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Blake Acres is learning the craft of playing on the wing from a man who has played fewer than 20 games in that position.
But when that man’s name is Nick Riewoldt there is plenty to be learned.
Acres describes the first half of his season as “pretty inconsistent”, but the turning point came when he approached his skipper for some tuition.
“My past three or four weeks I have got a bit of continuity with my role and where I play,” he said.
“Working with ‘Rooey’ has been really good. I approached him about four weeks ago and asked if I could watch his tapes with him because he plays a similar role to what I’ve been playing and he plays it better than anyone.”
It hasn’t just been wing craft, but also the broader requirements of being an AFL player.
“I just watch him and where he runs and how hard he works to get the ball,” Acres said.
“I look at those patterns and try to put them into my game. I try and win the ball inside and get it to our outsiders, so I can give a different dimension to our team.”
Working with Riewoldt has also given Acres a keener appreciation of the star Saint.
“He’s a machine,” he said. “It’s good to watch and you see why he is so good.
“All the work he puts into his game, it is inspirational to me and I just try and mimic his game as much as I can.”
Just a sneaky thing ive found with blake is that hes very hard to tackle. yeah hes been pinged a few times for holding the ball but most of the time he gets his hands free and allows him to move the ball on. The maverick weller goal against the dons? is a prime example of acres slippery abilities. Also i think hes our future 80/20 player. this is an nba term for 80 percent of the time they will do the right thing but....the 20 represents the mistakes and they will outweigh the 80. But i think theres something special with this kid, definitely our next up and comer with Ross and Gresh.
I have loved watching Acres play of late. He really looks to now looks comfortable . He has shown that he is strong and can break tackles and looks good in heavy traffic.
From his Roo watching it also looks like he has learnt to slip the leash and run forward to be a target at the right times.
His second half of the year bodes exciting times for the future and I am now certain that he will make it.
Flying the World in comfort thanks to FF Points....
If he takes that initiative to emulate Roo right through pre-season then Blake is in for one hell of a 2017. Thankfully Nick isn't taking an extended break this year.
Wombat15 wrote:Just a sneaky thing ive found with blake is that hes very hard to tackle. yeah hes been pinged a few times for holding the ball but most of the time he gets his hands free and allows him to move the ball on. The maverick weller goal against the dons? is a prime example of acres slippery abilities. Also i think hes our future 80/20 player. this is an nba term for 80 percent of the time they will do the right thing but....the 20 represents the mistakes and they will outweigh the 80. But i think theres something special with this kid, definitely our next up and comer with Ross and Gresh.
I noticed this too, it reminded me a lot of a young Jack Steven, trying to burst through tackles but not yet with the power / confidence necessary to do it. For me that is Acres this year, but we are now seeing it come off a bit more, and as he gets stronger and more confident he will only get better and better at it. really looking forward to watching him grow into his footy!
saint-stu wrote:Anyone else feel that his kicking has improved too?
Absolutely ... His highlights video showed most possessions going astray, his first few games he had a lot if poor kicks and turn overs. I was worried he may be a very poor kick, and really struggle ...it's actually nice to be wrong sometimes
And the president said " I did not have sex with that woman"
And our former president said " Football is like golf"
He's good overhead too which will continue to strengthen and will be dangerous loping forward similar to Pendlebury/Bontempelli. He'll turn into a bit of a handful.
saint-stu wrote:Anyone else feel that his kicking has improved too?
I think his kicking is ok. Most AFL players can kick. The issue is kicking under pressure in game situations with players coming at you from 360 degrees.
The more he gets used to the speed of the game. The less pressured he feels. The more his kicking should improve.
In his first two seasons even his handballs were going to players feet. This isnt happening anymore.
I just bloody love Blake. I think the sky is the limit.
