Demetri Catrakilis hype

As typically fickle South African rugby lovers, we are all jumping on the Catrakillis bandwagon.

Now lets all stop for a second and think back to a month ago.

Who was Demetri Catrakilis?

He was an above average trundler making his was about Currie Cup rugby. He had a good boot.

Now all of a sudden, he has had 2 good games and he is closer to many of our hearts than oru own wives and girlfriends.

Now isnt that a bit shallow?

Does 2 good performances warrent all the rant?

Questions ranging from "should he have moved to the Kings" and "should he be in the EOYT" are floating around like stale turd in cold water.

Guys, lets think a bit deeper here...

Is Demetri Catrakilis really that good?

Or are we all having orgasms over his fabulous left footed drop kick?

I'm sorry, i have to actually stand up here and have a backbone and say... he is def not better than Grant or jantjies.... so his move to the Kings is warrented (as was stated in a previous post).

He may turn out to be a reliable player, but he is by no means our answer at number 10. He is the 3rd choice pivot at WP for G's sakes!

All you fellas that are creaming themselves over him... are you by any chance the same twits that all of a sudden think Morne Steyn should regain his starting slot?

Fickle i tell you....

Tx for the laugh  

Chippo

I think you are right about Catrakilis.  He is  a solid flyhalf - a good link player - and a solid goal kicker.   Did quite well for the WP team in the CC over the past two years.   But is he really something special?   Not so sure about that one.

I know Grant is being run down constantly by some mebers of the site - but I would also call him solid as a flyhaf.  Probably a touch above Catrakilis as a player.

Jantjies I am not sure of at all - there are serious deficiencies that the coaches will have to deal with in his case.  Probably the major one is defence and his fear of being tackled with the ball like happened in the CC semi-final - when he panicked.  Still young though and he may yet prove to be the better of the three.  We will see soon enough next year whether he will make the grade. 

The Storemer's set-up must have a very high opinion of Swiel.  Have not seen much of him - what is he like?

Who is this fellow called Goosen? He kicks a few penalties from the halfway line and then makes a nice break, scores a try, but his technique is so poor that he destroys his shoulder in placing the ball. So we can't see any more of him.....but that makes it easy.....start him against the All Blacks.

And we are surprised when he almost misses from right in front of the poles?

@Denny..

Not sure if you were trying to insult me? Or agree?

Either way, glad you found it funny. Its always good to make others smile.

@Mike... dunno hey, jantjies has made some awesome tackles on some big fellas. Dont know if he is scared. I dont think so. Missing a tackle or 2 doesnt make one scared or a bad tackler.

Chippo, your answer would lie in the following...Doe denny make it a habit of Insulting people?

Clearly not.

So you might make the deduction he found it funny on the same level I did.

Some of us around here have had a more subtle way to say the exac thing you just said and agree totally, If you read around in the forum on this topic you will find there are actually a few people that agree with you fully.

Mozart

Tou really have you knive out for any younger players - dont you?   Goosen was not as bad as you described him to be and he is highly rated by experts - also in new Zealand.

You support a dud - who buggered up backline play for seven tests in a row - miss five conversion kicks (80% of all kicks) in ONE TEST - in 50% of all his kicks at goal in the other 6 tests.  Can see nothing wrong with him.

Talking about blinkers - yours are extra-special. 

Allow Goosen to play under 21 next year and leave him there.

What impresses me about the Cat is that he has BMT.  He has the brain to manage the flyhalf role. He is also a gutsy little guy who does not shrink from tackling etc. He is developing fast.

I hear he might not go to the Kings.  It would be great if he stays as he is defintely an option. I think I would back him more in a tight spot than Jantjes but Jantjes needs to play in a class outfit and then we shall see. Has Jantjes got the head to be a really good flyhalf. Stransky says he is a manufactured flyhalf - well schooled in the various arts of a flyhalf by king carlos but applying these skills without due and appropriate thought. I have seen some of that. But also I ahve seen some great moments.

2013 is the test for him. My mind is open on the subject. Like Chippo I have seen Jantjes tackle some big forwards and bring them down.  We wish him well at WP.

"Now all of a sudden, he has had 2 good games and he is closer to many of our hearts than oru own wives and girlfriends."

