How good was Mike Pyke today?

[BillyRayCypress]

He would have had a very good mentor in LRT who also came from a union background. As did Playfair.

So I'm sure they helped him with reading the play. However, Mike has the ability to work it out for himself. Although they kick in union on the run, the ball is much fatter, they don't kick to a target and they don't drop the ball on their foot as you do in Aussie Rules. So Mike would have put in alot of time to learn that.

Folau on the other hand has no one to mentor him with the same background and probably doesn't have Mike's footy brain. He was pretty bad on the weekend and like the Etihad surface there was little mention of Folau's future today.

[aardvark]

Next we'll be doing the wee poo jokes. Oh, did those last week......

I thought Hawthorn was this week !

[BillyRayCypress]

I thought Hawthorn was this week !

Started with the reference last week as the changes thread went up a week early.

[aardvark]

Started with the reference last week as the changes thread went up a week early.

Ah yes I remember now.....

[Clammers]

What no one has mentioned about Mike is this.....he kicks accurately because he didn't have bad habits coming into our sport. The height of his kicks at goal is not high but he has learned to kick straight. He drops and strikes the ball correctly. If he is 30 metres out in a GF, and after the siren needs to nail the goal, I'd be much happier that he has it than Goodes.

When I learned to play footy many moons ago you were taught to move the ball on. Whether that be a handball in front of you, tap on or kick to space then chase if there is no other option etc. In the 90's coaching Auskick all of a sudden the vogue was to take possession regardless of the situation to deny the opposition possession. There was a drill of tapping the ball infront of you and learning to control the footy in front of you on both sides of the body. Guess what, that drill was deleted. Watch Mike....when he marks he is always looking for the handball or to move it on. That deft tap to LRT in the last quarter was Skilton type stuff. He couldn't take clean possession so opened up the forward 30 for LRT. Why does he take marks in the forward line....because heplays in front. That mark he took running back in the forward line in the 3rd quarter was smart play because he gave our player a spot to kick it to. He does the old fashioned stuff because he is smart and reads the game well and he doesn't have his brain clogged up with preconceived ideas. He plays a simple commonsense game that works.

I got the impression in the game against Collingwood that Pyke was under instructions to knock the ball down rather than mark it. He clearly can mark it and kick goals. Perhaps if he had taken a couple of contested marks they would have taken out the pIES.

[ShockOfHair]

Fox Sports has found another Canadian at the Swans:

The success of former Canadian rugby player Martyn Pyke at the Swans is also being used as a selling point by the AFL

[dimelb]

Fox Sports has found another Canadian at the Swans: