I haven't posted for a long time. I was just listening to the latest podcast. Andy and Binman defending Spargo as NOT being a ducker. I love Charlie Spargo and I'm glad he's playing for us. He is smart, tough and seems to be a wonderful team player. However, he is rivalling Selwood and Mathieson as a pro-ducker. he has a different technique from Selwood and Mathieson. Selwood drops his knees as a first response to feeling a tackle. Mathieson does the same and throws his head back dramatically. Spargo is like a cat rubbing its head up against your leg. He immediately leans his head into the armpit of the tackler. Being small he gets rewarded for it consistently and has made it an important part of his armoury. Yes, it's smart but if I was an opposition supporter I would hate it just like I hate it with Selwood and Mathieson. But Spargs, keep doing what you're doing.

Some red and blue glasses need to be taken off if they think Spargo doesn't duck his head.

Plays its smart due to height, but its bordering on Joel Selwood levels.

He is inclined to drop the knees, but don't tell anyone!

He's clearly already been found out by the umps, tried it a couple of times in the Cats game and got donuts.

TBH don't mind it that much though, need a bit of 'craftiness' to win a flag.

Spargo has definitely been to the Selwood, Hunter, McLean, Mathieson school of head ducking.

I'd say he's even worse than Selwood, Selwood tends to raise the arm/drop the knees when he is being tackled - in recent weeks Spargo seems to pick up the ball and actively look to attack the opposition player with his head and throwing his head back looking for a free. 

Still love him though.

So it's all down to degrees of head pulled off ness essentially, and if it is, of those other two, one is known as sneaky (nicely put), the other is crackers. You really cannot discriminate between what is learned from a master, anyway.

Spargo doing it to Selwood himself and getting a free in the Round 4 game was the highlight of the year for me. 
Don’t like it generally but every club has a player that does it, and it’s been rewarded for years, so we may as well get with the program.

I actually thought Kosi did this as well as I’ve ever seen a couple of weeks back against the Eagles. With his height and perfect technique, I’d argue there was absolutely nothing Yeo could have done except give away a free kick (goal).

Edited August 23, 20214 yr by No Plan B

I wouldnt say a ducker that much but he certainly stages for high contact. he throws his head back prior to head high contact and i dont like it. he does it too obviously and will soon not be able to be awarded real free kicks

I'm happy for him to encourage the umps to pay a free kick - I'd basically do anything for us to win a flag but he is doing too obviously at the moment

He doesn’t throw the ball and get away with it like Selwood does.

leave him alone - other sides have been doing it to us for years.

Love Spargo, but he has become one of those players that just about every successful team has ever had. Dogs have Caleb Daniel, back in the day WC had Phil Matera, I could go on and on but they are players that other clubs fans get so frustrated with because they are already tiny and they instinctively drop their position at the last second to draw free kicks. 

He does it, he knows what he’s doing. 

Yeah he’s a ducker but he’s our ducker. 

The offered him the role of team hard man in the 'Mummy' mould but thought this a better fit.

Def a ducker.

Umps should not reward this behavior unless the ducker gets his head actually ripped off, as in separated from his ducking body. 

Not a fan of ducking. It's cheating.

  Yeah maybe he does, but isn't nice to be on the other side of it for once!

I asked the question on the podcast only because a talkback caller on SEN last week ripped Spargo to shreds. Can’t stand watching him, acts like he’s decapitated every time he gets tackled blah blah blah, the bloke went on and on and singled him out.
I have no problem with peoples opinion either way on this, I just thought it was a vicious spray on air and as some of the responses to this particular caller there are serial and worse offenders out there. 

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by Dee Zephyr

1 minute ago, Dee Zephyr said:

I asked the question on the podcast only because a talkback caller on SEN last week ripped Spargo to shreds. Can’t stand watching him, acts like he’s decapitated every time he gets tackled blah blah blah, the bloke went on and on. 
I have no problem with peoples opinion either way on this, I just thought it was a vicious spray on air and as some of the responses to this particular caller there are serial and worse offenders out there. 

I don’t think he’s on the level of Duckwood who would flick his head back from a tackle around the waist and he throws himself into contests he knows physically he’s less than a lot of his peers. 

He definitely looks for contact as he picks up the ball

Spargo is a massive ducker and I love it.

47 minutes ago, Pates said:

Love Spargo, but he has become one of those players that just about every successful team has ever had. Dogs have Caleb Daniel, back in the day WC had Phil Matera, I could go on and on but they are players that other clubs fans get so frustrated with because they are already tiny and they instinctively drop their position at the last second to draw free kicks. 

He does it, he knows what he’s doing. 

Besides given the free kick differential, someone has to help fix it.

Love to see him in the middle for a while.

I understand small forwards ducking. It’s their role to kick the goals and defenders for the most part know their opponents better and tackle better knowing the penalty they can make.
 

It’s the mids who do it that royally s***t me. They should be taking the game on and in a contest. I remember in one of Mathieson’s first games against us he literally stopped, dropped the knee to the ground and waited for the tackle. Bloke already has a face like a dropped pie so maybe is alright getting hit in the head more often.

I'm not opposed to ducking, except for Mathieson, who is a massive expletive.

He ducks. I hate it every time he does it.

He barely needs to duck, he's only about 5 foot tall. Other players are encouraged to use their natural traits to win, why can't little guys do the same?