xavier clarke

[SaintDippa]

What's with the way he is holding the footy? The Fevola method of left hand high right hand low is ok when kicking for goal but geeez during field play how the hell can he expect accurate delivery or shooting for goal under pressure holding it that way?

Also looks to be carrying some kind of injury. The X from previous seasons had a lot more zip than he has shown in 2007.

[evertonfc]

I love X, but tonight was his worst game in St Kilda colours.

I really felt he cost us three goals - and that decides a game.

He wasn't alone, but his once-sharp shooting has all but gone. He will hit a critical point in his career this summer when he will decide to either become an A-grade player or an also-ran high-draft pick.

[Saint Bev]

Sorry I have felt this way for years now, but gave him a chance. But, he is over rated. Plenty of opportunity. Only other problem is, his brother his worse. Take the blinkers of folks and face the truth........... sorry

[SB10]

Have bit my tongue with X for the past few weeks, but last night was deplorable. One thing the majority of aboriginals have is skill and his skills by foot are a disgrace and always have been.

Lovely bloke but not a footballers arseho%$.

While there's no guarantees on early draft picks, we certainly wasted pick 5 on Xavier. And while the jury's still out for me on Raph, we fell for the romance of bringing his brother to the club too and gave up pick 8 or 9.

Not sure we'd get much on the trade table for X now, but seriously we need to weed out some of the dead wood, regardless of where they were picked in the draft.

[Beekay]

I don't want him at the Saints.

I really wish the best for the guy so I hope Port pick him up.

If he had of been picked late in the draft he would be gone already.

[duckduckduckgoose]

Geez its easy to bag out a bloke who was at least getting near the footy last night isn't it?

I'd like to know in which corner guys like fiora g-train fishers kos dal and rix were hiding when the s*** was hitting the fan?

you add to that list, guys who were well and truly beaten by their direct opponents such as banger jones blake attard roo milne.

It is completely ridiculous to make a statement like x clarke cost us the game.

we got belted in just about every position on the ground last night.
THAT'S WHY WE LOST!

and of course blind freddy could see x had a shocker last night, but it seems to me that he, like the majority of our players, is struggling to adapt his natural, attacking style, to the accountable style we are trying to play.

teething problems people.
Keep it in perspective.

[Bernard Shakey]

Has X not just been signed for another 2 or 3 years?

Would make it hard to get rid of him.

[TimeToShineFellas]

I love X, but tonight was his worst game in St Kilda colours.

I really felt he cost us three goals - and that decides a game.

He wasn't alone, but his once-sharp shooting has all but gone. He will hit a critical point in his career this summer when he will decide to either become an A-grade player or an also-ran high-draft pick.

That is the closest thing to being spot-on with a critique of the player mentioned in this thread........

3 goals is exactly right - and in such a low-scoring game too. He kicks all 3 goals we would have had them on toast. Instead we let them back in.

Bad kicking is bad footy. Actually it's worse than bad - it's plain inexcusable!

[cowboy18]

Rose coloured glasses firmly in place - the first half showed my why he was so highly valued in the draft and what he could be to our side. Explosive, game-breaking pace, courage and an ability to find space in a swans flood (pin pointed by a Dal special admittedly).

Shocking, inexcusable kicking. But enough there to foster and encourage.

[saintsRrising]

Xavier Clarke
#3 St Kilda Saints
Age: 23yr 10mth Games: 94

X is basically 24 with close enough to 100games....he really needs to start playing more like a 100 game player.

[Dan Warna]

Xavier Clarke
#3 St Kilda Saints
Age: 23yr 10mth Games: 94

X is basically 24 with close enough to 100games....he really needs to start playing more like a 100 game player.

concur.

seems to have gone a bit backwards this year, running to the wrong places, confidence evapourating, mistiming leaps.

We know he has skill, we know he has courage, we know he is working hard, but he seems lost.

perhaps he needs a simpler task for a bit? put him on the HBF and give him a tagging role where he excelled in 03/04

[SB10]

Xavier Clarke
#3 St Kilda Saints
Age: 23yr 10mth Games: 94

X is basically 24 with close enough to 100games....he really needs to start playing more like a 100 game player.

concur.

seems to have gone a bit backwards this year, running to the wrong places, confidence evapourating, mistiming leaps.

We know he has skill, we know he has courage, we know he is working hard, but he seems lost.

Can't remember a single time when X has really dominated a game. What we've seen in 100 games is all we're going to get. Quite frankly Sam Gilbert has had more impact this year than X has had in 5 years.

[Dan Warna]

disagree with you SB10, x clarke has done a lot of good things and had quite spectacular impacts on games, with brilliant tackles, dashing pace, fabulous intercepts and couragious spoils.

IMO he needs to go to the back line and be told 'stick like glue' to blah blah and give him a job to win his confidence back.

I think he is a very good player down on confidence.

[SaintWodonga]

X had a shocker.. Missed 2 sitters, turned over the ball for goals to Swans... Don't know why RL kept him out there. His confidence was just getting worse by the min, was embarrising display to say the least.

Should be dropped for such a poor performance.

[mad saint guy]

X needs to really work on his endurance this pre season and become a full-time wingman. Currently he is best suited to running off half back, but we already have Gram, Chips and Gilbo in that role. We lack any type of half forward so we're trying to turn him into Russell Robertson.

Xavier's composure and skill under pressure would be most valuable in the midfield, where he can get to more contests and use his pace and creativity to best advantage. But his endurance is currently quite poor and he wouldn't last 15 minutes in the midfield.

