Shai Bolton [merged]

[Tigeritis™©®]

Another example of racist white Collingwood football club culture and it’s white racist supporters that hate anyone of colour winning and will only work hard when it looks like someone from colour might win something. 

[Knighter]

The mark of the year became a complete joke when Daniher won it instead of Howe one year.  Same with the goal of the year when they just gave it to Betts regardless.  No one gives a poo anymore. 

[pmac21]

Fans shouldn't vote, of course they are going to vote for their teams player.  It should be an independent panel of judges. 
The AFL is becoming a farce with some of things they do.
 

[one-eyed]

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan says Tiger Shai Bolton can still win mark of the year, even though Brody Mihocek’s speccie was voted the best of the weekend.

“Mihocek’s mark was very good but Shai Bolton’s was the best I’ve seen in years,” the AFL chief executive told 3AW on Friday morning.

“Thankfully we’ve corrected it. The public disagrees with me and maybe you but there’s now a provision that the All-Australian committee can add five marks to the week-to-week public voting and I feel confident Shai’s will be there at the end.

“It was an unbelievable mark and just the energy that created at the ground was remarkable.”

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/pies-rally-to-bump-off-bolton-but-screamer-still-up-for-mark-of-the-year-20210514-p57rx9.html

[one-eyed]

Bolton back at training today.






Source: AFL Photos.

[one-eyed]

“HE WON’T BE GOING ANYWHERE:” RICHARDSON CERTAIN ON SHAI BOLTON'S FUTURE

Nic Negrepontis
SEN
20 May 2021

Richmond great Matthew Richardson is completely confident that Shai Bolton will remain at the Tigers.

Bolton is out of contract at the end of the season and has been enjoying an excellent year, averaging 22 disposals, six score involvements and five clearances per game to go with 10 goals.

He has been dynamic both in the midfield and inside 50 and will be in heavy demand from opposition clubs, particularly back home in Western Australia.

Richardson was quick to stamp out all rumours on Sportsday on Wednesday night.

“Shai Bolton to Freo? Where did that come from? Is that news today?” Richardson said.

“Shai Bolton will stay at Richmond.

“I would be staggered if he doesn’t stay at Richmond.

“He won’t be going anywhere.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/05/19/he-wont-be-going-anywhere-richardson-certain-on-shai-boltons-future/

[one-eyed]

HEADLAND NAMES THE NUMBER ONE INDIGENOUS PLAYER IN THE GAME RIGHT NOW

SEN
27 May 2021

Former Fremantle and Brisbane player Des Headland has named who he believes is the best Indigenous AFL footballer based on 2021 form.

Speaking on Sportsday WA overnight, Headland pointed to Richmond’s Shai Bolton.

Bolton has averaged 22 disposals per game for the Tigers and has kicked 10 goals. He’s also the clear frontrunner for Mark of the Year.

“The first one that comes to mind is Shai Bolton over the year so far. He’s been on fire for Richmond,” Headland answered when asked who he thought was the number one Indigenous player in the game.

“I went to the game on Saturday night to see Buddy Franklin running around like he did in his heyday. He’ll go down as one of the best of all-time.

“This year, Shai Bolton is probably a standout for me and he’s come a long way and he’s improving every year. Just got to keep away from punching walls or whatever happened when he broke his wrist, the young fella.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/05/27/headland-names-the-number-one-indigenous-player-in-the-game-right-now/

[one-eyed]

Benny Gale was asked about Shai's contract negotiations:

"Yeah, I think so. It's going well. We're confident Shai will remain at Richmond. In terms of the details and resolving all the issues that need to be resolved, it will all be done in due course. Ralph [Carr] has indicated that. We've got no reason to doubt that. We're confident he [Bolton] will be at Richmond for years to come".

"He's a colourful character is Ralph. No, I'll be honest, he's a very good agent. A very good representative of his players. He has a wholistic approach and has been really good for their entire lives. I think Dustin in particular has been testament to that".

Source: SEN

[one-eyed]

Excitement machine Bolton is back after two weeks on the sidelines with a broken wrist sustained in a nightclub fight.

