Cale Morton

[The Backyard Charizard 1,202]

Now this thread is not a whinge about him looking slow and overweight..... We have been saying since day dot that he needs to gain a bit of weight and when he does he gets bagged

But.... One thing I did happen to notice last night when he was running around in the first quarter....

How F'ing big is this kid going to get?? Has he shot up by a few inches, he looks a $hitload taller than last time I saw him play.... And with the right conditioning and a touch more growth, this boy could be an absolute unit!

Just thought I would throw it out there.... He did look slow, but I think with some match fitness and a few less turtles with Wonna (or some bench-press to go with the extra turtles) this kid will be a monster in a couple of years!

GO Dees....

Great win last night.... I honestly lost faith with 10 mins to go.... Good to see you come out on the right side of a close one.... Top effort!

[stranga 328]

While i understand we have to cut him some slack being his first game in 10 weeks, I was extremely concerned by his continuous uncertainty and hesitance in decision making, which hasn't seemed to improve since his first game. Perfect example was the last minute when he got caught holding the ball on the 50 metre line after having more than enough time to dispose of the ball in some fashion. It nearly cost us the game.

I actually worry about his size sometimes. He is almost too big for a midfielder now yet he doesn't have the pace or marking ability to be a key position player.

[JACKATTACK 17]

Both he and Wonna were dissapointing at times last night, but then showed some flashes of their ability also. Classic examples of players returning from long stints. Both of them excite me so much though, because when they adjust to the pace and hardness, and get some confidence they will be difficult players to stop.

Tough game to come back into, and an even tougher one next week. But of the players playing last night these two represent the best chance for us to improve on that performance, and we'll need to or it could get messy.

[Jaded No More 68,823]

I have zero concerns with Cale Morton.

The guy has class running through his veins, and has grown significantly over the last 2 years.

I've heard that the coaches fight over him, because each one wants him in their area (forward, middle and defense), but I think long term he could be a great CHF for us.

Some of his kicking into the 50 last night had Davey written all over them. You don't buy skills like that at the supermarket people.

I know first hand what knee injuries are like, and I thought he made a successful return yesterday given the conditions.

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,066]

I have zero concerns with Cale Morton.

The guy has class running through his veins, and has grown significantly over the last 2 years.

I've heard that the coaches fight over him, because each one wants him in their area (forward, middle and defense), but I think long term he could be a great CHF for us.

Some of his kicking into the 50 last night had Davey written all over them. You don't buy skills like that at the supermarket people.

I know first hand what knee injuries are like, and I thought he made a successful return yesterday given the conditions.

Agreed Jaded. Yes he got caught a couple of times but his kicking into forward 50m has been sorely missed. He weights the ball almost better than any other on our list. You can start to see what type of size he will become and I agree there is a good chance of him holding down CHF in a few years.

[davey_magik 1]

I think he will be the closest thing we've ever had to an Adam Goodes. Play him on the wing and let him push forward, now he has added that desperate and hard edge to his game (No longer shirks it) I think he is the complete player. Will probably take a few more weeks to get back to his best but that is expected.

[Demon trucker 1,800]

Now this thread is not a whinge about him looking slow and overweight..... We have been saying since day dot that he needs to gain a bit of weight and when he does he gets bagged

But.... One thing I did happen to notice last night when he was running around in the first quarter....

How F'ing big is this kid going to get?? Has he shot up by a few inches, he looks a $hitload taller than last time I saw him play.... And with the right conditioning and a touch more growth, this boy could be an absolute unit!

Just thought I would throw it out there.... He did look slow, but I think with some match fitness and a few less turtles with Wonna (or some bench-press to go with the extra turtles) this kid will be a monster in a couple of years!

GO Dees....

Great win last night.... I honestly lost faith with 10 mins to go.... Good to see you come out on the right side of a close one.... Top effort!

Morton is not slow, but sometimes he plays slow, when he stops props and think about it, he always macks it up , but when he got the ball and run with it and passed it straight away with out thinking, he created scoring opportunities,also when every he got the ball in the back half he panic, and stop propped and then turn it over,he has to stay in the front half of the ground, more often then not,when he just goes and not slow by foot but sometimes slow by mind, with more experience he will run with it more often and uses it straight away. he is a good user of the ball

[praha 11,226]

His first game of the year, in 30+ degree heat, 70% humidity. I think we can bypass any slowness he may have had on the field. Let's see how he goes at Geelong next week.

[deeflog 679]

Classic examples of players returning from long stints. Both of them excite me so much though, because when they adjust to the pace and hardness, and get some confidence they will be difficult players to stop.

very true, i think the game is very different now, even from round 22 last year and especially the last time wonna played

[Demon_JB 1,373]

You cant expect Cale to stand out coming back from an injury and playing in that sort of humidity in a hard fought out match. He reminds me of Travis Johnston how he takes a while to react, however Cale has missed the new run and carry and taking the game on style of play we have developed this year. Let him get used to it week by week, and he will find his form.

[Deestroy All 14,262]

Slow? Slow reactions in his first game back maybe.

Didn't look too slow when he spoiled that certain mark in the first, went like a rocket.

His long kicks are up there with Davey and Col.

Nothing more to see here.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

Just let him roam the half forward spaces, far and wide.

And until he gets bigger that Stuart Dew, I'm not worried.