But don't get so carried away with one performance. If a couple of those kicks were just timed a tiny bit better and ultimately won the game for us we'd be labelling him a hero. He also played a very good game last week.

Right now there is no doubt that he performing well below his best, but he should be a key player for us for another 8 years.

Core team 2009-2014
B: S.Fisher, ***, L.Fisher
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Goddard, Ball, X.Clarke
HF: ***, Riewoldt, ***
F: ***, ***, ***

Foll: Koschitzke, Dal Santo, Montagna
Int: ***, ***, ***, ***

Vacant spots to be taken by either draftees or any combo of Armitage, Brooks, Watts, Sweeney, Gwilt, Allen, Howard, McQualter, R.Clarke, Attard, Ferguson, Geary, Eddy, Van Rheenen, Birss

[BAM! (shhhh)]

X needs to really work on his endurance this pre season and become a full-time wingman. Currently he is best suited to running off half back, but we already have Gram, Chips and Gilbo in that role. We lack any type of half forward so we're trying to turn him into Russell Robertson.

Xavier's composure and skill under pressure would be most valuable in the midfield, where he can get to more contests and use his pace and creativity to best advantage. But his endurance is currently quite poor and he wouldn't last 15 minutes in the midfield.

I'm honestly surprised that those who have had a chance to see X at half back before the Sydney game are still of the opinion that his best position is at half back.

X has a good work ethic, is willing to go to the bottom of packs, is creative, and a tenacious tackler. Unfortunately, all these things that would be in his favour at half back are outweighed by a lack of decision making. For every time he runs himself out of trouble, he runs back in. He kicks to bad options, handballs to bad options, and rushes it and misses his targets.

At HF, in the first half against Syd. he could have had 4 goals and been the halfs BOG. Once he went down back, he was a liability with bad disposals and decisions. This is nothing new.

I think he'd make a great wingman, and I'd like to see him run on ball a bit more often, but can absolutely understand where anyone who says he hasn't earned that is coming from.

But please, keep X away from the back half of the ground.

[SB10]

disagree with you SB10, x clarke has done a lot of good things and had quite spectacular impacts on games, with brilliant tackles, dashing pace, fabulous intercepts and couragious spoils.

IMO he needs to go to the back line and be told 'stick like glue' to blah blah and give him a job to win his confidence back.

I think he is a very good player down on confidence.

With respect Dan, IMO a spectacular impact would be a 35 possession game or a 4-5 goal performance off a flank, not the flashy one percenters (tackles, spoils, intercepts) as you say.

That's not why we drafted him. We got him at pick 5 to be an elite player who could kick goals and eventually become a top midfielder.

Seriously tell me if you've ever been confident when X has the ball in hand?

I'm certainly no Ross Lyon basher either, (I actually like his game plan) but I can't for the life of me see why Ross left him out there on Sat night. It was embarrassing.

[St Igmata]

Good ordinary footballer.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Core team 2009-2014
B: S.Fisher, ***, L.Fisher
HB: Gram, Maguire, Gilbert
C: Goddard, Ball, X.Clarke
HF: ***, Riewoldt, ***
F: ***, ***, ***

Foll: Koschitzke, Dal Santo, Montagna
Int: ***, ***, ***, ***

Vacant spots to be taken by either draftees or any combo of Armitage, Brooks, Watts, Sweeney, Gwilt, Allen, Howard, McQualter, R.Clarke, Attard, Ferguson, Geary, Eddy, Van Rheenen, Birss

if brooks survives this years cull i will be shocked and a little dissapointed his time is up
as for X he does need to step up and be a constant player but i wont whip him for one bad game but he does need to be better

[Mr Magic]

When he was down back on Saturday night he reminded me of a kangaroo caught in the spotlight.
Never noticed it before - maybe has lost confidence in himself?

[Winmarvellous]

Doesn't bode well for our forwards that line up. Looks like Roo's gonna be carrying the burden for the forseeable future. Which isn't a good thing.

[Saints43]

I think X played on Tadhg Kennelly all night.*

He must have done a pretty good job - defensive & workrate because TK is a gun - to get forward and make opportunities.**

*hard to tell from the telly, teflon.
**still spewing at him.

[saintsRrising]

X SHOULD be the HF that we need...

He has the pace..the dash..the run down hard tackle BUT he does not have the knack of kicking goals when he is in poasition to do so..

He either needs to solve his kicking problem...or get ready to have his spot taken in the 22.

He SHOULD be good enough....but currently isn't.

[villasaint]

this pick on x thread sucks. At least he f&^*ng went and got the ball. And people who say he is soft are full of crap 2. He goes in just as hard as anyone else. Yes he stuffed it up several times on Saturday night but s&^t give him a break. There we are hell of lot of other who where nowhere nere the ball. Next time you watch a game watch him, seriously he goes in bloody hard and he takes risk unlikes some of the guys who kicking backwards like pansies which is why we are fricken loosing in the first place. Some of the comments re his ability have been terrible and show limited knowledge of the game how it should be played and the different roles players have within the team. Pi55 off Fiora, Jones, Rix and bring in Brooks, Voss and R Clarke.

[saintsRrising]

x gets the ball fine...

He just needs to finish better.....and that is the frustration because we know that he can be good.

call it unfair if yoy will...but X snagging 4 goals = we win...kicking 1.3 = they win