Shai Bolton [merged]

[one-eyed]

RICHMOND STAR CAPABLE OF BECOMING BEST PLAYER IN THE GAME IN 2024

By Nic Negrepontis
SEN
19 Feb 2024

Kane Cornes believes 2024 could be the year Shai Bolton becomes potentially the best player in the AFL?

Bolton had a steady 2023 season coming off his breakout All-Australian performance the year prior.

“In 2022 I saw him as absolutely a top 10 player in the league, maybe pushing top five with what he’s got and his numbers were amazing – 400 touches and 41 goals in 2022,” Cornes told SEN Breakfast.

“Whilst his numbers were really good last year, it was more possessions and less impact.

“He’s 25 now, entering his prime, and what he is capable of is being the best player in the game.

“Is he going to get there? I don’t know, and it changes all the time from week to week and the best player in the game is a difference of opinion, but he should be in that conversation by the end of this year.”

Bolton kicked four goals and was one of Richmond’s very best in Sunday’s practice match win over Melbourne.

“He was terrific yesterday, he’s a nightmare matchup and he’s got the tricks to go on-ball and impact at centre bounce, drift forward, get over the back, kick goals off the ground – but too often last year I thought he just drifted for seven or eight minutes,” Cornes continued.

“Some more consistency will be critical for him for reaching those heights, that I think he’s capable of.”

Nathan Buckley puts the potential flat spot in Bolton’s growth as a player down to the instability at Tigerland last year, following the departure of Damien Hardwick.

“Last year was the first year I thought he was frustrated as a player – and whether that’s midfield time versus forward time, whether that was the win-loss ratio, whether that was the changeover of coach and the instability,” Buckley said.

“There was a few reasons why there was a drop off for him last year. Five or six pre-seasons in you start to build that depth of cardiovascular strength.

“He’s a ballistic player, he does amazing things … he’s just one of the players you love to go and watch play the game.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/02/18/richmond-star-capable-of-becoming-best-player-in-the-game-in-2024/

[one-eyed]

Dwayne Russell has listed the Top 20 AFL players that he loves commentating.

6 - Shai Bolton (Richmond)

“He's taking over, I think, as Richmond's number one for me and probably will this year.

“It's been Dusty for a decade, but I'm going to games this year that Richmond are involved in thinking it might be Shai that does the freak stuff in the air and goals more than Dusty.”

12 - Dustin Martin (Richmond)

“Dusty's still in the top 12. He's still box office.

“He still makes things happen, wins games, turns games.

“One Dustin Martin touch can change the whole narrative of a game, and as a commentator, you love people like that.

“He's been doing it for so long. It's nice that I don't rely on him being the highlight reel anymore, but he has set the bar and others have risen to it.

“He’s still the OG, he's still the original, he's still the modern day original.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/02/20/russells-lists-the-top-20-players-that-he-loves-to-commentate/

[Diocletian]

Not sure about this idea of playing him mainly as a forward - should be attending as many centre bounces and around as many stoppages as possible...

[Tiger Khosh]

Not sure about this idea of playing him mainly as a forward - should be attending as many centre bounces and around as many stoppages as possible...

Him or dusty need to rotate through the middle imo. Need atleast 1 dynamic mid to burst out of the pack to compliment the likes of Taranto, hopper, Prestia + cubs.

[WilliamPowell]

Expectations running high for rising Tigers star Bolton

Electric Tiger Shai Bolton is entering his prime years and his Richmond teammates expect him to explode this AFL season.

By Anna Harrington, AAP
1 hr ago

DUSTIN Martin is still the name on everyone's lips but Shai Bolton is the Richmond dynamo poised to take the AFL season by the scruff of the neck.

Bolton is the talk of Tigerland after a red-hot pre-season where he underlined his ability to have an impact both in midfield and attack.

Bolton ticked over the 100-game mark and averaged 21.7 disposals, while still booting 31 goals last season.

Now 25 and entering his prime years, the 2022 All-Australian is poised to go up another gear.

"I've never seen anything like it," midfielder Tim Taranto said.

"Like, he's so good. Whether it's the front half or in the midfield, such a talent.

"If he can step up five per cent from last year it's gonna be a big difference for us."

Martin is set for additional midfield minutes this upcoming season and between he and Bolton, there is plenty of attacking drive.

"You probably just want to put those players where the ball is," fellow midfielder Dion Prestia said.

"I look at Shai Bolton as well, who I think is one of the best players in the competition and one of the most dangerous as well.

"You have those players who are a bit rogue like Dustin and Shai who can just get up the ground and do what they have to do because you back them in to win most one-on-ones and most contests and use the ball well.

"So I think that part's probably the more exciting part where we can bring them up to stoppage or we can sit them deep."

There will also be plenty of focus on Taranto, who turned in a superb first season at Richmond, despite plenty of scrutiny after moving from GWS.

"It was probably good for me to get introduced like that. I feel like I got used to it pretty quick," he said.

"So if it (scrutiny) happens, it happens, I don't really care. A losing season's tough so if we can just win more games, I think it'll just make it a lot smoother."

He also believes the Tigers can do some damage this season under new coach Adem Yze.

"It's such a close game. You get hot, you get lucky with a few injuries, it's anyone's game really. I feel like any team can win it anywhere.

"Every year we come in excited and feel positive. It's just like no other - so I guess time will tell."

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1500369/expectations-running-high-for-rising-tigers-star-bolton

[Simonator]

I'm not Bolton's biggest fan and have advocated for trading him, but if we are to compete this year which the club obviously wants to, then he has to have a good year. Has the talent, just needs to work hard and cut the showboating, whining to the umpires stuff and focus on footy

[Knighter]

Not in the top 50 players in the comp at the moment. He misses too many easy goals that destroy the team’s confidence and halt momentum in games.  If he fixes that then he could be top 10.

[Diocletian]

[one-eyed]

Mark Robinson is criticising Shai Bolton after a three goal haul, as Shai Bolton only had the ball for 15 seconds to kick those goals, and wants to know what did he did for the other 99 minutes?


https://twitter.com/JourneyRichmond/status/1767300938036068787

[Diocletian]

[Tiger_In_Sicily]

SHAI  needs to stop listening to the press and start focusing on playing football and doing all the little things right.

[Francois Jackson]

he is not that great.

if freo offered up 2 firsts i would take it and run.

[Tiger_In_Sicily]

Maybe , but he has skills talent and tricks , problem is there is a time and place for the flashy stuff.. needs to focus back on the basics and team , and not developing a highlight reel

[Tiger Khosh]

Probably the worst game he has played since his debut season.

[TigerLand]

2 first rounders thanks.