Cazzesman wrote:
keogh wrote:
And if Gibbs delivers I will be the first on here singing his praises.
What has he done for the past 118 games and basically since game 1? Remembering that the first 60 were in a total crap team. Let me refresh your memory
Here's some light reading for you from Wikipedia. Drafted 2006 as a 17yr old. But don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. What is also left out below was Gibbo playing for Australia vs the Irish.
Gibbs was named in Carlton's leadership group for the 2007 AFL season without having played a single AFL match, which is the first time in history this has happened.
He made his debut in round one against Richmond and kicked a goal with his first kick while becoming the 1100th player to play for Carlton. 17 disposals at 100 percent efficiency and a great shut-down role on Brownlow Medallist Jason Akermanis in Round 10 earned Gibbs his nomination for the NAB Rising Star award.
Gibbs played every game of the 2007 season and kicked five goals. Most of his development and experience has been in the backline where he has played as a half back flanker.
Gibbs in 2011.
In 2008, new coach Brett Ratten reduced the size of the leadership group, and Gibbs was excluded from the new group. Gibbs played games as both an attacking midfielder and as a tagger throughout the season, playing very well in both roles. As a tagger, he convincingly beat several top-class opponents, including Chad Cornes (nine disposals), Heath Shaw (six disposals) and Adam Goodes, whom he held to seven disposals while collecting 26 of his own. In the midfield, he showed strong team ethic, very accurate disposal by foot, strong tackling, and very good football smarts and awareness. He collected seven Brownlow votes during the season and finished 5th in the club Best and Fairest.
In 2009, Gibbs began playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, and much less as a tagger. He finished the season with a total of 615 disposals (averaging 26.7) which was ranked ninth in the league, and polled 15 votes in the Brownlow Medal to finish equal ninth, and finished third in the club Best and Fairest.
In 2010, Gibbs began to divide his time between the midfield and the half-back line, playing as a rebounding defender. In Round 10, his 45 disposals tied Greg Williams' efforts as the most by a Carlton player in a single game (since records were kept in 1984).[4] Gibbs finished fourth in the club Best and Fairest for 2010.[5]
In 2011, Gibbs celebrated his 100 games for Carlton against the Brisbane Lions.Regards CazzesmanI’m a fan of your posts Cazz but wikipeadia doesn’t tell us what we are arguing about.
I have been a critic of Gibbs before but only with his extraction of the ball when he plays in the middle and at stoppages. That doesn’t mean that he is soft as Keogh suggests but I can see his point and I agree with him as Gibbs is not an inside mid, but I think that’s got to do more with our issues that Gibb’s.
He is just more comfortable when he has time and space to use his efficiency just like Del Santo and Pendelbury. When he has a chance to play that type of mid field role he will shine and stop some knockers.
From day one he has done exactly what has been asked and has completed his assigned role for the team to great effect.
As I have mentioned before and also some posts I have read he has shut down some of the biggest names as a run with player so has more than fulfilled his role to the team and even quiet early in his career.
As a loose man he has controlled the back and set up attacking and scoring plays and again served his role in the team set up. Even as an accountable defender he is quite admirable and rarely looses.
When he has gone forward he has also been very effective and I believe he could have been the difference in last years final.
I think this year we have been forced to again use him in defence due to the injuries sustained by our defenders. This is where he has (I think) shown he isn’t as soft as some of us would have believed in the past as he has put his body on the line in many a situation.
His great asset is also his biggest area for criticism.
He has been moved for one possie to another without having the luxury of settling in one. This will ultimately serve a great learning curve in his career but for the time being not look like it.
I think some times we only value our players when they only do the spectacular and don’t see a specific role in the overall value to the team. Not everyone has the same tenacity or skill or perceived effort as next player but some are more apparent then others.
Once we have the luxury of moving Gibbs away from defence and more into an attacking role then everyone will see the emergence of a superstar.