News Bombers to target midfielders in draft

[SirJimi05]

For the record, I was being genuine.

I may have only ever agreed with bombersno1 once (IIRC) in 3 years, but it'll be interesting to generate some discussion before Thursday.

And you sounded genuine.

I will just leave it there.

 

[Kong]

Whomb for ever and ever. Is love in the air today Whomb?

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Nice Whomb, I knew you were a sexy beast.

 

[Kong]

Ok this is getting weird, if not slightly kinky.

 

[Duckworth]

So.... Where are all the midfielders!!!!!!

 

[hollywood23]

i cannot believe this draft..i wish I wasn't so pessimistic but after Heppell it went downhill in my opinion. Don't mind steinberg, but i reckon we could've got him with 48.

If we had picked Parker at 31 I would've been happy and really wouldn't have cared about the rest of the draft. A team that is screaming for midfielders picks 3 half back flankers, and undersized KPF and an absolute unknown in Ross.

Obviously it remains to be seen, but on face value disappointed is the overall feeling. Excited about Heppell tho

Would love to be wrong!

 

[efcboy]

this draft tells me hird doesn't rate our small/medium defenders like henry slattery and the ageing mcveigh etc. other than a key forward all the picks were used on guys that can play defence in a small/medium role.

this fills a need that i always thought was greater than midfield.

looking forward to the day when henry slattery isn't good enough to get a game and heppell is running off half-back linking up with dempsey on a wing and so-on.

 

[Bomber32]

There is no way I can say I am disappointed with Heppell. He really looks to be a pretty good player in the making, but when they overlooked Parker for Steinberg, that was when the shit really hit the fan as far as I am concerned.

This draft has promised so much and delivered very little, I'm afraid.

 

[hollywood23]

agreed bomber 32, wholeheartedly.

 

[windyhill]

Worst mid-field in the league pre draft, worst mid-field in the draft, after it.

 

[Kong]

North Melbourne's midfield is going to be insane.

 

[Darealrath]

I reckon we might see Dempsey play midfield next season.

 

[DaSawx]

this draft tells me hird doesn't rate our small/medium defenders like henry slattery and the ageing mcveigh etc. other than a key forward all the picks were used on guys that can play defence in a small/medium role.

this fills a need that i always thought was greater than midfield.

looking forward to the day when henry slattery isn't good enough to get a game and heppell is running off half-back linking up with dempsey on a wing and so-on.

Good post.

 

[juppy]

Draft tells me that we went for skills over position. All the main picks seem to have great skills (reportedly). Not a bad thing. The stats thead I am doing showed skills were an issue in our losses.

Sounds like Hirdy thinks our midfield will improve with under his management. Bit of defensive running from the current group and we will see I spose.

 

[stugots]

as i posted in another thread, i think we need to read between the lines here - what is hird telling us by drafting the players he has tonight?

reads to me that theres confidence in the young mids coming through & that a couple of those picked tonight will only add to that.

good sign imho

 

[stacy25]

I reckon we might see Dempsey play midfield next season.

I was only thinking today that he will be changing positions.

 

[Duckworth]

If we had picked Parker at 31 I would've been happy and really wouldn't have cared about the rest of the draft. A team that is screaming for midfielders picks 3 half back flankers, and undersized KPF and an absolute unknown in Ross.

Would have loved Parker.

this draft tells me hird doesn't rate our small/medium defenders like henry slattery and the ageing mcveigh etc. other than a key forward all the picks were used on guys that can play defence in a small/medium role.

this fills a need that i always thought was greater than midfield.

looking forward to the day when henry slattery isn't good enough to get a game and heppell is running off half-back linking up with dempsey on a wing and so-on.

I'm not sure that our medium defender weakness warranted so many picks thrown at it.

 

[King Hansen]

North Melbourne's midfield is going to be insane.

Thanks.

 

[Darealrath]

Would have loved Parker.



I'm not sure that our medium defender weakness warranted so many picks thrown at it.

If it means we don't have to use Dempsey, Stanton, Winderlich, Myers etc at half back it makes our midfield rotation much stronger.

 

[stay true]

If it means we don't have to use Dempsey, Stanton, Winderlich, Myers etc at half back it makes our midfield rotation much stronger.

Yeah agree with this. Anyone could have see that last seasons we didn't have enough players rotating through the middle. So in theory we are improving our defence and midfield in one hit. 2 birds, 1 stone etc etc.

 

[Kong]

Thanks.

No sweat, feel free to sig it.

 

[yaco55]

Would have loved Parker.



I'm not sure that our medium defender weakness warranted so many picks thrown at it.

Have to agree.

I dont think that our small/medium defenders is such an issue.

- McVeigh can do the job for another year or two.
- H.Slattery usually does a decent job
- Hardingham can be a very good medium defender
- Long is being groomed as a half back flanker.

 

[Tas]

i cannot believe this draft..i wish I wasn't so pessimistic but after Heppell it went downhill in my opinion. Don't mind steinberg, but i reckon we could've got him with 48.

If we had picked Parker at 31 I would've been happy and really wouldn't have cared about the rest of the draft. A team that is screaming for midfielders picks 3 half back flankers, and undersized KPF and an absolute unknown in Ross.

Obviously it remains to be seen, but on face value disappointed is the overall feeling. Excited about Heppell tho

Would love to be wrong!

The problem is at junior level anyone who is 180cm+ will often not get pure midfield role and will basically get pushed to flank positions because there are a lot of kids that are sub 180cm and they can't really play in as many positions.

There are typically tons of guys in the 170s that play mid and pocket positions and not a lot of them are recruited because at AFL mids are commonly in the 185-190cm.

Recruiters have to approach the coaches of these clubs and ask them to stick bigger players in the middle for a quarter or two so they can have a look at them on the ball. The current system isn't ideal so I wouldn't be too phased where players you picked up played in the juniors.

 

[Jobe 1 Kinobe]

Everyone is forgetting our pick at 104 or what ever it was, he will be our in and under answer to help out Jobe.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

this draft tells me hird doesn't rate our small/medium defenders like henry slattery and the ageing mcveigh etc. other than a key forward all the picks were used on guys that can play defence in a small/medium role.

this fills a need that i always thought was greater than midfield.

looking forward to the day when henry slattery isn't good enough to get a game and heppell is running off half-back linking up with dempsey on a wing and so-on.

I see it as the opposite - he either doesn't rate our attacking defenders (Dempsey, Hocking etc.) or wants them in the middle. I think we'll see Heppell, Myers, Dempsey, Browne, Hocking etc. all rotating through HBF/midfield throughout the year.