Yep, all of the above. I just love the crowd noise when he tucks the ball under his arm and takes off. Exhilarating stuff

I tell my boy "that's what I pay to come and see", he tells me "we're members, we got in for free"

Spent queens birthday watching the game next to a pies supporter, every time Jayden touched the ball, I leaned in and said, They wont catch him. 

 

Pies fan got a bit grumpy but admitted he was his Fav Demon player

Watched McDonald-Tipungwuti in action at Etihad on Saturday evening and then Hunt at the Gee on Monday... the game needs players like these!  Hunt is only going to get better and will start to look for targets inside the 50 rather than just blazing away.  Now if we could only lure McDonald-Tipungwuti away from Essendrug.

When Hunt gets the ball I say "beep beep"

My son is too young to get it.

not sure if it was mentioned above (if so sorry I missed it) but he is great at defensive running too. So many players can look quick with ball in hand, or when they think they are a chance to get on the end of a cheap kick for goal, but Jayden has used his speed to close down and effect spoils also.

 

Hard, loves a scrap, flair, blistering speed, cult figure. What's not to love about having him on our team.

1 hour ago, ManDee said:

When Hunt gets the ball I say "beep beep"

My son is too young to get it.

Your son may be too young to get it, MD, but I certainly aint!  LOL  Love it!

BEEP BEEP...!!!

8 hours ago, Dappa Dan said:

If he had Salem's kick he'd have been a top 20 pick.

I don't agree with this DD - he fell to where he did because clubs either didn't know about him at all or considered him far too speculative. At the time he was a player with pace but pretty much every other aspect of his game had a question mark, including likelihood of actually getting on the park. If clubs knew he'd turn out to be this player, he'd be top 20 already, even with the sometimes unfortunate kicking.

I was watching the pre-match warmup. When everybody else were walking off the ground Jayden was picking up all the loose footballs and having shots at goal. Just love his enthusiasm for the game. While he does bomb the ball in the forward line I think some of the blame rests on the forwards. Garlett and Harmes were both caught behind their opponents. Need to get in front and not look for the ball over the back. Also with a short forward line there needs to be more leading from our forwards. Exception to this was Watts whose running to open space was fantastic . To me our best player on Monday.

1 minute ago, Nasher said:

I don't agree with this DD - he fell to where he did because clubs either didn't know about him at all or considered him far too speculative. At the time he was a player with pace but pretty much every other aspect of his game had a question mark, including likelihood of actually getting on the park. If clubs knew he'd turn out to be this player, he'd be top 20 already, even with the sometimes unfortunate kicking.

Each to their own I guess. In 2014 though: Players taken after 20, Laverde, Steele, McLean, Miller, Howe, Blakely, Daniel, Dale, Stretch... That's a number of fairly highly sought after types most of them highly skilled. The way I see it it's been this way during and since Hawthorn's big years. They got 3 flags as arguably the most skilled side ever, so everyone has put a premium on skilled players in the last 5-10 drafts (Lucas Cook anyone?). I reckon after about the second round, pick 30-35 or so, that's when you start seeing a skill drop off.

Here's an interesting comparison. Thinking back to super quick back flankers with dodgy disposal... Rohan Bail was taken in the 60s, and as a mature age player. I liked him, but he was never a star. Bail debuted a few months before his 21st. Hunt just after. Both are quick, love a goal, can kick the leather off the thing but spray it a bit... They're miles apart in terms of quality. It says a lot about Hunt's competitiveness. Spoiling. Decision making. Taking the game on. Toughness in body on body stuff sometimes against much bigger opponents. Sometimes he tries to tackle ruckmen with just his head.

The vagaries of drafting are still enormous in the AFL. And the longer I look at it, the more I'm thinking we're not just getting lucky suddenly.

Never thought I'd see Jayden Hunt compared to Rohan Bail!

1 hour ago, Nasher said:

I don't agree with this DD - he fell to where he did because clubs either didn't know about him at all or considered him far too speculative. At the time he was a player with pace but pretty much every other aspect of his game had a question mark, including likelihood of actually getting on the park. If clubs knew he'd turn out to be this player, he'd be top 20 already, even with the sometimes unfortunate kicking.

Hunt had never played any TAC Cup footy and was pretty small. Hence he wasn't on most clubs' radar. He really only came into contention because Robert Shaw mentioned him to Jason Taylor who had gone to Brighton Grammar to see Kelly and Salem.  Hunt also grew five-inches in Year 11 and thus became a decent prospect with his pace and hardness.

Edited June 15, 20178 yr by jnrmac

6 hours ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Have to laugh at so many media pundits putting a big price tag on Johanisen when to me Hunt is a much better and more aggressive player.

The amount of time JJ turns the ball over is ridiculous for someone valued so highly 

He is a MUCH MUCH better kick than Hunt.

Are you basing this on his grand final? I've seen this type of comment a few times now and it couldn't be further from the truth.

