ryan2000 wrote:
:But in terms of skills in marking, goal sense and just knowledge of where the ball is and his surroundins Fev has it all much like Jezza did.
ryan,
i don't wanna buy into the jezza v fev thing.
saw jezza at this peak (i was a kid of course) and am hoping to see fev at his peak.
if you can, get you hands on a video called "the sensational 70s". have a look at the highlights of 1970. you'll see jezza take a mark under the scoreboard at PP against richmond that you wont believe. a bit like ablett's mark against collingwood, but BETTER cos the pack was bigger and he actually held it!
fev, at this stage, has not shown that ability to judge pack marks like jezza. fev, again to this stage, has shown himself to be a traditional lead, mark and kick for goal FF a la peter mckenna. nothing wrong with that, mckenna was a goal kicking machine, but a one position player.
if you want some idea of jezza, he could play below his knees like daicos while being able to mark like ablett. he was under 6 ft, yet kicked 100 goals (115). he finished 3rd in the brownlow 3 times playing in 3 different positions (HF, FF, HB). in 72 he played in the centre and went into the brownlow a favourite along with KB, lethal and an Essendon* player named neville fields. all four polled under expectations. but when nick restructured the side for the 72 GF, jezza went back to FF and kicked 7.
he made the game look so easy. he had incredible athlecticism and pace, together with those cat like reflexes and balance.
one thing about his supposed laziness, he badly hurt his back in 73 and played in a brace for a couple of years. his back injury robbed him of his leap and turned him into a mere mortal.
ok, he was my boyhood hero ... but he WAS special!