What to do with Petracca?

[titan_uranus 24,965]

Despite the hyperbole on here, we're not at "drop him" or "trade him" yet.

But IMO we're at the point where we have to ask ourselves what is going on with him and where his career is going. It feels to me as though we've spent years waiting for him to take the next step. 

[jnrmac 20,053]

Petracca's head runs at 100kmh and his body runs at 25kmh.

Needs to:

1. stop thinking 3 steps ahead.

2. Stop thinking about how to pull off the 1% dink to an opponent under pressure

3. just get the ball and burst into space and kick the ball to a target

4. Stop worying about his opponent when a ball is there to be won. Just get the flippin thing.

[jnrmac 20,053]

2 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Not sure if you realised but it rained the whole game... everyone fumbled, Viney, Gawn Jones and Brayshaw all had the fumbles at some stage throughout the game. Unfair to  single him out individually. 

This × 10

Dismissive comment. Not sure if you realised how sure-handed Geelong were and how clean their ball skills were. 

[jnrmac 20,053]

Petracca has a long way to go before he makes the "Hall of Fame". What an ego.

[Redleg 40,811]

Petracca is not the problem.

He can and will be great when the other 4 forwards excluding Melk pull their weight and we also learn how to deliver the ball into our forward 50.

It is hard to win when you have 2 on you, because 4 of your other forwards are so pathetic that their opponents don't bother with them and help out on Trac and Melk.

How ANB is preferred to Billy or even Corey is beyond me. This BS about his pressure is just that. Go watch the 3rd quarter last night for example and see him beaten in every contest and then fall over and let his opponent start off another play that ends with a Cats goal.

8 possies at 44% is actually next to useless. That is at best 3 effective possies. When he then gets in the way of other players it just compounds. I did more for the Dees last night by simply going to that sh-thole of a ground and sitting there in the rain.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Redleg

[Age 485]

2 hours ago, Return to Glory said:

I've been critical of Petracca of late so I won't sink the boots in. I do, however, want to know if others have made the same observation that I have about his kicking style. It always seems to me that his ball drop starts from very high and therefore seemingly lacks any great control. This is particularly so when he looks to kick around his body and, invariably, he takes too long to get the ball from hand to foot.

Now he's not a midfielder, I think we see that now. Perhaps he needs to look at (don't shout me down here) how a guy like Hawthorn's Puopolo goes about it in the forward half. The post about him not being a hybrid is spot on imo. Petracca is a burst player.

This is where I worry with the club. I’ve noticed he brings the ball down from way too high also. Surely if we are seeing this, the coaches have to? Coming down from so high leaves too much margin for error. Is why he can kick a great ball but the next one misses by a mile. 

[Moonshadow 17,675]

That simple spilt chest mark on the siren was very, very disappointing. A goal after the siren could have been a huge confidence booster for the whole team

[red&blue1982 255]

14 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

Too fat, too slow can't kick. I'm calling it right now BUST! Drop him and trade him.

THOUGHTS?

Your statement here is as depressing as our last defeat.

[dazzledavey36 54,201]

30 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Dismissive comment. Not sure if you realised how sure-handed Geelong were and how clean their ball skills were. 

Absolutely they were. We used the footy like it was a wet soap.

But to single Petracca out as someone who had the fumbles was and is just silly. Our whole squad was fumbly the whole night, not just Trac.

[Docs Demons 1,778]

5 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Absolutely they were. We used the footy like it was a wet soap.

But to single Petracca out as someone who had the fumbles was and is just silly. Our whole squad was fumbly the whole night, not just Trac.

To true however he needs some time at Casey along with a few more but it wont happen as I'm not sure if we have ready AFL replacements at Casey.

[scarlett 247]

Why would we drop him, or worse trade him? Who plays forward with midfield minutes? We supporters give time for his team mates to find fittness and form but not trac because we hold him to that number 2 pick. He's not going to be the star many thought, but they seem to be measuring him against that imaginery level. He's always fumbled, always shanked a pass that looks easy by kicking it to hard, but normally hits a target and creates goals. He's never had the burst speed to dominate as a mid like a martin or dangerfield. What he has is awareness of whats happening and where the play will go, or when he gets the ball he will put it where his team mate should be running. He's able to execute what he plans most times because he can break through most tackles and is awesome at keeping his feet or give to a team mate while being dragged down. Doesnt have the tank so is better off spending more time forward but when managed right and not exhuasted is a capable mid who can turn momentum by winning contests and things normally happen when hes involved, this will improve every pre season but will never be a ben cousins or tom scully. Needs to work on his set shot. Coaches thoughts on goal kicking now seem to be better off to work with what youve got than try to reconstruct the entire technique, unfortunately i think he needs more than a tweak as he seems to slap the ball with his foot as hard as he can instead of kicking through it. Wouldnt hurt him to go out to a park and have a kick with fev, he held the ball different but I've seen him help out young players and makes it really simple and you could see the improvement straight away.

He's a good half forward who started to look like he was ready to tear games apart, opposition players and coaches noticed this so put more work into him. Natural part of development, he will either rise above the closer attention or just be a good half forward role player who can sometimes be more. Most half forwards are inconsistent due to the position. If anb played like trac we would be saying good game.

To those that say trade him, what would you want in a trade? No one will pay top price, then you risk losing a player that plays his role, for a lottery if you go to the draft with a high chance of said player not up to the same standard.

 

 

[Dr.D 1,771]

ultimately, he'll never make it as a forward as his kicking is horrendous.  he'll never make it as a mid as he fumbles too much and has no rank.

