Roast How diabolical is our midfield?

[Southerntakeover]

Saw a quote re ‘wouldn’t get a game in Melbourne midfield ‘

Need to remember Tom Sparrow has been the 4th or 5th mid at melb all year yet no one on here is very keen on getting him to our club when I brought it up

We lost bad so there’s some reaction , overall our midfield is tracking slightly better than alot would expect thanks to some promising signs from Soligo , Rachele and recently Pedlar but mainly also the move of Dawson to mid

Yes we still need more parts and another real A grader and are a fair way off a team like the bulldogs

Is better than we expected always meaningful?

Like, I thought our midfield would be awful. Better is an improvement over that, but far from objectively good.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Is better than we expected always meaningful?

Like, I thought our midfield would be awful. Better is an improvement over that, but far from objectively good.

Yep it’s not good but I’m not surprised

There are a few green shoots for future though , but need to add more pieces

 

[Danger in Texas]

Rachele is worth less uncontracted than what we paid for him. Nobody pays 6 for a small forward, you pay only that for elite mids. Remember when you soiled your panties getting a mid first and a mid second for Danger?

Nah totally disagree

He’s easily one of the most impressive draftees from his draft class so far, top 5 in a strong crop

 

[MRB37]

Or its the ordinary course of non-elite players. They debut, people don't worry about faults and get excited by the highlights. Over time that wears thin. Not every player is capable of the growth necessary to become elite.

It's not even being elite, Berry and Berg barely look even competent this year.

 

[Danger in Texas]

Yep it’s not good but I’m not surprised

There are a few green shoots for future though , but need to add more pieces

That’s the thing, there’s promising signs with Pedlar/Rachele/Soligo but more is needed, probably one more A grader + a bonafide eventual Laird replacement

Still a lot of water to go under the bridge re: development, too

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Nah totally disagree

He’s easily one of the most impressive draftees from his draft class so far, top 5 in a strong crop

Endurance in main thing holding him back

Another couple of pre seasons and could be anything

 

[BRL121]

His game is based on agility and speed, so if he's playing well there will be minimal physical contact.

With his skillset he should not be in there hunting the contact, that's a waste of his talents.

I can't agree with this at all.
He might be smooth and agile, but he is not fast. It's disingenuous to claim that there will be minimal physical contact if he is playing well at AFL high-pressure level. Anyway, that's when he has the ball.
Without the ball, he is lazy and picks and chooses when to tackle. On the weekend, he was Sholl-like in his tackle reluctance at times: it was embarrassing. Effort and pressure are non-negotiables for any player, skillful or not.
I don't think any coach would agree that skill excuses you from tackling and pressure.

 

[Pugsley]

Wow.

And some people think we’re on the improve? It’s a fake improve, because this midfield isn’t going to get us anywhere near it.

No class, no speed. No one close to elite, and I don’t think anyone on the list who could even potentially get to elite. Laird? Will rack up 30 today with zero impact. So far from elite.

Shameful drafting and list management.

While Ben Keays is still in it, it will go like his kicks sideways and useless.

 

[Pugsley]

Disagree re not fast, he definitely has a slick turn of speed/acceleration and has had that right through, endurance is still a work in progress.

Players like Petracca and Oliver aren''t particularly fast in the true sense but both have excellent acceleration that allows them to put space on their opponents quickly. Very few of the best midfielders are speed machines....acceleration is the key with mids.

Difference being they can cover deficiencies in their game.

 

[Pugsley]

Stacked.

I miss those stacker burgers. Like our midfield, they clog your arteries by the second.

 

[Pugsley]

What’s funny Mutineer? Curious.

Wait for the thumbs down.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Difference being they can cover deficiencies in their game.

And also at the peak of their game

At corresponding time to Rachele , Petracca was stuck on half forward flank trying to get his endurance up

 

[NSolis]

Rachele is worth less uncontracted than what we paid for him. Nobody pays 6 for a small forward, you pay only that for elite mids.

