Cale Morton

[mordja 187]

Doesn't seem to have rated a mention yet regarding his game on the weekend (or I've missed the thread).

Put his head over it once in Q1 and then pretty much went missing. I would have thought as an outside mid with a great tank, that the port game was an opportunity to show his superior fitness and purported class but was pretty disappointing. Dozen or so touches and very little impact on the game.

Seems to polarise people when it comes to his selection in the team.

How long do we wait for this guy to perform without dropping him back to Casey again? Is it fair to say he wouldn't be getting a game if we didn't have 4 (arguably) of our best 22 out?

[pitmaster 3,488]

Doesn't seem to have rated a mention yet regarding his game on the weekend (or I've missed the thread).

Put his head over it once in Q1 and then pretty much went missing. I would have thought as an outside mid with a great tank, that the port game was an opportunity to show his superior fitness and purported class but was pretty disappointing. Dozen or so touches and very little impact on the game.

Seems to polarise people when it comes to his selection in the team.

How long do we wait for this guy to perform without dropping him back to Casey again? Is it fair to say he wouldn't be getting a game if we didn't have 4 (arguably) of our best 22 out?

He is really struggling - quite good overhead and has taken some strong saving marks since coming back into the ones but his disposal generally costs us at least one goal per game. That's not unusual in a defender but the worrying thing about Cale's turnovers is that they are often under little pressure. Saturday night was doubly bad with him costing us several goals - at least two directly - but given the humidity and the heat and the likelihood the ball behaved oddly in the air I guess we have to cut him some slack...again.

At least, I would.

[The Insulter 0]

Like Richmond with Fiora and Farron Ray with Dogs... it time we acknowledge that we got this pick wrong as pass him on whilst he might have some currency. Look how well we have gone after getting rid of Brock McLean and getting Gysberts! Gold. You dont develop courage...

[Juicebox 628]

Like Richmond with Fiora and Farron Ray with Dogs... it time we acknowledge that we got this pick wrong as pass him on whilst he might have some currency. Look how well we have gone after getting rid of Brock McLean and getting Gysberts! Gold. You dont develop courage...

Good examples (Fiora and Ray). Richmond hung on to Tambling for too long as well IMO.

It's a bit like the Lindsay Thomas situation at Norf in that it's "almost not fair to play him". Cale has shown some serious potential at times, but at the moment seems to be playing with zero confidence.

Needs to go back to Casey and play some good footy at that level for awhile.

[Guest Artie Bucco]

I'm content with his form at the moment.

[The Reds 0]

Trade bait. Has absolutely no ticker, dropped an easy overhead mark in the first qtr due to perceived pressure. To many blokes who have a crack are missing out.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Like Richmond with Fiora and Farron Ray with Dogs... it time we acknowledge that we got this pick wrong as pass him on whilst he might have some currency. Look how well we have gone after getting rid of Brock McLean and getting Gysberts! Gold. You dont develop courage...

Just like we did with Jamar.

Hardly sets a precedent at all using McLean,Ray and Fiora. He has not been playing well but he has had the last 2 years interrupted with injury. As relatively tall midfielder (192cm) I would be prepared to have some patience with him. He needs to improve. But I would not be getting rid of him unless the deal was good. I think he has good upside.

[Tatu 416]

Morton has a serious case of premeditated hardness at the contest, which really need to be instinctive hardness at the contest. Not sure if it can be cured...

[PeterJames 46]

I have been in Morton's corner all year, although another poor game from Cale.

I can see where people are coming from with the Ray and Fiora examples, there are also others that have become very good players, Jamar, Goddard.

I still think we should stick with Morton, I would prefer the stick with him than get rid of him option. He is still in our best 22. Although if Scully stays he maybe at GWS.

[Nasher 33,607]

I think the potential upside outweighs the price we'd fetch at this point in his career.

