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AFLW 2024 - Round 10 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
2022 preseason training
- Thread starter goyoucatters
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Esava is a horrendous ruck and whats worse is it means he is up the field where he is a turnover or bad decision merchant.
His only chance of success at Geelong is as a forward and even then I am not sold. His reading of the play isn't great.
His only chance of success at Geelong is as a forward and even then I am not sold. His reading of the play isn't great.
Yes, I tend to agree. The same goes for his prospects playing forward. If he can build his endurance, he can be a really handful. I'm not overly excited about Ceglar tbh. If he gets games, it's purely to protect the likes of Conway and Tsapatolis from being thrown in the deep end.
He's arguably our most effective forward in the air.
Jhye Clark 13
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Did Ceglar lose a leg or something?
Even if he did, CS would find a way to play him.
It’s an early Valentines Day photo.Something more positive - new boys look like they're fitting in well - love that Maxxy and Kroeger already look like they're becoming buds
View attachment 1321837
Something more positive - new boys look like they're fitting in well - love that Maxxy and Kroeger already look like they're becoming buds
View attachment 1321837
Close in SHORT SLEEVES
I hope that's because it's February and not some weird directive for photo day.Close in SHORT SLEEVES
- Aug 18, 2018
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Too bad he generally claims airspace that is in the flight path of our other forwards
cats_09
Otters United
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In terms of ruck depth, I would have Blicavs ahead of Ratugolea
Only problem with that is we don't exactly have KPD depth going into this season which may mean Ratugolea gets bumped up in the depth chart out of necessity more than anything
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Still attached just doesn't work great
cats_09
Otters United
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Is he really?
He averaged 2.13 marks per game last year, which was 27th at the club for average marks per game - only Dahlhaus & Parfitt averaged less by those who played more than 5 games
Hawkins, Cameron & Rohan all averaged more marks inside forward 50 than him
And in terms of contested marks he averaged 1.20 per game:
- Hawkins (1.44) & Henry (1.25) averaged more than him
- Stewart also averaged 1.20
- Dangerfield (1.12) & Rohan (1.05) averaged less but still over 1 per game
I get that Ratugolea will jump in marking contests, but when doing so from 4 deep or not reading the ball in flight and thus not being effective in the contest, doesn't make him close to our most effective forward in the air
He's had good games where he does hold his marks, but all too often that's not the case
Jhye Clark 13
07, 09, 11, 22
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Our main area of concern is key back, not ruck.
Yep. That's why no-one's really suggesting Blics as ruck depth anymore. It makes us a lot less flexible in the middle too.
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I think he can be good given the space, but he's competing with too many talls and a flooded backline. He just doesn't work with Hawkins in the side imho.
You can be effective in an aerial contest without marking the ball.
- Aug 18, 2018
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This is the thing that has burnt my brain out since signing Cameron.
Taylor retiring meant we needed a key defender and rather than recruit one we get a wing in Smith (who is great btw) and send Blitz to the backline.
Then because we don't have the rotations to play a ruck off the bench we need to play 3 talls forward, with Rohan as a medium marking target as well. All with 9 games played in the narrowest forward 50 in the country.
The ruck combo with Blitz and Stanley actively rotating within a game worked about as good as anything we've seen recently and would be great at supporting a Hawkins/Cameron/Rohan combo but trying to use Sav is just dysfunctional. It would have protected Rhys' tissue paper injury rate too
Just feels like there was a strategy that was working that we threw out. I think watching it unfold has taken 3 years off my life.
cats_09
Otters United
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No argument and we see that from defenders all the time
Problem for Ratugolea is that all too often he just "blindly" jumps into contests without a good read on the ball, a good read on the play and from a position where he isn't impacting the contest - sometimes the better option is to stay out of the contest as you can have more impact by not being the 4th or 5th player in there and not unnecessarily dragging your opponent to it either
And we see that from guys like Hawkins & Cameron who read the play & know when it's not the right time to go and they stay out of the contest - some may call it a "joe the goose" goal out the back, but it's from reading the play & knowing the right move to make. All too often Ratugolea gets sucked to the contest like it's AusKick game & it's to no ones benefit
My perception of Esava has been polar opposite to the above.
Pure_Ownage
TheBrownDog
Agreed 1000% he doesnt have the tank for ruck atm.
Pure_Ownage
TheBrownDog
Its both.
KPD more then ruck now, ceglar helps patch that hole for a few years while Conway and Neale develop into the next Ottens and King/West/Blake combo.
Biggest questions who’s Ottens and who’s the latter.
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