Retired Mark Blake (2004-2011)

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May 11, 2006
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Mark_Blake_small.jpg


Mark Blake


Fast Facts

Jumper No: 24
Height: 199 cm
Weight: 100 kg
DOB: 9 September 1985
Recruited From: Geelong U18


Outlook

After being overlooked for the 2007 Grand Final, Blake was anointed as the man to partner Brad Ottens in the ruck. His ruckwork came on in leaps and bounds and he performed admirably around the ground, often finding himself as the spare man in the middle. Averaged 21 hit-outs and 10 disposals a game. Still has plenty of improvement but should be a much more confident player after appearing in every game in 2008.

SEASON BY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

2008
# Played all 25 games (23-2) including his first grand final
# Was 4th in the AFL with 525 hitouts
# 50th AFL game came in rd 17 win over Hawthorn
# Career best 30 hitouts came in rd 10 vs. Carlton

2007
# Played 22 of 25 games (18-4) including first two finals
# Was 10th in AFL with 379 hitouts
# Kicked first AFL goal in rd 18 vs. Richmond at Skilled Stadium

2006
# Played eight games (4-4)
# Member of NAB Cup winning grand final team

2005
# Played three games (0-3)
# Debut came in rd 15 at SCG against Sydney

2004
# Spent entire season playing in the VFL

2003
# Played TAC Cup with Geelong Falcons
# Played two VFL games with Geelong
# Represented Vic Country at U18 national championship
# Selected by Geelong as a father-son pick

2002
# Played with Geelong Falcons in TAC Cup

2008_MarkBlake_med.jpg
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Since i've adopted Blakey, here's a little something about him.

2007 Stats:

Kicks: 33 (eq 367th most in league)
Handballs: 80 (eq 91st most in league)
Possessions: 113 (eq 257th most in league)
Marks: 40 (eq 226th most in league)
Hitouts: 194 (7th most in league)
Tackles: 16 (eq 249th most in league)
Frees For: 5 (eq 113rd most in league)
Frees Against: 12 (eq 83rd most in league)
Goals: 0 (eq 460th most in league)
Behinds: 4 (eq 167th most in league)




Blake's Interests
General Footy, Soccer , Tennis, Drinking with Mates, Having a punt on the races, Goin to the Gym. Liverpool FC

Music: Listen to whats good at the time

Films: Pearl Harbour, Blood Diamond, Man on Fire, Deja Vu, Point Break, Topgun, Da Vinci Code, Star Wars Epidsode I II III,

Television: Uplate Game Show with Hotdogs, Prison Break, OC, Lost, How i met your mother, Before the Game, 24, Greys Anatomy, Sunrise with Mel and Kochie

Books: The Davinci Code, Angels and Demons, The Templar Knights, Ralph, Inside Sport, FHM

Heroes: Strauchanie from Collingwood, John So, Roger Federa, Muhammad Ali

Sourced from his myspace
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

My respect for Blakey just plummeted. Putting aside the obvious fact that Inside Sport, Ralph and FHM are not books (and FHM is shite anyway - their Hottest 100 sucked massive monkey balls, though I did approve of Keeley at No 1), he's put Top Gun, Pearl Harbour, The Da Vinci Code and the ****ing prequels in favourite movies! Ok, I can understand ROTS, as it was better than ROTJ....but AOTC? And the less said of the Phantom Menace and Jar Jar Bloody Binks the better. And I can only hope he wasn't watching Stateline last Friday, as his hero John So copped a flogging.
 

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Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

I don't think I could be mates with Blakey - favourite movie - Pearl Harbor!!:eek: Uplate show with Hotdogs!!:eek::eek::eek: That must a joke surely...:confused:

Anyways, hopefully Blakey can continue to develop and get confidence in his game. Funniest thing on the weekend when Blakey took a bounce, he hesitated, like he'd never done it before and almost did a practice motion with his hands. :D Blakey is fast becoming the cult figure at Geelong. The day he kicks I goal I'm going to skull a beer there and then.

