My issue with Strauss is that I've yet to see him win a 1 on 1 contest. He is a great kick, and if he's allowed to float off the outside of the pack and have someone feed him the ball in space he can do great things with it. Sadly, that's simply not enough. He has to have another string to his bow. He needs to be able to win his own ball is he plays in the middle or beat his opponent if he plays back. So far we've seen no sign of this happening.

People are very quick to judge. I agree that he appears to get lost in the contest but he has played 2 senior games of AFL and has had limited continuity with senior games at Casey. There is plenty of time for improvement and I would hold judgement at this time.

And as for those wanting to already judge Blease...

My issue with Strauss is that I've yet to see him win a 1 on 1 contest. He is a great kick, and if he's allowed to float off the outside of the pack and have someone feed him the ball in space he can do great things with it. Sadly, that's simply not enough. He has to have another string to his bow. He needs to be able to win his own ball is he plays in the middle or beat his opponent if he plays back. So far we've seen no sign of this happening.

I agree that he should win more or some 1 on 1 contests but there is a need for outside players who can kick I'd rather Scully pass the ball out to Strauss than Jones or Beamer.

Not every player has to be inside and if you are outside the most important aspect of you game should be poise and delivery, is that 2 aspects?

People are very quick to judge. I agree that he appears to get lost in the contest but he has played 2 senior games of AFL and has had limited continuity with senior games at Casey. There is plenty of time for improvement and I would hold judgement at this time.

And as for those wanting to already judge Blease...

Continuity is the key here. There are just too many examples of young players looking out of their depth but who had not really strung together at least a season or two uninterrupted. Sylvia comes to mind. not so long ago he was chastised on this board.

I just hope we finally get a full seasons development into Blease, Strauss, Tapscott and Gysberts. same goes for Jurrah and Aussie. Get that first and we will only get stronger as they work their way into the demons line up hopefully.

Strauss has had two games and played poorly. he has scope to improve. I watched Garland in an early game against the doggies and he was shocking. embarassingly so. but we now know that was not anywhere like his real ability once he got some confidence.

Let this boy find confidence and see what he can do.

I've heard Melbourne supporters say this often, but i really wonder what that's based around? He has shown himself top be very handy already, and will no doubt improve as he matures. He already looks better than average, especially considering he is only 20 years of age. If he was at Melbourne he'd be the bees-knees, i'm sure. Once his motor is fully developed, look out. Underrated around here, that's for sure. I hate Essendon too, but you can't just say their youngsters, like Zaharakis, are "average" when clearly they've shown quite a bit.

As for Strauss, I hope he makes it, but as others have mentioned already, my expectations aren't high anymore.

A nice neat footballer, & I hope he goes well. But I just wonder, now I've seen him a couple of times, about the weapons he carries, or lack of. I think if he had a bit more pace, it would elevate him to the next level.

I agree that he should win more or some 1 on 1 contests but there is a need for outside players who can kick I'd rather Scully pass the ball out to Strauss than Jones or Beamer.

Not every player has to be inside and if you are outside the most important aspect of you game should be poise and delivery, is that 2 aspects?

If he's gonna play in the backline, or anywhere, nowadays, he's got to be responsible to not let his opponent damage us.

Continuity is the key here. There are just too many examples of young players looking out of their depth but who had not really strung together at least a season or two uninterrupted.

This. Strauss needs to be able to string together a number of games, even at Casey. So far, he hasn't played more than a handful of games in a row before getting injured. It's been stop-start, stop-start.

The comments about 1-on-1s & his defensive game are fair enough. But I'd like to see him string even just 8 or 10 games without a break, before jumping to conclusions about whether he'll make it or not.

The thing about him is that his disposal could be such a potent zone-busting weapon if he can get all the other stuff right. Ditto for Tapscott.

Edited March 17, 201114 yr by Akum

A nice neat footballer, & I hope he goes well. But I just wonder, now I've seen him a couple of times, about the weapons he carries, or lack of. I think if he had a bit more pace, it would elevate him to the next level.

