THE CROKER POLL .. THE RESULT UPDATED!

[jbb/james]

Most people appear to be focused on how he will go at dummy half, and his service in attack .. I am of the opinion he will do enough, well enough, to get a pass mark and allow our attack to succeed ..

What concerns me more is the 40-50 tackles he has to make ... I know he can tackle ... but more than ever the middle defence has to be tighter than a gnat's bum ... if he does his job there I will be happy ..

good point. the workload

a good start would be to see manly play patiently, kick well and respect the ball. too manly games last year they were on the end of massive possession differences resulting in increased defensive workload

the whole team would be better if they averaged a 50/50 split

some games last year it was 75 % plus to the bad guys at half time which has gotta result in injuries. players get injured under fatigue. melbourne have good runs with injury because of this well known fact, as for manly, look at the casualty ward and our possession rates.

 

[The better Robbo]

Most people appear to be focused on how he will go at dummy half, and his service in attack .. I am of the opinion he will do enough, well enough, to get a pass mark and allow our attack to succeed ..

What concerns me more is the 40-50 tackles he has to make ... I know he can tackle ... but more than ever the middle defence has to be tighter than a gnat's bum ... if he does his job there I will be happy ..

Another reason he will get the gig. I think most underrate his defence. He is often first up out of the line and putting on a big hit. A few times he stopped the opposition in their tracks just as they were starting to get a roll down field.
From all reports he and Chez are the fittest at the club so I'm confident his defence will hold up to the increased workload. On top of all this the kid plays with heart and passion. With a starting 9 on his back for a full season he may well do better than any of us expect

 

[Disco]

Gee I hope he doesn't browse these forums.

That said I did vote 3. He is a likeable guy, works hard but him as starting hooker is akin to starting a season with Brendon Elliott at fullback.

He will give it his all but jusy not good enough to be a starter hooker at a contending team

 

[Disco]

May I just add, I really do hope he has a blinder of a season!!!

 

[eagleron]

Fair summation I think.

Look honestly , I probably would have voted the second option now , he’ll possibly manage a very basic game plan of tackling ( a lot) and just passing the ball quickly and leaving it to the others.

May not individually win us a game but then probably doesn’t have to.

But I’ve been so critical of him so I still took option 3.

I agree with what you say Mark, although I took option 2 in the hope that he's not a disaster, I've got everything crossed mate because our season depends on our 9 doing the job

 

[pjayz]

. I know he can tackle ... but more than ever the middle defence has to be tighter than a gnat's bum ... if he does his job there I will be happy ..

The mind boggles at how you know about the sphincter tension of an insect from the Nematocera suborder...

 

[pjayz]

I think option 1 is no hope, option 2 is certainly achievable for him; however, I don't know if this is really going to cut it. I wen't with 3, but could easily see him playing a very simple role. In fact, I'd suggest that you'll see DCE run a lot more this year to compensate for LC's lack of dart. If I were Des, I'd be instructing Walker, Saab, DCE and Tom to make it their business to get in and run from dummy half. I don't think you are going to see Crocker do all the work from there in attack.

As for defence, it will be a real test for him. I wonder whether they have tried to add 4 or 5 kgs to his frame over the off season?

 

[silvereagle]

Probably the fittest guy in the side + can tackle the big boys + first full off season without any injuries + lots of new talent around him = no pressure and not too many brain explosions. Go Lachlan....this will be your breakout year mate. You deserve it. Option 1 for me.

 

[double hoops]

Option 2. He may not be the next immortal but he will be much improved from 2020.

 

[Woodsie]

The mind boggles at how you know about the sphincter tension of an insect from the Nematocera suborder...

I once thought I was dating a Nematocera ... but it turned out it was only a Brachysera with extensions ...

 

[manlyfan76]

I think he is another year or so off being a decent player, still could happen but he might run out of chances before it happens.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

If he sticks to crisp passing from DH and tackling he’ll get a pass from most of us , it’s just he sometimes tries to be Cameron Smith and he’s not !!

Anyway it remains to be seen and sincerely I do wish him all the best but I’m still voting 3.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Currently 4 votes for option 1, so about 5% of us reckon he’s going to have a breakout year.

Mmmmmm, let’s see.

 

[maxta]

If Croker was to win the 9, which is a chance along with others, I reckon will do ok, but personally reckon Cust would be a better option on what he could offer in the modern game and looks far more dangerous running the ball...it will definately be a (shared) position and until Fainu comes back - could well be up to 3 players in having a shot at the hooking role, which is not ideal, but with quality in the halves and fullback, hopefully crisp service is the order of the day, along with the odd scoot when the middle has momentum.

 

[StuBoot]

I once thought I was dating a Nematocera ... but it turned out it was only a Brachysera with extensions ...

It's easy to be fooled , explains your occasional cynicism.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

If Croker was to win the 9, which is a chance along with others, I reckon will do ok, but personally reckon Cust would be a better option on what he could offer in the modern game and looks far more dangerous running the ball...it will definately be a (shared) position and until Fainu comes back - could well be up to 3 players in having a shot at the hooking role, which is not ideal, but with quality in the halves and fullback, hopefully crisp service is the order of the day, along with the odd scoot when the middle has momentum.

I’m fine with the odd scoot but his kicking game was abysmal in 2020 so he can leave that option in the kit bag in my opinion.

 

[maxta]

I’m fine with the odd scoot but his kicking game was abysmal in 2020 so he can leave that option in the kit bag in my opinion.

I refer to any of the 9's in contention Mark -- prefer to just have crisp smart service to the halves and Turbo than the indecisive service in 2020....realistically, if the door is already kicked in, any of these blokes will look ok on the occasional scoot, but only Fainu is the man with the open license to play off the cuff and abilty to do so imo.....ANY of the others need to keep it SIMPLES.

 

[The better Robbo]

I’m fine with the odd scoot but his kicking game was abysmal in 2020 so he can leave that option in the kit bag in my opinion.

He actually has a big boot on him but like you say he often tries too much to be a hero. Just missed a couple 40- 20s last year at crucial times, if he makes those kicks he's a hero... miss like he did and he's a whipping boy. He's not far off and with a bit of luck his way will be more than handy this year

 

[winnyason]

He actually has a big boot on him but like you say he often tries too much to be a hero. Just missed a couple 40- 20s last year at crucial times, if he makes those kicks he's a hero... miss like he did and he's a whipping boy. He's not far off and with a bit of luck his way will be more than handy this year

No he sticks to the gameplan leave the play making to Dce, Foran and co.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

We've almost exhausted this topic, but I'd like to add one more thing. There is, and always has been, a good reason that hooker/dummy half is a specialist position. All first-grade footy players should be able to pass and tackle, but that doesn't mean they all have the makings of a good dummy half. It's knowing which direction to pass and when; it's knowing when to run and when not to. All a team's attack - all of it, not some of it - comes from the ruck. So if the dummy half doesn't hit the right person or the right side, you're buggered. Everything starts from the dummy half and the decisions he makes. The best halves in the world aren't going to do you much good if they don't get the ball when they need it. So whoever gets the gig this season, we're going to be asking a lot of him.