There is no other player like Lizard............
He can turn a game like no player I have seen in the backline.........in any team !
Besides the great Bud ....... what Nick can do is unique and has no equal !
Have we just become accustomed to his chaotic game breaking genius ?
"be tough, only when it gets tough"
He is probably the most entertaining player to watch in the team. And he was at his crazy, erratic, brilliant best on Sunday.
And that appalling hair cut, seriously that is a shocker. I like that nothing is off the table with him and he has the balls and
confidence to take on anyone. I know we're all dark on North Melbourne, but they have given us Longmire and Nick (via
his dad).
Perhaps the thing that I enjoyed the most in the Roos era teams, was Tadhg Kennelly and Leo Barry frenetically launching rebounds from deep in defence, so I do love Blakey taking off. And with the hair, I was musing the other day, that if you give it a couple of months, it might fully morph into Saturday Night Fever era Barry Gibb.Originally Posted by KTigers
Another thing that's not often mentioned with Blakey, is that he's actually very good defensively. Especially if he gets to mark a resting ruckman. He's tall enough to usually get a spoil in, and if the ball hits the ground or is poorly delivered, the ruckman has little chance of stopping Blakey from taking off.
His defensive contribution in the first quarter on Sunday was outstanding. Not that it was bad for the rest of the game, but he thwarted several of Suns' forward thrusts in that first quarter, which kinda set the tone for the whole match.
The biggest positive from the tall-defender-injury crisis that we suffered in the first half of last season was that Blakey had to learn to defend really well. And learn he did. And he can do that without it detracting from his ability to attack too.
Great call out, he's pretty much unique in the competition - there are better lock down defenders, better interceptors and those that will have better metres gained stats, but as a combo, together with the audacity of his I50 kicking, he's a bloody unicorn lizard! To be much treasured.
BTW there was a fun interview with him on ABC radio with, among others, Cal Sinclair, where he spoke about his move from forward to back. Not sure if others heard it.
Yes, I remember we used to laugh at Leo. He would take off and appear to have no idea where he was actually going, but nine times
out of ten he would evade the opposition. I suppose if Leo didn't know where he was going, what chance would the opposition have
of knowing. There is certainly that unpredictable aspect about Blakey. A couple of years ago I wouldn't have predicted he'd have turned
into as good a player as he is now. And as you say, in defence his speed, leap and punch and general franticness with which he plays
has turned him into a major asset. We are fortunate to have a few other guys (Gulden with his kicking, Papley etc) that can pull off "crazy"
stuff as well as Blakey. On that, I thought Papley's diving mark and goal on Sunday was about as good a play as you'll ever see.
Ah Leo - god bless his soul. What a mad genius he was. I always remember this play against the Saints in the 2005 preliminary final. Go to 7 mins on the video and laugh your head off. The same sense of imagination that inspired him to go yep - I can mark that - a week later.
Sydney v St Kilda - 2005 Preliminary Final - YouTube
And as others have said, Blakey's defensive attributes are first class these days. The other piece is sides know they have to shut him down, target his run and often put a tag on him - and he still succeeds. Gold Coast tried it with Holman on the weekend and the Lizard just went, nah, see you later. He'll always have the odd clanger as he tries to open up the play, but who cares - the upside is so great, may it long continue.
'Delicious' is a fun word to say
Yes, a few years ago, I think most of us were fretting over whether he'd ever put on enough bulk to become or genuine key forward, or whether we'd slightly squandered a high draft pick on a third tall and perhaps an occasional outside mid.
Magnificent footage. One of the most memorable games I ever atttended. Aamon Buchanan was a fabulous finals player for us. So glad he is back at the club. Good omen.
The standout was the Richmond game during Gather Round last year.
Don’t forget the moustache - priceless and truly horrible
Oh I enjoyed revisiting this, ROK's last qr quite unbelievable.
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