"He's important to the way we play and he's been been really important when we've needed some troops to come through that midfield part of the ground," Hardwick said.

"We expect him to come in and play a really vital role for us.

"He's trained really well with a bit of a guard on his hand ... I think the doc would prefer him to play with the guard but we'll wait and see how he goes."

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7274796/tiger-call-up-young-tall-for-afl-chance/?cs=14238

[one-eyed]

Dimma post-match talking about Bolton:

* Bolton was good. Shai is one of those players who can make big plays at the times it's needed. I thought he got better as the game went along. His centre bounce and clearance work is important but also his ability to set up teammates. He's come back from a broken hand which is always a bit challenging. Your hand with handling the ball can be inconsistent at stages. But I thought he got better as the game went along and he'll get better again next week.

Source: RFC website

[Tiger Khosh]

Would say he is up there as one of our most important players now. Kid is dynamic and just makes things happen!

[one-eyed]

After winning last year's Yiooken Award for best on ground, Shai Bolton is looking forward to playing this year's Dreamtime game in his home state with his family & friends in the stands Red heart.

Watch: https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC/status/1400993540604235777

Hopefully Bolts has a big one tonight    .

[lamington]

I love this guy’s journey. I am willing to admit I wasn’t that enamoured by him when he first put on the yellow and black. I thought he was too keen on trying to take mark of the year and he didn’t do the basics right. Also his ties with Carr made me a bit worried he would expect crazy money based on potential without actually showing anything

He has really exceeded my expectations in 2020 and for me he is the centre piece on who we have to build our team around when the sun finally sets on our current A listers and we bring in the next brigade.

I hope Shai unleashes on the bombers tonight and tears them a new one

[one-eyed]

That last goal of Bolts was insanely freakish  .

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/953159/round-12-bolton-kicks-three

[one-eyed]

Growing before our eyes

Michael Gleeson
The Age
7 June 2021

This was not a breakout game for Shai Bolton any more than last week’s was, or the ones early in the season. They were all breakout games.

Shai Bolton is growing weekly from good second-string midfielder to an elite midfielder in the space of a season.

He is one of the rarest of midfielders. He is both an inside and outside player. He is a goalkicker, and yet he is built unlike any of the other players who have this rare combination of gifts.

The other top-end multi-tasking footballers are freakishly put together: Dustin Martin, Nat Fyfe, Christian Petracca, ‘Danger’ and ‘The Bont’. They are all tall, strong, solid, powerful and fast. They are elite talents but also have a physical edge over other players.

Bolton is not tall – just 175 centimetres. He is not solid – he weighs barely more than a schoolboy at 77 kilograms. He is strong, but not powerful.

His game is not reliant on any of those typical physical traits. He doesn’t have that type of Alpha exceptionalism.

He is fast. And he does have a leap. It means he is a good overhead mark for his height (until Jack Riewoldt ignored common sense and jumped into traffic, Bolton was clearly the leader for mark of the year), and he has leg speed that only Dangerfield of the aforementioned group could beat.

Like every one of this group of elite midfielders, he has the singular inability to be tackled. He doesn’t fend off like Dusty. He doesn’t slow time like Bontempelli. He doesn’t stand up in tackles like Petracca and Fyfe. The closest equivalent is Dangerfield, who also has tacklers melt off him as he accelerates.

To be clear, I am not saying he is in this bracket of midfielders yet, for he has not done it often enough for long enough at the elite level. But he is trending that way. He may not reach that level but he does have rare attributes and, at the moment, we are seeing him improve weekly.

Critically, he also seizes the occasion in big moments. His goals in the last quarter all had an element of chance that simultaneously also had nothing to do with luck. He was in positions where the ball fell fortunately for him, but he then had the pace, vision and lightness on his feet to capitalise on that good fortune.

Forward of the ball he looks like a natural, intuitive forward. In the middle he looks a natural midfielder.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/four-points-dreams-realised-on-perth-s-biggest-stage-20210606-p57yis.html