Wednesday, September 28, 2011

5 Most Improved Eagles in 2011

I think the Eagles' meteoric rise from 16th last year to 4th this year can be attributed to the improvement of the younger and middle range players.

1.  Luke Shuey
He went from an injury-riddled unknown who had only played a handful of games to being unlucky not to win the NAB Rising Star Award.  At the West Coast v Western Bulldogs game I went to, Shuey was an absolute star and kicked five goals from the midfield.  Watch this guy!






2.  Mark Nicoski
His move into the forward line really breathed life into his career, and he had, in my opinion, his best ever season.  I used to have my heart in my mouth a few years ago watching him try to dodge and weave his way out of defence, but in the forward line he's just plain exciting.  I thought the Eagles would really struggle with Le Cras moving to the midfield, but Nicoski filled the gap.

3.  Matt Rosa
Another one who was having his best season before injury struck just before the finals.









4.  Will Schofield
Improving as a tall, mobile defender and I think being thrown into the deep end last year when Glass was out injured did him the world of good.

5.  Brad Ebert
This guy is much maligned and incurs Duncan's wrath for his often poor disposal, but when he moved forward, he was much more effective.  A good mark for his size, he seemed to catch a lot of opposition unaware and formed an effective small forward team with Nicoski.







All images are from http://www.footytragic.com

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