The Jagga Smith Thread

[Pulp Fritschon 715]

On 31/10/2024 at 16:16, DeeSpencer said:

We're crying out for quicker skilled mids who play less in straight lines but I don't see the pace or skill with Jagga and you have to take the game forward at AFL level or the ground shrinks and forward pressure just eats you up. If you're heading sideways out the back of stoppages you still have to get pace on the ball and make sure the run overlaps and dissects the oncoming pressure. Otherwise you're just making it someone elses problem.

I've done this a few times for Jagga but I'll do it again.

0:05 - backwards handball to a stationary team mate
0:13 - missed kick
0:35 - nice hit up chip kick (FOS great lead)
0:46 - refuses to kick, wide handball 
0:50 - nice handball (FOS gets too ambitious)
0:57 - nothing handball
1:04 - cleverly takes advantage when opponent stops, nice hit up
1:15 - fumble, nothing handball
1:25 - nice forward handball (to FOS)
1:35 - no aerial technique, free kick for a hold
1:42 - wins a clearance free running forward, does he stick the foot down and drive it deep? No, backwards handball to a winger
1:53 -because the ball has gone nowhere he's there for the 8m kick (ball should be inside 50).
2:01  -simple handball (good 1-2 from Yze)
2:08 - fumble, missed handball
2:15 - nothing kick
2:24 - keeps his feet in a tackle, nice dish off
2:31 - lazy hacked kick, deliberate
2:45 - nothing handball
2:50 - nothing handball
3:05 - risky but good handball but doesn't get there on the full
3:10 - lucky fumble
3:20 - great running, but kick doesn't have enough juice and gets spoiled
3:30 - well timed release handball
3:42 - complete junk handball to 3 opposition players
3:55 - finally some leg drive, but after staring down number 35 for an eternity he gives the handball without enough juice to hit the target on the full
4:17 - some actual evasion! And a quality goal
4:30 - good crumb, good release handball
4:45 - missed tackle
4:55 - fumble fumble, turnover
5:22 - nice clearance, picks a decent target but the 9 iron kick is very easy to spoil
5:43 - turnover
5:52 - missed kick
6:02 - short to a contest
6:05 - obvious handball but no shepherd
6:16 - burns the 1-2, burns the chance to run to the corridor, dribbles it to the gun along the boundary
6:25 - nice flip of the hips and handball
6:43 - 25m long kick (in fairness, was in to the breeze)
6:49 - goes free kick hunting when he has a handball option

The goal was really nice and there's a couple of moments of good evasive skills. A couple. But his handballing isn't in remotely the same ball park of someone like a Murphy Reid. If it's not obvious he's rarely creative. And the majority of his kicking is either nothing flash or just poor, missing targets or hanging in the air.

He's a high level game runner and reads the ball off the pack very well. Useful traits. But most AFL players are advanced in those areas and teams spend plenty of time working on their defensive running and work rate to cancel out mids who run hard. If you're a Sam Walsh level freak you can occasionally catch teams napping but the best teams in big moments aren't getting done by one paced free midfield runners.

He's going to have to develop like Lachie Neale has - both physically and especially with his decision making around stoppages - because he just doesn't have the natural skills or speed to be damaging on the outside. Even when he overlaps runs he doesn't take full advantage.

There's been a big rise of smaller mids this year and some of them - Neale, Serong - really make their living as inside mids. But most like Daicos, Gulden and Zach Merrett carve you up with speed and skills on the outside and I just don't see that with Jagga.

 

 

0.46 - refuses to kick? To me he has a look up field saw nothing. Brought himself a little bit of time. Handballed off. Decent play. 
 

Think you are being pretty harsh here with Smith. 

[picket fence 16,981]

On 30/10/2024 at 20:42, Little Goffy said:

If there was a formal scale for measuring peripheral awareness and anticipation, the benchmarks would go from Jacob Koschitzke through to Scott Pendlebury. I think Jagga Smith might give Pendles some competition.

Neither of Smith of Windsor will ever be big guys, but having those two driving our ball movement out of contests could be transformative.

Koschitzski??????¿ seriously? Pendlebury begrudgingly but Give me CLARRY CHOO CHOO PRE 2024 ANYDAY!

[picket fence 16,981]

If we Jag Smith it will be the "Steal" of the draft!! Go get him!

[Little Goffy 14,398]

2 hours ago, picket fence said:

Koschitzski??????¿ seriously? Pendlebury begrudgingly but Give me CLARRY CHOO CHOO PRE 2024 ANYDAY!

Ko****knee is the zero on the scale.

Story goes that he did a peripheral awareness test where little lights go off at various points around you, and you just have to push a left or right button when you notice the light. During the test a technician came over to check it was working properly.

[DeeSpencer 25,360]

13 hours ago, Pulp Fritschon said:

0.46 - refuses to kick? To me he has a look up field saw nothing. Brought himself a little bit of time. Handballed off. Decent play. 
 

Think you are being pretty harsh here with Smith. 

Free running from a stoppage out of the backline, put it on the boot.

But yeah, it’s harsh, but I want to see more than the very occasional special things and a few nice things a game. We’re talking about pick 5 here!