2010 Player Review - # 12 Colin Sylvia

[Demonland 72,193]

Played his 100th game in probably the best season of his career. Led the team in inside 50 averages and showed he is a game breaker. One of Melbourne’s most valuable players when he’s firing -Luke Holmesby melbournefc

Games MFC 2010 15 Total 102 Goals MFC 2010 16 Total 80

Games CSFC 2010 1 Goals CSFC 2010 3

[drdrake 3,163]

Needs to stay fit, we have seen his true ability over the past 2 seasons and is our best most damaging player when fully fit.

[Disco Demons 92]

will be monitoring his preseason very closely...could win the brownlow next year. he did well this year...thinking $20 at 101...

[e25 5]

Lost in the aftermath of his broken jaw and blood clot, is that Sylvia has a newfound maturity and consistency in his game.

The sky was always the limit with this bloke, but an injury-free season will see him go a long way to fulfilling a lot of his potential.

In for a massive 2011.

Amazingly, I now consider him one of our more 'reliable' players.

[e25 5]

will be monitoring his preseason very closely...could win the brownlow next year. he did well this year...thinking $20 at 101...

I'm thinking the same, although that $20 was wasted this year...

[Guest Rojik of the Arctic]

Back in 2007 I would have traded him for a used train ticket but I'm so glad to be wrong. He is one who has given me hope for the future now

[beelzebub 23,376]

Lost in the aftermath of his broken jaw and blood clot, is that Sylvia has a newfound maturity and consistency in his game.

The sky was always the limit with this bloke, but an injury-free season will see him go a long way to fulfilling a lot of his potential.

In for a massive 2011.

Amazingly, I now consider him one of our more 'reliable' players.

On the money

Just need an ounce of luck and we'll see Col break open more than a few games providing much impetus upon which a few others will piggyback .. And that's more than fine

[jayceebee31 761]

Another huge pre season will hopefully put him in the elite class.

[Mad_Melbourne 877]

im stoked with how he came on, with another massive pre season and if he can stay fit, he is a definate best and fairest chance even a brownlow chance if we start to contend for finals, he often plays well when we win, but when we lose he plays poorly, so hopefully he can have a completely consistent season.

im stoked with how he is coming on, seeing as i wrote him off as a poor choice, if he has 5-6 good years he will have been a solid pick i feel.

[Akum 2,660]

On the other hand, one of the things I really like about Col is that some of his best games have been when we've been really spanked (e.g. Hawks & Pies 2009). He's not a front-runner by any means.

[Deeoldfart 8,033]

After disappointing us for far too long, Col has now established himself as one of our most important players. His 5th placing in the Bluey, after missing 7 games through injury, is strong evidence of this. Well done Col, for taking stock, and finally delivering on your potential. Keep it up, and higher rewards will come your way!

[hrob 2]

this bloke is seriously the complete footballer with his pace, strength, goal kicking, marking and kicking ability. just needs to get in the right frame of mind which i believe he has now got sorted out. expecting a huge year in 2011 for col sylvia who will become our most important/ best player after nxt yr!

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

I just went through this years wins, just skipping forward for the good plays in each game... And I have to say, easily the most dangerous and comprehensively skilled player in the side is Colin. Other players have other skills, like Green, Davey etc... but Sylvia is the kind of player other supporters just groan when they see him "on." I reckon he sometimes doesn't get the press, as there's all these other big names coming through. But when Sylvia carves his way through the midfield, smashing into guys and laying vice-like tackles, and then turning and burning guys off, finishing with accurate long kicks... other teams supporters say "oh bugger... forgot about him." When at his best, he's our most unstoppable.

Anyone remember the best goal we scored this year? I think it was against the Tigers. It started with a deadly-accurate chain of about six handballs, with the Tigers just standing around watching... Davey runs a few steps out of defensive fifty, places it on Bruce's chest, Bruce runs towards the wing and delivers a BEAUTIFUL long kick (HA!!!) lace-out to Sylvia who is at full tilt, and he just keeps going... and going... The crowd goes wild as he's got all this space to run into with only Wonna leading back to the square with an opponent 30 yards behind him. Sylvia by now has burned off his opponent so effectively he can slow down and consider his options. Instead of calmly drilling it from 40, he chips it to Wonna who turns and drills it. From the start of the play to the end, the only thing that was ever going to happen was a goal. Up until that point we hadn't quite shaken the Tiges in what was a pretty spirited game. You knew that it was the kind of goal that was both a confidence builder and inspirer for the team (you could almost feel every demon in the stadium say "wow... I didn't know we could do that") and an absolute dagger to the heart of the Tigers.

Good times. Sylvia at his best. And making all the right decisions too.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

I just went through this years wins, just skipping forward for the good plays in each game... And I have to say, easily the most dangerous and comprehensively skilled player in the side is Colin. Other players have other skills, like Green, Davey etc... but Sylvia is the kind of player other supporters just groan when they see him "on." I reckon he sometimes doesn't get the press, as there's all these other big names coming through. But when Sylvia carves his way through the midfield, smashing into guys and laying vice-like tackles, and then turning and burning guys off, finishing with accurate long kicks... other teams supporters say "oh bugger... forgot about him." When at his best, he's our most unstoppable.

