White's future

[Hartijon]

It's boom or bust for big Jessie on this site.

The pro Jessie mob say he plays a brilliant game when he is terrible (think last night and Port Adelaide game)

The anti Jessie mob say get rid of him, trade him, we don't want him.

Surely there is a happy medium? Should he be part of our long term plans? Yes! Is his job to bring the ball to the ground? No! It's to kick bloody goals.

So true and a sensible comment. IMO we are exhibiting Patience with Jesse because of his Potential.To say he is doing well is a joke but to say trade him is equally a joke. We are currently tolerating his erratic effort hoping that because of his age and need for game time,he will come good for us. By "come good" I mean impose himself on a game like someone his size and talent should! This policy could pay off big time for us as the guy could still be "anything". I am happy to give him a go and only wish other equally deserving Reserve players were given similar opportunities. We have reaped a huge benefit with TDL giving him a go despite people on here saying his body would not be up to it etc etc...

[Trickster]

See, I knew I wouldn't agree with you all the time aaaaa......we had one big Canadian, and a broken Mummy, and a pinch hitter who hasn't rucked except as an occasional emergency......being a nusance (wish I could spell that word) isn't in the stats, nor is goal assist......he has HIS job to do.....which is different. Remember when Kirky became a defensive midfielder? That position didn't exist once. And when Goodsy became a ruckman who ran and kicked goals? That position was the only one in town once. He is doing the job he is asked to do, he is not being dragged and having his ear chewed by the coaches.....or by me.

Well put.
The fact that despite not marking and kicking a bag full Jesse still draws the attention of at least two opposing players really says it all, then when the opposition figure he's there as a distraction and leave him alone they pay for it.
He may not be another Bradshaw but Jesse plays 100% for his team and definitely deserves his spot in the top 22.
We'd be a poorer team without him

[dimelb]

It's boom or bust for big Jesse on this site.

The pro Jesse mob say he plays a brilliant game when he is terrible (think last night and Port Adelaide game)

The anti Jesse mob say get rid of him, trade him, we don't want him.

Surely there is a happy medium? Should he be part of our long term plans? Yes! Is his job to bring the ball to the ground? No! It's to kick bloody goals.

I'm definitely one of the pro-Jesse mob, and I don't think he's wonderful all the time. Most of his games he does a job unobtrusively, tapping the ball to advantage, providing a lead (which is not recognised as often as it could be), putting on forward defensive pressure (I can see where BSA5 is coming from) and attracting attention that makes life easier for the mosquito fleet. Then occasionally he does something really eyecatching (the big hanger last year, the goal from McVeigh's inspired handball). I agree his job is to kick goals, and I'm confident we'll see more of them.

[BSA5]

I just want to say, having started the thread, that I by no means want to trade/delist Jesse, nor do I want to drop him. He is doing an important job at the moment, and that is sucking in defenders, bringing the ball to ground, and nabbing the occasional goal for himself too. Now, that's OK, it's getting the job done for the moment, but when LJ, Reid (who has been playing forward with great success in the ressies), even Pyke, come knocking, will he be able to hold his place up forward?

[Vonsteinman]

I think we should all feel so privileged to have the input on this forum from individuals who have access to the inner sanctum of the club.

How can anyone say so definitively that a player is or isn't doing his job? Earlier in the year, it was quite clear that White wasn't doing his job as he was sent back to the twos and Roos said why.

He has played a strong hand in a number of goals in the last couple of weeks and, as such, is being effective even if some of that effectiveness isn't measurable in statistics. Some of his work against the Hawks was fantastic, smashing packs, hurting opponents and helping the ball into the hands of crumbers.

The thing is, he looks like he could be the next Wayne Carey at times, but people have to remember that he has played so much less footy than most AFL players at the same stage.

I would love to see White leading and marking or taking big pack grabs and kicking four or five a game as much as anyone, however if you're not kicking them yourself, the best you can do is make it easier for your teammates to get them and he is definitely doing that.

[UglyDuckling]

i would agree that it wasnt white best game last night, and as a big young guy it will take time for him to find consistency. I for one think that over the pre season he has to work on his endurance and work rate so he can lead hard, run back lead again using his pace, agility and endurance to burn his opponent.

However i also dont think he was disgraced last night i have been closely watching jesse when i watch the replays of the game and over the past 3 weeks there have been an enormous amount of goals kicked from contests he has been involved in. He provides a good target inside 50 and even if he doesnt mark, his opponent isnt, the ball is coming to ground and the smaller players are scoring goals left and right. TDL especially is reading the ball from white contests and scoring like a genius.

I would strongly disagree that its all about marks and goals for jesse and i have heard roos say on a number of occasions that he wants jesse to compete and bring the ball to ground if he cant mark. At the moment he is playing his role in the team and that is what the swans are all about.

