Team Mgmt. 2024 Midfield

[DERO]

Setterfield was a reason the midfield held up well at the beginning of the year. He bought a bit of balance to the midfield with his tackling and marking ability (due to his height).

After he got injured in round 9, the midfield started to progressively fall away. Carlton, Port and Adelaide were the only good performances after he got injured and even then, Port and Carlton had quarters where they dominated the midfield.

Shiel was going well too but yeah, he was good and as you say, pretty important to the mix as he seems to be prepared to play the team game.

Looking forward to what he can bring this year.

 

[ghostdog]

I have Merrett and Parish as the two guys who'll play the most minutes in there and rightly so.

Hobbs is the next piece of the puzzle. I think he can becomes the starting midfielder that we expect and he's got a bit of grunt about him.

Shiel is next in line and can rotate in with those guys. Provides power and pace. Is injured all the time so who knows how many games we get out of him.

Caldwell will be the other guy that can make the leap. Shown bits and pieces, played 50 games, 23 years old, injury free for a while and makes the leap next year.

I'd be giving Tsatas a chance over Setterfield. I'd have Setterfield playing VFL mostly if the above guys can stay fit.

Is Andrew McGrath ready to come back in and do some midfield minutes? I'm highly skeptical but its now or never, should have built the engine by now to play in the midfield. There are some players that have shown they can move into midfield at 25+.

I'd like McGrath to remain a small defender. At his best he gives us plenty of drive from half-back and can hit short, difficult targets. He and Ridley will be our organisers back there.

We've got plenty of midfield options now. McGrath isn't required there. He's a break glass in case of emergency option there only.

 

[ghostdog]

Setterfield was a reason the midfield held up well at the beginning of the year. He bought a bit of balance to the midfield with his tackling and marking ability (due to his height).

After he got injured in round 9, the midfield started to progressively fall away. Carlton, Port and Adelaide were the only good performances after he got injured and even then, Port and Carlton had quarters where they dominated the midfield.

Yeah, he played on DeGoey on ANZAC Day and DeGoey had 28 disposals and 2 goals.

Against Melbourne he played on Oliver who had 41 disposals, even though we won.

Setterfield's effectiveness comes from his size from what I can tell, allowing Parish, Merrett, Caldwell or Hobbs to get to it first. Hopefully it allows Tsatas to gather and GTFOutta there, too. He can block and tackle and his height is important for us, as you've alluded, given our lack of marking power, but he's not going to eliminate the effectiveness of his opposite number. This means we need him to be super effective when he has possession himself.

 

[JayJ20]

Yeah, he played on DeGoey on ANZAC Day and DeGoey had 28 disposals and 2 goals.

Against Melbourne he played on Oliver who had 41 disposals, even though we won.

Setterfield's effectiveness comes from his size from what I can tell, allowing Parish, Merrett, Caldwell or Hobbs to get to it first. Hopefully it allows Tsatas to gather and GTFOutta there, too. He can block and tackle and his height is important for us, as you've alluded, given our lack of marking power, but he's not going to eliminate the effectiveness of his opposite number. This means we need him to be super effective when he has possession himself.

Did he have a lock down role though? I don't recall Brad playing Setterfield in a lockdown role. Maybe I've forgotten.

But I agree with you. If he can be effective in competing in the air, making use of his possession and tightening the midfield defensively, then he'll be very valuable to the side.

Shiel was going well too but yeah, he was good and as you say, pretty important to the mix as he seems to be prepared to play the team game.

Looking forward to what he can bring this year.

Yes Shiel as well, though I suspect he will struggle to make the side in favour of developing younger players.

 

[ghostdog]

Did he have a lock down role though? I don't recall Brad playing Setterfield in a lockdown role. Maybe I've forgotten.

But I agree with you. If he can be effective in competing in the air, making use of his possession and tightening the midfield defensively, then he'll be very valuable to the side.

Soz, yeah I'm agreeing with you. He has an effective blocking role without being a tagger necessarily.

