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Richo’s Praise of Luke Jackson

Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

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The thing that's got me the most about him is the warp speed improvement week on week.

When he was drafted he was said to be a project player who hadn't played much footy but showed rapid improvement. I thought he looked like one of those players who are picked for their athletic potential even though they don't have a footy brain. His game awareness has turned out to be absolutely elite.

His ability at 19yrs to already compete physically in the ruck against mature bodies is a shock. He's put on 10kg's just since last season. 91kg to 101kg. 

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    I am enjoying him now, he has had a great year. I urge Demon fans to do the same as sometimes big men like Jackson can become slower over the years and can plateau at an early age. Don't get me wrong he still has upside for a year or two but beyond that injuries and lack of motivation can creep in. 

    He has a completely different build to most young men at 19. Take Max for example. Max was skinny and hadn't developed into his body. He was prone to injuries and did both knees. It's only after 5 or 6 years that he learnt about what works for his body and how to get the most out of himself and got very fit and arrived at about 26 - 28 as a fantastic player that he is today.

    Jackson has an Adonis body at a young age. Look at the size of his bum and thighs. They are huge and allow him to compete with men much older, slightly stronger and heavier. His jump is really good and his big thighs allow him to push off and out of contests. Hopefully he takes a long time to age and can keep his "bouncability". But it is no guarantee.

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    3 hours ago, willmoy said:

    Scott's the sort of guy that will make sure that Jackson is "watched"

    Scott may well allocate a watch or two on Dogga - problem for him is that no two (let alone one) player/s at his disposal will be able to compete and stay with him without massive gaps elsewhere on the ground. 

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    30 minutes ago, deespicable me said:

    I am enjoying him now, he has had a great year. I urge Demon fans to do the same as sometimes big men like Jackson can become slower over the years and can plateau at an early age. Don't get me wrong he still has upside for a year or two but beyond that injuries and lack of motivation can creep in. 

     

    Or alternatively he will keep getting better and better and like almost every big before him hit his peak around 26-28 years old.....

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    Basketball skills seem to transfer well to AFL. Hones and sharpens agility and timing. LJ has agility and timing in spades

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    2 hours ago, binman said:

    That's  a really good comparison. Both super athletic, super competitors, love to be where the football, crazy good lateral movement for talls and big x factor.

    Interestingly Schwarter was also gun junior basketballer. 

    By leap do you mean LJ doesn't have Schwarter's leap or vice versa? 

     

    Yeah Schwarz had a fantastic leap/contested mark. I think Schwarz was more of a genuine footballer but he reminds me of him with his athleticism/touch.

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    4 hours ago, cantstandyasam said:

    Inspired selection at number 3 I think we'd have taken at 2 over Noah Anderson. I remember at the time when we lost pick 2 wondering why we rolled over, it's obviously because we were always going to pick Luke at 2 - brilliant.

    rolled over ? It was decided by the AFL, a made up rule on the fly which so often happens.

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    I see some Koutoufides, some Schwarz some Naitanui. And if you can think of 3 harder names to spell in a comparison, go for it.🙂

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    6 hours ago, old dee said:

    Good young players don't leave clubs playing in GF's Earl. 

    Well, there was that one guy, Jake Lever :P

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    3 hours ago, Deemania since 56 said:

    Scott may well allocate a watch or two on Dogga - problem for him is that no two (let alone one) player/s at his disposal will be able to compete and stay with him without massive gaps elsewhere on the ground. 

    Totally agree,Scotty likes the take his feet from under him in the marking contest type of " harmless interference" though, maybe in one of the forward stoppages where the raw meat prowls..

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    3 hours ago, BDA said:

    Basketball skills seem to transfer well to AFL. Hones and sharpens agility and timing. LJ has agility and timing in spades

    He also has a calmness about him that belies his age. He is so composed in traffic, it's as if he doesn't believe there's any possibility someone could tackle him.

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    15 minutes ago, Purple77 said:

    Well, there was that one guy, Jake Lever :P

    Saw the light. 

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    I think I remember seeing a video prior to the draft where Richo advocated picking Jackson ahead of Green who ended up at GWS, I think. Good call.

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    An amzing aspect of Jackson's arrival that's possibly flown under the radar is his impact on Gawn's game. Max is not such an old dog that he doesn't learn from the prodigy, and in the last year or two has massively developed his ground game, agility and ground ball efforts... so Jackson has indeed shifted the narrative of what a ruck could/should do.

