Re: Chris Yarran has gone backwards.
Reply #12 –
I just watched the replay (first game I have seen coverage of for six weeks) so my opinion is based on limited information.
From what I saw in the Saints game, Yarran was appropriately aggressive and refused to be bullied by his opponents. He also went out of his way to intervene when team mates were being harassed. If you know the story of Yarran dealing with a knife wielding mugger in South Africa, you will know that he is more than capable of looking after himself. Having a player with confidence in his ability to deal with an opponent is a huge positive for a team that is thought to be soft.
Yarran's use of the ball was generally very good but he let himself and the team down with poor goalkicking. However, poor finishing has been a feature of his game from day one.
Clearly, his run and carry has diminished significantly but he has less opportunity to do that as a half forward. Mind you, his effort to burn off his opponent and kick to Henderson in the square was pretty damn good.
Yarran is playing a different role this season and I suspect that he has taken some time to come to terms with it. Of course he's not going to have the same impact as he did when running out of defence but that's not what the coach wants.
I don't agree that he's gone backwards, but I would like to see more consistency from him. I would also like to see the coach giving him more opportunities to use his pace and flare.