Michael Pyke

[Go Swannies]

Reminds you of Spida! wishfull thinking. I think you have hit the nail on the head though his job is to do exactly what he is doing be a big body in the ruck and I reckon thats all he will ever do and thats why he is on our list, with a chance and a extremely slim one at that he might actualy be a bit more the coaching staff new that they needed to cover Jolly while others develop and to cover injury. Kinda doin a Luc Longley job at the Bulls but for Sydney

I still don't get why you say "that's all he will ever do". I repeat that I remember seeing Cox playing worse games than Moose did on saturday night. But think if the Eagles just had him as a fill-in (Geez Gardner was the other ruck, wasn't he?) He's a clever (big) professional sportsman who I think will do a lot better than any teen giraffe that we hope we can train before he breaks.

There's a good chance he'll be a hell of a lot better than Harmichael C, and at a fraction of the cost.

[jdow]

I still don't get why you say "that's all he will ever do". I repeat that I remember seeing Cox playing worse games than Moose did on saturday night. But think if the Eagles just had him as a fill-in (Geez Gardner was the other ruck, wasn't he?) He's a clever (big) professional sportsman who I think will do a lot better than any teen giraffe that we hope we can train before he breaks.

There's a good chance he'll be a hell of a lot better than Harmichael C, and at a fraction of the cost.

Cheez why didn't this guy go No1 reminds one person of spida and now Cox has played worse. Atleast Harmichael played AFL until he was 16 should give him some grounding and Harmichael was a star at League and Pike at best was a nobody at union who played for a country that could careless about union. For what its worth I doubt Cox has played worse

[goswannie14]

Cheez why didn't this guy go No1 reminds one person of spida and now Cox has played worse. Atleast Harmichael played AFL until he was 16 should give him some grounding and Harmichael was a star at League and Pike at best was a nobody at union who played for a country that could careless about union. For what its worth I doubt Cox has played worse

[Primmy]

[Darren Thomson]

Mike Pyke is an experiment. We have to take a punt with him.Thats the whole point of having him.Otherwise we have just given a Canadian tourist a couple of years living in Sydney.Therefore you have to play him if the experiment is to have any chance of working.Either play him or delist him but don't play an in then out game with him.
Judging solely by his improvement rate,if he is played every week ,he will be a very handy ruckman by about midseason next year. I am confident he can make it and will accept with tolerance his "stuff ups" and lack of football nouse. Hell I have watched football cultured since birth players like Reg and Ablett stuff up week after week and now they have both come good so what's the difference?
I think he is a good prospect and well worth continuing with.I can see him having the potential to really take the game on once he reaches that critical break through period of about 20 odd games.

Have to agree with this, many players start poorly, look at how many No 1 draft picks have taken afew years to mature into good players, not even elite players u might expect from a top draft pick. LRT has grown as a footballer by playing senior footy, Keiran Jack, Moore, Reg has played much better this year than I would have thought. I believe it's worth sticking with him. Brings his fitness upo to standard, he can go into the ruck move Juolls forward or back, LRT or Goodes can still give a chop out in the ruck if necessary, another full year of coaching skills etc another pre season, he's already a big body and athletic, He's definitely a better buy than Mike Hunt, who is never going to be a midfielder Can't see him running 15k in a game ever, as a person who has watched league all his life and AFL for the last 17 years, the diffeence is too great to make up his age. We just have to play him, or sack him and throw Orreal in at the deep end, one or the other, but Myke's tap work seems decent enough, he just needs to be fit enough to get to the contest, the rest will take care of itself

[BSA5]

Cheez why didn't this guy go No1 reminds one person of spida and now Cox has played worse. Atleast Harmichael played AFL until he was 16 should give him some grounding and Harmichael was a star at League and Pike at best was a nobody at union who played for a country that could careless about union. For what its worth I doubt Cox has played worse

Pyke did as much in Union as Hunt has in League. He played internationally, yes, for Canada, but he also played at the top domestic level in France. He is a freak athlete, was prolific as a junior in countless sports indicating flexibility, adaptability and general aptitude in sport, and is not doing terribly at the top level of AFL after less than a year playing the game. His learning curve has been fantastically steep, and he has stepped up to it. At the moment he's exceeding all expectations, he wasn't even expected to get a game this year, so why in God's name are people complaining?

