What does it mean to be a good "ball user"? I used to think it meant making good decisions but now I think it means to be skilful at disposing of the ball. Else does it mean a third, separate thing and, if so, what is it?
What does it mean to be a good "ball user"? I used to think it meant making good decisions but now I think it means to be skilful at disposing of the ball. Else does it mean a third, separate thing and, if so, what is it?
When growing up a good ball user was a good kick. Nowadays I reckon it means both a good kick and a good deliverer of the footy by foot. eg. Hanners is not a good ball user because he rarely hits anyone on the chest on a lead. At times he is said to "slaughter the footy".Originally Posted by bloodspirit
What's the difference between a good kick and a good deliverer of the footy by foot? Curiouser and curiouser.
You can be good long kick but not an accurate kick. Someone who sprays his kicks is not a good ball user. Good hands means you are quick to handball and accurate, or is a good one grab mark. One criticism of Sinclair is that he fumbles marks or spills them so he doesn't have good hands. Buddy is not good over head so doesn't have good hands. Hanners is good with hands regards handball but not a good ball user because he often kicks blindly to nowhere in particular.
So good kick just means can kick the ball a long way, you say? I always thought it meant that you were a "good deliverer of the footy by foot". And hence the term "good ball user". I like it better my way - so much simpler.
OK, now I'm straying beyond lingo, why is Hanners able to impact a game so much when he is no good at using the ball by foot? I'll attempt an answer myself. He is super fit and can get to every contest and compete for the ball effectively. He works really hard with his two way running and second, third efforts. He's good at using the ball by hand. He's courageous. And, I presume, he must be good at knowing where to run. Perhaps a key difference with Hiscox (along with the ability to get the ball).
"Good hands below his knees" is an anatomically bizarre Breretonism.
OK, another question: what does "athletic" mean? Does it mean quick? Does it mean good endurance runner? Does it mean agile? (Presumably they say agile when they mean agile?) Does it mean good at jumping? Does it mean all of these things taken as a package? Perhaps this seems pedantic but I often get the feeling that when a footy pundit uses this word it has a particular meaning beyond just fit or sporty, which it might mean if I said it in the office. For instance Fox Footy has described Shaun Edwards as an "athletic" wingman. What the hell do they mean?
"Athletic" is an interesting one. In my early days of watching footy in the 60's and 70's I don't recall hearing the term. A smaller, solidly built player was said to be "nuggety". There were rucks and taller key position players but the 6 foot plus running player was probably confined to a half back flank. Your full back didn't venture far and wasn't that quick, until along came David Dench for North who was a dasher. "the player"evolved over a couple of decades. At one point some recruiter had the idea that a medium sized player with slightly hunched shoulders was the new dynamo because they recruited one who was a gun. Others then latched on. Richmond in their heyday had Bourke and Clay playing wing who were taller than usual, as was Keith Greig. But these people were never called athletic. Many clubs had sub 6 foot players who were quick and played on the wing.
Players were recruited because they could play football. All of a sudden, I think in the 90's, athletic players became the vogue. Football skills were not that necessary because the athletic player was now 6'4", lean and could run like the wind. So the athlete was not that heavy but provided another asset that gave a different dynamic to a team. An athletic race horse is seen as sleek, fine and bouncy with a longer body.
Buddy is athletic, as is Rohan, none of our midfield is athletic but AA is. In the nuggety class are Papley, Hanners and McGlynn very much so. Puopolo is probably the quintessential nuggety player. If your look at the Bulldogs they have a lot of quick players who you would call athletic and it almost seems like that is what they look for in a player. On TV tonight they showed their draftees. All look lean and quick. Yes 18 and raw but very similar to a lot of players they have.
Ok, here's another commonly used term. "Hard-at-it VFL defender joins Dons as Category B rookie". (from AFL website).
John Longmire uses the 'hard-at-it' description a lot. What does he mean?
NB: responses will be moderated for content that might be considered offensive!
They go in hard for the footy, have 2nd and 3rd efforts, head over the ball, tackle hard and stick tackles.
OK, another one, probably with a clearer answer. What does flying the flag mean? Best I can gather it is when teammates retaliate after the opponents get some cheap shot on a player. Has it gone out of vogue? Did it used to be considered strategic or honourable? Has it become less common? And is that because coaches and teams consider it is smarter not to retaliate (just be "professional" and "disciplined") or for a different reason? Is there a contrary view that there is still a place for it or is this just a view held by fans?
I think it once had the meaning of retaliation but is now more about intervention - for Swans at least! - as in what happened after Mad Dog Johnson attacked Josh.
He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)
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