I knew him as a gentle young man, I cannot say for sure the reasons for his decline
We watched him fade before our very eyes, and years before his time
At their peak no doubt you're right - Johnson is above Davis. But I think they are similar types of players, just one better than the other (how much is a matter of conjecture). However, one of the problems Davis has is that many people seem to expect a performance from him like Johnson, which isn't going to happen. As mentioned a few times, he is judged against a much tougher benchmark than others.
On a related matter I wonder how fit he was yesterday too, given his illness last week, missing a training session and Roos saying he would have preferred not to bring him back just yet.
Captain Logic is not steering this tugboat.
"[T]here are things that matter more and he's reading and thinking about them: heaven, reincarnation. Life and death are the only things that are truly a matter of life and death. Not football."
I knew him as a gentle young man, I cannot say for sure the reasons for his decline
We watched him fade before our very eyes, and years before his time
The thing is that those who think Davo is a good player can enjoy his last saeson with the Bloods. Yesterday he was exposed in two critical areas which are just unacceptable for a senior player.
1. He just won't put his head over the ball. On several occassions he stopped to pick up the ball without any attack. His effort in the third quarter where metres in the clear he allowed the ball to roll over the line as he failed to get over it was a disgrace. He skirts the ball attempting to grab at it without taking a hard possession.
2. Harley annihalited us in the last quarter. He failed yet again to close a hard running defender down when we needed it.
He kicked one goal, one out of bounds and simply went missing when the hard ball was there to be won. The contrast with Moore couldn't be more stark.
The way he played yesterday was as a fringe player which is what he has become. As a senior player in a club that prides itself on grit and determination he is an embarassment. Au revoir.
Talent-wise, I think Johnson and Davis have much the same skills, to echo Liz's comments, Johnson is just better at pulling goals out of his arse! I suppose you could argue Davis was a bit disappointing yesterday given it was a chance for him to shine and he didn't for whatever reason (not sure how much his recent illness was a factor), but he certainly wasn't alone in that regard. MO'L was probably our most disappointing forward on the day. I think he'll need to deliver next week though, North's backline is nowhere near as stingy as Geelong's.
The player to compare him to is Jarrad Moore because when we have Hall back that is the player he will compete with for a spot. Moore is determined, puts his head over the ball, kicks big goals, kicks tough goals and is young. Davis is . . . well you join the dots. Davis will be dropped and Jesse White will give us some height up forward. Look on the bright side - you'll be seeing a lot of Kid Terrific in Canberrra this season.
I just went back and watched the play, go back and watch it yourself. Davis has his head over the ball and just fumbles an unlucky bounce. The ball should have been on his chest, not on the ground anyway, and unlike McVeigh a few minutes earlier who also fumbled a poor kick out of bounds Davis did not turn and yell at his teammate.
Have you played much football? If he lifted his head it was to see what was open downfield.
See this is where I really call bull@@@@ on you, I just wasted half an hour of my life going back to watch Harley's domination in the final quarter because I didn't remember it at all.
My summary of Harley's dominance in the final quarter after watching the replay;
*Game there to be won*
- 1 kick from an uncontested mark as Geelong went backwards after Craig Bolton had turned over the ball booting it out of defence.
- 1 handball from an uncontested mark from a long kick in. The Swans were zoning out, Davis' was on the other side of the ground and the person in the zone that Harley slipped past was either Moore or Buchanan, all I can see is a 3 on a stocky guy.
*Cats in front by 30, game over*
- 1 kick from a free for hands in the back against Davis in a marking contest after Kirk sends a floater forward to a pack. I didn't notice it during the game, but watching the replay Davis may have be a bit stiff on that call.
Harley did not run off Davis with the ball nor to receive the ball once in the final quarter. He had very little to do with Geelong running away with the game.
I knew him as a gentle young man, I cannot say for sure the reasons for his decline
We watched him fade before our very eyes, and years before his time
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