The media are starting to catch on, the idea Oliver needs to kick more is a myth his hands are just as damaging, it’s about time 

1 minute ago, brendan said:

The media are starting to catch on, the idea Oliver needs to kick more is a myth his hands are just as damaging, it’s about time 

Exactly. He extracts the ball from a tight contest where you can’t kick it out of. More often than not his handball hits a target who gets a clean kick away. 

23 minutes ago, brendan said:

the idea Oliver needs to kick more is a myth his hands are just as damaging

I only want to see him kick it more because he is a lethal kick as well. He can pump it a mile, and equally put it down the throat of our forwards. But as the saying goes, if it ain't broke.............

The game against the bulldogs hammered this home once and for all for me. The number of times he extracted it and his lightening hands started something was incredible. 

27 minutes ago, brendan said:

The media are starting to catch on, the idea Oliver needs to kick more is a myth his hands are just as damaging, it’s about time 

I want to see him kick more on occasions, there's times where he is a link in a chain streaming through the middle and rather than take a kick when he has a chance he can stop and go sideways/backwards halting our momentum somewhat. He is a beautiful kick as well.

His hands are only one of his weapons. His footy smarts and decision making is years ahead of his age and experience. He doesn't play like a young player in his 3rd season, he looks like he has been doing this forever. 

He is like nothing I have seen before.

He should be called Bluey because of his red hair and the amount of Blueys he'll rack up through his career.

1 hour ago, Adzman said:

His hands are only one of his weapons. His footy smarts and decision making is years ahead of his age and experience. He doesn't play like a young player in his 3rd season, he looks like he has been doing this forever. 

He is like nothing I have seen before.

This.

Anyone noticed that his teammates are now starting to do more of those backwards handballs to find players in space? He is revolutionising this team’s ball use out of packs.

Nic named him Cool Hands Clarry after about 6 games.  It's taken the AFL media about 2 seasons to finally realise he has amazing hands.  Then there's the rest of his game they still haven't caught up with.  Talk about lagging!

In The Age player of the year votes currently 17 of the top 20 vote leaders are midfielders. Oliver is not one of them nor any other of our midfielders from the highest  ranked clearance and contested possession team ATM. Unfair or perhaps a sign that our midfield is the best balanced unit of them all. 

Edited June 5, 20187 yr by america de cali

47 minutes ago, Nasher said:

Anyone noticed that his teammates are now starting to do more of those backwards handballs to find players in space? He is revolutionising this team’s ball use out of packs.

I think that is direction from the coaches box. We also haven’t laid a sheppard in 3 years so that is direction as well.

Usually, you get yelled at for handballing backwards over your head to someone you can’t see... Maybe I am just getting old...

I was born in 94, so I haven't been around for nearly as long as many Dees fans on here. I also recognise that recency bias tends to play a part when making these kinds of calls, you only need to look at the current debate around Jordan/Lebron in the NBA.

 

Having said that, I am now certain that Clarry is the best footballer I've seen at the club in my lifetime. The incredible aspect of that statement is that he's still only 20 years old, and will probably still get better. I have never seen the consistency of excellence he provides every week from anyone who's pulled on our jumper, regardless of age. 

5 minutes ago, Davos said:

I was born in 94, so I haven't been around for nearly as long as many Dees fans on here. I also recognise that recency bias tends to play a part when making these kinds of calls, you only need to look at the current debate around Jordan/Lebron in the NBA.

Having said that, I am now certain that Clarry is the best footballer I've seen at the club in my lifetime. The incredible aspect of that statement is that he's still only 20 years old, and will probably still get better. I have never seen the consistency of excellence he provides every week from anyone who's pulled on our jumper, regardless of age. 

79 here, and Clayton Oliver and Jesse Hogan will end up alongside Stynes, Schwarz, Farmer, and Flower for me...and I only saw the tail end of the latter’s career 

4 hours ago, Nasher said:

Anyone noticed that his teammates are now starting to do more of those backwards handballs to find players in space? He is revolutionising this team’s ball use out of packs.

I was thinking a similar thing on Saturday at the game. But i was thinking that some players are also doing the Oliver special -  those super quick punch like handballs from above the head whilst still in the air. Spartacus did one, as did ANB (i think) and Harmes is doing them regularly

Getting the ball out of packs quickly and clearing congestion is critical in today's football. And probably has been right through his junior days. Oliver has developed an adaptive response to the need to clear congestion. teammates will use his techniques, other AFL players will start using them and i have no doubt they are already being used in junior footy to some extent.

How many players influence how the game is played? not many - perhaps one or two a generation?

The other thing he does few others do is his back pedal to create space. Most players always go sideways or forwards to get clear - Clarry goes forward, thorough packs, sideways and back. His back movement often gives him both space and time and makes his next disposal really dangerous.

I’m amazed he is not rated more highly.

I mean you only have to watch the bloke play, and see the efforts he puts in contest after contest ,to see that he is a once a generation player.

1 hour ago, binman said:

I was thinking a similar thing on Saturday at the game. But i was thinking that some players are also doing the Oliver special -  those super quick punch like handballs from above the head whilst still in the air. Spartacus did one, as did ANB (i think) and Harmes is doing them regularly

Getting the ball out of packs quickly and clearing congestion is critical in today's football. And probably has been right through his junior days. Oliver has developed an adaptive response to the need to clear congestion. teammates will use his techniques, other AFL players will start using them and i have no doubt they are already being used in junior footy to some extent.

How many players influence how the game is played? not many - perhaps one or two a generation?

The other thing he does few others do is his back pedal to create space. Most players always go sideways or forwards to get clear - Clarry goes forward, thorough packs, sideways and back. His back movement often gives him both space and time and makes his next disposal really dangerous.

Confidence is an amazing thing.

14 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

He should be called Bluey because of his red hair and the amount of Blueys he'll rack up through his career.

I read as Bloweys. My bad

It's not only how he distributes the ball. In order to distribute the ball he must first win the ball.

His ability to both hunt the ball and win the ball in close is exceptional (and remarkably remains unnoticed). In doing so he denies the opposition use of the ball and increases our possession.

That he can also distribute the ball to advantage is the icing on the cake. I cannot recall another player in any team who could do all three as well as Clarry and I was there in 64.

i suspect that he's underrated because most of his works is of the  'blink and you'll miss it' variety.

He doesn't do the flashy Dusty palm off etc.

Like all Dee's fans, I rate him as highly as everyone, and I'm still constantly surprised to see his total numbers at the end of each game.

I reckon I only see half of them, and I know he's going to be there doing it!

9 hours ago, Rusty Nails said:

Nic named him Cool Hands Clarry after about 6 games.  It's taken the AFL media about 2 seasons to finally realise he has amazing hands.  Then there's the rest of his game they still haven't caught up with.  Talk about lagging!

As an aside to this, the umpires are realising - ever so slowly - that where they have penalised him for 'incorrect disposal' (ie: throwing the ball, not handballing) in the past was entirely wrong and ridiculously, it only took two years for them to use slow-mo clips to actually see how fast he was handballing, not throwing.

I knickname him ' The Wall ' because ball hit wall - ball bounces off wall. In that split second between his possession of the ball and its legal despatch, a full handball has been executed with accuracy and limited loss of momentum. How unfair for poor old Filth, Carlscum, Essendrug, Whoreform and the rest of less gifted.