Go forth and destroy Blakey!
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

More stuff about the great man​

Who I'd like to meet:

Barry the Cougar Dawson ,Muhammad Ali, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Tiger Woods, Hotdogs, John So

Name: Mark Blake
Birthday: 9/9/85
Birthplace: Geelong
Current Location: Geelong
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Height: Tall
Right Handed or Left Handed: Right Handed
Your Heritage: Aussie
The Shoes You Wore Today: Runners
Your Weakness: Too much of a nice guy hahaha
Your Fears: Sock Puppets
Your Perfect Pizza: Aussie Pizza
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: Kick a Goal
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger: LOL
First Thoughts Waking Up: Sooo Tired
Your Best Physical Feature: My Arms ahahah
Your Bedtime: 11.30pm
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
McDonalds or Burger King: Maccas
Single or Group Dates: Single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee
Do You Swear: **** Yeah
Do You sing: Nope
Do You Shower Daily: Yep
Have You Been In Love: No
Do you WANT to go to College: Already do
Do you want to get married: Someday
Do you believe in yourself: Yep
Do you get Motion Sickness: Nope
Are you a Health Freak: Kinda
Do you get along with your Parents: Yes
Do you play an Instrument: Yes, the Spoons
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol: Of course
In the past month have you been on Drugs: No
In the past month have you gone on a Date: No
In the past month have you been on Stage: Nope
In the past month have you been Dumped: No
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping: Unfortuantly i havnt
In the past month have you Stolen Anything: stealing is bad
Ever been Drunk: Of course
Ever been called a Tease: No
Ever been Beaten up: Yep
Ever Shoplifted: Nope
What do you want to be when you Grow Up: Racing Car Driver
How do you want to Die: In a Skydiving Accident
What country would you most like to Visit: Egypt, France, Greece and Italy


Source: Blake's myspace
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Great bloke - real cult figure at Geelong - hear the crowd encourage him to have a kick. Side-on camera angle on tv showed the decent beak he has - mate said he looked like the Carlton player they called Rhino (Sullivan?) - don't want to burden him with that but it was a funny shot while the camera lingered on him.:)
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

AFL Round 11 v Adelaide
Continues to improve each week, got the better of Hudson and Griffen today
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

2008 stats

blakey3.gif



Blake was ranked 4th in Hit Outs in 2008
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Blakey got a mention in an article on the GFC website about preseason training today.

Ruckman Mark Blake first had to drill a goal from 35m out directly in front. Making his task more difficult, of course, were the 20 or so teammates on the mark.

His first shot may have thudded into the post – much to the delight of his ‘mates’. But the big man could have been Doug Wade or Gary Ablett Snr, such was the coolness with which he slotted his second kick, despite the best efforts of those around him to put him off.

With that, the Cats retreated to the shade of their change rooms, another session complete.
Click to expand...

MarkBlake_246d.jpg
 

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Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Well Blakey had his first hit out for the year in the nab Cup game versus Adelaide. His hit out work wasn't too bad. He did cost us a couple of free kicks which resulted in goals but I was wondering if this is maybe a more aggressive Blakey we will be seeing this year. This may be a good sign as we do need him to be more of a presence on the field. But he also needs to use that aggression wisely as well. He also played the link up role in the middle a few times and I think he got caught once in a tackle. Overall a mixed game for the big man but hopefully he has blown a few cobwebs out for the start of year.
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

A big year for the big bloke, he's a bit bigger and more aggressive in close, getting his hands on the ball inside, using his size to advantage of the midfielders.
His handpasses with get sharper with a few more games, he's just got to be careful,especially in defense where umpires seem to scapegoat him in 50:50 contests at times.
I think he'll do well this weekend, v Port.

Meto.
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

2009 nab Cup Versus Port Adelaide.

This was more of a test for Big Blakey as he was up against some seasoned Ruckmen and overall he held his own. Once again he appeared to be getting into the contest more and using his size to tackle and intimidate which I think is just crucial for him to take the next step. Noone can doubt the big mans heart that is for sure. Blakey is a very good tap ruckman noone can deny it. His disposal skills are really improving and I think he is on the road to becoming a very valuable member of the squad.

