Nick Davis (quality or not)

[Cheer Cheer]

Originally posted by dimelb
I don't think he's another Mickey O - not big enough or quick enough - but he's a wonderful asset to the side.

If you have watched nick run around at full pace he is one of the fastest in our team - definately equal to micky's pace imo - as to size - well it is obvious he isnt as big as micky - but he doesnt have to be - micky is a star because he belies his size - ie he runs around like a small forward thats how elusive he is. Micky isn't a big overhead marker in which he uses his size to advantage, more than likely he will take a mark on his chest, probably the only thing seperating nick equalling mick is that mick would be much stronger on one on one situation.
Note as much difference as you think.

[Sanecow]

During the season I under-rated him but watching the replays on Fox Footy I am noticing how good he really is. I think he will become as valuable as BBBH or Micky O'. Big calls, I got 'em if you want 'em!

[penga]

he had a sketchy end of year, after round 11, he had scored 20.4, at the end of the year he kicked 32.19... therefore from rd 12 - PF he kicked 12.15... a note worth mentioning... his delivery by foot is SPECIAL () as is his goal kicking, a very vital cog in the swans machine... thus, quality...

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by penga
he had a sketchy end of year, after round 11, he had scored 20.4, at the end of the year he kicked 32.19... therefore from rd 12 - PF he kicked 12.15... a note worth mentioning... his delivery by foot is SPECIAL () as is his goal kicking, a very vital cog in the swans machine... thus, quality...

I think he's one of the best and most accurate kicks in the team. I like that when he kicks you can see that he is thinking about where it is going and normally gets there.

Just further on his kicking: His poor patch was between rd 12-20, when he kicked 5.13. From rd 21 to PF he kicked 7.2.

[motorace_182]

he had surgery on some part of his leg during last years preseason so wasnt super fit coming into the 2003 season.

Had osteitus pubis (spellcheck??)

He just seems to try to rely on raw talent ahead of work at times, but when he is hot, he is hot. Awesome boot on the kid and decent disposal, just needs to find it.

[BAM_BAM]

will be a gun.

He had a limited pre season and also a big move back to Sydney and a lot of other personal issues going on. Now having been here for a year I expect we'll see big things from him. He has the talent to be anything he wants. All he needs is to go out there and do it.

[Reggi]

I think you guys do tend to overblow his ability - he's a straight kick but not incredibly reliable at kicking the footy to a teamate over distance.

He's a good mark, but I think he is limited by his reading of the play and the fact that he isn't a great ball-winner/ gatherer of the footy.

Which is more than half the battle really

Continue on

[Cheer Cheer]

Originally posted by Reggi
I think you guys do tend to overblow his ability - he's a straight kick but not incredibly reliable at kicking the footy to a teamate over distance.

He's a good mark, but I think he is limited by his reading of the play and the fact that he isn't a great ball-winner/ gatherer of the footy.

The first paragraph is way off the mark but the second paragraph is more on track.

[Ryan Bomford]

Originally posted by Cheer Cheer
The first paragraph is way off the mark but the second paragraph is more on track.

I tend to agree Cheer. One of my endearing memories of the '03 season was an absolute bullet 40 metre kick, across the body, from ND that barely got above 2 metres off the ground and hit a leading O'Loughlin right on the chest. What was remarkable about the kick, apart from the accuracy and trajectory, was that ND was running to his right and MO in the opposite direction. I believe it was the Brisbane home game, in front of the O'Reilly stand. I remember remarking to my son at the time that there were few players in the comp who were skilled enough to execute a kick like that.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Reggi
I think you guys do tend to overblow his ability - he's a straight kick but not incredibly reliable at kicking the footy to a teamate over distance.

Obviously you weren't watching closely this season...

[dendol]

Originally posted by Reggi
I think you guys do tend to overblow his ability - he's a straight kick but not incredibly reliable at kicking the footy to a teamate over distance.

He's a good mark, but I think he is limited by his reading of the play and the fact that he isn't a great ball-winner/ gatherer of the footy.

Which is more than half the battle really

Continue on

I just rewatched the Swans' 2003 season highlights lastnight - got home from the company xmas party oh so smashed, and had an urge to see the swans in full flight! - and a few players really stood out: Schneiderman, Cressa, Mickey, Goodesy, B1, and Dick Navis.

I know there were so many more guys that had a great year, but some of the things that Davis did was simply amazing. As many have said, he doesnt need to be a great ball winner to be effective - his disposals are generally of high quality, and he usually gets the ball close to the forward 50, making his accuracy a huge threat to the opposition. Many teams in the comp have players that can kick goals from set shots way outside 50, and before ND, Im not sure we had any players who were in that category.

His skill level is one of the highest in our team, and I am one to believe that when he finally combines this with a full, hard, preseason, he will become the player we all know he can be in 2004.

[Sanecow]

Dick Navis, hee hee!

[dendol]

Originally posted by Sanecow
Dick Navis, hee hee!

Yeah, Cressa calls him "Dicky"....

[TheHood]

Originally posted by lizz
I do, however, think some people underestimate his range of skills. I think he's far more focussed and determined than he's sometimes given credit for. Wind your tape to about the halfway mark of the second quarter against Port this season. He took on two tacklers, broke both, tight on the boundary line, got the ball off to Crouch and moments later Williams was slotting our third or fourth goal of the quarter. And that wasn't an isolated incident of him doing that - just the one that I can most readily recall.

That is one of my favourite moments of that game. I thought he really shone out that day!

I was watching the Richmond replay the other day and was reminded of him starring that night too. 3 wonderful goals from 50 on or near the boundary.

By the time his career is over, I think Nick will be a favourite Swan and remembered fondly like Lewie, however I reckon Nick Davis (of Dicky Navis as Cressa calls him) will do more kms and work harder for the ball and team than Lewie did.

[Steve]

For me one of the enduring images of Davis was the shot(s) of him last pre-season shirtless - after 4 full seasons you shouldn't be that soft in that many places.

I think that is a symptom of a problem that is always going to hold him back.

Those who watch him closely would have noticed that in the second half of the year he was regularly used as a kind of 'link-man' b/w defence and the midfield - he regularly would float wide on a HBF to get an easy receive from defenders under some sort of pressure.

I guess the thinking behind it was that he often found it difficult to get into games by winning his own ball, and that secondly with his decent kicking skills he should (in theory) hit a target further up the ground consistently. Perhaps thirdly it was unlikely his opponent would follow him all the way down to HB ('he can't/won't hurt us getting possessions there'), and hence he would be a free option.

IMO he's going to be one of those players whose reputation exceeds his performances - living off big goals from 60m, the one off the ground against Carlton at Optus etc etc etc.

He can have 8 touches and people still go away saying "what about that goal, what about ...", whereas effective players are perceived to have had poor days.