Anyone remember the best goal we scored this year? I think it was against the Tigers. It started with a deadly-accurate chain of about six handballs, with the Tigers just standing around watching... Davey runs a few steps out of defensive fifty, places it on Bruce's chest, Bruce runs towards the wing and delivers a BEAUTIFUL long kick (HA!!!) lace-out to Sylvia who is at full tilt, and he just keeps going... and going... The crowd goes wild as he's got all this space to run into with only Wonna leading back to the square with an opponent 30 yards behind him. Sylvia by now has burned off his opponent so effectively he can slow down and consider his options. Instead of calmly drilling it from 40, he chips it to Wonna who turns and drills it. From the start of the play to the end, the only thing that was ever going to happen was a goal. Up until that point we hadn't quite shaken the Tiges in what was a pretty spirited game. You knew that it was the kind of goal that was both a confidence builder and inspirer for the team (you could almost feel every demon in the stadium say "wow... I didn't know we could do that") and an absolute dagger to the heart of the Tigers.

Good times. Sylvia at his best. And making all the right decisions too.

haha Dappa I watched the replay of that game a couple of days ago and almost made a thread about the exact thing you are talking about. That passage of play was the epitome but there 2 or 3 other occassions in that game where we went 'coast to coast' in a skilled, ultra-fast, systematic chain of linking disposals without error for a goal that the commentary team kept calling 'cat-like', truly a-grade stuff... you can see the game plan is for every to just go full tilt the instant we grab a turnover.. there was another one where Jurrah got his hands on it for a turnover at around CHB and everyone just swarmed ahead of him for another link-up goal... and you are dead right, when we manage to pull of these perfect executions it is very often the case that Sylvia (and Davey) is one of the key playmakers in it. We all rate him but he is actually underrated and you are correct when you say he is our most unstoppable when on song

man watching that again I had shivers up my spine thinking about how we are already capable of that type of play and we have soooo much talent (particularly through the midfield) that is going to develop.. Watts and Jurrah are just going to be on the end of huge amounts of quality ball streaming in over the upcoming years, they will have a banquet. Hooray.

[Deestroy All 14,266]

9 disposals the length of the field in 19 seconds. That play was a thing of beauty.

I wondered wtf we were trying to do back when Bailey started and we were getting flogged, "over using" the ball. Well that play and quite a few others are the result of those hard times.

At the ground I thought Bruce's kick was a bad while it was in the air, Sylvia's speed to get on the end of it was jaw dropping, doesn't look as fast on tv. But still impressive!

[Eth 4]

He will be elite next year, no doubt.

[e25 5]

I think he reached that level at times in 2010.

He is the prototypical midfielder. I can't think of a weakness in his game.

Previously it had been consistency.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

man watching that again I had shivers up my spine thinking about how we are already capable of that type of play and we have soooo much talent (particularly through the midfield) that is going to develop.. Watts and Jurrah are just going to be on the end of huge amounts of quality ball streaming in over the upcoming years, they will have a banquet. Hooray.

Yeah. I never get tired of watching it. The crowd knew it, the commentary team knew it... it was a 20 second preview of what's to come. We'd seen it a number of times this year, but for some reason, maybe the time in the game, the way it was shot and what cameras were cut to... the fact the game was, in point of fact, a really, really good game of football by anyone's standards.

As for the side, the forwards I think will really benefit the most from an open game like this. Bennell is one I can't wait to see next season when he gets those hard bodies around him. His pace coming out of defence, or running forward from a wing is going to bust open a few sides next year. Wonna is interesting. You can see why they were so desperate to get him in the side. Not the quickest player in the league, but somehow just knows where to be and how to play forward. Moreover, the fact he's made wholesale changes to his game, and to good effect... that's possibly the most pleasing part. All in all, it bodes well for the opportunist deep forwards. Think Dunn when he plays deep, and Petterd. Even Jamar. Watts and Bate will continue to play higher, so I don't expect huge bags, but they'll benefit too...

I'm not saying the job is done. Just because we win those open, free games against younger sides, doesn't mean we're going to smoke teams by ten goals week in, week out. There are other games. The wet days, the punishing days against bigger bodies (Swans/Cats/Hawks), the days on smaller grounds where everyone's cramped (SCG, Dome)... Those ones are going to be interesting too. But given how we play the G, I think we can just about say with footy like that, we'll win more than we'll lose in the next few years.

At the ground I thought Bruce's kick was a bad while it was in the air, Sylvia's speed to get on the end of it was jaw dropping, doesn't look as fast on tv. But still impressive!

Perfect example of the fact that there's nothing criminally wrong with Bruce's kick. He's no Davey (who is?), but when his players run to space, and lead strongly, it makes your ok/mediocre kicks look better. Funny how once the whole team figures out it can run, how everyone starts to look like they can kick... even, shock horror, Bruce...

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

I think he reached that level at times in 2010.

He is the prototypical midfielder. I can't think of a weakness in his game.

Isn't he...

This might be a bit outside the box, but I can't help but think of Michael Vick in the NFL. And no, it's nothing to do with the dogs, the changing of sides, the attitude.