Once he starts kicking more goals and taking more marks as well as providing contests for crumbing players he will be an extremely valuable player who will make the players around him, especially TDL better for his presence

[Jesse Richards]

i would agree that it wasnt white best game last night, and as a big young guy it will take time for him to find consistency. I for one think that over the pre season he has to work on his endurance and work rate so he can lead hard, run back lead again using his pace, agility and endurance to burn his opponent.

However i also dont think he was disgraced last night i have been closely watching jesse when i watch the replays of the game and over the past 3 weeks there have been an enormous amount of goals kicked from contests he has been involved in. He provides a good target inside 50 and even if he doesnt mark, his opponent isnt, the ball is coming to ground and the smaller players are scoring goals left and right. TDL especially is reading the ball from white contests and scoring like a genius.

I would strongly disagree that its all about marks and goals for jesse and i have heard roos say on a number of occasions that he wants jesse to compete and bring the ball to ground if he cant mark. At the moment he is playing his role in the team and that is what the swans are all about.

Once he starts kicking more goals and taking more marks as well as providing contests for crumbing players he will be an extremely valuable player who will make the players around him, especially TDL better for his presence

Agree with all you've said here. I also think that we have the potential to develop a fairly innovative forward line with Jetta in the mix. Their collective unpredictability could be a great asset. Rohan also has some of this quality. So does Vesz. And, of course, Goodes. We may have to revise our criteria of what makes a good forward. Kicking goals and goal assists, of course would remain essential, but maybe the emphasis on individual performance will shift to what our forwards achieve collectively.

[Mountain Man]

I am keen to see how Longmire uses him (White) next year - he (Horse) was after all the Coleman medallist at aged 19 (or thereabouts). White is getting game time, and both encouragement and brickbats from the current coaches.

Otherwise this discussion reminds me strangely of the incessant LRT bashings over some 5 years - the Coaches seemed to agree we needed a tall defender and gave him long term support while he learnt his trade and position

[royboy42]

[QUOTE=AnnieH;503097]He didn't do much live. He did a few good things, but mostly, I spent the night turning around to one of my nieces who loves him to bits and telling her to get over her love, it's time to find a new boyfriend. Lead up and down and missed quite a few easy marks he should have taken. TDL was picking up his fallen crumbs and turning them into a five-star dessert. TDL wins.

I believe that if you can touch the ball, you should be able to mark it.

Annie, i usually love your work, but his job is, if he doesn't mark, to get the ball to ground so the TDLs of the forward line can grab it!
Have another look at his work...I think you have, for whatever reason, a slightly jaundiced view?
The man is doing what his coaches demand of him

[scolsey22]

People need to stop hating on him. He assisted in a few goals on the weekend, kicked one and provides an option. Apart from Goodes, Short of playin mummy up forward all the time there is no one on our team that can create a contest up forward like Jesse can.

[Jewels]

People need to stop hating on him. He assisted in a few goals on the weekend, kicked one and provides an option. Apart from Goodes, Short of playin mummy up forward all the time there is no one on our team that can create a contest up forward like Jesse can.

Yep, spot on. He cops far more crap on here than he deserves.
We complain about our forward line as it is now, without at least one big body in there, we'd be a whole lot worse off.

[Plugger46]

He's going OK. Played about 40 games. I'm not sure what people expect from a 40-game key forward but none of them are consistent and very few of them are capable of dominating a game. Patience people.

[magic.merkin]

He's going OK. Played about 40 games. I'm not sure what people expect from a 40-game key forward but none of them are consistent and very few of them are capable of dominating a game. Patience people.

and remember he primarily rucked for much of the first half of his games,

[msb]

Im getting sick of the white bagging, the fact is WE NEED HIM IN THE TEAM FFS! He set up at least 2-3 goals the other night, as well as kicking a great one from an angle, he splits packs and is quick on the lead. For the negative ones, who the hell else do you want there!?? As the above post says, patience is the key, its only really his 2nd full on season after just a handfull of games in 08.

[stellation]

It's boom or bust for big Jessie on this site.

The pro Jessie mob say he plays a brilliant game when he is terrible (think last night and Port Adelaide game)

The anti Jessie mob say get rid of him, trade him, we don't want him.

Surely there is a happy medium? Should he be part of our long term plans? Yes! Is his job to bring the ball to the ground? No! It's to kick bloody goals.

I'm certainly in the pro Jesse group, and I'm hopefully not being too pedantic by disagreeing slightly with that suggestion; I don't think he had a brilliant game at all on the weekend, but likewise I most certainly don't think he was terrible.

I'm not sure that thinking someone wasn't terrible equates to thinking they were brilliant!