[biggestred 4,871]

wouldnt mind seeing him in the forward line at casey

[Chook 15,001]

He is where Jack Watts was about 1 year ago. He knows he doesn't deserve a game at the moment and is playing like a man who's afraid of what might go wrong. He needs confidence. How he can get it is another matter...

[Guest Thomo]

Trade bait. Has absolutely no ticker, dropped an easy overhead mark in the first qtr due to perceived pressure. To many blokes who have a crack are missing out.

Green did the same about a minute later, may have been the slippery ball rather than the pressure.

[mordja 187]

wouldnt mind seeing him in the forward line at casey

A Jarrad Grant type? Might work.

I just don't know how much room there is in any team for blokes that aren't interested in contested footy.

If he was getting heaps of it and not putting his head in....maybe you dont mind. But he's neither getting a heap of the pill or doing a lot of 1%ers.

[Juicebox 628]

I can see where people are coming from with the Ray and Fiora examples, there are also others that have become very good players, Jamar, Goddard.

Jamar got picked up in the rookie draft by a club that already had 2 capable ruckman (Jolly and White). Unlike Morton, there was almost no expectation on him.

The only thing we can take out of Jamar's situation, is that a player can take over half a decade to come good. Are we prepared to play the waiting game with a player like Morton??

[jabberwocky 2,301]

Just like we did with Jamar.

Hardly sets a precedent at all using McLean,Ray and Fiora. He has not been playing well but he has had the last 2 years interrupted with injury. As relatively tall midfielder (192cm) I would be prepared to have some patience with him. He needs to improve. But I would not be getting rid of him unless the deal was good. I think he has good upside.

Far be it for me to draw a line through his name however I see similarities with Ray and Fiora. Fiora and Ray (to a lesser extent) are outside players who looked great at junior level but failed to make the step up to the speed and intensity of AFL football. It may be unpalatable but it is a real possibility that Morton goes the same way.

I still struggle to see where Cale fits in given his deficiencies. I have tried using my imagination I really have. I need to see him play a role successfully other than as the now rightly defunct role as an outside midfielder.

[dee-luded 2,959]

He is where Jack Watts was about 1 year ago. He knows he doesn't deserve a game at the moment and is playing like a man who's afraid of what might go wrong. He needs confidence. How he can get it is another matter...

Hard work & putting yourself in the way of the ball is a good start, courage to take it on.

[H_T 3,042]

Far be it for me to draw a line through his name however I see similarities with Ray and Fiora. Fiora and Ray (to a lesser extent) are outside players who looked great at junior level but failed to make the step up to the speed and intensity of AFL football. It may be unpalatable but it is a real possibility that Morton goes the same way.

I still struggle to see where Cale fits in given his deficiencies. I have tried using my imagination I really have. I need to see him play a role successfully other than as the now rightly defunct role as an outside midfielder.

Is it just me, or is Ray not a good example here ?

I think he has stepped up to the speed and intensity of AFL football, certainly at St.Kilda he contributes on a regular basis, he may not be considered elite, but I think he is a capable player now at AFL level. He may have struggled to get a look in at the Dogs on a regular basis, but at the time there were many mids at the Dogs and he worked hard at VFL level on his deficiencies.

On Cale, I'm not entirely sure he is working hard enough on his deficiencies on the track. He might well be, but that's just me and I'm holding on for some improvement in his decision making and footy nous. I have noticed when he has decided it's time to go to a 50/50 contest (he did once on Saturday night) to obtain the ball, you could see he made the decision to go harder than he otherwise would. But it just seems a concerted effort, it doesn't or isn't a natural part of his game. ie. like he thinks twice before committing. Which is admittedly frustrating and I hope he can eradicate it out of his game so that it does come naturally. Guys like Frawley, Rivers, Garland, even Howe - they don't think twice for a contest.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Far be it for me to draw a line through his name however I see similarities with Ray and Fiora. Fiora and Ray (to a lesser extent) are outside players who looked great at junior level but failed to make the step up to the speed and intensity of AFL football. It may be unpalatable but it is a real possibility that Morton goes the same way.

