Opinion Best 22 2014

[Balony_pony16]

There is no next in line player doing a better job though. If his position in the team was in any doubt, Leppa would have told him when he took over and he would have pulled the pin.

Yeah I agree, when the lions have a KPF meeting only Brown and the coach is in the room

 

[Davemonkey]

Yeah I agree, when the lions have a KPF meeting only Brown and the coach is in the room

And Browny looks at him and says "Well you really made a name for yourself down back didn't ya Leppa?"

 

[matwt73]

I agree Browny is a living legend but he shouldn't be a sacred cow. If he became a liability he should not be in the side.

For the time being he is still taking the best defender, (and worrying the others) is a great kick, and the question is not whether he is part of our best 22 but how to use him.

Pretty confident that when Brown is no longer up to it one of the first to realise that will be Brown, and he will respond accordingly.

 

[Haso]

Pretty confident that when Brown is no longer up to it one of the first to realise that will be Brown, and he will respond accordingly.

Exactly this. The fact that he is still playing means that both he and Leppa believe that he is still best 22.

 

[Big Lion]

Browny has to play when fit surely, if his form is no good, he can either give it away or swallow his pride and play in the scoobbie doo's, yes i can't see that last bit happening either. Mc Guane deserves his chance round one. Still remember the game against Richmond at the G last year when he stopped our run, and basically sealed the match. Looks good up forward and his pressure up there is something we have missed in recent years. Add the goal sneak Green and Staker and you have a decent mobile forward line.

 

[POBT]

I think the debate on "will Brown be in the best 22" is less relevant than "should Brown be in the best 22".

I still think he has a role to play but it is not as clear cut as it has been for the last dozen or so years.

 

[a mayes ing]

Brown was our leading goalkicker and he only played 16 games ...

 

[Panthera]

Can't believe some of the utter dribble on here regarding Brown; an injury free year coupled with a decent clearance % ratio and more I50's per game - he's every chance to kick 50 goals!!!

Not one of our developing forwards are ready to tie his bootlaces; let alone take his spot in the team.

In 2013; we ranked 16th in clearances per game, 15th in ave. disposals per game, 13th in I50's per game as well as committing the 3rd most clangers in the league - talk about not giving the poor bloke much of a chance.

And yet, despite the above; he managed to still kick 28 goals in his 15 matches and average over 6 marks a game.

C'mon, let's be serious people..........

 

[Big Sauce 21]

Should all be ashamed of yourselves. Brown in still one of the first picked. Big strong forward who can kick a goal... who you going to play... lisle ?

 

[jackess]

As long as Browny's taking the best defender he's in the team IMO. If he's struggling against the second stringer then I'll start to worry.

 

[James North]

I don't see a large list of people suggesting Brown is out of the team.

In fact, if I made a list, it would probably be as long as the list of the tackles he made last season.

 

[jackess]

I don't see a large list of people suggesting Brown is out of the team.

In fact, if I made a list, it would probably be as long as the list of the tackles he made last season.

So Just because he doesn't lay 10 tackles a game you want him out of the team?!?!

 

[dlanod]

Should all be ashamed of yourselves. Brown in still one of the first picked. Big strong forward who can kick a goal... who you going to play... lisle ?

See, telling me that I should be ashamed of myself for daring to have a counter opinion just gets me more entrenched. It's not that hard to think that while Browny definitely improves the team now, we'd be a better team in the future if he wasn't in it now because we need to both find out how our cohort of young forwards would deal with being the #1 as well as get them playing time to learn the intricacies against AFL level defenders. Saying that someone should be ashamed for considering the future is pretty shortsighted.

So Just because he doesn't lay 10 tackles a game you want him out of the team?!?!

I don't think James was saying what you seem to think he's saying.

 

[POBT]

Next topic - ice cream sucks. Discuss.

 

[Big Sauce 21]

See, telling me that I should be ashamed of myself for daring to have a counter opinion just gets me more entrenched. It's not that hard to think that while Browny definitely improves the team now, we'd be a better team in the future if he wasn't in it now because we need to both find out how our cohort of young forwards would deal with being the #1 as well as get them playing time to learn the intricacies against AFL level defenders. Saying that someone should be ashamed for considering the future is pretty shortsighted.

Future ? This season comes first.

 

[POBT]

To be honest, anyone who can't at least consider the possibility that Brown may not be our best option this season is blinded by their love for the big fella.

