Ben McEvoy ... thought he was great

Legendary · Sun 03 Apr 2011 12:20pm

Thought McEvoy was fantastic on Friday.

I realise he was against Angus Graham (not the competition's best ruckman) but I thought some of his tapwork was particularly influential. First time he's controlled the ball from the stoppages, and he won a number of clearances himself towards the end of the game ...

Was effective around the ground and floating forward. The improvement in his fitness is a standout, I reckon he rucked about 80% of the game.

When you remember he's only 22 and probably still a couple of years from hitting his peak, I thought his performance was a highlight.

matrix · Post: # 1056141Post **matrix** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 12:34pm

agreed, the big boy mcevoy has certainly stepped up with gards and kozi both out
he's doing alright for us imo
should be a good serving player for us in years to come with any luck

picked him up in supercoach and he hasnt let me down in the first two rounds.
must have a decent tank on him as like you said, he rucked around 80 odd percent (or so it looked like).

go bigboy

QuestionOfAccuracy · Sun 03 Apr 2011 12:46pm

matrix wrote:agreed, the big boy mcevoy has certainly stepped up with gards and kozi both out
he's doing alright for us imo
should be a good serving player for us in years to come with any luck

One of his best games for the club. Granted, Richmond don't have a great ruck division, but that was the best tap work I've seen Benny do - 25 hit outs.

A little bit more talk about him here...

http://www.redwhiteandblack.com.au/2011 ... -the-line/

goodie · Post: # 1056147Post **goodie** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 12:51pm

You could really tell when he wasn't out there. Archer, Blake and even Big Fish all had a crack, but we were much better around the stoppages with Big Ben contesting the ruck.

saintsRrising · Sun 03 Apr 2011 1:23pm

He has clearly improved since last year...and as Goodie noted whenever he was not in the ruck we struggled.

One of the things I like about Ben too is that he is clearly a "smart' footballer.

Lets hope his rate of improvement continues.

Con Gorozidis · Sun 03 Apr 2011 2:20pm

Yep. One of our few bright spots in 11. Really think wed be in all sorts without him.

In fact wed be really in big strife with him. Well done Mac.

Saintersss · Sun 03 Apr 2011 2:34pm

He had around 9 HO to advantage which is very good and something he has struggled in before.

Junction Oval · Sun 03 Apr 2011 4:10pm

Additional bulk is helping, plus more game time experience.

Will have it put to him by both Hill and Ryder next week. Perhaps Kosi may have to be looked at for support. You can't ruck all day against the likes of the bulky and fast Hill.

saintbrat · Post: # 1056211Post **saintbrat** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 4:21pm

Junction Oval wrote:Additional bulk is helping, plus more game time experience.

Will have it put to him by both Hill and Ryder next week. Perhaps Kosi may have to be looked at for support. You can't ruck all day against the likes of the bulky and fast Hill.

good work Big ben

will be interesting to see if Hille is in or out next week..

Quixote · Post: # 1056220Post **Quixote** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 4:50pm

I think Q2, a hit out OVER the pack, straight down Milne's throat who runs into an open goal.

Hadn't seen him do something like THAT before.

Big Ben is coming along very nicely.

saint66au · Post: # 1056240Post **saint66au** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 5:28pm

Quixote wrote:I think Q2, a hit out OVER the pack, straight down Milne's throat who runs into an open goal.

Hadn't seen him do something like THAT before.

Big Ben is coming along very nicely.

Wasnt that in the 1st Q? ..and it was actually BJ who palmed it down to Milney?

defacto · Post: # 1056243Post **defacto** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 5:31pm

big ben keeps going the way he is then we will only need to bring gardi in to give big ben a rest for a game here and there.

Quixote · Post: # 1056244Post **Quixote** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 5:32pm

saint66au wrote:
Quixote wrote:I think Q2, a hit out OVER the pack, straight down Milne's throat who runs into an open goal.

Hadn't seen him do something like THAT before.

Big Ben is coming along very nicely.
Wasnt that in the 1st Q? ..and it was actually BJ who palmed it down to Milney?

Couldn't tell you the quarter, but pretty sure it was Mac. I intentionally scanned the replay to find out.

BigMart · Post: # 1056261Post **BigMart** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 5:53pm

Improved in the second half

groupie1 · Post: # 1056288Post **groupie1** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 6:46pm

BigMart wrote:Improved in the second half

You guys set the bar pretty low. Mac has been and looks like spending a career being a bottom half ruckman. He was good by his standards but many times I thought if it was Gardiner there he would have 'taken that mark' 'run on' 'kicked to a target' etc.

