Grant Birchall returns after 2 years out...

[threesixpio]

Scrimmers being mentored by his hero Birch is genius.











FFS

 

[PhatHQ]

I wouldn’t be pushing Birch out the door. He is a gun when up & firing & right there is the issue.
I have mentioned before that he should be given every opportunity to fit back on the flank & yes, at the expense of a younger player for best 22.
That being said, if he gets all the way to mid season & hasn’t or can’t stay on the park the tap on the shoulder has to come early & the mid season draft utilised for his position.
Don’t write off champions but champions don’t last forever

 

[TylerDurden]

He’ll play Easter Monday v Geelong. Can’t wait.

 

[Yardie]

It's like everyone thinks that Clarkson hasn't been talking to Birch at all............

 

[Carl Spackler]

I actually think that Birch will be hard pressed to make the side. Although he is experienced and has great footy sense, the youngsters have been working quickly to improve. The defense was working quite well last year. It had good teamwork. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find that he is hard pressed to fit into that team and click as well as others. I’m not saying he’ll be cut but I am saying he’s not an automatic inclusion. Maybe like Sewell toward the end.

 

[Gralin]

I actually think that Birch will be hard pressed to make the side. Although he is experienced and has great footy sense, the youngsters have been working quickly to improve. The defense was working quite well last year. It had good teamwork. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find that he is hard pressed to fit into that team and click as well as others. I’m not saying he’ll be cut but I am saying he’s not an automatic inclusion. Maybe like Sewell toward the end.

If he's fit he will be straight back in

 

[MrPremiership]

I actually think that Birch will be hard pressed to make the side. Although he is experienced and has great footy sense, the youngsters have been working quickly to improve. The defense was working quite well last year. It had good teamwork. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find that he is hard pressed to fit into that team and click as well as others. I’m not saying he’ll be cut but I am saying he’s not an automatic inclusion. Maybe like Sewell toward the end.

No. He'd be second picked in that backline behind Stratts

 

[flinchfree]

No. He'd be second picked in that backline behind Stratts

I think Birch is now bonus, or cream to the backline.
No doubt Clarko has an enormous regard for a fit, firing and in form Birch - and is as you say one of the first picked.
In saying that, there's no way without showing high level performance including next to no slippage because of age and time out of the game, fitness, and the ability to follow up one performance after another, that he'd be picked ahead of Sicily or Hardwick.
Those kids are the future and present and would be permanent inked on the whiteboard for at least 5-6 weeks of lost form before getting dropped for a Birchall in the wings.
If Birch can't show 'It' in his first game or two back, he'd be at BH for 4 weeks finding it or however long it took.

 

[KermitJagger]

If he's fit he will be straight back in

We were pushing to get him in for the finals so you're 100% right on this. Scrimshaw will replace him sooner than later, but due to his experience and on field knowledge of our structures there is no way he'd be playing VFL in 2019 if he was fit and firing.

 

[Gralin]

I think Birch is now bonus, or cream to the backline.
No doubt Clarko has an enormous regard for a fit, firing and in form Birch - and is as you say one of the first picked.
In saying that, there's no way without showing high level performance including next to no slippage because of age and time out of the game, fitness, and the ability to follow up one performance after another, that he'd be picked ahead of Sicily or Hardwick.
Those kids are the future and present and would be permanent inked on the whiteboard for at least 5-6 weeks of lost form before getting dropped for a Birchall in the wings.
If Birch can't show 'It' in his first game or two back, he'd be at BH for 4 weeks finding it or however long it took.

He may come back via Box Hill for touch if they want to build him up a bit, if they are eying a return in round 5 like Tyler mentioned I think a couple of weeks at Box Hill on controlled minutes will happen.

I think a lot of posters have forgotten what Birch brings. He did it so consistently and in such an unassuming way that we didn't notice it most of the time when he was playing.

We sure noticed his bad games or when he was missing though.

He makes us a much better rebounding team. Gives us another avenue out of the backline other than Sis and Dimma.

Could mean Impey moves up the ground or that we play Silk forward more.

Could even mean have to use Smith/Hendo/Morrison less as a rebounding mid.

If he is fit Clarkson will want him out there, he will make the team better

 

[PT Bar None]

He may come back via Box Hill for touch if they want to build him up a bit, ...

I was thinking this just then too. We've seen Hodge and Rioli to name two who did some controlled minutes at Box Hill when returning from long outages. Birch has been so long out, I'm expecting same. Certainly 1 game

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I actually think that Birch will be hard pressed to make the side. Although he is experienced and has great footy sense, the youngsters have been working quickly to improve. The defense was working quite well last year. It had good teamwork. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find that he is hard pressed to fit into that team and click as well as others. I’m not saying he’ll be cut but I am saying he’s not an automatic inclusion. Maybe like Sewell toward the end.

