Opinion A Tall Story

[Optimistic Dog]

For so many years we were in the need of quality talls. Even going back to the Eade era if we could have got Barry Hall earlier we probably win a flag. We are now blessed for talls especially young talented ones at maybe the wrong time.

Astro
Jones
JUH
Darcy
English
Lobb
JOD
Croft
Busslinger
Coffield and Buku (play as talls)
L Smith
Gardiner
Keath

Now the game has changed so much it is questioning how many talls you can play even if they are of high quality. It seems like 5 is the ideal number on the field. Two tall forwards, One Ruck and two backman. That is alot from the above list not getting a game. Predicting what we do is very difficult it seems we are keen to keep all except for Gardiner and Keath. Plus Jones our best tall defender has probably only 2025 left.

Not sure what we do but it seems like we have to many talls and not enough smalls/midfielders.

 

[LondonBulldog]

For so many years we were in the need of quality talls. Even going back to the Eade era if we could have got Barry Hall earlier we probably win a flag. We are now blessed for talls especially young talented ones at maybe the wrong time.

Astro
Jones
JUH
Darcy
English
Lobb
JOD
Croft
Busslinger
Coffield and Buku (play as talls)
L Smith
Gardiner
Keath

Now the game has changed so much it is questioning how many talls you can play even if they are of high quality. It seems like 5 is the ideal number on the field. Two tall forwards, One Ruck and two backman. That is alot from the above list not getting a game. Predicting what we do is very difficult it seems we are keen to keep all except for Gardiner and Keath. Plus Jones our best tall defender has probably only 2025 left.

Not sure what we do but it seems like we have to many talls and not enough smalls/midfielders.

Great post and I totally agree, 5 talls is all you need with a couple of mid tall backs who can play taller if needed. Its great to have good backup yet maybe someone from the forwards will need to go back in coming years. Up to the coaches to work it out, rather than stuff it up.

 

[dogwatch]

There are always injuries so we need at least 8 players ready for a call-up if needed and at least two developing (like Croft, Busslinger and L Smith) because talls generally take a year or two after drafting before they are ready for regular senior games.

So I'd suggest we're maybe only a couple of talls overstocked. And then if you say Coffield and Khamis are really just versatile players of midrange height (188-192) there's not too much of a problem at all.

Also bear in mind that from that list Jones, Lobb and Keath may only have a year or two of senior football left.

 

[bobs head soup]

For so many years we were in the need of quality talls. Even going back to the Eade era if we could have got Barry Hall earlier we probably win a flag. We are now blessed for talls especially young talented ones at maybe the wrong time.

Astro
Jones
JUH
Darcy
English
Lobb
JOD
Croft
Busslinger
Coffield and Buku (play as talls)
L Smith
Gardiner
Keath

Now the game has changed so much it is questioning how many talls you can play even if they are of high quality. It seems like 5 is the ideal number on the field. Two tall forwards, One Ruck and two backman. That is alot from the above list not getting a game. Predicting what we do is very difficult it seems we are keen to keep all except for Gardiner and Keath. Plus Jones our best tall defender has probably only 2025 left.

Not sure what we do but it seems like we have to many talls and not enough smalls/midfielders.

If we're including Buku/Coffield as talls, then you need 6-7 (3 down back, 2-3 forward (including 2nd ruck), ruck).

You want 2-3 quality options as injury/form back ups and quality kids in development (Croft, Buss, LSmith).

I reckon our mix is pretty damn good. Keath is soon for retirement and Jones not far behind. Arguably Gardner is surplus to requirements, but otherwise, to my way of thinking the mix is bang on.

 

[ScragCity]

I don't buy the premise. Geelong won it 2 years ago with 7 talls and now you're telling me that 5 is definitively the optimal number? The truth is that there's no "optimal" number of talls that applies to every group and gameplan. The specific attributes of the individuals in the group surely changes the equation. A 205cm "tall" surely is not the same as a 190cm "tall".