I would like to see him get a few more strings on the bow though and show some ability to take on some key position cameos up forward or in the backline.
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Round 1 2009 versus Hawthorn.


Stats: 3 Kicks, 7 handballs, 10 Disposals, 1 Mark, 1 Goal, 16 HO.

When you compare his game to the Hawks Ruckmen (Taylor 9 Disposals, 12 HO; & Renouf 7 Disposals, 8 HO) then Blakes game was actually reasonable. Ottens dominated the game and Blake performed well as the next best ruckman on the field.

I did think Blakey made a couple of mistakes one in particular cost us a goal when tapped the ball towards the Hawks goal at the end of the first quarter and Dew roved it and kicked a nice goal from the boundary.

But he later took a nice mark 30m in front of our goal and kicked straight through the middle. Something a few of our other players might do well to emulate.

He tried hard but probably didn't get as much game time as he might have had last season due to Ottens great game.

Mark: Pass
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Blake stands tall


GEELONG ruckman Mark Blake entered the clash with Collingwood knowing his role would be vital in the absence of injured teammate Brad Ottens.

He was also aware he would face an opponent who had produced a stirring performance the previous week.

Blake and youngster Trent West may not have been prolific ball-winners around the ground, but they at least established a clear dominance of their ruck duel with sole Magpie big man Josh Fraser.

"We just tried to run him around and make him work and jumped into him to wear him out by the end of the day," Blake said after the match.

"I think he was pretty tired towards the end and Westy and I just tried to keep at him."

Fraser had 19 possessions to Blake’s 12, but in the hit-outs Blake (27) and West (16) outdid the Pie's tally of 21 to give Geelong a clear advantage.

Midfielders Gary Ablett, Paul Chapman and Jimmy Bartel did the rest and Blake was also pleased with West's nous at the stoppages.

"Chappy had a great game and really got us going in the second quarter," he said. "They are quality players and once they got going we started to get on top, which was great.

"When we started to get going we started using the ball better and making good decisions. We slowly got on top and they (Collingwood) couldn’t match it."

Blake added that coach Mark Thompson didn't change his instructions to counter Ottens' absence or Fraser's solo style.

"I’ve just got to step up and do the job for the team," he said. "I’ll try to play the same every week and do a job and not let the boys down.

"Bomber didn’t ask me to do anything different, and our midfield coach just reminded me that we need some real good footy out of me for the next few weeks and not to let these guys down."

Though concerned with how his side started the game, Blake said the final outcome was satisfying.

"We didn’t start off great but we worked our way into the game and got on top in the second quarter," he said. "They got off to a pretty good start and we were sluggish early but we played some decent footy towards the end of the game."

He realises that another slow start in next week’s game against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium could be dangerous.

"Adelaide is one of those grounds where you have to silence the crowd early," he said. "Adelaide has always got a lot of support and if we can shut them down early hopefully we can keep them silent.

"We’ve had some good wins over there in the last couple of years. We played them in the first round of the NAB Cup and Westy did a real good job against them so hopefully as a pair we can do the job again next week."
Click to expand...

http://www.gfc.com.au/geelongnews/newsarticle/tabid/3933/newsid/74738/default.aspx
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Rounds 2-5, 2009


Blakey Stands Tall and silences a few critics......for now

The Stats:
blakey2-5stats.gif


The loss of Ottens to a medial ligament tear was a blow to midfield set up. Let's face it many have felt that Blakes Tap outs were not often to our advantage as opposition sharked them. I don't see how this is a criticism of Blakey as it is more the fault of the midfield not reading him correctly or not giving him much respect.

But during the Collingwood game I seen something that gave me great heart for the big man. At the start of the last quarter he took Ablett, Bartel, and Ling aside before the first bounce and he looked them in the eye and laid down the law. It was great to see.