     

    Edited by PaulRB

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    1 minute ago, PaulRB said:

    An amzing aspect of Jackson's arrival that's possibly flown under the radar is his impact on Gawn's game. Max is not such an old dog that he doesn't learn from the prodigy, and in the last year or two has massively developed his ground game, agility and ground ball efforts... so Jackson has indeed shifted the narrative of what a ruck could/should do.

     

    I think one of the best impact he has had on Max is Max knows he can go harder for shorter periods knowing the next guy in can handle the load and we don’t lose out when Max isn’t in the ruck. Gawn use to stay more back of centre and now pushes forward with attacks more.

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    One thing I really hope with Jackson is we keep him trim. I think he could very easily turn into a Naitanui type physically, becoming just a burst athlete in the process. Jackson’s strength is that he’s so agile and always in the play. He has to keep that for as long as he can in his career. 

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    3 hours ago, ManDee said:

    I see some Koutoufides, some Schwarz some Naitanui. And if you can think of 3 harder names to spell in a comparison, go for it.🙂

    Luckily he's nothing like Athas Hrysoulakis.

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    I am not sure if I can cope with another 12 years of being told about his basketball ability... a'la Pendlebury. 

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    2 hours ago, Purple77 said:

    Well, there was that one guy, Jake Lever :P

    Not everyone is as smart as Lever, talk about timing. Probably would like a better game in Round 2 of the GF match.

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    6 hours ago, BDA said:

    Basketball skills seem to transfer well to AFL. Hones and sharpens agility and timing. LJ has agility and timing in spades

    I think what transfers well is the philosophy behind playing. In basketball you are a bit less "see ball get ball" and are thinking about the play to create an open shot ie: putting on the block and creating space for the team mate to gather the ball.

    I think its something Dogga does particularly well when in the middle

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    7 hours ago, deespicable me said:

    I am enjoying him now, he has had a great year. I urge Demon fans to do the same as sometimes big men like Jackson can become slower over the years and can plateau at an early age. Don't get me wrong he still has upside for a year or two but beyond that injuries and lack of motivation can creep in. 

    He has a completely different build to most young men at 19. Take Max for example. Max was skinny and hadn't developed into his body. He was prone to injuries and did both knees. It's only after 5 or 6 years that he learnt about what works for his body and how to get the most out of himself and got very fit and arrived at about 26 - 28 as a fantastic player that he is today.

    Jackson has an Adonis body at a young age. Look at the size of his bum and thighs. They are huge and allow him to compete with men much older, slightly stronger and heavier. His jump is really good and his big thighs allow him to push off and out of contests. Hopefully he takes a long time to age and can keep his "bouncability". But it is no guarantee.

    Big men that plateau at an early age.  Hmmm did not realise that was a thing for AFL - actually can’t think of any examples of this. 

    more likely outcome will be continual improvement with peak years between 25-30y.o. 

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    8 hours ago, Paulo said:

    I personally wanted no one else

    Well getting Kozzie as well must have been a shock then 🤗

    4 hours ago, Purple77 said:

    Well, there was that one guy, Jake Lever :P

    An exception must be allowed when playing in a team captained by Tex Walker. 
     

    “We like the way he’s tracking” - a classic bit of understatement by Richo. 🤗

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    2 hours ago, 1964_2 said:

    Big men that plateau at an early age.  Hmmm did not realise that was a thing for AFL - actually can’t think of any examples of this. 

    more likely outcome will be continual improvement with peak years between 25-30y.o. 

    Grundy. Mind you Grundy never had the athleticism like Jackson has. Natanui looked a coming superstar early doors and now at times looks a liability. Too heavy and slow. I'm not saying it will happen, just playing a bit of devils advocate. He's good now. Why do we have to saddle players with expectation. I think he's just enjoying himself and it won't always be that way.

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    10 hours ago, Dante said:

    There was a few of us who were keen, especially those that went to the pre-draft meeting that the club ran. We got to see footage that wasn't readily available and that JT and his department had.

    He looked sensational and it was obvious that he was going to be the goods but those there had to sign a confidentiality agreement so we couldn't disclose any of this. 

    It was a certainty that we were going to take Kozzi as well.

     

    Can you expand on this?

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    6 hours ago, Gorgoroth said:

    I think one of the best impact he has had on Max is Max knows he can go harder for shorter periods knowing the next guy in can handle the load and we don’t lose out when Max isn’t in the ruck. Gawn use to stay more back of centre and now pushes forward with attacks more.

    Reckon we look better ATM when Jacksons rucking TBH.

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