 

[ghostdog]

You would think Shiel will have to earn his spot as he does not look like he is going to be ready in round 1. I will say that if he is injury free and played a few good VFL games he will get back in the side. 99% of his poor form has been injury related. When he has been fit he has played at very good to elite level. The question is will he be injury free ,

Setterfield is a lock for me.

Parish will be there but may play a little forward. I suspect all of Parish / Merrett / Hobbs / Caldwell will have a forward role at stages and fill one small forward spot in rotation.

You would think Perkins would continue to see some midfield although I doubt it will be at the level of the end of this year. I still see him as more half forward / wing but I concede he can play a bit of a defensive / blocking role in the middle but I personally think that would be a waste of his ability.

I think Tsatas will be in the VFL to start the year if everyone is fit but at some stage he will force his way in.

I can see Martin and Durham getting some minutes but my view is it will be more change up stuff for short periods in games.

I think we are getting close to a good midfield mix.

So this means you've got Shiel and Tsatas in the best 22. Who is forced out? , or is playing more forward than mid?

Parish, Merrett, Setterfield, Hobbs, Caldwell, Shiel, Tsatas, Stringer seems like a lot, and that's not including Martin and Duursma who both have ambitions to play on ball. Of those 8, I'd prefer to keep Stringer forward. All of Parish, Merrett, Hobbs, Caldwell and Shiel can have stints forward. Setterfield is the only one I'm not taking out of midfield and is the main reason I'd be happy to keep Stringer forward.

 

[ant555]

So this means you've got Shiel and Tsatas in the best 22. Who is forced out? , or is playing more forward than mid?

Parish, Merrett, Setterfield, Hobbs, Caldwell, Shiel, Tsatas, Stringer seems like a lot, and that's not including Martin and Duursma who both have ambitions to play on ball. Of those 8, I'd prefer to keep Stringer forward. All of Parish, Merrett, Hobbs, Caldwell and Shiel can have stints forward. Setterfield is the only one I'm not taking out of midfield and is the main reason I'd be happy to keep Stringer forward.

I have not penciled anyone into best 22. Anything could happen. All I am saying is if Shiel is not injured he will not play VFL all season and Tsatas will press for selection at some stage. We are not going to play the whole season without an injury. It was not about preference. To be blunt I have no preference other than whoever it is they buy into the "team" defense. The only lock I had was Setterfield.

 

[Chief Hopper]

All of Parish, Merrett, Hobbs, Caldwell and Shiel can have stints forward. Setterfield is the only one I'm not taking out of midfield and is the main reason I'd be happy to keep Stringer forward.

It would make sense that we will get more fwd time with our mids. Get them to generate more goals that the top teams can do. The best mids will kick a goal when the team needs it to steady a game.

 

[ghostdog]

I have not penciled anyone into best 22. Anything could happen. All I am saying is if Shiel is not injured he will not play VFL all season and Tsatas will press for selection at some stage. We are not going to play the whole season without an injury. It was not about preference. To be blunt I have no preference other than whoever it is they buy into the "team" defense. The only lock I had was Setterfield.

I see Tsatas as the eventual Shiel replacement, albeit 5cms taller. Both can play inside and outside, both can find their own ball and scoot away. Not sure what Tsatas's defensive capability is though.

 

[ant555]

I see Tsatas as the eventual Shiel replacement, albeit 5cms taller. Both can play inside and outside, both can find their own ball and scoot away. Not sure what Tsatas's defensive capability is though.

Shiel is the obvious as he has the contract that is up sooner but Tsatas can take over what Parish is doing if he fulfills the potential. Not that I like to look at it as replacements. I tend to look at it by building depth rather than direct replacements.

 

[faible]

Shiel is the obvious as he has the contract that is up sooner but Tsatas can take over what Parish is doing if he fulfills the potential. Not that I like to look at it as replacements. I tend to look at it by building depth rather than direct replacements.

Having a midfield mix that doesn't require Setterfield (or similar) in there to allow Parish and Merrett to be damaging would be nice.