Since that moment I have noticed that his tap out work to our midfield has been on the money. He has been fortunate in that we have played a few teams whose ruck stocks were depleted, but having said that you can only go against who is put up. I am sure that most of our recent opposition may not have rated Blakey too highly anyway.

The negative side to his game which is highlighted when Mummford is his no 2 is his lack of physical pressure still. He has improved in second efforts which we all know is a highlight of Ottens game. But 5 tackles in 4 games needs to be improved.

The baggers have been quiet the last few weeks. The truth is Blakey is playing well and he should be commended for his commitment and drive in the face of continual criticism from many Geelong supporters. Keep up the good work big man!:thumbsu:
 
Re: No. 24 Mark Blake

Blake's third act

IT'S only five seasons in and 63 games, but already the path of Mark Blake's AFL career reads like a story in three parts.

There's the first chapter: the Geelong cult figure, the awkward big man who'd do anything to dish off a handball rather than kick it. His first goal, in his 29th game, is greeted with ironic fanfare.

The second chapter is a classic hard-luck story. It tells of Blake playing 22 games in a season but being dropped for the one that matters most, a drought-breaking grand final win. He picks himself up to make it back to the big day a year later. Except this time his team loses.

Now there's the third instalment, still being written. It's not nearly so attention-grabbing, but it has far more substance. It's about the progression of a young man from novelty act to figure of pity to one of football's leading ruckmen.

In a side as good as Geelong, it's easy to overlook the role of Blake.

There's the peerless talent of Gary Ablett. The silky Joel Selwood. The week-to-week brilliance of Joel Corey and Jimmy Bartel. They're the midfield group around which the praises of the Cats are sung. The role of the man who feeds them the ball is often perceived almost as incidental. Which suits the laconic Blake just fine.

"I try to stay away from it," he tells The Age this week. "I just try to go about my business of playing footy."

Blake's uncomfortable singing his praises, more uncomfortable still when a couple of teammates sauntering by offer some good-natured stick as he's having his photo taken.

But Blake is a great example of how dramatically perceptions of players can vary from outside and within football clubs. While the Cats know Blake is still a work in progress, they're quietly chuffed with what they're seeing. Just ask midfield coach Brendan McCartney.

"The really pleasing thing now is that he can overcome patches in a game where things aren't going great for him, and each week you just see little things appear in his game that mean by the end of this, we're going to have a pretty good player," he says.

"When you review a game now, you just find yourself looking at him and going: 'Gee, that was pretty good', or 'Yeah, he was in the right spot there', or 'He's blocked for a teammate', or 'Gee, he's a bit more physical than he has been'. It all points to a ruckman that by his mid-20s is going to be a very good player."

Telling is the reaction to Geelong's loss through knee surgery of Blake's ruck partner, Brad Ottens. When Ottens missed the first half of last season with a foot injury, there was much debate about how Blake would carry the load in his absence.

This time 'round, Blake is taking on the lion's share of ruck responsibilities with help from greenhorns Trent West and Shane Mumford, and nobody has batted an eyelid.

Why should they when you can exert the sort of dominance Blake did last week?

While it certainly helped coming up against the Brisbane Lions without their first-choice ruckmen, Jamie Charman and Matthew Leuenberger, Geelong's ruck superiority was almost as pronounced as the 93-point winning margin. The Cats won the hit-outs by a massive 65-16, of which Blake won 36.

Importantly, they're quality taps, too. Hit-outs to advantage are a club's most reliable gauge of ruckwork, and a score on which Blake measures very well. His 24.2 per cent is comfortably in the top bracket and above the average. "Hasn't been too bad the last couple of weeks," is Blake's modest assessment of his recent performances.

His biggest improvement? "Probably defensively. I think in my early games I got into a little bit of trouble with my opponents getting off me a bit, but I think that's one major improvement. That, and getting my strength right, being able to match it with the stronger guys in the comp."

McCartney says Blake's ground-level midfield colleagues are hard on him, in the best sense, always pushing him to find the next level of improvement.

The results, says Corey, one of that peer group, are increasingly obvious.

