Malceski

[Plugger1300]

He was never going to work at GC. They don't have the players to cover him when he makes an offensive run or coughs it up going through the centre.
He was a very good player for us but he had players willing to cover his opponent.

Unfortunately for him and GC they don't have the cattle yet.
Right choice to move for him personally but bad move for GC

[barry]

He'll come good and so will the suns.

Unlike others i always have a soft spot for ex swans

[Mr Magoo]

One of his problems is that he has a midfield that to me looks lazy and unorganised and therefore defensively makes the half back line at times look very ordinary. I think with time he will work out how to work with May etc but at the moment he doesnt look good because primarily he is the attacking backmen and people are focusing on him like he should be leading the defensive unit. He was never going to do that.

[Conor_Dillon]

FWIW Mal played off of a wing for the entire match after the first half of the first quarter

[Gary]

A bit sad on what I have seen ... but frankly the signs have been there for a while ... too many disposal errors for the reputation he acquired. It amazes me that even great player / commentators get their point of view from the paper sometimes and say things about players / teams that simply make you laugh!
For all that, I hope he does better than at the moment.

[barry]

Malceski's greatest attribute is his delivery out of the backline. Long accurate kicks to set up attack. During the cats/suns game the commentators said he held the record for "kicks out of defensive 50" for like 4 years in a row. I didnt even know there was such a stat.

Thats why Malthouse used to say, the first matchup he thought of when playing the swans was Malceski.

Maybe, a malceski is a luxury only a very good defensive team can afford. Maybe poor defenses make Malceski more of just another man-up defender, and therefore shuts him down.

Either way, he's good enough to evolve into the role, and maybe he does play up field a bit (wing) to free him up. I thought he was ok during the cats game.

[mcs]

Give him time people! He's played 3 games in a team that has clearly started the season poorly. He will improve in time with the team, as he gets used to playing a very different style of football. If their forwards can learn to mark the ball more often than 1 time in about 50 (they were awful on Sunday), he will be a deadly weapon for them.

[jono2707]

I think the Suns will come good - their midfield has plenty of young quality even without Gazza, and their defence is bound to improve - guys like May and Thompson are developing well. Harbrow plays a Rhyce-type role and Swallow looks good when he helps organise them out of defence. They'll only get better from here so Mal just needs a bit of time to find his feet.

I know myself that it's all too common to doubt and question yourself when you leave a job you've held for a fair while and go to a new employer. It can take longer to feel comfortable than you expect.

[Industrial Fan]

The curse of Rodney Eade. Say no more. GC made a huge mistake appointing him. Cannot develop young players. Sounds like Mal went there as a bit of a mentor. A mentor Eade is not.

I really felt sorry for the club when Eade said they were nowhere near finals... had Ablett been fit all year they would likely have made it in 2014..!

Really short sighted recruiting. (in Eades case, not Mal)

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Malceski's greatest attribute is his delivery out of the backline. Long accurate kicks to set up attack. During the cats/suns game the commentators said he held the record for "kicks out of defensive 50" for like 4 years in a row. I didnt even know there was such a stat.

Thats why Malthouse used to say, the first matchup he thought of when playing the swans was Malceski.

Maybe, a malceski is a luxury only a very good defensive team can afford. Maybe poor defenses make Malceski more of just another man-up defender, and therefore shuts him down.

Either way, he's good enough to evolve into the role, and maybe he does play up field a bit (wing) to free him up. I thought he was ok during the cats game.

They were probably talking about rebound 50 stats. Not sure if there is a separate one for kicks though?

[AnnieH]

We miss Melcho.
So glad he's being mediocre for the Gold Coast.

[Untamed Snark]

We miss Melcho.
So glad he's being mediocre for the Gold Coast.

Melchiocre

[annew]

I seem to remember Buddy getting the same crap comments last year - give him time to adapt to all that's new.

[Primmy]

I seem to remember Buddy getting the same crap comments last year - give him time to adapt to all that's new.

Good point, but I am disappointed for him. HOWEver he and his wife have just, and I mean JUST, had a baby daughter, so that together with a very young son may be making some night time issues. I love the man, and in my mind he is on secondment to the Suns, and I want him back.

[Zlatorog]

For Malceski is a double whammy: a new club and a new coach. It will take time to get used to it.

[neilfws]

They were probably talking about rebound 50 stats. Not sure if there is a separate one for kicks though?

Did someone say Malceski and statistics

So here is a quick summary of his career. The bars are averages per game for each year. The horizontal black line is average per game for the entire career. The 2-letter abbreviations: you can guess what they mean (KI = kicks and so on) or visit a player page and hover over the words "Abbreviations key".

nick_malceski.png

Ignore 2015 obviously, we've only had 3 rounds. Clearly despite his age and medical record there's no indication from the stats that Malceski is in the twilight of his career. For most indicators he is at or above his career average in recent years and some even show a steady increase: disposals, uncontested possessions, one percenters. You can also see how he shifted from a more forward position over time. This backs up the suggestion that his issue with the Swans was more about contract length (wanted 3 years) than fading ability.

He is indeed up there for rebound 50s (RB), leading the table in 2013 and 2014. For your interest, the most RBs for the last 10 years:

I should probably save it for another thread, but these charts are very informative. Players like Hannebery show year-on-year improvement in many areas. For players who are in the twilight years, the chart makes it very obvious.