[Keyser Söze 0]

The more meat on his bones the better.

I just love the fact he is finally starting to fill out.

I was scared he'd be another Cameron Bruce.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

There have been quite a few negative comments made about Cale over the last couple of years and i must say I'm amazed. He will be one of the premier players in the comp in a few years time and as soon as he finds his feet again he will start to produce the form that will point to this. He will be a sensational player for us, just sit back and watch.

[Felix 92]

Had a few decent kicks last night, impressed with his first game back in 10 or so weeks. Will only get better and better and better and better... you get my point.

[Neita3000 37]

This kid will be our Brendan Goddard. Bookmark it.

[Akum 2,660]

Cale will be a devastating player for us because he'll be impossible to match up on. He'll be a huge attacking weapon, we can put him wherever the opposition is weakest. If their forwards are not mobile or don't chase, he'll win heaps of ball out of defence and put it to good use. If their defence is too short, or too tall, or can be easily unbalanced, he'll be an X-factor in attack. Or he'll roam the midfield picking up possessions - I wonder how long it will be before he gets picked up by someone like Goodes or Pavlich, rather than the other way around.

But yes, he has to adjust to the pace all over again. And yes, he was probably a bit underdone, especially for the conditions in Darwin. But when he gets there, he'll be dynamite.

[monoccular 17,400]

One question that I would be interested in having discussed:

Where is his 'natural position'????

Could he be a huge midfielder - maybe not the pace.

Wing _ difficult match up.

Half forward or deep forward - pretty crowded there - who would he displace - maybe e third tall forward with JW and Miller / Bate?

He runs a risk of becoming jack of all trades, master of none - and we have lots of Jacks already anyway!

[Jaded No More 68,823]

One question that I would be interested in having discussed:

Where is his 'natural position'????

Could he be a huge midfielder - maybe not the pace.

Wing _ difficult match up.

Half forward or deep forward - pretty crowded there - who would he displace - maybe e third tall forward with JW and Miller / Bate?

He runs a risk of becoming jack of all trades, master of none - and we have lots of Jacks already anyway!

As I said before, the coaches are all fighting over him and want him in their part of the ground.

To me, his time in the backline is a learning experience and eventually he should settle into a CHF position, where he can push up the ground and impact the contest on the wing. He is the prototype modern CHF... given or take 30kgs.

This will free Bate to play a true third tall role, with Jurrah doing whatever the hell he wants, because he is Jurrah and so we let him.

[Guest DeesPower]

Now this thread is not a whinge about him looking slow and overweight..... We have been saying since day dot that he needs to gain a bit of weight and when he does he gets bagged

But.... One thing I did happen to notice last night when he was running around in the first quarter....

How F'ing big is this kid going to get?? Has he shot up by a few inches, he looks a $hitload taller than last time I saw him play.... And with the right conditioning and a touch more growth, this boy could be an absolute unit!

Just thought I would throw it out there.... He did look slow, but I think with some match fitness and a few less turtles with Wonna (or some bench-press to go with the extra turtles) this kid will be a monster in a couple of years!

GO Dees....

Great win last night.... I honestly lost faith with 10 mins to go.... Good to see you come out on the right side of a close one.... Top effort!

I had a good look at these guys at Casey a couple of weeks ago. I can confirm that Morton is definitely taller than Watts, and not far from spencer. He is a big lad. Definitely will fulfill a key position for us. At the moment though in my estimation is very underdone like Wonna, as well as Garland, they all should be played in the two's until they are fit in my opinion. There are quite a few ready for senior selection in the two's who could take their place.

[titan_uranus 24,960]

I didn't really notice a lot more weight on his frame. I thought he looked a bit taller. And even paler.

His kicking was superb for the most part. A couple of bad ones but some absolute gems.

Nothing to worry about. Same for Wonaeamirri, but he showed a lot less. Flashes of brilliance but mainly restricted by a lack of fitness and being behind the play. Can't just ease back in after that long out. But we'll need more output from him if he's going to keep his spot in the team over the next few weeks.

[e25 5]

Just as people ask how Richmond managed to pick Fiora at 3 and pass up Pavlich at 4...

They will also ask what possessed West Coast to take Masten at 3...

[Little Goffy 14,386]

Cale did look taller, and did look like it was his first game back from injury.

Wonaeamirri didn't look taller than I remembered but also looked like he was in his first game back after only a brief VFL stint following over a year off.

Jetta... didn't look taller AND didn't look like he'd had any time away at all. So many quality tackles!

So many young players and so many players coming back to AFL level in those conditions - we all saw the effects tonight. All three of those guys will be fitter next week, provided recovery is done well.

From the top end to the erm... bottom end. Skilled Stadium next week to find out if we're genuine contenders for the 2010 premiership.

[Rogue 585]

With the glove, I thought he looked a bit like PJ at times.

I can't see him playing permanently in the backline, and think it's likely he'll be a linkman who can push forward.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,013]

I've always seen Cale as an attacking wing. His pace, endurance and size make him all but impossible to match up on. Teams will be bringing a spare CHB into the side to try to shut him down. He has repeatedly shown that he can float into the forward 50 and kick a goal. He's played on and beaten Goodes, so we know he can defend. Let him have the freedom to roam the ground and do what damage he can.