Must go when Gardiner comes fit.

bergholt · Post: # 1056294Post **bergholt** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 6:57pm

groupie1 wrote:You guys set the bar pretty low. Mac has been and looks like spending a career being a bottom half ruckman. He was good by his standards but many times I thought if it was Gardiner there he would have 'taken that mark' 'run on' 'kicked to a target' etc.

dude's 21 and a half and has played 32 games. last season he averaged about 10 touches and 10 hitouts.

here's some ruck luminaries at the same age, and how many games they'd played and how they went the year before:

gardiner: 42 games, 10 touches, 15 hitouts
cox: 36 games, 10 touches, 16 hitouts
darcy: 24 games, 12 touches, 5 hitouts
jolly: 22 games, 5 touches, 6 hitouts
sandilands: 19 games, 7 touches, 19 hitouts

these guys all went on to be pretty good players. on those figures, looks to me like mcevoy's about on pace. or maybe it's still too early to judge a big man like him.

Bardon Saint · Sun 03 Apr 2011 7:06pm

bergholt wrote:
groupie1 wrote:You guys set the bar pretty low. Mac has been and looks like spending a career being a bottom half ruckman. He was good by his standards but many times I thought if it was Gardiner there he would have 'taken that mark' 'run on' 'kicked to a target' etc.
dude's 21 and a half and has played 32 games. last season he averaged about 10 touches and 10 hitouts.

here's some ruck luminaries at the same age, and how many games they'd played and how they went the year before:

gardiner: 42 games, 10 touches, 15 hitouts
cox: 36 games, 10 touches, 16 hitouts
darcy: 24 games, 12 touches, 5 hitouts
jolly: 22 games, 5 touches, 6 hitouts
sandilands: 19 games, 7 touches, 19 hitouts

these guys all went on to be pretty good players. on those figures, looks to me like mcevoy's about on pace. or maybe it's still too early to judge a big man like him.

Great stats. Whilst anything could happen, the comparables give perspective on his progress and possibilities.

groupie1 · Post: # 1056337Post **groupie1** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 8:13pm

Bardon Saint wrote:
bergholt wrote:
groupie1 wrote:You guys set the bar pretty low. Mac has been and looks like spending a career being a bottom half ruckman. He was good by his standards but many times I thought if it was Gardiner there he would have 'taken that mark' 'run on' 'kicked to a target' etc.
dude's 21 and a half and has played 32 games. last season he averaged about 10 touches and 10 hitouts.

here's some ruck luminaries at the same age, and how many games they'd played and how they went the year before:

gardiner: 42 games, 10 touches, 15 hitouts
cox: 36 games, 10 touches, 16 hitouts
darcy: 24 games, 12 touches, 5 hitouts
jolly: 22 games, 5 touches, 6 hitouts
sandilands: 19 games, 7 touches, 19 hitouts

these guys all went on to be pretty good players. on those figures, looks to me like mcevoy's about on pace. or maybe it's still too early to judge a big man like him.
Great stats. Whilst anything could happen, the comparables give perspective on his progress and possibilities.

OK mate. Point well made.

Munga · Post: # 1056340Post **Munga** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 8:14pm

Ben will be a top 4 ruckman by the end of the year

bobmurray · Post: # 1056341Post **bobmurray** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 8:16pm

Munga wrote:Ben will be a top 4 ruckman by the end of the year

not if we dont make the top 4

BigMart · Post: # 1056342Post **BigMart** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 8:17pm

He will be a good player......is nowhere near ma good player now, but to get there....he must play, gardiner will play less than 5 games in 2011 imo

Munga · Post: # 1056350Post **Munga** » Sun 03 Apr 2011 8:26pm

bobmurray wrote:
Munga wrote:Ben will be a top 4 ruckman by the end of the year
not if we dont make the top 4

nah i meant just ruckmen

kosifantutti23 · Sun 03 Apr 2011 9:41pm

saint66au wrote:
Quixote wrote:I think Q2, a hit out OVER the pack, straight down Milne's throat who runs into an open goal.

Hadn't seen him do something like THAT before.

Big Ben is coming along very nicely.
Wasnt that in the 1st Q? ..and it was actually BJ who palmed it down to Milney?

They were two separate incidents. Goddard was in a marking contest and it looked brilliant on first viewing. On the replay he didn't seem to have so much control.

saintbrat · Sun 03 Apr 2011 10:16pm

kosifantutti23 wrote:
saint66au wrote:
Quixote wrote:I think Q2, a hit out OVER the pack, straight down Milne's throat who runs into an open goal.

Hadn't seen him do something like THAT before.

Big Ben is coming along very nicely.
Wasnt that in the 1st Q? ..and it was actually BJ who palmed it down to Milney?
They were two separate incidents. Goddard was in a marking contest and it looked brilliant on first viewing. On the replay he didn't seem to have so much control.

just filling my evening with the replay
Big ben to Milney right at start of Third quarter- in F 50
next play was Lenny's injury.

thejiggingsaint · Sun 03 Apr 2011 10:29pm

One of Friday's few bright spots for me was the way that both Macca and Armo lifted their games. The best thing about Big Ben to my way of thinking, is his ATTITUDE. Never sooked or sulked when dropped for the GF1, showed a lot of heart for a young kid in my opinion. Ben has the heart of a lion and will be one of our club stars in the years to come.