Where's Gia's Bake?

[LostDoggy]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

Interesting that 30 disposals has been mentioned a few times as if it is some sort of benchmark. Only Boyd has averaged that this year, and nobody averaged that last year at the Bulldogs.

FWIW Gia is in the top ten in disposal average this year for the Bulldogs - as he was last year.

Lies, Lies and statistics!

Supporters place too much empahsis on the raw statistics of disposals. How does one compare Boyd's 30 possessions with Morris' 10?

Gia spends nothing like the time in the midfield as Cooney, Boyd or Cross, yet supporters look down the stats list after the game and note Gia had ONLY 16 disposals or somebody else had 17.

How much time were they on the ground, what position did they play, what role were they given, how did their direct opponent match their figures?

These are the issues which need to be considered alongside the raw stats.

[Doc26]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

Hows he go in the media, revving up the troops and selling the club?

Boyd seems like someone who would lead by example, but there is more involved nowadays as a captain of a football club.

Bob Murphy would be my choice.

I wouldn't be too critical of Boydy in his ability to be able to market the club beyond what we see each week on field. From hearing him talk at our last couple of B&F award nights he speaks from the heart and with inspiration. Certainly wanted me to pull on the boots again. With more opportunity and experience he would rise to the occasion as he has done since being promoted off the rookie list.

Who does this remind you of? (Hint: he wears number 29 for Geelong)
What do the Cats do? Play through him at every opportunity, protect him at all costs
The result - a brownlow and a premiership

Hugely oversimplified I know, but especially when you are going forward, you want the ball in the hands of the player with the best skills to hit up a target. I don't think we should accept Gia will never be a 30-possession player, I can tell you now I would rather 30 from Gia than Boyd.

Gia needs to get involved and present, and the rest of the side need to use him.

Griff, I see little comparison with GAJ and Gia other than Gia sits more on the 'skill' side of the ledger. GAJ does get his own ball, can break tackles with ease and goes like a bullet train and his skills are better probably due to the fact that often he has more time to dispose of it.

With that said I agree with the sentiment that Gia needs to find a way of getting himself involved when it matters rather than rising in junk time or simply skiing downhill. What he has to offer the Dogs in 2010 through his finishing ability could well be the difference in going all the way - we need him more than many to rise to the occasion.

[Mofra]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

With that said I agree with the sentiment that Gia needs to find a way of getting himself involved when it matters rather than rising in junk time king or simply being a downhill skier. What he has to offer the Dogs in 2010 through his finishing ability could well be the difference in going all the way - we need him more than many to rise to the occasion.

Shoot me down, but I think some of Gia's best work is in close. When most players just blaze away, on many occassions he finds an extra half second and actually delivers the ball to advantage, which is a rare skill that cannot be taught (and not obvious from the grandstand so I can understand the criticism).

In the third quarter last week he was surrounded by Hawk players, and Hall was our only forward. Instead of kicking to an out of position Hall, he found a way, in traffic, to hold the ball up until Hall could find a small break on his opponent. Gia then delivered the ball, under pressure, to Hall lace-out. That is the edge he brings to the side but never gets credit for.

[Ozza]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

^^^

I remember that and it was brilliant.

I also remember when Gia got what many people would say was a 'soft goal' in the first half - when in reality - he broke off his opponent in the centre and sprinted 80metres towards goal to get it in the goal square.
He's a very very smart player, in close or in space. Not everyone can bust open packs, and its not everyone's role to be doing that.

[Desipura]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

^^^

I remember that and it was brilliant.

I also remember when Gia got what many people would say was a 'soft goal' in the first half - when in reality - he broke off his opponent in the centre and sprinted 80metres towards goal to get it in the goal square.
He's a very very smart player, in close or in space. Not everyone can bust open packs, and its not everyone's role to be doing that.

Has he ever sprinted?

[Mofra]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

Gia doesn't need a bake - apart from Eagleton, no player in the last decade has been marked as harshly or is put under more scrutiny by Bulldog supporters.

Has he ever sprinted?

I think as a board we can do better than this

[Cyberdoggie]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

Last year Gia managed to turn my opinion of him around. He was running hard without the ball, getting involved, taking a few hits and doing the small things to ensure that he played himself into the game. I thought he was a lazy player on the field but he managed to changed what was an ingrained opinion of him.

