If nothing has changed, he is finished.

Once again it is being prepared to put your body over the ball when your time comes. Its not about physical aggression. His skills have diminished steadily over the past 5 years. He is not the player he was in 2002 when he had the skills and the youth to cut corners and get away with it.

The game has changed dramatically in that time (even in the past 3 years). The game is faster and there is more and more focus on player accountability and applying pressure on the ball carrier when you dont have the ball. Yze gets found out there. If he cant do the above and be committed to a contested ball then he is going to know TBO far better than he does now.

Think you are being a bit hard on him. In my opinion he is still capable of kicking a couple of goals a game from a forward pocket. He is a great kick for goal including snaps and would only need a couple of possessions to do some damage to the opposition.

He could be interchanged with Flash, Robbo, Green, Newton etc to change the forward line dynamic and make it more difficult for the opposition to have the correct defender.

He can take a nice mark and can read the play well. As you said he is not small at 187cms.

I agree that he doesn't show the desperation of a Doggy and looks very laconic on the field, but he is not past it in my opinion.

2 goals a game or 44 for the season would be a great return. Brad Johnson kicked less and got in the All Australian side in the forward pocket as the best thing since sliced bread. Now I am not saying he is as good as Johnson but in the same season Yze kicked more goals and was thought to have had a poor year.

I wouldn't give up on him quite yet.

Current contract (3 years) finishes at the end of the year.

Makes me wonder if it will be the last. Guess it all depends on how he plays this year.

Think you are being a bit hard on him. In my opinion he is still capable of kicking a couple of goals a game from a forward pocket. He is a great kick for goal including snaps and would only need a couple of possessions to do some damage to the opposition.

He could be interchanged with Flash, Robbo, Green, Newton etc to change the forward line dynamic and make it more difficult for the opposition to have the correct defender.

He can take a nice mark and can read the play well. As you said he is not small at 187cms.

I agree that he doesn't show the desperation of a Doggy and looks very laconic on the field, but he is not past it in my opinion.

2 goals a game or 44 for the season would be a great return. Brad Johnson kicked less and got in the All Australian side in the forward pocket as the best thing since sliced bread. Now I am not saying he is as good as Johnson but in the same season Yze kicked more goals and was thought to have had a poor year.

I wouldn't give up on him quite yet.

You will note that earlier I suggested he might pinch hit roles in the side dependent upon form. I have suggested that given the changes in the game that there is added onus on areas where Yze is not traditionally strong. If he does not change these issues IMO he will struggle over the course of a season.

2 goals a game is different to 44 goals in a season. He might get the former but will battle for the latter unless he can address the issues above. Unfortunately the AA is judged on criteria in addition to the number of goals kicked. I seem to recall the 2nd,3rd and 4th efforts of Johnson far exceeding those of Yze. I further recall that when people say Yze was good for a couple of goals in a game, they often forget that his direct opponent has run off him countless times and picked a swathe of uncontested possessions to benefit of the opposition.

Did anyone go to a practice match against richmond at Optus Oval I think the start of last year or maybe the year before. Did anyone see see Yze [censored] himself at the members end (I think second quater)? When its your time to go YOU GO! After that day he dosent deserve to wear the red and blue.

Did anyone go to a practice match against richmond at Optus Oval I think the start of last year or maybe the year before. Did anyone see see Yze [censored] himself at the members end (I think second quater)? When its your time to go YOU GO! After that day he dosent deserve to wear the red and blue.

Did he [censored] himself? In a practice match? Who cares.

At least judge your opinion on his performance in real games.

Yze as a permanent forward for mine.

Did he shit himself? In a practice match? Who cares.

At least judge your opinion on his performance in real games.

Yze as a permanent forward for mine.

It doesn't matter if it was a real game, a practice game, or kicking it around the park with his mates. Anyone who shits themselves at the sight of a contest in any condition is a risk of doing it again when it really matters.

I do it all the time. That's why I don't play footy.

Did he [censored] himself? In a practice match? Who cares.

It doesn't matter if it was a real game, a practice game, or kicking it around the park with his mates. Anyone who shits themselves at the sight of a contest in any condition is a risk of doing it again when it really matters.

The example goLLy is referring to was a pretty embarrassing example of a player spooked by physical contact. The truth was Yze heard footsteps and moved underneath a marking opportunity when he was in fact clear. It was the worst example of behaviour that Yze has exhibited in other games.

And Nasher is spot on. Unfortunately the risk referred to is genuine.

Yeah the Melbourne fans were giving it to Yze even more than the Richmond fans - believe it or not. One of the first signs that 2007 wasn't going to be his year.

