Topkent
Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Fair question; I feel like sometimes its hard to debate the value of Dawes because he's a real whipping boy on here.
Having said that, I really think Dawes' time is up. For two years now he has always been the 'he can help Hogan out' option - but I'm really yet to see it work out that way in a game. He can take a defender but that's pretty much it - and with the way footy is played these days, that defender can pretty smartly zone off on him to protect space around Hogan/be third man up. Watts essentially these days can take the defender, and is much more damaging offensively.
I think the plan next year if we have encounter doomsday defender scenario is - Garland and/or Pedersen back (as you say), and then we'd either play Weid as a forward or go with smaller forward line of
Kennedy | Watts | XX
Garlett | Hogan | Kent
XX = rotating mid - Truck, Bernie, Bray etc
All that assumes we know ahead of time that TMac/OMac etc are unavailable. If it happens during a game I'd say we're stuffed, but that would happen to most teams.
I'm with you, more just posing the question because I don't think weid will be ready next year
Fwiw Pedo can actually play that foil role because he takes bodies and lays tackles but I do think we are one utility thin
If I was Chris Dawes right now I'd be filthy at myself that with the height and size I am I couldn't even be average in the ruck because I'd have a 2 year contract extension in front of me for sure