Steve_C7 wrote:
Cazzesman wrote:
The knock on Harry is not his pushing up to create an option it is his defensive running. AFL is all abvout team defense and Harry is not always doing his bit to cover his man and help out. That's where some including myself think he is lazy. He is still playing U18 KPP football.
Good teams now work twice as hard to lock it in. Harry needs to work just as had defensively as he does offensively.
Regards Cazzesman
Considering he averages more tackles per game than Charlie and McGovern I'm not sure why he is flagged as lazy and yet the other 2 are not.
I think he has a natural laconic gate when he runs which make it look as though he is not putting the pressure on. His set shot routine is also laconic and he needs to tidy that up quickly.
OK. I was letting it slide but I'll bite.
Firstly, McGovern and Charlie both average
more tackles than Harry over their careers.
Secondly, it's not just about stats. Brendan Fevola and Lance Whitnall both averaged plenty of marks, goals etc but they were both bloody lazy.
No one doubts Harry's talent. Or his workrate in offence. It's his work defensively or for his team mates that frustrate me.
Only because I can see how much talent he has and how much we could improve if he played more of a team oriented game.
Watch Gibbons play and see how he blocks opposition players or drags his opponent away from contests. Have a look at Josh DeLuca's goal on Saturday and see how he got separation from the defence.
So I'm interested in how the stats in the above posts attempt to prove Harry's efforts. Look what Daisy Thomas thought of Harry when he burnt Fisher for the handball on Saturday which resulted in a turnover, a change of momentum and a run of 4 goals for Gold Coast. Daisy rightfully gave him a spray as Harry was summoned to the bench.
Full credit to Harry that when he returned to the field, he spoiled an opponent, followed up with a tackle and a handball which resulted in a goal. That's what he's capable of.
It's not just about yourself but what you can do for the team. That's what we need. Instead of letting your man go in as a 3rd man against Kennedy and his opponent, put a bit of body on him. Instead of hanging out the back for the cheap kick.
Instead the ball is won by the opposition and taken away. Kennedy gets crunched and Harry hangs out the back and refuses to chase.
And as you're quoting stats, let's look at goal assists. The top 6 players in the AFL for goal assists are Geelong, Brisbane and GWS players. It's no surprise that Geelong and Brisbane are 1st and 2nd on the ladder and GWS are killing it with the injury list they have. These are some of the team oriented actions that relate to success. It's the final 10% that separates the winners from the wannabes. The enjoyment and celebration of what the unit can achieve instead of the individual. It's why players like Ed and Gibbons and even McGovern are appreciated by their team mates.
Harrison Himmelberg has 24 goal assists for the season! Tom Hawkins has 18. Jeremy Finlayson has 17.
Harry McKay has 2.
A total of 2 goal assists for the season!
I know what Harry is capable of. When he came back on the ground in the 3rd quarter, his efforts were fantastic and a goal resulted. That's what will drive success as a team. Not just how many marks
he takes or goals
he kicks as an individual.