"He's pretty important to us," Corey says. "A lot's said about maybe you don't need a ruckman any more, but I tend to think a good tap ruckman is a very positive thing for a team, because it allows you to structure up and work out what you want to do.

"I think 'Blakey' has opened himself up a bit more to different views and taken things on board a lot more, and you're seeing them come out in his game.

"Don't get me wrong, he's a very respectful guy, but it's all being taken in better, and you're seeing the benefits sooner than later."

Blake knows he's never going to look a graceful mover on the field, but he's quietly happy, too, with the progression of fundamentals. Like kicking, an art he pretty much eschewed at the beginning of his senior career. After seven games he had racked up the grand total of nine kicks.

There's a rueful smile about having now cracked the double-figure tally for goals. His single against Adelaide a fortnight ago was his 10th, one dutifully recorded by one of his two housemates who keeps and continually updates a chart pinned to a door, a "wagon wheel" of the big man's goalscoring feats.

"I reckon they're OK," he says of his natural ball skills. "It's just pretty hard to kick that perception. I'm never going to be the greatest kick if you compare me to Gary Ablett or Joel Corey or those guys. People think ruckmen have got shocking skills, but look at guys like Dean Cox or David Hille … they've got great skills, so they're what I strive for, to have the kicking ability of those guys."

But knowledge of his opposition certainly isn't a weakness. Nor a thirst to learn. Blake puts a lot of time into studying videotapes of his ruck peers.

"You look at their edits from previous games, try to find out their running patterns and how they ruck. And you know their strengths and what they do if you've played against them before."

Says McCartney: "He's not afraid to address where he needs to get better."

So where has he got better? "Probably having that big man presence, where he's more active in the contest area," says the midfield coach.

"Getting back at the ball a bit better and getting his hands on it at ground level, getting back to help the defenders at the right time, and making sure his opponent doesn't have too much of an influence on the game.

"He's just got so much stronger and confident to keep a good position if he gets it. That's really important, not to give up the right position if he gets it, and he's become more than capable of that."

Blake credits McCartney, who doubles as ruck coach, with the gains he's made. McCartney says the big man shouldn't sell himself short. "He's always been dedicated to his craft and he's worked on every facet of his game. And bit by bit it comes out."

And bit by bit, the sceptics are won over.

The Geelong fans have high expectations these days, and it seemed for a long time, for some, Blake was a favourite whipping boy.

After a poor game against Port Adelaide early last year the internet knockers were out in force. "He cannot jump, and he's got skills that would look ordinary in an Auskick game," came one acerbic assessment on the BigFooty website. "The love that Geelong supporters have for Blake is similar to the love that people have for a three-legged dog."

A year on, the tune has changed significantly. The following comments are from the same website. "Plays the link role fairly well now, does things basic, but does them well. Will never be Ottens, but he is doing more than is asked." And: "I've noticed how quick he spots his midfield with handpasses, he's now a big asset." And: "His ruckwork is really getting better and better. The proof is in that the Blake baggers have been awfully quiet the last few weeks."

It's nice to finally be talked about like a legitimate AFL player, not some kind of circus freak. And far less frequently as a name forever to be bracketed alongside that of former Essendon player Derek Kickett, someone who got dropped from a team about to win an AFL premiership after having played nearly the entire season.

"Look, it's one of those things that's obviously going to be with you forever," he says.

"Sometimes you think about it and it gives you the shits. It does make you a little bit angry … Even now when you ask me about, I'm a little bit shitty. People just want to keep bringing it up."

If anything, the pain became a little more intense after playing every one of Geelong's 25 games last year, including the biggest of all, only for the Cats to fall at the final hurdle. Blake and his girlfriend took off to Fiji, but found enough Australian tourists wanting to know what had gone wrong.

"Might have to go a bit further away next time," he laughs. "But you've just got to move on. There's worse things that can happen in life. At least I've still got my health."

And a growing reputation as a ruckman of genuine quality.

The third part of the book of Blake is a longer, more involved read than its predecessors. There's a much slower build-up, not nearly so much incident or pathos. But for the player, his club, and its fans, every chance of a very satisfactory denouement.
Click to expand...

