Jump to content

Billy Stretch Appreciation Thread

dazzledavey36
dazzledavey36
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Seems to be able to find space inside 50, just that we haven't got the talent to get it to him sufficiently yet. And his set shot under pressure is as good as Jack's, I think

  • Quote
    • Like 2
     
      On 01/08/2016 at 06:32, Watts the matter said:

    Interesting you say this, while he does evade quite well I would say his agility is poor for a player of his size. He seems to have a rather large turning circle and his evasive moves normally result in him going the wrong way. He is tracking nicely but this would be my main concern along with his slow ball drop at this stage.

    Cough test?

  • Quote
      On 01/08/2016 at 02:37, dl4e said:

    Stretch is seriously a good player. Think he will be as good as his old man and that is saying something.

    Big statement - Unfortunately his old man has blight on his career which I do not think defined him - but otherwise Steven Stretch was a great player  - good skills, fast, but could take a very good mark which I dont think will be Billy's go - that's not to say Billy will not be a good player

  • Quote
    • Like 2
     

    Progressing nicely, could become my favourite type of AFL player - a reliable best-22 quality who gets the job done and doesn't often stuff the whole thing up.

    May we see 200+ underrated games from the kid.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    And hes still 19 and played just 23 games!  Looks like a reliable poised 150 gamer out there

  • Quote
    • Like 2

      On 01/08/2016 at 07:06, nutbean said:

    Big statement - Unfortunately his old man has blight on his career which I do not think defined him - but otherwise Steven Stretch was a great player  - good skills, fast, but could take a very good mark which I dont think will be Billy's go - that's not to say Billy will not be a good player

    What blight do you speak of? Getting the lemonade and ending up at Fitzroy? 

  • Quote

    I said he was my big improver for 2016, and I'm glad he proved me right. 

    For such a slight frame, he isn't afraid to go hard. He always finds time and space, and gees he can use it. Reminds me of Watts in terms of footy smarts and ball use. 

    Massive upside too. 

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    He has one of modern football's most important traits - good running skills. He runs all day, he runs to the right spots, and he has pace. He can kick at full burst, too, also important.

    Really happy with his development this year. 

  • Quote
    • Like 4
     
      On 01/08/2016 at 11:45, Jaded said:

    For such a slight frame, he isn't afraid to go hard. He always finds time and space, and gees he can use it. Reminds me of Watts in terms of footy smarts and ball use. 

    He has the Sydney and Hawthorn frame, lean yet strong through the hips.

    Edited by Clint Bizkit

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Absolutely love him. 

    Me and my mate joke about how he's never made a mistake. He's so clean. Kicked it out on the full yesterday, that could be one mistake, but I'm going to blame whoever he was kicking to for not being able to jump high enough. 

     

    Exactly the the sort of player we need to, so his development is coming along nicely. Will be another big improver after a good preseason. 

  • Quote
    • Like 4

      On 01/08/2016 at 11:13, Deemented Are Go! said:

    What blight do you speak of? Getting the lemonade and ending up at Fitzroy? 

    Hawthorn, Dippa......most will know. Stretch was a great player for MFC.

  • Quote
    • Like 2
      On 01/08/2016 at 12:09, Deestroy All said:

    Absolutely love him. 

    Me and my mate joke about how he's never made a mistake. He's so clean. Kicked it out on the full yesterday, that could be one mistake, but I'm going to blame whoever he was kicking to for not being able to jump high enough. 

     

    Exactly the the sort of player we need to, so his development is coming along nicely. Will be another big improver after a good preseason. 

    Big Billy fan also, but Re your point on mistakes, might I remind you that he also missed that challenging, but quite gettable goal against North earlier this season.

    Not that I pin that loss on Billy at all and generally speaking, I agree that if there was someone from our side that I wanted to kick that clutch goal from a set shot, I'd be most comfortable with it being in the hands of Jack Watts, Christian Salem or Billy.  From a set shot Billy is exclent, soaks up the pressure and calmly slots it through as cool as a cucumber.

