogram the brain about where to kick to under our game plan as opposed to a bomb it long to Lynch and JBrown approach.

I've also notice he seems to try and bring others into the game by kicking them the ball sometimes not in the best spots.

What do others think?

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Akermanis

Aker's kicking doesn't worry me at all, it will come back for him. Class is permanent, form is temporary.

If he's lost a yard of pace, that would worry me.

[southerncross]

Re: Akermanis

Eade: Hamstring fears restrict Aker

A LACK of trust in his body is the reason for the missing zip in Jason Akermanis's game at the moment, according to Rodney Eade.

Off the leash: veteran Bulldog Nathan Eagleton turns to kick at training at Whitten Oval yesterday. Picture: Michael Klein
The Western Bulldogs coach said yesterday his boom recruit was still working his way back from hamstring problems and that is why his speed and penetration in his kicking appeared down.
"I think it is just getting trust in his body," Eade said.
"It is just continuity. He's had hamstring problems twice over the pre-season and once during the season.
"I think he is just getting confident in his body and I think he'll need another two or three weeks really to get back to what we know he can do."
He said the three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player and Brownlow medallist was frustrated with his recent below-par performances.
"All good players set standards of what they want to achieve," Eade said.
"Jason showed a little on the weekend (against West Coast), especially early with his first 1 1/2 quarters being really good.
"He is not far away. I think anyone who sets high standards is going to want to get to those standards again."
Eade said the 30-year-old, who missed two weeks after injuring a hamstring in Round 2 against Adelaide, showed on the training track he had lost none of his brilliant kicking skills.
"I think it is more mental because he has shown at training he has got his pace and that he can kick long," he said.
"His second kick on Saturday when we got our first goal, he kicked that 55-60m so I think it is just about having confidence in his body."
Another Bulldogs veteran, Brett Montgomery, is having troubles with a neck injury, which is keeping him sidelined longer than expected.
Montgomery was cleaned up in Round 1 against Geelong and was initially diagnosed with bruised ribs.
"He's struggled a bit," Eade said. "He had that knock and it has affected his neck, which is sore. He hasn't played since then and we don't know how long it will be.
"It's more on the side of caution because we don't want to put his career in jeopardy or his quality of life after footy."
The Dogs will be without forward Robert Murphy for three weeks after he strained a hamstring against West Coast. Mitch Hahn, who had a knee reconstruction last year, is a chance to replace him against Melbourne on Sunday at Telstra Dome.
EADE is hoping the AFL will cut him some slack over his comments about umpiring.
Eade is one of four coaches, along with Sydney's Paul Roos, Essendon's Kevin Sheedy and Melbourne's Neale Daniher, who have been sent "please explain" letters for discussing the umpires over the weekend.
Eade coach was responding to questions at his post-match media conference about the free kicks paid to Eagles stars such as Chris Judd.
"I think there's two things to it -- one: I don't think I criticised the umpires, but two: there's obviously the fact that you're not supposed to comment on umpires," Eade said.
"I understand that. I fully respect the umpires and certainly the job they do. I certainly understand the AFL's thoughts on it, because we're trying to recruit officials and umpires. That's why they have the rule in place.
He said he was yet to speak to umpires' coach Rowan Sawers as he was preparing video edits to back up his point.
"There are the right channels, as I noted in my comments after the game. After one question I said that I would go through the right channels and talk to Rowan," Eade said.
"Hopefully the AFL can look at that and say I was going to go through the right channels. That's the intent."