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rf...1240982409650.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2
 
Re: Like a phoenix from the ashes - Geelong Board player review is back!

MARK BLAKE.

Figured there would be very little competition for this review. And am very fond of the gentle giant.

I have always had a soft spot for our maligned players. Great names like David Mensch, David Clarke jnr., Billy Brownless to a lesser maligned extent, Adam Houlihan, Andrew Mackie, Mark Blake, Travis Varcoe, Tom Hawkins, Josh Hunt, Tom Lonergan, to name some. The latter 6 are all Premiership players. Mark Blake is in that group, yet most here would say he was very fortunate to be there.

Blakey stands at 201 cm, and 100kg, perfect proportions for the modern day ruckman. His pedigree is superb. His father Rod, was an associate of mine back in the late 70's as we were both students of similar long term courses, and we would often compare degrees of difficulty, stress and poverty. Rod started to play footy to pay for his Vet Science course, and then excelled to the extent that he was the dominant VFL competition ruckman for 2-3 years, from age 27, no mean feat having to contend with the great Simon Madden. His poverty was short lived, and as soon as he got his degree, disappeared from footy, as he said he would.

Many years later, Mark emerges as a promising father-son pick, and from the outset, always showed endeavour, albeit dominated by awkwardness.In 2006, he played a few promising games, in 07, he played enough games to seriously embarrass and threaten potential finals games for one of our esteemed former captains, Stephen King, whose battles with injury and more injury are folklore at Geelong.

During 07, who will ever forget his late season game against Tigers when he actually kicked the ball, and even scored goals. It was perhaps a breakthrough game, and his reward was to be rested for the next 2 weeks due to soreness, something Mark disputed at the time. Some of us believe it was never the intention for Blakey to play so many games that year, but King being lame for so long created the opportunity. Still, King did himself no favours given his opportunity late 07, until the finals.

We recall Prelim final 2007. Ottens superb, Blake overawed, but we won. In the VFL competition GF, King was serviceable. The following week was devastating for Mark, being dropped for the GF, and vision of him post match "celebrating" in dark glasses to perhaps hide the tears has been well described and butchered.

He was hugely disappointed no doubt, but St. Kilda were very keen on the disgruntled giant, and Geelong did the right thing in contracting him, easing salary cap concerns, and letting go Kingy. Interestingly, the only 2 Geelong players to miss out on Premiership medals for AFL/VFL in 07 were Blake and Egan.

2008 started, and by round 2, Blake tried to prove to the footy world he could play and was near B.O.G against Bombers at Etihad, even getting in the votes against Hille..He was to spend much of 08/09 as backup #1 ruckman in the absence of the oft- injured Ottens, when in reality, his strength was to be a great #2 back up tap ruckman. Over that period, and in 2010, Blake was rarely injured, and probably helped by the sparing usage of him on the ground.

His role in the 09 GF, has been decried by some supporters, who felt it should have been Mumford, but by finals time , Mummy was a spent force, and the durable, reliable Blake got his rewards for perseverence and availability and contributed to our 09 GF win. It would be fair to say that of all the 4 rucks who played that day, Ottens, Blake, King and Gardiner, none stood out positively or negatively, and in our dominant last quarter, Blake was there running and providing link play.

The PRESS of Collingwood and changes in the style of play somewhat exposed Geelong briefly in 2010, and the role of a #2 ruck whose main strength was tap work spelled the end of Mark Blake in 2010 finals, and he played no role in 2011.Bizarrely, he suffered his first long term injury this year, requiring , as it turned out, season ending finger surgery.

From crowd favourite and cult hero, to VERY MALIGNED, Blakey leaves us with the track record of being a hard worker, a character on the ground, an uncertain football future, a Premiership player, and 99 games that were not boring. I for one wish him all the best for his future wherever it is, and sincere thanks for some great memories. Fair to say, he just never progressed to that vital next step of being good enough to take on the #1 role. SO FAR, ANYWAY.
 
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