My favourite player!!!!!! FREEBORN!!!!

[Digs]

Ok, I've tried really hard to shut up for the past few weeks and I have. At half time last week I was about to unleash a spray on this board about Freeborn and his piss-weak efforts off the ball. Unfortunately the computer was unavailable and after the game my emotions had subsided so I let it be.

HOWEVER! After another shithouse performance I feel obligated to reinforce my opinion that I was so heavily criticised for.

FREEBORN IS USELESS!!!

I used to think he was ok with the ball in his hands, but last night, he proved me wrong. What the hell was going on when he had the ball on the half-forward line, I think it was the second quarter. He held onto the ball for about 25 seconds and somehow managed about 4 bounces before giving up 50 odd metres from where he took possession of the ball in the first place. PATHETIC!

But that's not even my main problem with him. His work off the ball/chasing/tackling is absolutely hopeless. Countless times he is there in a contest and the next minute, he's disappeared. It happened last nite a few times, once in particular i remember on half-back with Tyson Lane I think. It was a 2 on 2 contest, with 2 richmond guys against Lane and Freeborn. The ball came in and all of a sudden, it was Lane vs the 2 tigers. The ball hit the ground and Lane was on hands an knees scrambling for it as the Tigers took the ball away. Freeborn was about 15 metres away looking on AS PER F***IN USUAL!!!

TRADE HIM ........ DROP HIM ....... SACK HIM ....... ANYTHING!!!

The problem with Collingwood at the moment is that almost everyone in that team except Molloy lacks tenacity. Freeborn is the most obvious and CONSISTENT disappointment and players like him are no use to the team. Especially when there are guys like Scotland, Didak, Cloke and other good youngsters in the 2's.

Also, just thought I'd mention that Sav's in pretty nice form at the moment, huh?

[Chipper_Toon]

There was not much Freeborn could do if Richmond were flooding and the fowards weren't giving him options. He wasn't the only one off his game on Friday

"it only happens once a season, but it is very rare" Tony Shaw, Fri 3rd August, 2001

[Leonin5=star]

freeborn is a very good player and scotland is a piece of shit..get off freeborns dick

we're coming...

[@shLicuria]

Digs, he doesn't sound like your real favourite player to me

I mean, Chrissy has a bad few games, Buckley has a bad few games,
Joshie has a bad few games, EVERYONE has bad games!!!!

I actually don't think Freeborn was that bad!
Freeborn kicks more arses in the fwd line, and since there is so
much light shining on the "big" players like josh fraser and
tarrant, the game plan usually is, get it to chris... handball to
josh..... kick it to buckley..... and where does everyone else
come into this game plan???

Freeborn needs to just come in, and work hard like he usually
does.... and then maybe the other players, will scrap the game
plan for a minute, and pass it off to freeborn, who will run
with his speed and confidence and kick goals from no where.
And THATS what glen can do... we've all seen it.
And if we LOSE Freebs, we LOSE our confidence to come back when
losing, we LOSE the excitment to boost the players, and we LOSE
the scoreboard.

Luv da 1 da only da @sh Licuria

PS Maybe he wants to play with his bro?? But that has not REALLY
occured to be the problem... i just think he hates the pressure
of the backline..... he luvs being pressuresd in the fwd line,
not the other way around.
PPS There are heaps of players that kick arse in the fwd line,
so as soon as richo comes back, maybe we can put players in their
spots. Kinnear in Fwd, Freeborn to STAY in the midfield, etc etc

[AlfAndrews]

At least your headline was a bit more tactful this time.

BTW. How did Sav go against Sydney? I haven't seen the papers or anything. How much of that 3.18 (or whatever it was) was attributable to the great big kabana.

When I heard that score I immediately thought ... SAV WAS 'ERE.

Great to the see the Kangas playing so well.

**floreat pica**

[*miss_magpie*]

"Freeborn kicks more arses in the fwd line, and since there is so
much light shining on the "big" players like josh fraser and
tarrant"
Freeborn is a small, on the run type of player, not suitable (in my thoughts) in the forward line.

"the game plan usually is, get it to chris... handball to
josh..... kick it to buckley..... and where does everyone else
come into this game plan???"

I think you'll find that's exactly where everyone else comes into the play.. they're the ones getting it to the forward line.. But I disagree, the players aren't just getting it to bucks, chrissy, josh, etc... there are so many players that are capable of finding space in the forward line, and instead of josh and bucks, it's more likely.. get the ball to nick or anthony bucks or josh, then from there these players can either have a shot, coz we all know they have monster kicks, or wait and chip it around until either Chris, molloy or any of the smaller forwards further in the 50 or around the goal square can find space to run into...

back to freeborn however, I don't think he's doing quite as bad as suggested, against richmond he wasnt the best player on the ground for sure, but he definately wasn't our only player to have a rough one, we just couldn't find any form whatsoever..


_-~`*#24-Tarks & Johno-#26*`~-_

[Digs]

Hold up! Everyone seems to be missing the point here. My beef with Freeborn has not started due to his performance over the past few games and it is not about his peformance when he HAS the ball, which isn't very often anyway.

I noticed this about Freeborn last year and it's only got worse since. He can't tackle, cannot read the play at all, doesn't back up his team mates and worst of all, he doesn't chase. These are not really skill errors but just a basic lack of discipline in his style of play. These are simple things that you're taught when you're in the under 9's.

I urge each and everyone of you to WATCH him closely next week to prove my point. Hopefully, you'll be watching him on Channel 2 playing for Williamstown.

Also, after watching the reserves, the only guys that deserve to be thinking about playing seniors are Scotty Burns, Alan Didak and Jason Cloke. Mc Kee should get a game because we need a ruckman but he was THOROUGHLY beaten by the Coburg ruckman, Steinfort. Adkins was EXTREMELY disappointing (again, not chasing AT ALL, no effort off the ball) and Scotland was pretty poor also. One question, why was Ukovic on the bench the whole day, or the majority of it???

And Alf, I picked a bad day to make the Sav comment but no one can deny the form he's been in recently, I was just stating the obvious for all you Savalloy-haters.

[The room service guy]

The one major weakness I can see in Freeborn's game is he is not a backman, certainly a forward and sometimes a midfielder.
He struggles when one out with an opponent in defence, and I'm not too sure about his accountability, cos I almost never see us play live.
He is a creative player with good skills who can set a teammate up, which shows that he's more valuable up forward. His lack of pace also suits him better to being a forward. But we do lack small defenders, so MM and the coaching staff have decided he's going to play as a defender for now.
I wouldn't say get rid of him, just play him in the forward lines. But now we have Brodie and Neon up there he can't really fit in up there.
Maybe next year, when Brodie and even Neon Leon play up the ground a bit more, Freeborn will be able to play in a forward pocket or something.

THE RUP IS ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!

[Lockyer24]

play him in the forward line..Ive been saying this for yonks