Agree with pace comment on Zaharakis, but i'd imagine he'll improve in that regard, and he's not slow like a Jones or Moloney is slow. I think the issue might be an inability to run at 100% pace for more than just short bursts due to a relatively small engine. My best mate is an Essendon supporter and I've watched a lot of them over the last few years (which is why i've found their sparkling form under a new coach this preseason so surprising). It's fair to say Zaharakis has some weapons. Knows how to kick a goal, is a good decision maker with nice field kicking, is very strong overhead for his size and competes well, and has a little bit of X-factor. Has shown that he can bob up late in a game and kick important goals. And he's just a natural player, reads the game well and when he gets a bit fitter, will get a lot more of the ball. Let's just say, if he had a Scully sized engine, i'd be very worried.

I'm mystified when people say he's just average. And it's something i've only ever really heard from Melbourne supporters. I think he's a very promising and will only get better. Maybe even potentially an A-grader. If we could swap Strauss or even Blease for him right now (pointless excerise I know), i'd do it in a flash.

Edited March 17, 201114 yr by Doggo

Agree with pace comment on Zaharakis, but i'd imagine he'll improve in that regard, and he's not slow like a Jones or Moloney is slow. I think the issue might be an inability to run at 100% pace for more than just short bursts due to a relatively small engine. My best mate is an Essendon supporter and I've watched a lot of them over the last few years (which is why i've found their sparkling form under a new coach this preseason so surprising). It's fair to say Zaharakis has some weapons. Knows how to kick a goal, is a good decision maker with nice field kicking, is very strong overhead for his size and competes well, and has a little bit of X-factor. Has shown that he can bob up late in a game and kick important goals. And he's just a natural player, reads the game well and when he gets a bit fitter, will get a lot more of the ball. Let's just say, if he had a Scully sized engine, i'd be very worried.

I'm mystified when people say he's just average. And it's something i've only ever really heard from Melbourne supporters. I think he's a very promising and will only get better. Maybe even potentially an A-grader. If we could swap Strauss or even Blease for him right now (pointless excerise I know), i'd do it in a flash.

Yeah, he's got the creative side, but if he's watched closely, he lacks the breakaway speed & as you say, may lack an engine, & he's not big. So, While I like him as a footballer,,, I spotted him and Bleasy in the U-18 game @ the 'G', when i went to see Hurley. And who bobbed up on the final siren to mark & kick the winning goal?

I think he plays like winger, like Blease. But we need a couple of good ballcarriers & deliverer's, out of our defence, as well as our mids that push back there. we need a half a dozen good ball users to retrieve the pill from the defensive arc, and bring it forward with class.

I agree he could develop into a winger like Blease. We have Bail, Tapscott, and possibly Nicholson, Johnson and Evans whom may develop into ball carriers along with the possibility of Wonaeamirri going back.That's six in itself.

I don't think any team in the 09 draft with the first six picks would take Rich if they had the choice again. And Selwood had serious question marks with his injuries.

At this stage, to me Stauss is looking like another Chris Johnson. Hasn't shown anything yet except a good kick at training. The reasons may or may not be the same, but the output is.

I hope he turns out to be a good player.

When I read "Stauss (sic) is looking like another Chris Johnson" I got excited. Then I realised you meant Melbourne's, not Brisbane's. How deflating.

Deleted a bunch of posts from the topic. Guys, I know it's hard, but if you see a troll can you please resist the temptation to feed it? Thanks.

Deleted a bunch of posts from the topic. Guys, I know it's hard, but if you see a troll can you please resist the temptation to feed it? Thanks.

Ah, back in the glory days Demonland would happily venture into social geography when discussing a young footballer's merits and demerits.

I see that time has past. How much fun you must have patrolling the virtual highways of this place. 'Guys, come on. Come on, guys.'

Well I for one will never forget that Rod Grinter came from Katandra West.

