Just now, jumbo returns said:

Natural DNA footballer of the highest level.

He just 'gets' it...

Reminds me of myself.

This is where Jason Taylor excels. Every other recruiter, I expect, would've selected Parish.

He continually makes very astute selections. It's remarkable how quickly he's turned around our list, which was seemingly a basket case only a few years ago.

 

42 minutes ago, McQueen said:

An article out of yesterday's West Aussie.

Unsure of it was also published over east.

Oliver in for a bumper season

A good read, thanks.

Quote:  Clayton Oliver has shed 5kg in order to take his game to the next level and has credited a drink-driving charge as the spur behind his big pre-season... Oliver escaped suspension over the drink-driving charge, but said the infraction had motivated him. “It was pretty embarrassing,” he said.

To think that some posters on here wanted him disciplined or suspended, some even wanted him suspended for Rnd 1.  Thank goodness the club didn't see it that way. 

He has learnt from the experience and is set to repay the faith, in spades!

Edited March 12, 20178 yr by Lucifer's Hero

35 minutes ago, Ron Burgundy said:

This is where Jason Taylor excels. Every other recruiter, I expect, would've selected Parish.

He continually makes very astute selections. It's remarkable how quickly he's turned around our list, which was seemingly a basket case only a few years ago.

 

It's always a debatable point as to where the plaudits should be handed out in regards to draft choices. I like to think Taylor's success links to the arrival of Roos and Jackson and in general the greater level of communication in getting the new list strategy in place and executing it. Absolutely, the efforts that Taylor and his team have put into finding players with what appears to be huge talents needs to be recognised but at the same time it is merely not a single arm of the club performing their role better than other areas. 

As Roos always said, it was about creating the environment and culture where everyone can be developed to become the best they can be and in this instance, it's pretty clear that the recruiters are benefitting from that ethos.

I thought the comment "I thought I'd come back in good nick, but that didn't really work out" was interesting. I wonder what the blocker was?

It's probably unrealistic to expect a 19 year old to have the full discipline and thorough understanding of their own body to know how to return in peak shape. It's easy to get caught up in setting the bar unreasonably high when it comes to young talent like him, when we're all itching to see him at full flight.

As soon as I first saw Oliver, I knew we had an absolute star. The poise, the way he handballs in traffic, dips and side steps and waits for a team mate to be free before releasing the handball is something you don't see every day. Will reach higher achievements than Petracca and most other young stars. Watch this space.

2 hours ago, A F said:

Imagine Viney not getting a tag though, because he can't break one, whereas Clarry will be able to. It improves our midfield and gives players like Viney and Tyson a few extra moments to get rid of it.

How will you know exactly that Clarry will be able to break a tag? He's never been tagged at AFL level to experience if he could or not. Opposition clubs will start to take notice of his dominance around stoppages and then we'll find out where he can break tags.

Think your going a bit too early there AF.

Silly boy, he doesn't wear a mouthguard (going by the article)

2 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

How will you know exactly that Clarry will be able to break a tag? He's never been tagged at AFL level to experience if he could or not. Opposition clubs will start to take notice of his dominance around stoppages and then we'll find out where he can break tags.

Think your going a bit too early there AF.

Bookmark it, DD.

9 minutes ago, A F said:

Bookmark it, DD.

Even the greats of the game struggle with tag from time to time. Sam Mitchell was tagged out of the game last year by Tom Mitchell and that pretty much determined the result with Sydney winning quite easily. Mitchell has 0 influence.

Oliver will struggle with tags from time to time. But he will also have days where he'll win alot more then his opposition opponent.

 

He does look slippery like a Frankfurt, might slip through a tag.

2 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Even the greats of the game struggle with tag from time to time. Sam Mitchell was tagged out of the game last year by Tom Mitchell and that pretty much determined the result with Sydney winning quite easily. Mitchell has 0 influence.

Oliver will struggle with tags from time to time. But he will also have days where he'll win alot more then his opposition opponent.

 

The thing is Dazzle, a team can only have 1 dedicated tagger. So between Viney,Choo Choo, Gus, Tyson and Jones it really does mean that whoever isn't tagged, should be able to exert maximum influence on a game. A very nice postion to be in and one which we havent been in for years!

Edited March 12, 20178 yr by picket fence

And compare that group to Blease, Tapscott, Taggart, Couch,  Magner & Gysberts (Melksham went at 10 in Draft 2009, one selection before JG).....Meggs stop it, sorry...?

Edited March 12, 20178 yr by Meggs

1 hour ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

He does look slippery like a Frankfurt, might slip through a tag.

You're disgusting Ethan.

He is a gun. The rest of the footy world will wake up to it very soon.

I still think his first year was underrated, he was huge in the GWS and Hawthorn wins straight off the top of my head.

Even does little amazing things in games that commentators seem to miss. One example on Thursday night where, in a pack, he sort of flicked the ball from one hand to the other, and then handballed it to a free player. Hard to explain, but it was impressive, and I was like "am I the only one seeing this?"

Edited March 12, 20178 yr by Forest Demon

1 hour ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

You're disgusting Ethan.

You don't hand out compliments willy nilly bitters so this obviously means a lot to me.

The new and improved Clarry Choo Choo mrk 2

18 minutes ago, picket fence said:

The new and improved Clarry Choo Choo mrk 2

Picket pls.

On 12/03/2017 at 11:34 AM, Demon Disciple said:

Silly boy, he doesn't wear a mouthguard (going by the article)

I would have thought that the club would mandate it.  Especially after the recent incident. 

I don't know where most clubs rated him, but the Doggies held a function during the offseason where their head recruiter was on the panel and a mate of mine asked what he thought of Oliver.  He said Oliver is the sort of player they would have loved to recruit, but he had him as second round.  Of course, they didn't have a first round pick, so this could have just been another way to suggest that they would have taken him with their first pick if he'd been available... 

Regardless, I'm pretty happy to have him in the side, especially now that he's kicking more.  Last year I was a little worried that his kicking could be a weakness, but seeing him wheel around in traffic and belt a low hard pass to the wing/HF was just awesome.  The kid's going to be a player. 

On 12/03/2017 at 11:57 AM, Ron Burgundy said:

This is where Jason Taylor excels. Every other recruiter, I expect, would've selected Parish.

He continually makes very astute selections. It's remarkable how quickly he's turned around our list, which was seemingly a basket case only a few years ago.

 

In all fairness, parish had a blinder of a first season and will greatly benefit when his banned brother return 

8 hours ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

can't help but think you googled 'sausage train' - hate to know what also came up in the image selections...

I agree. I think Parish had a terrific first season and will be in the elite category in due course.

My point is that Parish was seemingly the safe selection with pick 4, but Taylor backed himself and went with Oliver despite him being the riskier choice.

For this reason, I always keep an eye on how Parish performs in games. Not that that's especially productive though - I just can't help it.

 

Really thought we would take Parish but very happy we took Clarry just adds to the hard midfield we have built , great hands and footy nous but best of all as tough as nails, loved the way he responded to the Cyril hit.

Very happy with Taylor, has found footy players and i hope he is around for a long time to come.