Oh, and his games haven't been bad at all. Dean Cox, in his debut season, had a 4 disposal, 4 hitout game, a 0 disposal, 3 hitout game, a 5 disposal, 6 hitout game, a 3 disposal, 4 hitout game, a 2 disposal, 6 hitout game, a 3 disposal, 6 hitout, 1 goal game, a 1 disposal, 13 hitout game, and a 3 disposal, 9 hitout game. How many games like that has Pyke played? Of course, comparing them is quite silly, as Cox was quite mature in his knowledge of the game (compared to Pyke), but not physically developed, whereas Pyke is physically developed, but his knowledge of the game is lacking, so it's stupid to make predictions based on these stats. However, it shows that Pyke's current output is acceptable for a second ruckman in his first year.

[Primmy]

BSA5, you are a legend! Exactly what I have been trying to say; we agree on the most basic level about MP. Ta.

[Bloody Hell]

Yeah yeah we know all that feel good stuff.

Back to the point. He is not excellent by AFL standards. He needs a year more in reserves at least to learn how to play the game and become a good, let alone excellent footballer.

Don't agree with some of the other stuff you are saying, but agree with this.

He looks OK with the tapwork, but is completely lost around the ground. 5 minutes a quarter while Jolly is resting is going to do nothing for his development. Training will do nothing for his development. Needs lots of TOG. Isn't going to get it in the Seniors. Even if he was playing the first half with the ressies then playing seniors it would help dramatically.

[sharp9]

Have just finished watching the game and I have to wade in here....to all those who think Pykey can't learn the game game...clearly you weren't watching properly.

In the heat of possibly the most intense AFL battle of 2009, with five minutes to go, Pyke picks up a crumb on the HB line and does what?......looks around like a stunned moose to give off a handball?....no sireee...he has a quick look and and slams it on the boot for a long, long kick into the forward fifty...one on one....GOAL!!!!

That (I believe) was his only kick of the game....that took nouse, awareness - GAME AWARENESS - FOOTY SMARTS - and also a bit of skill.

Also the Keiran Jack wonder goal (where he crumbed his own kick)...resulted from a Mike Pyke tap and a Mike Pyke quick handball out of the centre. Not saying he's God or anything, but Geez go easy on the bloke.

Time to start believing the impossible BEAR (and friends)

[sharp9]

BTW did anyone notice that his drop punt was actually a round leg kick? Same action as a drop kick in Rugby only without the ball hitting the ground...always revert to type under intense pressure.

[goswannies]

BTW did anyone notice that his drop punt was actually a round leg kick? Same action as a drop kick in Rugby only without the ball hitting the ground...always revert to type under intense pressure.

He could a helecopter floater off his opposite shin for all I care, so long as it got the the one-on-one contest to be marked by a team-mate and result in a goal!

[Go Swannies]

BTW did anyone notice that his drop punt was actually a round leg kick? Same action as a drop kick in Rugby only without the ball hitting the ground...always revert to type under intense pressure.

So we should be looking for Jesse to slam dunk and Goodes to go back to his soccer ways and writhe on the ground?

It looks to me like Baz was the only Swans player who kept reverting to his earlier sport.

[Primmy]

So we should be looking for Jesse to slam dunk and Goodes to go back to his soccer ways and writhe on the ground?

It looks to me like Baz was the only Swans player who kept reverting to his earlier sport.

[sharp9]

BTW with those talking about Pyke compared to other inexperienced number 2 rucks...his supercoach points are better than McEvoy, Bellchambers, Hampson, Jacobs and not far off Vickery and a few others I can't remember. Quite a few top 10 picks in there.

I reckon I'd pick him ahead of Blake...even at this stage.

[Primmy]

Oh and, do any of you remember Dunk's kicking "style"? Curved leg angle too, but his body didn't allow him to do anything but kick around the corner, but his kicks more often than not kept going around the corner. A natural banana. Saw him miss everything from INSIDE the goal square once.

MP's style is working for him, fine by me.