    Edited by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

  • Quote

    Really pleased with his year. It was either a most improved thread or most looking forward to seeing this year type thread where I thought Billy might surprise us versus other expected performances (eg Trac). 

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    He's one of only maybe half a dozen players I have confidence with, when he has the ball a Melbourne player will be the next to receive it.  Watts, Petracca, Bernie (last week excluded) Salem, Jetta the others.

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Billy's father gave us mature deees tragics something to cheer about. Here's a Stretch for the new millennium. Billy will be one out of the box. If he's as good as his dad ended up being........ Happy days !!!! 

    Where are the sons of Jurrah, Jakovich, Grinter and Healy ?? 

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    • Author

    Thread needs more Billy Love!!

    How was the roar when Billy dashed through the middle inside 50 and nailed the goal.

    Future 200 game player is our little Billy!

  • Quote
    • Like 15
      On 01/08/2016 at 01:45, Rusty Nails said:

    He is already in our top 10 IMO ... has occasional brain/skill fade but who doesn't. Especially so new to the game. Great spread/ link player and quick thinker/mover of the air conveyance.

    A very solid outside pick up who occasionaly goes in when needed as well.

    I think that's crazy talk - there'd be 15+ guys I'd reel off before Strech even entered the conversation. He's showed some good signs though and I'm interested to see where he's at in two years time. I think the competition for spots in our best team will be fierce.

  • Quote

    Going to be a very handy player

    Slips under the radar and doesn't get half the media attention of Viney etc, but in time will be a very good player - another Father / Son success!

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Great goal in the last quarter.  Hawks in front. Demons mucking around. 

    Billy runs fast. Gets the handball. Burst through and BANG. Straight through. Demons back in front and go on with the job. Great work Billy Stretch. Run hard. Kick it. 

  • Quote
    • Like 4
      On 08/08/2016 at 21:58, spirit of norm smith said:

    Great goal in the last quarter.  Hawks in front. Demons mucking around. 

    Billy runs fast. Gets the handball. Burst through and BANG. Straight through. Demons back in front and go on with the job. Great work Billy Stretch. Run hard. Kick it. 

    His running kick to Weideman (for his first goal) was pretty good as well.......

    Between him and Hunt we have some line-breaking speed which is very exciting.

    Edited by jnrmac

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    His work rate is sensational. Runs bloody hard and makes good decisions. He'll be a fixture on the wing for years to come I hope.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
      On 09/08/2016 at 00:04, jnrmac said:

    His running kick to Weideman (for his first goal) was pretty good as well.......

    Between him and Hunt we have some line-breaking speed which is very exciting.

    Add in Salem...

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Billy Stretch is not only under-appreciated by the supporters, he's under-appreciated by the coaching dept. He's regularly been dropped after playing ok the week before, whilst other young players are given extended time in the seniors despite playing poorly.

    His ball handling, decision making and disposal is underrated. There's definitely not enough love for Billy on Demonland.

  • Quote
    •  
      On 07/08/2016 at 00:56, dazzledavey36 said:

    Thread needs more Billy Love!!

    How was the roar when Billy dashed through the middle inside 50 and nailed the goal.

    Future 200 game player is our little Billy!

    Even better was the analysis of that play on, I think, the Sunday Footy Show on Nine. First time I've watched that show in years such was my euphoria of the win.

    They highlighted that Stretch was playing on Mitchell on our half back line, ran really hard up the middle and was rewarded for his efforts whereas Mitchell half jogged and was left 50 metres behind where the ball was. A great highlight of his workrate and willingness to get to contests

  • Quote
      On 09/08/2016 at 00:24, mo64 said:

    Billy Stretch is not only under-appreciated by the supporters, he's under-appreciated by the coaching dept. He's regularly been dropped after playing ok the week before, whilst other young players are given extended time in the seniors despite playing poorly.

