AFL Player #26: Kaine Baldwin - Not offered a contract for 2025, thanks Kaine! 26/8

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 33, Zach Package

 

[mcgrath_truther]

Could Laverde play as a big bodied mid?

no engine, no pace, would be a downgrade on anyone else in the guts

 

[The Donners]

You looking to hasten the end of his career?

I think without a change in position his career will be over.

 

[ant555]

Could Laverde play as a big bodied mid?

Doubt it . Anyway I am not a fan turning blokes into midfielders.

 

[ghostdog]

Lav as 7th def of sorts?

Baldwin - McKay - McGrath - stay at homes.
Redman - Cox - Ridley (i'd trust all 3 of these guys distributing and getting up the ground)
Lav as the rotation for Ridley, Baldwin or McKay. or when we want 4 stay at homes to clog a game up?

I don't see why Lav shouldn't be tried as the big bodied back up mid for Setters. Build the tank. All good.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

P

Lav as 7th def of sorts?

Baldwin - McKay - McGrath - stay at homes.
Redman - Cox - Ridley (i'd trust all 3 of these guys distributing and getting up the ground)
Lav as the rotation for Ridley, Baldwin or McKay. or when we want 4 stay at homes to clog a game up?

Where’s Reid? Don’t mind Baldwin but for the sake of future success Reid far more important. In an ideal world Baldwin and Lav are back ups. I’d still have Lav ahead of the two.

 

[ant555]

I don't see why Lav shouldn't be tried as the big bodied back up mid for Setters. Build the tank. All good.

Yep let’s keep doing what has failed in the past . Midfielder’s play midfield.

 

[faible]

I don't see why Lav shouldn't be tried as the big bodied back up mid for Setters. Build the tank. All good.

Or we could just fix the midfield and leave Laverde in the role he's been AFL standard in for a couple of years now?

 

[citizen-erased]

I don't see why Lav shouldn't be tried as the big bodied back up mid for Setters. Build the tank. All good.

if anything, you could swing him fwd again as a defensive flanker. but he's been reading the play and picking off the ball coming in instead of leading that you'd question if he has the game for it now.

or, depth not a bad thing to have.

P

Where’s Reid? Don’t mind Baldwin but for the sake of future success Reid far more important. In an ideal world Baldwin and Lav are back ups. I’d still have Lav ahead of the two.

when he's on the park for 5-10 games in a row, i'll start assessing. it's hard to know where he fits until he does.

 

[The Donners]

Yep let’s keep doing what has failed in the past . Midfielder’s play midfield.

Wasn’t he touted as a midfielder when he arrived?

 

[ant555]

Wasn’t he touted as a midfielder when he arrived?

Half forward / half back . Could possibly play midfield. It was the usual Essendon message.

 

[bombreys]

P

Where’s Reid? Don’t mind Baldwin but for the sake of future success Reid far more important. In an ideal world Baldwin and Lav are back ups. I’d still have Lav ahead of the two.

With Reid, you have to expect he's not going to play. You plan for life without him and then it's a bonus if he gets on the park.

 

[ghostdog]

Yep let’s keep doing what has failed in the past . Midfielder’s play midfield.

In lieu of actually having a big bodied mid to shadow Setters, yes. Laverde has had 3/5 of **** all opportunity in that role that I can recall. If we get one, fine. At the moment we only have Setterfield and a glut of defenders. We're not playing for sheep stations next year and we have gaps to fill. I'd try him.

 

[ghostdog]

Or we could just fix the midfield and leave Laverde in the role he's been AFL standard in for a couple of years now?

I'm looking for a way to fill a midfield need and get Laverde out of the backline. Cox needs game time there. Baldwin and McKay are enough.

 

[ant555]

In lieu of actually having a big bodied mid to shadow Setters, yes. Laverde has had 3/5 of * all opportunity in that role that I can recall. If we get one, fine. At the moment we only have Setterfield and a glut of defenders. We're not playing for sheep stations next year and we have gaps to fill. I'd try him.

Or play Laverde in the VFL if he is not in defence in the AFL . How many years are we going to say let’s go with this bloke or maybe that bloke.

 

[ghostdog]

Or play Laverde in the VFL if he is not in defence in the AFL . How many years are we going to say let’s go with this bloke or maybe that bloke.

If we don't have someone to fill that role we have to work with what we've got. I'd remove him from the backline now. McKay and Baldwin are both better options IMO and we need to find out whether Cox has what it takes.
Lav can play VFL as a defender but I'd put him on ball in case Setterfield gets injured and if we don't bring someone else in. I'd prefer Alex Davies.

 

[ghostdog]

Wasn’t he touted as a midfielder when he arrived?

Utility, but seen as a midfield option.

 

[EnolaGay]

Would love to see him in the team next year but for some reason Laverde seems to be considered undroppable

To be fair, since Laverde has gone back, he's been a warrior for us.

Hopefully we'll see a fit Reid in 2024 and you'd imagine a reshuffling of what our best back 7 looks like - be interesting to see where Laverde and Baldwin fit in. Could Laverde end up being used more as a utility?

 

[ant555]

If we don't have someone to fill that role we have to work with what we've got. I'd remove him from the backline now. McKay and Baldwin are both better options IMO and we need to find out whether Cox has what it takes.
Lav can play VFL as a defender but I'd put him on ball in case Setterfield gets injured and if we don't bring someone else in. I'd prefer Alex Davies.

This how the supporters raise their hopes . Let’s get this bloke doing that or that bloke.
Would be better to see if he can play lead up forward.

 

[ghostdog]

This how the supporters raise their hopes . Let’s get this bloke doing that or that bloke.
Would be better to see if he can play lead up forward.

Seeing if he would be better as a lead up forward also raises people's hopes, doesn't it?
It's the off-season. It's literally time to try new things. Supporters are supporters.

 

[Darealrath]

To be fair, since Laverde has gone back, he's been a warrior for us.

Hopefully we'll see a fit Reid in 2024 and you'd imagine a reshuffling of what our best back 7 looks like - be interesting to see where Laverde and Baldwin fit in. Could Laverde end up being used more as a utility?

I could see Laverde turning into a bullocking medium forward who does a lot of work that doesn't show up on the stat sheet but maybe that's a position from a different era. Don't think it works with our current forward mix.

 

[Learntopray]

I could see Laverde turning into a bullocking medium forward who does a lot of work that doesn't show up on the stat sheet but maybe that's a position from a different era. Don't think it works with our current forward mix.

We tried, he couldn't get any continuity with injuries till he went down back. Also isn't a steady shot for goal from memory.

 

[faible]

We tried, he couldn't get any continuity with injuries till he went down back. Also isn't a steady shot for goal from memory.

I do wonder at time whether people just forget anything beyond about 1 - 2 years.

"We should try Laverde as a forward!"

"We did ... for many years."

 

[jdstorm]

Laverde is an AFL grade 3rd tall defender.

That’s a good player to have on your list. If the young guys coming through push him out/down to be playing more VFL that’s a good outcome for the team.

It’s the definition of selection pressure

 

[Darealrath]

We tried, he couldn't get any continuity with injuries till he went down back. Also isn't a steady shot for goal from memory.

I remember, but his body might be in a different place now and able to cope. Not really advocating for it though because I think it would throw out the balance of the forward line to have someone else there who isn't all that quick.

 

[Nifft]

Baldwin says hi....