#14 James Aish

[E]

what a mistake we made getting James aish. Overrated. Shit player. Wont make it. How many pages of threads on this fallacy.

WRONG WRONG WRONG.

James Aish is going to be an out and out gun for Collingwood.

He is not racking up big numbers just yet, but I have observed three things about him so far since he has come back.

1. My initial fear concerning his courage and willingnees to put his head over it has been resolved. He has the courage and puts his body on the line when it is needed.

2. His vision is so good, he does things not many people even notice. If you look at the Blair goal in the last, the commentators praised Jordan De Goey for getting it to him. The real skill was the James Aish possession. His vision in super heavy traffic to put the ball exactly in the one space De Goey could do something was spectacular. His poise in traffic is going to be something to enjoy for years to come. A poised footballer who is just going to get better and better as he gains confidence at this level.

3. reliable by hand and by foot! Can kick a goal!


Patience is what the fans need. [/b]

[Bob Sugar]

Had a good game tonight, but i don't think he'll need to make room in the trophy cabinet for a brownlow, i see him as a 20 disposal .5 goals a game type, and we paid 2 second rounders for him, gotta say if we had our time over again i reckon we'd pass, we sold Wellingham for pick 18 and Wellingham shits on Aish.

[Jezza]

Can't believe so many people wrote him off so early! Just plain ridiculous.

He'll have his good and bad days, but I think he'll be a great contributor for us on a regular basis in time.

[Dave The Man]

Agree. Shocked people wrote him off so Quick


I remember people doing the same when Taylor Adams started and look how good he is know.


Can see Aish doing Simmlar Thing.

Time in VFL did him a World of Good.

Good user of the Ball too

[Dave The Man]

[Bob Sugar]

[Pies4shaw]

I think it's drawing a long how to compare a guy traded out in 2012 to a guy traded in in 2015. Aish looks to me like he is capable of playing football to a much higher standard than Seedsman, Kennedy and Freeman - and they're the guys we moved on to make space for Aish and others. His general ball handling and skill moving it on were outstanding at times last night. Collingwood doesn't have too many one-touch players and Aish looks like he may be one.

[DT]

Aish is developing well. He has a good kicking action and is a good set shot at goal. Sometimes his field kicking is a bit misdirected but that will improve with confidence and experience, similar to Maynard.

Aish's biggest step forward is to realise that footy is a tough game and you have to wear the knocks. Last week I saw a key moment when Aish waited at the back of a pack at the Punt Rd end and got crunched. He said $&@) as he got up but it showed good positioning and courage. Via the VFL he has developed a massive thirst for one percenters and repeat efforts. Last night he took a sensational mark at half back on the Southern Stand side under big physical pressure.

I think that the coaches and peers deserve credit for encouraging Aish to confront his initial lack of confidence and instil belief in him. I also think that this is a long standing trait of Collingwood that players need to be courageous and players like Gavin Brown and Tony Shaw epitomised this trait. Shane Woewodin is a good example of a soft player who became a player that accepted the punishing nature of the game under Malthouse.

Funnily enough now that Aish is winning the respect of coaches, teammates and supporters through his acts, he is developing his own self respect in the good habits he is showing. And you will soon see his X factor silky skills come to the fore as a result.

I take my hat off to anyone who faces their fears like this lad and if he can take such a big step in one season his growth as a player will be 'huge'!

[Pies4shaw]

[themonk]

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

I've been pumping Aish up all season. He had no preseason in November and December. Crisp lost one month of football around January and February this year and look how it's affected his season. Aish is slowly building up his fitness base. I actually thought he was suited to playing wing and half forward, but it's apparent from last night, the coaches believe that Aish is a mid who can alternate between half back and half forward. To me the role earmarked for Aish is very similar to the role earmarked for De Goey. Based on last night's effort Aish is playing the role better than De Goey, but when you think about, Aish has one year's start on De Goey.

[5150]

I haven't been bullish about players coming to Collingwood since Luke Ball, but was happy when we were chasing/picked up Aish.

Will be worth the picks we gave up.

We are compiling a good list of young players and pumping games into them when they earn their spot.

[RudeBoy]

I've never been much of a fan of Aish, but he's beginning to show signs that he may yet make it. I've never doubted his skill, but if you lack pace, which he does, and you're not tall, and he ain't, then you've got to really excel in other areas. He looked a bit timid when he first played for us, but that seems to have been more a lack of confidence. Bucks and the other coaches have obviously put in a lot of work encouraging him and it's beginning to pay off. He's still got a long way to go to cement a spot in our team, especially with a brute like Wills eager to take his place, but the good thing is he is definitely improving.

[qldmagpie67]

I think the kid just took some time to settle into our club.
He's come from the footy back blocks where he could dance around the streets nude and no one would know his name to the biggest club in the land were his every breathe is debated.
Some thought he would be a messiah some thought a bust I thought somewhere in between.
He has upside by the bucket loads and he's starting to show why he was highly rated in the draft. He played in a SANFL premiership at 16/17 and you don't get away with games against men by not having something in your make up.
The more he plays and settles the better he will be
He needs to find a few kilos in the gym

[Piesnchess]

He did well, will be a fine player for us down the track.