Under the pump: the 10 players most under the microscope leading into Round 1
FROM regaining your crown as the game’s best to shutting down the critics, these 10 under pressure players have plenty to play for in 2017.
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AFL playing pressure comes in many forms, from regaining your crown as the game’s pre-eminent player to silencing an ever-present posse of critics.
Herald Sun AFL experts Mark Robinson and Jon Anderson have nominated 10 players of genuine talent who for differing reasons find themselves under the microscope leading into Round 1.
Some have already climbed the success mountain such as Travis Cloke and Gary Ablett, others are young key forwards in Jeremy Cameron and Joe Daniher who are hoping to become the real deal as distinct from the “next big thing”.
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Then there are the whipping boys in Jack Watts, Kurt Tippett and Tyrone Vickery, the sublime yet unfulfilled Steven Motlop, highly-paid second-year recruit Charlie Dixon and the kid with the exocet left-foot in Jack Billings.
Every one of them has the capacity to influence their team’s ladder position and all will have plenty of words written and spoken about them as they enter a season that will go some to defining them in differing ways.
JACK BILLINGS (St Kilda)
Recent evidence would suggest the Saints haven’t done much wrong come draft time, but at stages last year their pick No.3 in 2013 played below that rating.
On song, he is a game breaker and, at 21 and going into his fifth season, the time is now for Billings to weave his left-footed magic.
STEVEN MOTLOP (Geelong)
They say your career goes quickly and, at 26, Motlop is in danger of becoming a “what if?” story.
Those who remember his 2013 finals series think of rare excitement, as distinct from the lacklustre Motlop of 2016. Geelong desperately requires star factor apart from the obvious two and Motlop is that player.
GARY ABLETT (Gold Coast)
An intensely proud man, Ablett will be hurting at his injury-enforced replacement at the top of the pops.
These days it’s all Nat and Danger when the midfield guns are discussed, with the Little Master almost the forgotten man. So the pressure comes from the sense of how he’s going to leave this game and just what is left in the tank.
TRAVIS CLOKE (Western Bulldogs)
It seems a long time ago when he was clearly the best contested mark in the game, rather than a sometime figure of mirth.
It’s hard to envisage a better club for Cloke to join, with a coach who is all about positive reinforcement and quite clearly Cloke needs plenty of that to start resembling that power forward of five years ago.
KURT TIPPETT (Sydney)
For the Swans to keep their neighbours at bay, Tippett is the player who can make a difference given most of his teammates produce very even performance levels.
In 2016, Tippett played like Simon Madden before injuring his knee. On return he was just fair, including Grand Final day when Tom Boyd produced what he should have.
CHARLIE DIXON (Port Adelaide)
The most over-paid under-performed player in the comp, save for Dale Thomas. When on song, he makes Port a far better side, but sadly it’s too rare.
Drops too many marks for a key forward, and was not fit enough through 2016. Coach Ken Hinkley had coach-to-player talks in the off-season, Dixon stripped down and better season is expected. he’d want to deliver.
TYRONE VICKERY (Hawthorn)
One of the most intriguing players in 2017. Similar to Cloke at the Bulldogs, can Alastair Clarkson’s environment caress consistency out of the failed Tigers forward.
He’s one of several gambles the Hawks have made to improve the team and if it succeeds, and Vickery kicks, say, 40-45 goals, then yes, Clarkson is the genius “player’’ whisperer.
JOE DANIHER (Essendon)
The intrigue is on the returning Bombers but the spotlight is on Joe Daniher. Yes, he’s just 22 and still young, but so is Patrick Cripps, Zach Merrett and Marcus Bontempelli.
Talls take time, we know, and every former player says Joe will be a superstar. To do that, he has hold on to his marks and improve his kicking. Until that happens, he is Jack Dyer’s good ordinary player.
JEREMY CAMERON (GWS Giants)
Another key forward who is hit and miss. First final last year he kicks four goals against Sydney and in the preliminary final against the Dogs, he kicks 0.1 from five touches.
Who would’ve thought the question would be asked: Is Jonathan Patton a better player than Jeremy Cameron?
JACK WATTS (Melbourne)
Watts finished fifth in the 2016 best-and-fairest and the coach didn’t play him at the start of pre-season because Watts didn’t train to standards.
What did he get over summer? A big head? He can play, he’s exciting, he’s contagious as a teammate, but there’s something amiss. Even after his best season, you have to wonder how much does Jack really want it.
Originally published as Under the pump: the 10 players most under the microscope leading into Round 1
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