I see that time has past. How much fun you must have patrolling the virtual highways of this place. 'Guys, come on. Come on, guys.'

I was taking the piss with the "guys" thing. Alas, you're allowed to discuss social geography if you really think it's relevant, the way you did was clearly an attempt to bait and your later post ventured well inside racist territory. It's pretty easy - contribute something meaningful to the conversation or your post will be deleted.

I was taking the [censored] with the "guys" thing. Alas, you're allowed to discuss social geography if you really think it's relevant, the way you did was clearly an attempt to bait and your later post ventured well inside racist territory. It's pretty easy - contribute something meaningful to the conversation or your post will be deleted.

Fair enough.

I put it to the author of this post that one of the key reasons James Strauss has comprehensively failed to deliver or even really develop as many reasonable observers would like is because he appears to have had an exceptionally privileged upbringing and an extremely sheltered education under the auspice of an elitist ideology, and this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

In that regard, it is somewhat ironic that it was a fellow graduate of Scotch, Campbell Brown, who told Strauss on his debut that he was 'by far the worst player on the ground'. But then, Brown is originally from WA.

'Country footballers from public schools are better at overcoming personal setbacks than city footballers from private schools' is a political comment, and as such I guess it violates the code of conduct.

What are you gonna do? You're gonna make an inference toward the same point by referencing 'poxy private schools'. Well, perhaps I should apologise for having a dig at graduates of Scotch College. I guess what with everything else in life being so damned hard for them, they really didn't need trolls making snide comments on footyblogs too.

Finally, I think you would have struggled to justify claims that my comments 'ventured well inside racist territory'. I am very comfortable with the appellation 'resilient' in the fashion I used it.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and you are probably busy too. Shalom aleichem.

Fair enough.

I put it to the author of this post that one of the key reasons James Strauss has comprehensively failed to deliver or even really develop as many reasonable observers would like is because he appears to have had an exceptionally privileged upbringing and an extremely sheltered education under the auspice of an elitist ideology, and this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

In that regard, it is somewhat ironic that it was a fellow graduate of Scotch, Campbell Brown, who told Strauss on his debut that he was 'by far the worst player on the ground'. But then, Brown is originally from WA.

'Country footballers from public schools are better at overcoming personal setbacks than city footballers from private schools' is a political comment, and as such I guess it violates the code of conduct.

What are you gonna do? You're gonna make an inference toward the same point by referencing 'poxy private schools'. Well, perhaps I should apologise for having a dig at graduates of Scotch College. I guess what with everything else in life being so damned hard for them, they really didn't need trolls making snide comments on footyblogs too.

Finally, I think you would have struggled to justify claims that my comments 'ventured well inside racist territory'. I am very comfortable with the appellation 'resilient' in the fashion I used it.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and you are probably busy too. Shalom aleichem.

My impressions of you as a person are of bitterness and anti-semitism.

Make of that what you will...

Edited March 18, 201114 yr by rpfc

My impressions of you as a person are of bitterness and anti-semitism.

Make of that what you will...

If you want to read more of his left wing, anti establishment ranting/bashing just venture over to Demonology, they dislike him there as well. I guess two went for the same job and the private school boy got it and he didn't.

It's interesting to see that some of the toughest Union Players in the World are products of the Poxy Private School system.

Fair enough.

I put it to the author of this post that one of the key reasons James Strauss has comprehensively failed to deliver or even really develop as many reasonable observers would like is because he appears to have had an exceptionally privileged upbringing and an extremely sheltered education under the auspice of an elitist ideology, and this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

In that regard, it is somewhat ironic that it was a fellow graduate of Scotch, Campbell Brown, who told Strauss on his debut that he was 'by far the worst player on the ground'. But then, Brown is originally from WA.

'Country footballers from public schools are better at overcoming personal setbacks than city footballers from private schools' is a political comment, and as such I guess it violates the code of conduct.