You must be expecting Birch to be about a 3rd of the player he was pre injury, that's the only way he's hard pressed to make the side if fit.

 

[tige19]

People expecting a 31 year old who's missed almost 2 years of footy and maybe even more, to come back and be the player he was? Temper our expectations a little maybe? Birch at 70-80% will be a good acquisition but we're a club that needs to get younger so I'm not overly fussed if he comes back or not.

 

[MrPremiership]

People expecting a 31 year old who's missed almost 2 years of footy and maybe even more, to come back and be the player he was? Temper our expectations a little maybe? Birch at 70-80% will be a good acquisition but we're a club that needs to get younger so I'm not overly fussed if he comes back or not.

He didn't miss 2 years of footy.

 

[MasterSamurai]

He didn't miss 2 years of footy.

36 games in a row is still damning but would love a Lazarus Effect!!!

 

[tige19]

He didn't miss 2 years of footy.

I said almost missed 2 years and there’s every chance he could miss more... what part of that is not true Norm?

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

He’ll play Easter Monday v Geelong. Can’t wait.

Same.

 

[HairyO]

You must be expecting Birch to be about a 3rd of the player he was pre injury, that's the only way he's hard pressed to make the side if fit.

He would be. No way he kept his pace and touch. Maybe his footy brain is ok but it cant be as sharp.

Id expect at least a few weeks at Box Hill.

 

[Brant]

People expecting a 31 year old who's missed almost 2 years of footy and maybe even more, to come back and be the player he was? Temper our expectations a little maybe? Birch at 70-80% will be a good acquisition but we're a club that needs to get younger so I'm not overly fussed if he comes back or not.

Depends how he comes back, realTige.

I've posted that I felt he'd lost agility & his capacity to change direction at pace by the end of 2016, so if he comes back similarly restricted with regard to turning or without his acceleration then you're probs correct - he'll not add to the team.

But... If it's been a pain management issue (or whatever) & he's past it now; &, his acceleration/agility has returned, then I see no reason that he won't return close enough to previous levels.

Skill/talent wise, he should (to my understanding) be relatively unaffected. It's not like he relied on his ability to leap etc., which has been taken away.

If he can accelerate & he can turn then I can't see why he doesn't return to early 2016 form.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

I actually think that Birch will be hard pressed to make the side. Although he is experienced and has great footy sense, the youngsters have been working quickly to improve. The defense was working quite well last year. It had good teamwork. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find that he is hard pressed to fit into that team and click as well as others. I’m not saying he’ll be cut but I am saying he’s not an automatic inclusion. Maybe like Sewell toward the end.

Not sure I agree. If fit he does come back to form, having him across half back provides us with far greater flexibility with players like Burgoyne, Impey and Sicily.

It's been a long time since he played though, so who knows what he is capable of...

 

[tige19]

Depends how he comes back, realTige.

I've posted that I felt he'd lost agility & his capacity to change direction at pace by the end of 2016, so if he comes back similarly restricted with regard to turning or without his acceleration then you're probs correct - he'll not add to the team.

But... If it's been a pain management issue (or whatever) & he's past it now; &, his acceleration/agility has returned, then I see no reason that he won't return close enough to previous levels.

Skill/talent wise, he should (to my understanding) be relatively unaffected. It's not like he relied on his ability to leap etc., which has been taken away.

If he can accelerate & he can turn then I can't see why he doesn't return to early 2016 form.

The game has changed a lot but I agree, if he comes back and has all the tools and athletic abilities he had when he was 27-28 then we are likely to get a very very good defender who has the ability to be general and quarterback, his ability to penetrate and sling shot out of defence is an asset. In saying that, I think it's unlikely we will get the same Birch we used to know, I hope we do but I struggle to see it.

 

[Hawks1994]

Birch has been out of footy so long that some, me included to a certain extent, have forgotten just how important a cog he was/is to the lineup; not to mention a flat out superstar in his own right.

I really hope we get to see him back, or at least close, to full flight; running like a pidgeon and delivering bullets off half back

 

[The German Hunter]

I just don't understand. If you don't like someone, just ignore them and their opinion.

Then you'll be left with everyone you like!

My feed is very quite, I’m getting a little lonely

 

[Kommbat]

Sicily hardwick stratton impey all seem certainties for our backline so far, then theres Frawey who seems next to a certainty and one or two(including a bench spot) more backline spots for Brand, Glass, Scrimshaw, Birchall and TOB to contest for assuming all above are fit. Seems like birchall will be fairly hard pressed for selection imo.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Sicily hardwick stratton impey all seem certainties for our backline so far, then theres Frawey who seems next to a certainty and one or two(including a bench spot) more backline spots for Brand, Glass, Scrimshaw, Birchall and TOB to contest for assuming all above are fit. Seems like birchall will be fairly hard pressed for selection imo.

Wat?