If Tsatas has the size and power to simply break through contact then it means he has to be defended in a way Parish and Merrett don't. Plus Hobbs is about as wide as he is tall by the looks of it now.

 

[ghostdog]

Having a midfield mix that doesn't require Setterfield (or similar) in there to allow Parish and Merrett to be damaging would be nice.

If Tsatas has the size and power to simply break through contact then it means he has to be defended in a way Parish and Merrett don't. Plus Hobbs is about as wide as he is tall by the looks of it now.

That would be great. If he can become the distributor that Merrett is, we'll have some player.

 

[citizen-erased]

MB thread on 2024 midfields tells a story

Which midfields are we better than?
West coast
Probably north and hawks for now

Saints run a little vanilla but they still outworked us in '23

Tigers still boast dusty, prestia, taranto, hopper, bolton and baker.

Merrett and parish are AA
Martin went close last year in his 2nd year
Shiel and stringer used to be elite
Hobbs, caldwell and tsatas (and maybe perkins) are all high picks

Still lacking that player that can turn a game from the middle

 

[bombreys]

MB thread on 2024 midfields tells a story

Which midfields are we better than?
West coast
Probably north and hawks for now

Saints run a little vanilla but they still outworked us in '23

Tigers still boast dusty, prestia, taranto, hopper, bolton and baker.

Merrett and parish are AA
Martin went close last year in his 2nd year
Shiel and stringer used to be elite
Hobbs, caldwell and tsatas (and maybe perkins) are all high picks

Still lacking that player that can turn a game from the middle

I think Merrett’s good enough to be the best mid in a premiership side. Or at least 1A/1B. Parish is a really good accumulator.

Hobbs I think could be really good. Too early to tell with Tsatas.

Caldwell for me is the odd man out - he disappears during too many games for mine. I’d rather have Setterfield in there, and would probably have Shiel (when healthy) above him too.

I do agree we do need that one game-changing mid - if he could be defensively sound that would help too. A Jack Steele type would be nice

 

[faible]

MB thread on 2024 midfields tells a story

Which midfields are we better than?
West coast
Probably north and hawks for now

Saints run a little vanilla but they still outworked us in '23

Tigers still boast dusty, prestia, taranto, hopper, bolton and baker.

Merrett and parish are AA
Martin went close last year in his 2nd year
Shiel and stringer used to be elite
Hobbs, caldwell and tsatas (and maybe perkins) are all high picks

Still lacking that player that can turn a game from the middle

A lot will hinge on finding out just how good (or not) that group of Perkins, Hobbs, Martin, Caldwell and Tsatas end up being and what positions they're good in.

If Hobbs ends up being a real strong clearance body that allows Parish and Merrett to do their work on the move (where they're most dangerous) and Tsatas can provide that power at and through a stoppage that guys like Petracca / Martin / Dangerfield do, then our midfield composition looks drastically more dangerous.

If none of those guys end up genuine A graders then we'll end up in the same middle of the road space we've been for a while.

 

[citizen-erased]

A lot will hinge on finding out just how good (or not) that group of Perkins, Hobbs, Martin, Caldwell and Tsatas end up being and what positions they're good in.

If Hobbs ends up being a real strong clearance body that allows Parish and Merrett to do their work on the move (where they're most dangerous) and Tsatas can provide that power at and through a stoppage that guys like Petracca / Martin / Dangerfield do, then our midfield composition looks drastically more dangerous.

If none of those guys end up genuine A graders then we'll end up in the same middle of the road space we've been for a while.

Yeah

2x genuine A graders, though neither really tear games apart. Just consistently find the ball

'21 Stringer showed what we can do with an elite talent bull.
Its the missing key for me.
They sadly don't fall from trees.

 

[Lore]

I think Merrett’s good enough to be the best mid in a premiership side. Or at least 1A/1B. Parish is a really good accumulator.

Hobbs I think could be really good. Too early to tell with Tsatas.