What are you gonna do? You're gonna make an inference toward the same point by referencing 'poxy private schools'. Well, perhaps I should apologise for having a dig at graduates of Scotch College. I guess what with everything else in life being so damned hard for them, they really didn't need trolls making snide comments on footyblogs too.

Finally, I think you would have struggled to justify claims that my comments 'ventured well inside racist territory'. I am very comfortable with the appellation 'resilient' in the fashion I used it.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and you are probably busy too. Shalom aleichem.

Bigotry masquerading as intelligence.

I sense the pain of resentment.

Fair enough.

I put it to the author of this post that one of the key reasons James Strauss has comprehensively failed to deliver or even really develop as many reasonable observers would like is because he appears to have had an exceptionally privileged upbringing and an extremely sheltered education under the auspice of an elitist ideology, and this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

In that regard, it is somewhat ironic that it was a fellow graduate of Scotch, Campbell Brown, who told Strauss on his debut that he was 'by far the worst player on the ground'. But then, Brown is originally from WA.

'Country footballers from public schools are better at overcoming personal setbacks than city footballers from private schools' is a political comment, and as such I guess it violates the code of conduct.

What are you gonna do? You're gonna make an inference toward the same point by referencing 'poxy private schools'. Well, perhaps I should apologise for having a dig at graduates of Scotch College. I guess what with everything else in life being so damned hard for them, they really didn't need trolls making snide comments on footyblogs too.

Finally, I think you would have struggled to justify claims that my comments 'ventured well inside racist territory'. I am very comfortable with the appellation 'resilient' in the fashion I used it.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and you are probably busy too. Shalom aleichem.

Ummmmmm.

This is a joke right?

Fair enough.

I put it to the author of this post that one of the key reasons James Strauss has comprehensively failed to deliver or even really develop as many reasonable observers would like is because he appears to have had an exceptionally privileged upbringing and an extremely sheltered education under the auspice of an elitist ideology, and this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

In that regard, it is somewhat ironic that it was a fellow graduate of Scotch, Campbell Brown, who told Strauss on his debut that he was 'by far the worst player on the ground'. But then, Brown is originally from WA.

'Country footballers from public schools are better at overcoming personal setbacks than city footballers from private schools' is a political comment, and as such I guess it violates the code of conduct.

What are you gonna do? You're gonna make an inference toward the same point by referencing 'poxy private schools'. Well, perhaps I should apologise for having a dig at graduates of Scotch College. I guess what with everything else in life being so damned hard for them, they really didn't need trolls making snide comments on footyblogs too.

Finally, I think you would have struggled to justify claims that my comments 'ventured well inside racist territory'. I am very comfortable with the appellation 'resilient' in the fashion I used it.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and you are probably busy too. Shalom aleichem.

Gee, You gathered that from a whole two games ?

this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

It's not THAT harsh.

Just cos you have an opinion and a dictionary doesn't make you right. Stop acting like you are. Buffoon.

Fair enough.

I put it to the author of this post that one of the key reasons James Strauss has comprehensively failed to deliver or even really develop as many reasonable observers would like is because he appears to have had an exceptionally privileged upbringing and an extremely sheltered education under the auspice of an elitist ideology, and this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

In that regard, it is somewhat ironic that it was a fellow graduate of Scotch, Campbell Brown, who told Strauss on his debut that he was 'by far the worst player on the ground'. But then, Brown is originally from WA.

'Country footballers from public schools are better at overcoming personal setbacks than city footballers from private schools' is a political comment, and as such I guess it violates the code of conduct.

What are you gonna do? You're gonna make an inference toward the same point by referencing 'poxy private schools'. Well, perhaps I should apologise for having a dig at graduates of Scotch College. I guess what with everything else in life being so damned hard for them, they really didn't need trolls making snide comments on footyblogs too.

Finally, I think you would have struggled to justify claims that my comments 'ventured well inside racist territory'. I am very comfortable with the appellation 'resilient' in the fashion I used it.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and you are probably busy too. Shalom aleichem.