FWIW, this is what I wrote about him in my post-match review of the Melbourne V Richmond trial game at Optus last year:

Adem Yze - 2/10. The story of the day IMO. After having a 1 kick 1st qtr (which he messed up in a promising foward thurst) in the second qtr he accepted a pass in the forward pocket, only to hear 'footsteps' and more or less pulled out of the contest. Should of heard the throng of Richmond fans (and even some dees) giving it to him. To his credit he laid an important tackle just after that to make amends. Had a few cheap kicks/marks in the second half where he at least looked more comfortable at wing/half back. Needs a corker of a game next week to even gurantee him a rd 1 game. very concerning signs from the OOZe.

Half forward flank for mine. Delivery into the 50 has been a weakness for some time and he would be close to MFC's best kick (still). Can't be bothered with the sniping, so this is on the basis that he gets a game.

Not sure how the comments about keeping Wonaeamirri out of the side come about though given he's a rookie.

Half forward flank for mine. Delivery into the 50 has been a weakness for some time and he would be close to MFC's best kick (still). Can't be bothered with the sniping, so this is on the basis that he gets a game.

Not sure how the comments about keeping Wonaeamirri out of the side come about though given he's a rookie.

re Adem's best position.

I asked Mr's Yze...but she gave me a funny look and then slapped me!

I asked Mr's Yze...but she gave me a funny look and then slapped me!

Very Clever

Did he [censored] himself? In a practice match? Who cares.

At least judge your opinion on his performance in real games.

There was an article in recent days from the HUN, or maybe AFL.com that describes Kepler Bradley getting knocked out at a praccy overseas. Harvey was thrilled...

If a player puts his head over the ball every time you go in, then you're sure he'll do it when it matters. I don't know about you guys but in those split-second moments where you're wondering whether or not it's your turn, if you're standing next to an Yze-like player, you're just not sure whther he'll go get the pill, and you go in yourself.

Yze's impressive games-streak came about MOSTLY because he has a knack for self-preservation. It's not necessarily a bad thing... I'm not going to question an AFL footballers idea of what is hard... I think Walls was right when he said that every player who runs out onto the park has courage, and that there are many different forms of courage (gut-running, head over the ball, courage to make a low-percentage play).

But I will say this. Give me Clint Bartram, Brock McLean or Nathan Jones any day of the week. Footy is so often about the intangibles, and the mental side... these players are courageous, and they form the fabric of a winning, no-surrender culture for our future... In so far as that's concerned, I like it when they play because they make the softer outsiders walk taller. We needed them in 2000 and we need them now.

There was an article in recent days from the HUN, or maybe AFL.com that describes Kepler Bradley getting knocked out at a praccy overseas. Harvey was thrilled...

Yes I read that article as well.

I agree coaches and fans would much prefer to see players hard at it all the time. My point was simply it was only a practice match. You never know quite what state of mind a player is in in these situations. I'm positive Yze was embarressed and from reading BBP's review it sounded like he made amends soon after. I don't think he should be judged by that one incident.

I can't think of a time when Yze lacked courage during the season proper. I'm not saying he is the most hard at it player in the team, but he has done couragous things. And like DD said, courage comes in different forms.

However I have doubted his application when it was his turn to chase, smother, tackle. Yze has let the team and himself down in recent seasons. I partially blame ND for not having the balls to drop him for the 2005 final against Geelong, while Bizzell and Rivers sat uninjured in the stands, and then again late in 2006.

However now that Yze has experienced a few indifferent years, as well as his promotion to the leadership group, I hold out hope that he is as determend as ever and can recapture that form of 2000-2004 where he was a genuine superstar.

Yes I read that article as well.

I can't think of a time when Yze lacked courage during the season proper. I'm not saying he is the most hard at it player in the team, but he has done couragous things. And like DD said, courage comes in different forms.

However I have doubted his application when it was his turn to chase, smother, tackle. Yze has let the team and himself down in recent seasons. I partially blame ND for not having the balls to drop him for the 2005 final against Geelong, while Bizzell and Rivers sat uninjured in the stands, and then again late in 2006.

However now that Yze has experienced a few indifferent years, as well as his promotion to the leadership group, I hold out hope that he is as determend as ever and can recapture that form of 2000-2004 where he was a genuine superstar.

Gouga,

It was the worst example of a series of incidents that has crept into Yze's game over the past five years. There have been a number of times he just wouldnt commit his body to the contested ball sacrificing any advantage he had in the challenge. The areas of application weakness that you have identified also apply to above.

ND's failure to drop Yze (which I agree) does not offset Yze fundamental failure to put his head over the ball. For the record, Rivers was not fit and Bizzell's form was so hopeless leading into the 2005 final that Heffernan was chosen ahead of him and neither represented a straight replacement. With Neitz out, Yze was partially there to provide "leadership". So much for that. If we had a fitter squad to choose from Yze would have been out.

LOOK OUT!

One of Rhinos more intelligent posts