I watch Vick, and even last year before he knew the Eagles playbook, he would come in for McNabb and do some incredible things, particularly when he was needed to run and use his body as a battering ram. He's a delight to watch in the passing game, but then when he tucks it in and runs, you think "why doesn't he do that all the time?"

Where I see the parallel with Colin, is not only in their body types (fearsome mix of bulky strength and atleticism, both are built like running backs), but also in that tantalisingly dangerous way they go about it. I'm in constant fear, with both, that they're going to do something courageous, get hurt, and sit out a month. And when they make these plays, it's all the more exciting, because you're not sure how long it's going to last.

Colin may not play 10 years of quality football, like a Robert Harvey, but one of these years the luck will fall his way, his body will do the right thing by him, and he'll rank amongst the top 3 midfielders in the league. And it'll be all the more special because it may end up being the only year he does it.

[e25 5]

Yeah, I can see the comparison.

Sylvia has become more consistent in his efforts though.

I'm not sure I live in fear of him being injured though.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Yeah, I can see the comparison.

Sylvia has become more consistent in his efforts though.

I'm not sure I live in fear of him being injured though.

Jeez I do. Don't get me wrong, I have faith that now that he's older than 80% of the kids he's going up against, they'll come off second best... I just know that the outside running game of, say, a Cam Bruce isn't going to suffer the same kind of impact injuries as the game that Sylvia plays. The NFL comparison isn't a great one. Obviously impact injuries in that sport are far more prevalent. Say what you like about the timeouts and the fuss... Those guys are tough and know how to take a hit. Case in point, Deshaun Jackson nearly getting decapitated on the weekend. And both players getting concussed. I have no doubt Aussie rules is harder to play and master... but the hits NFL guys take? They're nuts...

Back on Sylvia. Since the rise and rise of Ablett Jr, I've always fantasised about having a player that's genuinely inside AND outside, that can accumulate touches, and can finish accurately and at great distance. In my mind it's these players... the ones that extract run and deliver the ball remove the need for two players who can each do one of those jobs. eg, rather than have Jones give it to Davey, why not just have someone do both? IMO it's those players that take the pressure off their team-mates, and while they're very, very rare when you find one, you often see that the team enjoys some success around them. Judd and Ablett being two good examples.

I have a strong feeling Sylvia is harder at the contest than Ablett. In fact, I know he is. With that in mind, on paper, Colin is the superior player. Can kick it further, is a bit quicker I daresay, tackles a lot more and a lot harder... Perhaps doesn't have Ablett's evasion, and maybe not the footy brain. But if you take out the intangibles, Colin is a better player... The longer I go in this thread, the more I think he'll hold our 2011 in his hands as much as a Jamar/Frawley.

Edited October 20, 2010 by Dappa Dan

[Deeoldfart 8,033]

By gee, you guys who have hit your keyboards since my last post (above), have used some exciting adjectives, and descriptions of play ........... and I agree with all of them. Well done, it makes most enjoyable reading. We certainly have some exciting talent (both developed and developing) at the Melbourne Football Club, and when things go right, we can play some exhilarating football. We've earned some time at the top after so long in the wilderness, and our journey over the next 5 years or so is going to make the wait well and truely worthwhile.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

9 disposals the length of the field in 19 seconds.

this is not the same thing of course but here's a 16 second centre clearance goal courtesy of Russian, Sylvia, JB and Dunn. Look at JB go there that is brilliant

Edited October 21, 2010 by Curry & Beer

[DeeSpencer 25,711]

I have a strong feeling Sylvia is harder at the contest than Ablett. In fact, I know he is. With that in mind, on paper, Colin is the superior player. Can kick it further, is a bit quicker I daresay, tackles a lot more and a lot harder... Perhaps doesn't have Ablett's evasion, and maybe not the footy brain. But if you take out the intangibles, Colin is a better player... The longer I go in this thread, the more I think he'll hold our 2011 in his hands as much as a Jamar/Frawley.

That's such crap. Ablett goes just as hard as Sylvia and works much harder round the ground. He might not tackle with the ferocity but he still lays his tackles.

[Hobbits's 17]

Back on Sylvia. Since the rise and rise of Ablett Jr, I've always fantasised about having a player that's genuinely inside AND outside, that can accumulate touches, and can finish accurately and at great distance. In my mind it's these players... the ones that extract run and deliver the ball remove the need for two players who can each do one of those jobs. eg, rather than have Jones give it to Davey, why not just have someone do both? IMO it's those players that take the pressure off their team-mates, and while they're very, very rare when you find one, you often see that the team enjoys some success around them. Judd and Ablett being two good examples.

I have a strong feeling Sylvia is harder at the contest than Ablett. In fact, I know he is. With that in mind, on paper, Colin is the superior player. Can kick it further, is a bit quicker I daresay, tackles a lot more and a lot harder... Perhaps doesn't have Ablett's evasion, and maybe not the footy brain. But if you take out the intangibles, Colin is a better player... The longer I go in this thread, the more I think he'll hold our 2011 in his hands as much as a Jamar/Frawley.

what else do you fantasise about ..?