LMAO, :D

i agree with ben0 in regards to janties, except i would back him over catarakilis, but at the end of the day, 2013 will show who was wrong and right about janties and im getting my i told u so speech ready, LMAO, :oP

as for the who is worse, morne or goosen, i agree with mikes take on morne and mozarts take on goosen.

morne has just been plain horrible, the one thing he gets picked for (kicking) and he cant even do that right.

but as for goose, he needs to prove that hes not going to crumble like a house of cards everytime the wind blows, other wise hes going to have a test career similar to brussow, 5 years and 20 test caps, pffffffffft perrlease, o.o
 

Irony Mike.....look it up. But I am concerned about Goosen being pressed too fast. I still remember young Gaffie, fastest Bok in the team and able to punt the ball 60 metres....destroyed by Mallett. Goosen reminds me a lot of Gaffie. I think he is a nervous kid, and he has to learn how to handle pressure. But he certainly has talent.

Hasbeen Jantjies will increasingly become a kicking flyhalf....he doesn't enjoy contact. And he doesn't have the head for the game at test level.

Lambie is the man....he impressed me in defeat last weekend.....never panicking but keeping his team in the game. There is your Bok flyhalf through the next WC, with Goosen an intriguing alternative if managed with caution.

You are all so hooked up on seeing Jantjies fail.

It is the first time since readmission that we have a playmaker at our disposal.

He is the first flyhalf who isnt scared.

He isnt scared to try things.

He isnt afraid to opent he game up

But most importantly, he isnt scared to make mistakes... testiment to being coached by an All Black.

You all moan more than my son about Morne Steyn... cos is is so boring...

But you moan just as much about Elton.

As Chippo said...

You are so bloody fickle it sickens me!

YOu all BEGGED AND PLEADED on this very forum to get Goosen onto the paddock... when he eventually got the nod... he made a few errors and missed some sitters...

Now you self same asses are writing him off too.

You guys need a God, not a flyhalf.

Jantjies scared of being tackled? Thats rubbish!

 I think you guys are missing a few key stats. Demetri has taken all the opportunities he was given. In 2 years for playing for western province he won Vodacom Cup and now Currie Cup and keep in mind he was never no1 choice he only managed to get game time because of the injury list! 

Let alone the kicking stats he has. I mean did you guys only watch the last 2 games? Seems like it as if you watch all of his currie cup games you will understand. 89% kicking stats in the currie cup? If he got the same game time as Elton or Lambie we wouldnt even be talking.

He is never scared to go into a tackle, he kicks like a machine and always uses his head. 

Lucid

Sorry to differ from you.   Jantjies always stands very deep in the pocket and kicks or passes the ball quickly before defenders can gets to him - in fact often enough it is really hospital passes to recipients.   He rarely attacks the gain line - never really did that before - but saw two cases in the CC semi-final - after one of which he was injured slightly and thereafter never happened again.   In one case where it was evident that he panicked - was the Aplon tackle in the semi-final where he got caught nearer to the maul situation and actully dropped the ball in front of him just before being tackled.

I have also noticed on a number of occassions that he would not try and catch a high ball kicked at him - when he was the obvious recipient - but did not even attempt the catch - because of nearby opponents that would tackle him should he have caught the ball.      

Add that type of behaviour together and it is obvious that he really fears being in the receiving side in tackle situations.

Jantjies often does stand deep in the pocket and kicks which is fine, because a charge down can occur especially if the defenders are coming up rapidly fast, so it makes sense. It has nothing to do with fear what so ever, the other statements that you mentioned is again not correct. Jantjies attacks the gain line more than most of the fly halfs we currently have. Tell me why would stormers want Jantjies a player in your perspective that is in fear of being tackled? It does not make sence at all, i've never heard this nonsense before.

That's a common perception of Jantjies.....Lucid......the running flyhalf. So I went back to look at the S15 games he started against South African teams.  The paired stats are (kick +pass)/ run.  A view that should either back up or refute your view that he attacks the game line more than other SA flyhalves. The results;

Versus the Cheetahs

Jantjies36/10

Goosen23/8

Versus the Cheetahs again

Jantjies 24/10

Goosen18/3

Versus the Bulls

Jantjies 25/4

Steyn32/3

Versus the Bulls again

Jantjies26/6

Steyn 28/2

Versus Stormers

Jantjies 34/5

Grant 34/5.

In the other games he either didn't start or was up against Michalak who at 31/6 ran a little more often than Jantjies at 25/4.

So what do we conclude. In his first Cheetahs game he ran less frequently than Goosen, in his second he ran much more. He ran more than Morne in both Bulls games....but that's team tactics. Against Grant his run stats are exactly the same.

All I could conclude from this is he runs more than Morne Steyn, but so does the Jan Smuts statue in the Gardens.