Training 2020 Preseason

[Brett C]

Birchcall is or was good?
Not sure you can really say at this point.


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His output didn’t really change in his limited game time which is a fair effort considering the lack of continuity he had. If fit he is a better than average player, we don’t need him to be all Australian to add a heap to our side.
The good thing is his injuries weren’t recurring muscular issues.

 

[Nunez]

Birchcall is or was good?
Not sure you can really say at this point.


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Birchall pre-injuries was a very good player. He showed in his few games last year that when fit is very valuable. The hard part is keeping him fit.

 

[martinson]

He came off some really tough injuries and was still a good player in the games he played in 2019.

If we get him fit ,which I presume all parties thought was a strong possibility otherwise no one would have bothered , he's proved to be AA class with elite disposal, great discipline and lock down skills and hardly ever coughs it up.

Obviously he's had injuries and isn't getting any younger but the last 3 years where he's hardly played could rejuvenate his body . He was very good in his last full season. I just think he'd tighten us up a bit more ,fingers crossed. Hawthorn have done most of the work rehabilitating him when he couldn't play. Worth the punt picking him up when we paid next to zero imo.

 

[Royboy1961]

I would really like to see Madden given a chance at some stage. He is one who does actually have elite speed and can use it. He can also make thing happen by foot although his technique is somewhat unorthodox.

We have a few quick possible defenders which include Starsevich, Cox etc. Madden is super fast but to me doesn’t have the footy smarts yet. More of an athlete at the moment. I just think that we need to find a quick defender to lock down a quick forward. What coaches do is try to exploit our weaknesses during the game like when Witherden was playing against a quick forward versus GWS or our game against Essendon at the start of the year where we got creamed. Our backline is solid with lots of options I just think we need to find one player that can match it against the speedsters. To me last year our backline were great but one paced.

 

[briztoon]

I’m not sure what Birchall looked like in his peak playing days at Hawthorn, but at training he looks noticeably thicker than a lot of our other players, without the same muscle definition.

Nor have I seen him run at genuine speed yet.

Not sure what he’s looked like in match sims.

 

[Nunez]

I’m not sure what Birchall looked like in his peak playing days at Hawthorn, but at training he looks noticeably thicker than a lot of our other players, without the same muscle definition.

Nor have I seen him run at genuine speed yet.

Not sure what he’s looked like in match sims.

 

[LongLion]

If he can play anywhere near at that level still I will being just a tad happy

 

[acuguy]

The game has changed quite a lot since back then.

Jeremy McGovern

 

[SizeMatters]

awful video. Didn't really show much.
He's a gun. Rolls Royce off the HBF.

 

[Nunez]

awful video. Didn't really show much.
He's a gun. Rolls Royce off the HBF.

Haha yeah I was short on time and CBF looking at the other videos.

 

[martinson]

awful video. Didn't really show much.
He's a gun. Rolls Royce off the HBF.

He had a stack of footy left in him when he first went down . You'd have to think Hodge and Fages would have good insight into where he's at. I'm hopeful of getting a real surprise packet in how good he still is. Maybe he'll appreciate the warmer climate like Hodgey.

 

[Section 5]

He had a stack of footy left in him when he first went down . You'd have to think Hodge and Fages would have good insight into where he's at. I'm hopeful of getting a real surprise packet in how good he still is. Maybe he'll appreciate the warmer climate like Hodgey.

In a recent interview with Fagan he said in regards to Birchall : We got him to the Club with 4 years in mind. Something along those lines but 4 years was mentioned.
Although they did only sign a 1 year deal.
I suppose one year at a time is fair considering age and injuries.

 

[SizeMatters]

Haha yeah I was short on time and CBF looking at the other videos.

nah not directed at you, but the Lions. I mean the bloke has played almost 250 games...

 

[BangyBangy]

Birchcall is or was good?
Not sure you can really say at this point.


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He'll be fine for us. We had a Lazarus Pit installed at the Gabba a few seasons back. Has been a massive help for our medical team.

