Navy Blue Horse wrote:
So Zac is a half back flanker? Can some of the Ants watchers tell us more about him?
NBH, my impression of him from watching the VFL over the last 12 months or so is that he's an attacking HBF who kicks the ball well and is quite strong through the body. Has never seemed afraid to take the game on and, at VFL level, he regularly breaks through tackles. His evasive skills are pretty good and he's quite quick in a straight line.
He resembled Wayne Harmes at times last year, with his dash out of defence and with his not entirely dissimilar body shape. The Harmes resemblance is less obvious this year, I think because he's shedded a few kgs (has a more streamlined look this year) and has cut his hair...
Unlike Harmes, Zach isn't too flash overhead. Has looked most vulnerable to me when his opponent drags him deep. If he has to defend a smart opponent who is a decent mark, he struggles. Overhead spoiling from behind is an underrated skill, IMO, and it's one Zac is yet to really master. But he looks good when he's coming off the square at HBF and collecting the ball on the way through. Competes well at ground level and he gives the Bullants quite a bit of drive out of defence. He sometimes plays on a wing, but I can't recall him ever going forward or into the guts. I'm fairly sure he'll be used as a small defender at AFL level (he's just big-ish for that type of player at 187cm & 90kgs). It speaks to his skill progression (and perhaps against the skills of others) that he has taken kick-outs almost from his first game with the Bullants....
Early on, he was very fiesty and prone to getting sucked in to giving away frees and 50m penalties. He seems to have cut that out of his game this year, but he certainly won't shy away from the physical stuff.
I said in the pre-game thread that I thought he might be an outside chance for a game this week vs Sydney. Is it too soon for him? Probably. Will he end up making the grade in the longer term? Probably.
I think he needs another season in the VFL to shave off a few rough edges to his game. I'd love him to do well straight away, but I think we'll have to be a bit patient with him because he still has the 'L' plates on.
Anyway, that's just my humble opinion.
Congratulations Zach, go get 'em pal!
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