1 hour ago, Members' Wing said:

Never thought I'd see Jayden Hunt compared to Rohan Bail!

Not a comparison of players. The comparison is on ground position and draft position. Just to highlight how far apart they are despite similar entrances to the league.

Im basing this on two games i saw live  this season.

59 minutes ago, Watts the matter said:

He is a MUCH MUCH better kick than Hunt.

Are you basing this on his grand final? I've seen this type of comment a few times now and it couldn't be further from the truth.

Im basing it on seeing him live twice this season. And games watched on television.

Your oponion is he's a better kick than Hunt. Not mine

My opinion us Hunt is a more aggressive player 

Love him to death but he will be devastating when he lowers his eyes.

Setting up with 5 or 4 forwards the way we do means his 'bombing' is the exact thing we DON'T want HBFs and wings to do.

When he kicks it 25 and runs and gets it back and kicks it 50 he will be even more devastating than he is now.

27 minutes ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Im basing this on two games i saw live  this season.

Im basing it on seeing him live twice this season. And games watched on television.

Your oponion is he's a better kick than Hunt. Not mine

My opinion us Hunt is a more aggressive player 

100% agree with this part. The kicking we will have to agree to disagree on then.

I've noticed that some of the best AFL players slow their tempo a fraction just before they kick.  Jayden kicks while he is running flat out.  He may not realise it but the op is rarely within a few meters of him so he has time to slow his pace a fraction and pick a target rather than bomb it in and hope for the best. 

Jack Watts instinctively knew he had the time when he kicked the match winning goal - he slowed down before taking aim.  Petracca and Salem also have it instinctively.

When Jayden finds this level of composure and can vary his pace at the right time he will be a match winner by setting up our goal kickers.

Hard to believe its the same player that I saw for the first time play VFL at Vic Park in 2015, back then he looked gangly, ungainly and I barely saw a hint of the blistering pace and ability to take the game on. It was early days then of course, after almost 2 full years of injury wilderness and most of us barely even knowing what he looked like let alone how he played, but he's been a superb win for our recruiting staff and their associated scouting networks...

Just love to watch his ilk play, taking the game on and the crowd roaring in anticipation!

 

Good to relive some 2016 highlights, thanks to the youtube poster!

 

7 hours ago, Rocknroll said:

Spent queens birthday watching the game next to a pies supporter, every time Jayden touched the ball, I leaned in and said, They wont catch him. 

 

Pies fan got a bit grumpy but admitted he was his Fav Demon player

I'd have taken great delight in loudly telling him that Hunty grew up as a pies supporter, his family are/were pies' supporters and his dog's name is Bucks (and that he hasn't looked back). 

Just another way of sliding a knife into the back!

24 minutes ago, small but forward said:

I'd have taken great delight in loudly telling him that Hunty grew up as a pies supporter, his family are/were pies' supporters and his dog's name is Bucks (and that he hasn't looked back). 

Just another way of sliding a knife into the back!

He had (I believe) a great grandfather who played for Collingwood in the 1930's.

He also had a relative (uncle?) who played a few games for Melbourne, so he had a foot on both camps.

He is going to be SPECIAAALLLLL!!!!!!!

1 hour ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

I've noticed that some of the best AFL players slow their tempo a fraction just before they kick.  Jayden kicks while he is running flat out.  He may not realise it but the op is rarely within a few meters of him so he has time to slow his pace a fraction and pick a target rather than bomb it in and hope for the best. 

Jack Watts instinctively knew he had the time when he kicked the match winning goal - he slowed down before taking aim.  Petracca and Salem also have it instinctively.

When Jayden finds this level of composure and can vary his pace at the right time he will be a match winner by setting up our goal kickers.

I find Jayden runs as far as he can and then kicks. He doesn't typically run say 5m and pass it off, he'll run 10-20m depending on how much pressure is being applied to him and how much space is ahead of him. Consequently many of his kicks are under some kind of pressure as he waits till the last second to dish it off.

He really does set the standard for 'Run Like A Demon'.

The lowering of the eyes when necessary and the more composed kick may come with time, but you just can't teach pace like that.

4 hours ago, DemonDave said:

Hard to believe its the same player that I saw for the first time play VFL at Vic Park in 2015, back then he looked gangly, ungainly and I barely saw a hint of the blistering pace and ability to take the game on. It was early days then of course, after almost 2 full years of injury wilderness and most of us barely even knowing what he looked like let alone how he played, but he's been a superb win for our recruiting staff and their associated scouting networks...

Just love to watch his ilk play, taking the game on and the crowd roaring in anticipation!

 

I remember that day Dave.  Freezing cold!  Hunt got 3 goals that day from memory, but he was only showing occasional flashes.  One of his goals (maybe more?) was a cheap over the back run onto the ball in the goalsquare, off the hands of the pack.  But he had the pace to burn off an opponent to get it, and the goal sense to be in the right place running past the pack.