 

[Nunez]

He'll be fine for us. We had a Lazarus Pit installed at the Gabba a few seasons back. Has been a massive help for our medical team.

He's looking very good for 500 years old.

 

[Quigley]

Birchall is not what he was and I can't see him impacting anywhere near the level that Hodge did. He was never the best defensively and his mobility and speed have dropped down 2 or 3 pegs since his prime. I also think he has lost some penetration in his kicking. He will add some experience but to me he will be a short term placeholder until one of the younger guys steps up.

 

[Balony_pony16]

Birchall is not what he was and I can't see him impacting anywhere near the level that Hodge did. He was never the best defensively and his mobility and speed have dropped down 2 or 3 pegs since his prime. I also think he has lost some penetration in his kicking. He will add some experience but to me he will be a short term placeholder until one of the younger guys steps up.

what are your thoughts on Ah Chee? do you think he can be a accumulating rebounding HB?

 

[Quigley]

what are your thoughts on Ah Chee? do you think he can be a accumulating rebounding HB?

For me he is a more highly drafted version of Cox. He has good athleticism, nice skills and can give you some wow moments. The ability to consistently find the ball and impact the game though are issues for him from what I have seen. He does not seem to have a great feel for where to go to accumulate possessions.

He will most likely remain a 15 - 20 disposal player who plays a position where you want 20-25 disposals a game. There is some quality to his work though and he certainly has the potential to be a very good player. I think taking a punt on him was a bet worth taking but I do not think he is a walk up starter from day one and he will need to earn his spot. I am also not sure which end of the ground best suits him. There is a lot of competition now in the back half and in the forward half there are quite a few established guys there already and Coleman who I like a lot and will be significant competition for a spot after a few rounds.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

Not referable to Ah Chee specifically as I don't know him well enough to make a judgment, but other things being equal (tackling, defensive pressure, positioning, leadership etc), I would take a 15-20 quality disposals from half back over 20-25 average one's every day of the week. It is a position where precision is everything.

 

[Section 5]

Not referable to Ah Chee specifically as I don't know him well enough to make a judgment, but other things being equal (tackling, defensive pressure, positioning, leadership etc), I would take a 15-20 quality disposals from half back over 20-25 average one's every day of the week. It is a position where precision is everything.

Agree this is where Birchall slots in beautifully for mine. He and Rich down back i love.
Birchall was excellent in rounds 17,19 before a hamstring strain in round 20.
We will know soon enough when/if he plays in the next few trial games.

 

[Balony_pony16]

Not referable to Ah Chee specifically as I don't know him well enough to make a judgment, but other things being equal (tackling, defensive pressure, positioning, leadership etc), I would take a 15-20 quality disposals from half back over 20-25 average one's every day of the week. It is a position where precision is everything.

I think the point is you need both possessions and quantity for his position

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

I think the point is you need both possessions and quantity for his position

Assuming you mean quantity and quality, sure, but those guys don't grow on trees. If Ah Chee can average 15+ disposals at 75/80% efficiency (I don't know if his disposal is that good), I would prefer that over someone who gets it 25 times and is hit and miss.

 

[Balony_pony16]

Assuming you mean quantity and quality, sure, but those guys don't grow on trees. If Ah Chee can average 15+ disposals at 75/80% efficiency (I don't know if his disposal is that good), I would prefer that over someone who gets it 25 times and is hit and miss.

when teams tag damaging HBs they aim to limit them to 15 touches. untagged we need our rebounders getting it more then that imo

 

[briztoon]

Assuming you mean quantity and quality, sure, but those guys don't grow on trees. If Ah Chee can average 15+ disposals at 75/80% efficiency (I don't know if his disposal is that good), I would prefer that over someone who gets it 25 times and is hit and miss.

80% of 15 is 12.


I’d rather someone who gets it 25 times, as that means he’s getting it instead of the opposition. And even if he doesn’t get an effective disposal, in our system it’s go to a contest down the line and likely results in a stoppage.

 

[jackess]

Definitely prefer our backs to get heaps of the footy because the ball is always down there and we just chip it around instead of moving it quickly.