Virtually no-one is saying "drop him". Virtually no-one thinks Leppa won't include him. But a 32yo key forward with constant injury problems has to have some question marks of his short term future.

No Lions supporter wants him to play poorly or be a passenger. But as awful as it is, we can still discuss the possibility that that might happen.

 

[Fatcat08]

Next topic - ice cream sucks. Discuss.

While I don't think it sucks I myself would prefer gelato

 

[dlanod]

Future ? This season comes first.

It's a nice thought, especially when you have a great team, but that's a great way to get the coach fired in a couple of years if he's only coaching for now each year. Any decent administration is always planning for the future.

 

[Ironmonger]

Well, I didn't think he was in our best 22 for most of last season, frankly, and I somehow managed to live with myself.

Looking at our setup in the NAB Challenge it seems that Leppa is going to play a bona fide full forward, and possibly multiple tall half forwards. So Brown is fortunate in that there's a spot in the team that plays to his strength, although I doubt it's a coincidence.

But last year I definitely thought we looked better with a more mobile forwardline. If Brown's not kicking goals and we're getting hurt on the rebound Leppitsch would be mad not to consider his spot in the team.

 

[Morgs_]

While I don't think it sucks I myself would prefer gelato

It's the healthier option! All hail Gelato.

 

[charles202]

Next topic - ice cream sucks. Discuss.

It's this kind of fan sentiment that is the reason we could never get Streets to sign up us a sponsor...despite the previous board's best (and I mean very best) efforts to secure a major food sponsor.

 

[SizeMatters]

See, telling me that I should be ashamed of myself for daring to have a counter opinion just gets me more entrenched. It's not that hard to think that while Browny definitely improves the team now, we'd be a better team in the future if he wasn't in it now because we need to both find out how our cohort of young forwards would deal with being the #1 as well as get them playing time to learn the intricacies against AFL level defenders. Saying that someone should be ashamed for considering the future is pretty shortsighted.

This is my main concern of playing Brown. I still think he is best 22 but only marginally. This will be his last season and truthfully we are not a premiership contender and atm we might just barely scrap into the top 8 if things fall our way. Next year I can see us playing finals but if only if we give games to Close etc. and give them AFL experience this season. If we just keep playing Brown at every opportunity it will hinder our progress next season and we may miss out on finals if we have a very inexperienced CHF next year. We must get AFL games into out next KPPs

 

[Haso]

I actually think that in a roundabout way we are all arguing the same thing, but from different angles:

- Brown hasn't hung up the boots yet because there is still a place for him in the senior squad
- It's unlikely that he'll play every game though
- As such, those games where he is sore of injured will be good for the team, because it forces us to find a plan B and C, this enables us to make use of our best available team when it's available, while continuing to organise for the future to ensure our forward setup of the future is experienced and well drilled
- Haso is a pretty cool guy


I think that we can have the best of both worlds. Brown filling a slightly reduced role, playing to the strengths that he still has, while we also tinker with the Brown-less forward line, which I think will be made from a combination of Staker, McGrath, McGuane, Green, and one of Close/Lisle/Paine/Freeman.

 

[matwt73]

This is my main concern of playing Brown. I still think he is best 22 but only marginally. This will be his last season and truthfully we are not a premiership contender and atm we might just barely scrap into the top 8 if things fall our way. Next year I can see us playing finals but if only if we give games to Close etc. and give them AFL experience this season. If we just keep playing Brown at every opportunity it will hinder our progress next season and we may miss out on finals if we have a very inexperienced CHF next year. We must get AFL games into out next KPPs

I agree to a certain extent, but I would suggest also we have Robertson, Aish, Mayes and to a lesser extent Beams who are likely to come into the side this year as midfielders, it might be argued, that part of their development will be helped by a forward who can finish of their work and understands and can direct forward structures so that those young midfielders who will be delivering the ball can develop their game.

My view is that (taken together with his "we will be active at the trade table") Leppa is still unsure of what his best forward line looks like and who is in it, he knows McGuane and Staker can play thirt tall, that Green and Zorko are effective as small forwards and probably that Mayes can play well on a flank. Apart from that and he does not have a real good idea of what we have and probably question marks over a lot of what we do have. To have a genuine, big man prepared to provide a physical presence and also direct traffic, and provide leadership, guidance and feed back on the field, is a positive 'known quantity'

 

[James North]

Ice cream WHAT?!