I still struggle to see where Cale fits in given his deficiencies. I have tried using my imagination I really have. I need to see him play a role successfully other than as the now rightly defunct role as an outside midfielder.

The only thing he's missing atmo is a tache' like Dunny. That would just about top Mortons tails.

By the way, I like Dunny's flair.

Edited July 18, 2011 by dee-luded

[nutbean 8,838]

Is it just me, or is Ray not a good example here ?

I think he has stepped up to the speed and intensity of AFL football, certainly at St.Kilda he contributes on a regular basis, he may not be considered elite, but I think he is a capable player now at AFL level. He may have struggled to get a look in at the Dogs on a regular basis, but at the time there were many mids at the Dogs and he worked hard at VFL level on his deficiencies.

On Cale, I'm not entirely sure he is working hard enough on his deficiencies on the track. He might well be, but that's just me and I'm holding on for some improvement in his decision making and footy nous. I have noticed when he has decided it's time to go to a 50/50 contest (he did once on Saturday night) to obtain the ball, you could see he made the decision to go harder than he otherwise would. But it just seems a concerted effort, it doesn't or isn't a natural part of his game. ie. like he thinks twice before committing. Which is admittedly frustrating and I hope he can eradicate it out of his game so that it does come naturally. Guys like Frawley, Rivers, Garland, even Howe - they don't think twice for a contest.

I think harsh on Ray too - he is outside but goes when he has to

[H_T 3,042]

I think harsh on Ray too - he is outside but goes when he has to

Agree. See Joel Selwood's collision earlier in the year. Ray has had similar contested instances, and I agree he does go in on a regular basis.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

Ray was a pick 4....he is ok which is why I had the bracketed bit after his name. Ray has been in the system since 2004. I reckon we would all hope for a greater output from Cale Morton in comparison.

[beelzebub 23,254]

Just like we did with Jamar.

Hardly sets a precedent at all using McLean,Ray and Fiora. He has not been playing well but he has had the last 2 years interrupted with injury. As relatively tall midfielder (192cm) I would be prepared to have some patience with him. He needs to improve. But I would not be getting rid of him unless the deal was good. I think he has good upside.

I would have thought youd be amongst the first to remind us that Rucks take much much longer so the Jamar was always a longer term expectation. Yet all the whiles you could see where Russian was going to end up..there were snippets etc. You really dont get this vibe off of Cale.

Morton performs little cameos during a game whilst never putting a whole one together. Im all for cashing in whatever market-value he has and investinig that anew.

end of season trade bait.....thats about it.

[Carn dees 108]

Like Richmond with Fiora and Farron Ray with Dogs... it time we acknowledge that we got this pick wrong as pass him on whilst he might have some currency. Look how well we have gone after getting rid of Brock McLean and getting Gysberts! Gold. You dont develop courage...

What if we had of done that with Sylvia, Garland, Jamar and even CHippa!

Ill leave this one for the club to decide.

Does anyone remember Mckenna saying Morton would be one of the best players in the afl in 2-3 years time. He's obviously got a lot of upside i think it will be worth the wait.

[Guest 36DD]

Unfortunately Cale is scared of body contact and his skills aren't elite therefore he cant be a viable outside player.

One simply has to watch Chad Cornes' mark and goal late in the third quarter to realise how timid Cale is. It was a pack mark situation near the goal square (long bomb in), Cornes was third in line, two Dee defenders were either bodied or missread the flight of the ball. Cale was on the side of the pack with no physical pressure on him, he stuck up his fist in the most timid fashion you will ever likely to see and missed the ball completely expecting and fearful of bodycontact. Now for instance if it had been Tapscott in Mortons place he would have killed the ball with a solid fist or at least put his body at risk of contact in attempting to punch the ball.

I'm not sure if Cale will ever lose this from his game.