I think you are right in that we know he can do those things.
Same goes with Eagleton, they play a similar style where they are used as link men to deliver the ball forward. Problem is that they are always looking to create space or receive the ball offensively. Even when the ball is in dispute their mindset is to not enter a contest in case boyd/cross win the ball and look to deliver it out. If that happens then they need to be ready to go.

While i don't necessarily agree with this, I can understand why the defensive side of their game fluctuates.

Personally I think each player needs to attack each contest on it's merits. If we already have 3 players under the pack it would make no sense to go in as well but you are the one there then you need to commit 100%.

Another issue i link to this is our reluctance to shepherd. It seems the players or certain players are under instruction NOT to shepherd, rather to be in space in order to receive the handball if the ball carrier is under pressure (much like those quick handball drills you see them practice).
On several occasions against the hawks we needed to lay a bump and we didn't, therefore allowing the hawthorn defender to put pressure on our ball carrier.

A good example was Will Minson from a free kick handballed to a runner and failed to lay the bump to the guy who was chasing him, that player applied significant pressure on our man and the ball was turned over.

Another was a run through the middle of Griff's, he could of ran the whole ground but his teamate decided not to bump the defender and Griff had to rush his kick at full speed and it was turned over.

I feel this issue is linked because guys like Eagleton and Gia think first on running forward and trying to get another handball receive rather than clearing the way for teamate they might of given the ball too.

Anyway it's just a personal gripe of mine, and i hope Gia does lift his output again.

[Desipura]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

I think as a board we can do better than this

Are you serious?

[soupman]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

I think as a board we can do better than this

I read it as Desipura commenting on Gia's one pace. He doesn't seem to have that burst of speed that would constitute a sprint.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

If every one goes into the pack and trys to win the hard ball who they going to give it too once the get it.
Gia is an outside player and a very smart user of the ball and he would be the forwards prefered person to have the ball in hands 70m out from goal, in saying that i don't think i have ever seen him not put his body on the line when it is his turn to go.

I love Boyd and Cross but if we had a team of them i think we would be closer to the bottom then the top.

All good teams have good finnishers

[Desipura]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

I read it as Desipura commenting on Gia's one pace. He doesn't seem to have that burst of speed that would constitute a sprint.

Thanks soupaman, I will leave it at that.

[Go_Dogs]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

I also remember when Gia got what many people would say was a 'soft goal' in the first half - when in reality - he broke off his opponent in the centre and sprinted 80metres towards goal to get it in the goal square.

Yep, I mentioned that one in another thread - it was a great piece of gut-running, and something we are lacking with Eagleton out of the side at the moment.

I would like to see Gia do this more often (running very hard) to get himself into dangerous positions, because as everyone has mentioned in this thread, his ball use is usually very good and he makes good decisions under pressure.

Here's hoping he can sneak under the radar on the weekend and have a big one.

[always right]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

Unfortunately he looked disinterested on Sunday. At one stage where he was close to Mitchell, he watched Mitchell handball and the ran away from Mitchell to nowhere in particular whilst Mitchell ran on to get the handball back. It was bizarre.....I have no idea what he was doing.

[Mantis]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

Unfortunately he looked disinterested on Sunday. At one stage where he was close to Mitchell, he watched Mitchell handball and the ran away from Mitchell to nowhere in particular whilst Mitchell ran on to get the handball back. It was bizarre.....I have no idea what he was doing.

Saw that one on the tape, it did look out of place.

[Ozza]

Re: Where's Gia's Bake?

Yep, I mentioned that one in another thread - it was a great piece of gut-running, and something we are lacking with Eagleton out of the side at the moment.

I would like to see Gia do this more often (running very hard) to get himself into dangerous positions, because as everyone has mentioned in this thread, his ball use is usually very good and he makes good decisions under pressure.

Here's hoping he can sneak under the radar on the weekend and have a big one.

This isn't me having a crack - so please don't take it that way - but watch Gia very closely once in a while and see what he does.

I watched him closely in the first quarter of the Tigers game - as in - I made a concerted effort to watch where he runs to and when. Even in the heat of the first few minutes Gia found himself in heaps of space several times from running off his opponent after the centre bounce. If we had have kicked the ball better in the first quarter he'd have ended up with a few goals of goal assists - but we kept turning it over and not getting to him. I've noticed it in MCG games the most because of where I sit for those games - the Sydney final in 2008, last years Brisbane final.

I think he is running hard - we have to accept that he is primarily a half forward and isn't going to get huge numbers - but if he keeps getting 20 possies and a goal each week - then he is playing his role (and yes I know its more than possessions that he needs to do).