SSN Player Focus: Liz Watson (Melbourne Vixens)
LIZ Watson is the kind of leader that leads with her actions more then her words. While her fellow co-captain Kate Moloney is the more vocal one in situations like time outs, Watson leads from the front with her actions and the way she plays.
Not only is she is a great leader, but she is also a terrific player, and this Player Focus will aim to shine a light on what makes her so. It will do so by taking an in depth look at her game in Round 14 against Collingwood specifically.
Final stats vs Collingwood
Goal Assists: 29
Centre Pass Receives: 16
Feeds: 43
Deflections: 3
Penalties: 7
One major characteristic of Watson’s game that was on full display was her work rate. Playing at Wing Attack for most of the game (but did spend a little bit of time in Centre), she just did not stop running all quarter. No matter whether she was the first phase option off a centre pass or the second, she just did not stop running and was always working to try and make herself an option for her team mates.
Speaking of the second phase, she purposefully was not always making herself an option off the first phase. She would purposefully drop back into the attacking third, ready to be that second phase option off the second pass.
One aspect of Watson’s game that came to the fore in particularly the second quarter was her composure with the ball. No matter what stage of the transition down the court she was in, she is always so composed with the ball, not panicking that she may be called for held ball in an attempt to find the best option to pass to.
She was the dominant feeder for her side in every quarter. She almost got over 10 feeds every single quarter, and often finishing with three to fives times more feeds in a quarter as the next best on the list.
It was not a total blemish free performance from Watson.
Among her seven penalties was a stepping call in the second term and a very unique penalty in the first quarter where she had slipped over, caught the ball and then threw it while she was still on the ground, which is not allowed.
She did give away a stepping call in the second quarter too.
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