[beelzebub 23,313]

15 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

No way will he be dropped. If he gets drop and ANB is still in the side then i will stop supporting Melbourne and AFL in general. 

Out of form and somehow needs a game to rediscover that. Could next friday be that match? Hope so, i am backing him.

I'll make you a deal

We can drop both !!

[Willmoy1947 4,080]

I'm just glad we don't have a scumbag coach like  one that coached Cats last night, who turns his players into annoying, back thumbing,kneeing and pushing could be footballers bootlaces. A Country Club that relies on favours from a governing body of misguided bumpkins intent on making more money than some Religions.......  

[Jaded No More 68,855]

At the end of the day he has currency and is expandable.

I would entertain offers for some outside leg speed or a quality crumbing forward. 

[beelzebub 23,313]

2 minutes ago, Jaded said:

At the end of the day he has currency and is expandable.

I would entertain offers for some outside leg speed or a quality crumbing forward. 

This is it.

You'll get what you will get...but whatever that is it'll help towards another project.

This one's rapidly going stale

[DV8 2,271]

14 hours ago, Phadraig said:

Has lost his swagger

So he should have.   and undeserved false dawn swagger, for a cameo type player.

[DV8 2,271]

13 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

I get the concerns over his body and fitness but the guy had plenty of tackles and pressure acts and really looked to me like someone who has somehow lost all confidence with his play.

He needs to go through this and come out the other end with a more honest self appraisal and new attitude towards his footy. this shows in his physical preparation. 

It is of one who thinks AFL is just a game...  as did watts.  note watts physical build for a 10 Year player. where is the muscle for a 195cm tall ?

 

Tracca needs to be reborn in attitude, IF he is to rebuild his career.   He needs to unpick his old mindset and rebuild into a Pro.  He can only do this Via a new total commitment to his footy.

its all in his mind,  and it will take his decisions to improve.

 

# let us all stop with the "Truck" rubbish...  built like Tarzan, plays like Boy George.

 

Let's all reboot 'our minds',  to allow him to reset With Casey Demons.

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by DV8

[Dr.D 1,771]

not sure why people are picking on petraccas mindset. He clearly cares. I think his workrate is ok. but he is just genuinely slow and has no tank. i'm sure it's improved each season. My issue is his skills in general. 

[beelzebub 23,313]

A problem DV8 is much comment here isn't really invented . It's observational mixed with personal experience and expectations.

Trac is own worst enemy. He's been in the system long enough surely to know what's expected. It's not an eternal waiting game.

[DV8 2,271]

4 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

Despite the hyperbole on here, we're not at "drop him" or "trade him" yet.

But IMO we're at the point where we have to ask ourselves what is going on with him and where his career is going. It feels to me as though we've spent years waiting for him to take the next step. 

he's been comfortable with his level,  for a couple of seasons now. 

He has received accolades and a nickname, which he didn't have to fight his way to Earn... to receive.    He's had it easy at Melbourne...  even been gifted games at times when he didn't deserve them.

He's become attitudinal'y,  Lazy and soft under our guidance. 

 

We, Mfc...  tend to spoil most of our early picked talents,  with unearned adoration.

.

[DV8 2,271]

6 minutes ago, Dr.D said:

not sure why people are picking on petraccas mindset. He clearly cares. I think his workrate is ok. but he is just genuinely slow and has no tank. i'm sure it's improved each season. My issue is his skills in general. 

Absolutely nothing to do with caring,,,   being nice,  or any of those things.

 

Its all about his perception,  of where he's at within footy...  and where he wants to be.

..................

If he's genuinely slow and has no tank,  then why is he being picked,  and why is he on our list, at all ?  Lets just give up on him then.

 

No, he has to change the things in him,  that are failing him...  and that starts upstairs for him,  with his footy makeup. 

& his work-rate is not OK.

[Dockett 32 1,239]

So single Trac out in our forward line is a little over the top.

Maybe you should cast your net a little wider.

 

[scarlett 247]

31 minutes ago, DV8 said:

he's been comfortable with his level,  for a couple of seasons now. 

He has received accolades and a nickname, which he didn't have to fight his way to Earn... to receive.    He's had it easy at Melbourne...  even been gifted games at times when he didn't deserve them.

He's become attitudinal'y,  Lazy and soft under our guidance. 

 

We, Mfc...  tend to spoil most of our early picked talents,  with unearned adoration.

.

I wouldnt call him lazy, he trains at full intensity and still chases when hes stuffed out on the  ground.

You may think he's lazy or bad attitude when an opponent zips past him, but I'd argue he's got nothing left. There's improvement to come with his endurance even in the short term he'll get more match fit. The problem is a lot of our midfield is on managed minutes, which means tracs probably  doing a bit more in the midfield which would burn through his tank quicker, and the goid things he does become harder.

[Dame Gaga 2,453]

  When the media started printing article upon article about how good Melbourne were, how good their young players were, how they were about to break their Premiership drought, how the new rules would suit the team etc etc, I thought it was the worse thing that could have happened. Footballers should be banned from reading such publicity. I'm sure much of it seeped into their brains and they began to believe it. All of a sudden Melbourne players were in demand to be interviewed like they were the flavour of the month. This mindset can apply to any player, and Petracca is no exception. The majority of them are young boys and not immune to flattery. We used to call it "being full of yourself". The job has not yet been done. There are other teams who are hungry to win a Premiership as well. Melbourne players need to get their hunger and aggression back. What they did last year was great, and admirable, but it is not the time to relax like the hare did and watch the tortoises win the race.