Retired #29: Patrick Ambrose - Officially retired - 11/8

[Lore]

Contract Status: Retired. 11/8
Last Game Played: Elimination Final 2019 (injured)
Injury Status: Injured, stayed in Vic with a young baby - 18/7
Sore, finished the VFL game on the bench - 29/6

 

[dnbassador]

Thing I love about Ambrose is the fear he puts into his opposition even with Fyfe he knew every time he got the ball to expect to be hit

 

[MiguelM]

Yeah Fyfe was still pretty good, but Paddy made sure he wasn't great. Fyfe IS a matchwinner when he has it on his terms, so hard to match up on with his marking ability.

Huge game and he is so hard at it. Fyfe would be sore this morning.

 

[ghostdog]

I didn't get to see the game but I'm readingthat Ambrose tagged and BZT played. How did the back six line up?

 

[ghostdog]

...and can Ambrose run with Pendlbury and Clarke DeGoey? ...or was this a case of BZT in suiting a lack of Freo talls?

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Yeah Fyfe was still pretty good, but Paddy made sure he wasn't great. Fyfe IS a matchwinner when he has it on his terms, so hard to match up on with his marking ability.

Huge game and he is so hard at it. Fyfe would be sore this morning.

True, his physical presence does worry teams. Doesn’t surprise me he can tag but against a taller forward line we can’t afford to move him out of defence. But agree with others, good call by Woosha to make the move

 

[Bombers36]

...and can Ambrose run with Pendlbury and Clarke DeGoey? ...or was this a case of BZT in suiting a lack of Freo talls?

Ambrose has to go to Pendles in my opinion. Given the job he did on Fyfe I see no reason Woosha wouldn't tap him on the shoulder this week at training and tell him he's got to run with Pendlebury all game. De Goey a different animal all together - but he's been out for about a month now I think so will probably lack match fitness.

 

[dnbassador]

True, his physical presence does worry teams. Doesn’t surprise me he can tag but against a taller forward line we can’t afford to move him out of defence. But agree with others, good call by Woosha to make the move

The funniest thing was Ross the Boss tactical move later on in the match when Ambrose was smashing Fyfe. Moved Fyfe Up Forward to try and get a few goals that’s Ambrose’s bread and butter.

 

[eth-dog]

I didn't get to see the game but I'm readingthat Ambrose tagged and BZT played. How did the back six line up?

A rotation of Francis, Zerk, Hurley, Gleeson, Saad, McKenna and Redman

 

[the PILL]

Well done Paddy, arguably one of the most important pieces of last nights victory.

Stating the obvious but the dude is just a straight up diesel engine, serious physical grunt and just goes all day.

 

[eth-dog]

Hm. Does he go to Mihocek (releasing Hurley onto JDG) or go to Pendlebury (leaving Hurley on Mihocek)?

 

[Howard Moon]

Nearly blew the front of my fly off when he dumped Fyfe over the line...

Fyfe looked like a kid who just had just his lunch money stolen for the 3rd time in a week and he was looking for the principal for help

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Probably my favorite player on the list along with Walla. He is a tough disciplined bastard and can run all day. Even better, when he can legally flatten players. Brad Hill can vouch for this.

 

[fishardansin]

Hm. Does he go to Mihocek (releasing Hurley onto JDG) or go to Pendlebury (leaving Hurley on Mihocek)?

It is worth throwing the game by getting Francis to run with him, just as a message about what levels of fitness he should get to over summer!!

 

[Darealrath]

He took a mark pretty late on and did a really emphatic 'slow it the **** down guys' gesture. Love him.

 

[blitzer]

Honestly its unsung guys like him that just do their role for the team that end up getting to play in premierships. Yes premiership teams have out and out stars but its guys that are willing to sacrifice their game for the team that bring the balance that successful teams need. I've been immensely impressed with him this year. He's had a better run fitness wise and his defense has gone to another level.

I also wouldn't get too carried away with this Ambrose as a tagger strategy. I think it only worked vs Freo because they are so singularly reliant on Fyfe. Against a more balanced team like Collingwood I reckon we are much better off just playing him against a Mihocek type. Not to mention there was a big surprise factor as this was the first time we've used this tactic of playing a midfielder at the clearance then moving them forward and rotating Ambrose onto them, the next time oppositions will be prepared.

 

[Zach Package]

I didn't get to see the game but I'm readingthat Ambrose tagged and BZT played. How did the back six line up?

Stringer was starting on Fyfe at centre bounces, Ambrose was starting forward and then hareing straight in off the line to pick Fyfe up

 

[Donakebab]

Fyfe got a lot of the ball, but he was almost always under a heap of pressure and rushing a shit handball or kick. Given what Fyfe did to St Kilda last week, that was a big win.

 

[BomberTime]

Interesting tactical move last night. If he can play that role it will add flexibility to this group. It allows Hooker, Hurley and Francis to play their natural positions. Ambrose can go back if necessary. Looking at the top 6 teams, and who would Ambrose be a good match up for:
Bris- Lyons?
Geel- Danger? Too quick though?
Wc- Yeo
Rich- Martin
Coll- Pendlebury
Gws- Taranto

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Would play Ambrose in usual role this week just in case we have Pies again in Elimination Final. Best to keep that tactic hidden til then

 

[Matthew_Lloyd]

We need him in defence against Collingwood. We could afford to have him run with Fyfe as Freo didn't have any quality tall forwards playing, but against Collingwood we'll need him on either Mihocek or De Goey.

 

[cAsEy_18]

For whatever reason, i don’t think he’d be as effective on Pendles - but he could be very good on de Goey.

 

[Xavier Menzies]

Absolutely must keep playing with big bodied mids
His a real treat ambrose

 

[fishardansin]

I have always said that he doesn't have the skills to be a mid, but could run with anyone. He neutralizes the opposition's big mid and provides a presence around the ball. Him being tagger makes up for our lack of big bodied mids. Then if he does destroy his opponent he has nothing to fear about being dragged to the last line of defence.

It also means we play all of Hurley, Hooker and Francis as well as Ambrose. With Hooker and Francis able to swing forward Ambrose being able to go back to defence means we have a lot of flexibility.

As some have mentioned, I have been calling for this for a few years now.

The other point I would make now is that Ambrose quickly learnt how to manipulate his opponents position legally as a defender. I imagine if he's given an extended run at it on ball he will learn how to do that as a tagger, but also in an offensive manner to make space for our mids.

 

[Howard Moon]

Fyfe dump gif yet?

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

I have always said that he doesn't have the skills to be a mid, but could run with anyone. He neutralizes the opposition's big mid and provides a presence around the ball. Him being tagger makes up for our lack of big bodied mids. Then if he does destroy his opponent he has nothing to fear about being dragged to the last line of defence.

It also means we play all of Hurley, Hooker and Francis as well as Ambrose. With Hooker and Francis able to swing forward Ambrose being able to go back to defence means we have a lot of flexibility.

As some have mentioned, I have been calling for this for a few years now.

The other point I would make now is that Ambrose quickly learnt how to manipulate his opponents position legally as a defender. I imagine if he's given an extended run at it on ball he will learn how to do that as a tagger, but also in an offensive manner to make space for our mids.

Don’t think he attended one centre bounce though, that was Stringer and Langford on Fyfe.