Originally Posted by
graemed
It comes as no surprise that yet another player is misunderstood because he diligently and enthusiastically fulfils a role. Wicks is far more than a pressure forward. He is worth has to be seen live to appreciate like Bell the one percenters he is involved in:
1) he applies forward pressure
2) he is fine mark and provides many cut outs when we are moving from our D50. In no small measure is he responsible for us being #1 in this phase of the game.
3) he consistently sacrifices himself to provide blocks for his other forwards, consider the Franklin goal against Fremantle, as a small sample of his work.
4) he is aggressive. This is a necessary and important aspect often overlooked.
5) he can and does kick goals but it is true he has been missing set shots, however, he is still getting into the right spots to take those shots. Reflect back to round 3 when he was a significant component in treating the Richmond backs to a lesson.
6) he does a great deal of his best work unnoticed creating space for other forwards by running out of leading lanes and drawing opponents away from those parts of the ground then doubling back to get front and centre to contests.
Of course he isn’t the only one doing these little things but he does them very well.
Should he do more? Of course, and he will because he is appreciated and is seen to be doing things well by the coaching staff. This is called gaining confidence and experience.
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