Josh Fraser on White Line Fever Tonight

[Natalie]

For all of those with Foxtel, Josh will be on White Line Fever tonight at 7:30pm EST.

It will be interesting to hear his comments about Friday's game and how he's going as well.

[Nicholas]

I would prefer he kept of the airwaves and actually did something on the field. His maxim should be ACTIONS speak louder than words.

[Blanch]

If you think Josh wasn't one of our better players on Friday you need your head read. Josh is doing his job - and in the ruck too I might add.

[Whitey]

[Nicholas]

I think he was one of our better players, and against ordinary ruckmen. But you have missed the point, he still isn't performing like the huge star he was touted to be. He gets all the media gigs because supposedly he's this once in a generation player. My advice is to focus on footy and forget the image, then you might become half the player we want you to. Remember you cost us first pick, you came ahead of the likes of Pavlich. I just want you to prove you are a bona fide first draft pick, not just a reasonable to good player.

[Blanch]

As I've said in another thread, we are very quick to have a crack at 20 year olds. It's a well known fact that big men take longer to come to fruition. Josh WILL be a captain of collingwood and he will be the dominant big man of the competition. Name a big man in the comp who can dummy around players like josh.

MM always said he judges players by how they play in big games. Josh has performed in every big game he's played in....FULL STOP!

[Northern Pie]

I agree blanch, give the kid a break..normally big men like himself would not have even got a start in the big stuff. I think MM realizes whathe has on his hands and will continue to help the kid develop.

Cheers

[MagpieMad]

Nicholas what do you do after work? go home and have a beer?. here's a young bloke taking critisisms for his percieved lack of "taking the next big step" while he works his guts out to be a gun footballer, taking crap from the media and so called Magpie fans and instead of heading home for a relaxing evening he's on TV promoting our club and fielding questions from viewers ( for those without payTV, whiteline fever is a talkback tv show where you can phone, e-mail and sms questions ) after such a thumping as we got on the weakend. this speaks volumes for Josh and our club, most clubs after a loss like that would shut the door on the media. The modern footballer is a 24/7 footballer and to say that apearing on a tv show will some how effect his preperations for the next match is a insult to his professionalism. personaly I like to see and hear our boys on tv and radio and trust that Malty and the football staff will do whats best for the boys and the club.

[ScottyMac]

As I have said in another Thread Josh isn't and will NEVER be a Star Ruckman.... For some reason at this stage he shows no signs of it.. While saying that I believe he will be a star forward player and around the ground ruckman on second tier rucks but not first choice.

As for the captaincy. Doubt it. As with Tessa I have met him but the first thing that came across is he is not captaincy material!!!!

Hopefully he will prove me wrong!!!

[Blanch]

[ScottyMac]

No arguments from me that he is all class. A bloke that can swing around on the left or right foot from 40 meters out and kick a great snap goal (which he did many times last year) Always has class but IMO he is A Class FORWARD or I personally would love to see him playing off half back!!!

As for his ruck work..... he is a good AROUND THE GROUND ruckman against players with less football brains and skill but will NEVER be up to the Standard of the Gardners, Kings, Primus's and Whites. That is the class and standard we need to become one of the great teams.

[Blanch]

Was it just me who saw Josh influence the game in the ruck against Geelong? It matters not, I'll agree to disagree on this one.

Scotty, you and I can sit back together and marvel at his ruck work in 3-4 years time. Hopefully by then I'll be in melbourne and we can have a few ales together while we watch his dominance - and you can hold me to that drink if I ever get to to melbourne again to watch a game live.

[d9 tank]

I'm with you Blanch, I actually think his last few weeks of rucking has been very impressive, or at least more so than in the past. Good signs if you ask me.

[Northern Pie]

errr hello he is 20...sheez

[chalky]

Just a query scottymac. No argument re class of josh, will be a champion something?? with the "Pies.
If ruckmen such as Gardner, King, White, Primus add Darcy, Everitt to the list, are so much more superior in class and standard to our list of battlers and if the classic one dimentional tap ruckmen like those mentioned are so essential to teams tasting ultimate success, then -
how come we beat them with our below standard rucks? and how come those teams have not won or played off in a grand final, given the class and superior quality of their ruckmen? And did we lose vs essendon because we were beaten by Hille and Allessio? And did we beat Rich, Carl and Gee because we beat them in the ruck?
Mate, not having a go. Trying to make a point about this obsession we have with rucks. Whenever we lose it's because we don't have a ruck and posters regurgitate the tap out stats as proof, but when we win it was the forwards or backline. Our ruckmen (or lack of?) always seem to be the scapegoats for losses. No one bothers to satifactorily explain this extraordinary phenomena of winning games with no class superior ruckman. cheers