    His ball handling, decision making and disposal is underrated. There's definitely not enough love for Billy on Demonland.

    Not really, he is in just about every week now, 1 rest about a month ago but he is still young. I highly doubt that they are under-appreciating him.

    I love how penetrating his kick is, as he develops his meters gained will continue to go up. The fact he can run 30-40m then kick it 50-60m and hit a man in the goal square can never be understated.

  • Quote
    • Like 4

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Fremantle

      A month is a long time in AFL football. The proof of this is in the current state of the two teams contesting against each other early this Saturday afternoon at the MCG. It’s hard to fathom that when Melbourne and Fremantle kicked off the 2025 season, the former looked like being a major player in this year’s competition after it came close to beating one of the favourites in the GWS Giants while the latter was smashed by Geelong to the tune of 78 points and looked like rubbish. Fast forward to today and the Demons are low on confidence and appear panic stricken as their winless streak heads towards an even half dozen and pressure mounts on the coach and team leadership.  Meanwhile, the Dockers have recovered their composure and now sit in the top eight. They are definitely on the up and up and look most likely winners this weekend against a team which they have recently dominated and which struggles to find enough passages to the goals to trouble the scorers. And with that, Fremantle will head to the MCG, feeling very good about itself after demolishing Richmond in the Barossa Valley with Josh Treacy coming off a six goal haul and facing up to a Melbourne defence already without Jake Lever and a shaky Steven May needing to pass a fitness test just to make it onto the field of play. 

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 06

      The Easter Round kicks off in style with a Thursday night showdown between Brisbane and Collingwood, as both sides look to solidify their spots inside the Top 4 early in the season. Good Friday brings a double-header, with Carlton out to claim consecutive wins when they face the struggling Kangaroos, while later that night the Eagles host the Bombers in Perth, still chasing their first victory of the year. Saturday features another marquee clash as the resurgent Crows look to rebound from back-to-back losses against a formidable GWS outfit. That evening, all eyes will be on Marvel Stadium where Damien Hardwick returns to face his old side—the Tigers—coaching the Suns at a ground he's never hidden his disdain for. Sunday offers two crucial contests where the prize is keeping touch with the Top 8. First, Sydney and Port Adelaide go head-to-head, followed by a fierce battle between the Bulldogs and the Saints. Then, Easter Monday delivers the traditional clash between two bitter rivals, both desperate for a win to stay in touch with the top end of the ladder. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

      • 87 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Essendon

      What were they thinking? I mean by “they” the coaching panel and team selectors who chose the team to play against an opponent who, like Melbourne, had made a poor start to the season and who they appeared perfectly capable of beating in what was possibly the last chance to turn the season around.It’s no secret that the Demons’ forward line is totally dysfunctional, having opened the season barely able to average sixty points per game which means there has been no semblance of any system from the team going forward into attack. Nevertheless, on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval in one of the Gather Round showcase games, Melbourne, with Max Gawn dominating the hit outs against a depleted Essendon ruck resulting from Nick Bryan’s early exit, finished just ahead in clearances won and found itself inside the 50 metre arc 51 times to 43. The end result was a final score that had the Bombers winning 15.6 (96) to 8.9 (57). On balance, one could expect this to result in a two or three goal win, but in this case, it translated into a six and a half goal defeat because they only managed to convert eight times or 11.68% of their entries. The Bombers more than doubled that. On Thursday night at the same ground, the losing team Adelaide managed to score 100 points from almost the same number of times inside 50.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Essendon

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th April @ the all new time of 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect another Demons loss at Kardinia Park to the Cats in the Round 04. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

        • Like
      • 59 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Fremantle

      The Demons return home to the MCG in search of their first win for the 2025 Premiership season when they take on the Fremantle Dockers on Saturday afternoon. Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Sad
      • 384 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • VOTES: Essendon

      Max Gawn leads the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler and Jake Bowey. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

        • Like
      • 24 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All