Apart from this being completely wrong it is also a MASSIVE generalisation, i would know, I've just finished at Scotch.

Furthermore i would like to apologise if what im saying doesn’t come off grammatically correct, for i'm dictating to my butler what to write, and its hard for him to hear me, because I’m on the top floor of my Toorak mansion.

But im guessing this attack on the private school system is because your attended a public school?

so i wouldn’t expect you to understand all this, with a second rate education.........

Can you now see how stupid all this is???

Apart from this being completely wrong it is also a MASSIVE generalisation, i would know, I've just finished at Scotch.

Furthermore i would like to apologise if what im saying doesn’t come off grammatically correct, for i'm dictating to my butler what to write, and its hard for him to hear me, because I’m on the top floor of my Toorak mansion.

But im guessing this attack on the private school system is because your attended a public school?

so i wouldn’t expect you to understand all this, with a second rate education.........

Can you now see how stupid all this is???

You went to Scotch? You poor thing!

Fair enough.

I put it to the author of this post that one of the key reasons James Strauss has comprehensively failed to deliver or even really develop as many reasonable observers would like is because he appears to have had an exceptionally privileged upbringing and an extremely sheltered education under the auspice of an elitist ideology, and this has increased the likelihood that when he was exposed to the harsh examination of the AFL, he was found desperately wanting and did not have the resilience or adaptability of people like (say) Liam Jurrah to overcome personal obstacles in order to make it in the big time.

In that regard, it is somewhat ironic that it was a fellow graduate of Scotch, Campbell Brown, who told Strauss on his debut that he was 'by far the worst player on the ground'. But then, Brown is originally from WA.

'Country footballers from public schools are better at overcoming personal setbacks than city footballers from private schools' is a political comment, and as such I guess it violates the code of conduct.

What are you gonna do? You're gonna make an inference toward the same point by referencing 'poxy private schools'. Well, perhaps I should apologise for having a dig at graduates of Scotch College. I guess what with everything else in life being so damned hard for them, they really didn't need trolls making snide comments on footyblogs too.

Finally, I think you would have struggled to justify claims that my comments 'ventured well inside racist territory'. I am very comfortable with the appellation 'resilient' in the fashion I used it.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and you are probably busy too. Shalom aleichem.

Having grown up as a country boy from a family with limited means, that was fortunate enough to spend his final 3 years of schooling at Scotch, I've found your posts amusing. Campbell Brown was the school captain whilst I was there and I can assure you he was very much a part of the pomp and privilege that can go on at private schools. He was also a very handy football player. Just like anywhere in life, Jika, you will find good blokes, bad blokes. Hard at it blokes, and blokes that shy away. If you are trying to say that private schools nurture their students into living into a fluffed up world where they are not challenged, then you are wrong. The main differences I noticed between my public school education and my private schooling as a boarder was the opportunities available to me, if I was willing to make them happen. The atmosphere of a school like scotch is incredibly competitive, in grades and in sports. Strauss is a very talented footballer who is yet to make his mark at at AFL level. His schooling has had nothing to do with this. If anything, the experiences of such a competitive environment like scotch will have only been of benefit to him in his past 2 seasons on Melbourne's list.

Sometimes draftees just don't make it. Even high pick draftees(thorp). Blaming it on what school his suburb was in is ridiculous.

Ummmmmm.

This is a joke right?

Right.

Here's Jim Stynes making a similar point, albeit without the joking:

'Second-year player James Strauss, 19, was officially on the trip as the Demons' second emergency for the Port Adelaide match, but Stynes says the underlying motivation is because his background - growing up in Canterbury, educated at Scotch College - is so fundamentally different from Jurrah's and Wonaeamirri's.

''That's been something that we've focused on as a board, to say, 'How can we support the development of these footballers and make them better citizens?' because they can get wrapped in cotton wool and then leave the system at 24 or 25 and have the shock of their life, because it's been so easy for them,'' he says.'

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/reaching-out-20100604-xkrf.html