Caldwell for me is the odd man out - he disappears during too many games for mine. I’d rather have Setterfield in there, and would probably have Shiel (when healthy) above him too.

I do agree we do need that one game-changing mid - if he could be defensively sound that would help too. A Jack Steele type would be nice

Disappears as in he only gets 40% CBAs and then limps through the end of the season with injury?

 

[Milanista28]

Yeah, he played on DeGoey on ANZAC Day and DeGoey had 28 disposals and 2 goals.

Against Melbourne he played on Oliver who had 41 disposals, even though we won.

Setterfield's effectiveness comes from his size from what I can tell, allowing Parish, Merrett, Caldwell or Hobbs to get to it first. Hopefully it allows Tsatas to gather and GTFOutta there, too. He can block and tackle and his height is important for us, as you've alluded, given our lack of marking power, but he's not going to eliminate the effectiveness of his opposite number. This means we need him to be super effective when he has possession himself.

Tbf the Melbourne game, Oliver had 20 in the last quarter after we loosened the tag, game was in our control by then.

 

[Milanista28]

Without Stringer in form and taking center bounces our midfield is super boring, Tsatas could be the spice we need but probably more from 2025.

Curious to see if we actually consider giving Durham CBAs might be a fun watch

 

[jdstorm]

Without Stringer in form and taking center bounces our midfield is super boring, Tsatas could be the spice we need but probably more from 2025.

Curious to see if we actually consider giving Durham CBAs might be a fun watch

My bet is Durham starts in the middle with Merrett on the wing to have Durham as a defensive option and Merrett on the move as a user once Essendon get the ball.

Then Zach shifts into that centeral mid role with Duz on the outside over the course of play

 

[Milanista28]

My bet is Durham starts in the middle with Merrett on the wing to have Durham as a defensive option and Merrett on the move as a user once Essendon get the ball.

Then Zach shifts into that centeral mid role with Duz on the outside over the course of play

I don't mind this.

 

[ghostdog]

Without Stringer in form and taking center bounces our midfield is super boring, Tsatas could be the spice we need but probably more from 2025.

Curious to see if we actually consider giving Durham CBAs might be a fun watch

If memory serves me, a CB clearance in the 3rd term v. Carlton featured Draper, Martin, Hobbs, Caldwell directly to a Menzie (?) goal. Guelf was in there somewhere too. One of the most exciting goals we kicked for the season. Nothing boring about it at all.

 

[Milanista28]

If memory serves me, a CB clearance in the 3rd term v. Carlton featured Draper, Martin, Hobbs, Caldwell directly to a Menzie (?) goal. Guelf was in there somewhere too. One of the most exciting goals we kicked for the season. Nothing boring about it at all.

Broken clock is right twice a day, our midfield mix has been boring for a while. And that midfield you listed is something I'd like to play more often, but we all know Parish and Merrett will get the most minutes.

 

[FlyingV]

Hopefully we see plenty of Caldwell in the guts. I reckon he’s got Butters type upside. Not a big lad but is damaging with possession, as hard as anything and reckon his running will improve again with now 2 preseasons under his belt post hamstring issues. Finger crossed.

 

[citizen-erased]

Hopefully we see plenty of Caldwell in the guts. I reckon he’s got Butters type upside. Not a big lad but is damaging with possession, as hard as anything and reckon his running will improve again with now 2 preseasons under his belt post hamstring issues. Finger crossed.

agree, i think he could be part of a stronger CBA core if he can stay fit.

looking at the profile breakup
192cm - Setterfield, Stringer (HF) & Martin (Wing/HB)
>185cm - Tsatas, Perkins (HF) and Duursma (Wing)
185 - Durham
<185cm - Caldwell, Merrett, Parish, shiel, hobbs, mcgrath (bp)

Martin + Tsatas give us size & Durham, Caldwell and hobbs quite a bit of fight in small(er) packages

But suspect we're still reliant on a Merrett, Parish + Setterfield line up this year.