No idea what Rachele would get in a trade since there would be a lot of factors there, but I can't see which 6+ players you'd take from his draft year ahead of him, even with the benefit of hindsight. I reckon he'd go around 4-5 in a re-draft. Daicos and JHF clearly top 2 and beyond that Rachele looks like one of the best from that draft year.

 

[Trigger13]

Josh Rachele has played 23 games of footy. One season. He’s done more in those 23 games than many of the game’s current stars did in their first 23 games. Including guys like Petracca. He is developing beautifully.

 

[70lethal]

Rubbish Izak went at pick 3 in his draft year and Nick Watson will go top 5 in this year's draft, Liam Henry went pick 9 a couple of years ago, Ben Aisworth went pick 4, Jarrod Pickett also went at pick 4.

You think Kysaiah Pickett wouldn't draw a pick inside 5 or 6 if he was to be traded?

What do you think Toby Greene would have brought pick wise if he was on the market at Izak's age?

You think not one club would jump at the chance to get Rachele for a top 10 pick right now even if he wast just a small forward?

The 3 examples with context.
Henry was an Academy pick and went early as SOS went rogue so where he went was partly irrevelant.
Pickett was a SOS pick and being an expansion club was full of high picks.
Collingwood took DeGoey the next pick say no more.
GC had 4 picks and was a disaster draft.

Very hard to find a club with limited draft picks taking a small forward inside top 10.

Rachelle not a small forward as you said so others argument is irrelevant.

2021 draft is looking pretty decent and Taylor over Draper is going to be an interesting comparison moving forward.

 

[Pugsley]

And also at the peak of their game

At corresponding time to Rachele , Petracca was stuck on half forward flank trying to get his endurance up

Pasta would have helped with that.

 

[maxlilly]

I reckon the sad part is that over the last 15 years, Hamish hasn't been able to pick one A grade mid
Maybe the last couple of years that may change but it puts plenty of doubts in your mind when so many have failed.
And because we are so focused on getting a half decent midfield, we haven't used enough picks on KP players and so that part of our list is weak as well

 

[The Perfect Stranger]

I reckon the sad part is that over the last 15 years, Hamish hasn't been able to pick one A grade mid
Maybe the last couple of years that may change but it puts plenty of doubts in your mind when so many have failed.
And because we are so focused on getting a half decent midfield, we haven't used enough picks on KP players and so that part of our list is weak as well

And then when we finally recruit a potential gun KPP with our highest ever pick, we send him to the ruck to get smashed.

 

[70lethal]

Josh Rachele has played 23 games of footy. One season. He’s done more in those 23 games than many of the game’s current stars did in their first 23 games. Including guys like Petracca. He is developing beautifully.

Bit unfair to use Petracca as a comparison when he did an acl.
When comparing to the likes of LDU, Parish, McGrath, Rayner, Cerra, Rozee, Butters miles ahead of most of those.
On par with the likes of McCluggage, Taranto, Neale, Walsh.

Only guys like Oliver and Nick Daicos ahead

You would be pretty confident when doing these comparisons he going to be a gun of the competition when he gets a tank.

 

[earlsta]

If we’re going to make a challenge 2025 onwards, we need to get games into Nankervis, Cook, (Taylor when fit) asap, these guys won’t learn too much playing sanfl, we need to know if they have what it takes. Cook & Nank need about 5-8kg each.

 

[Scorpus]

Bit unfair to use Petracca as a comparison when he did an acl.
When comparing to the likes of LDU, Parish, McGrath, Rayner, Cerra, Rozee, Butters miles ahead of most of those.
On par with the likes of McCluggage, Taranto, Neale, Walsh.

Only guys like Oliver and Nick Daicos ahead

You would be pretty confident when doing these comparisons he going to be a gun of the competition when he gets a tank.

It took Patrick Dangerfield 4 seasons to average 17 touches and a goal a game, which Rachele is already doing

 

[Jeffcrowe]

It took Patrick Dangerfield 4 seasons to average 17 touches and a goal a game, which Rachele is already doing

Gary Ablett junior also took at least 4 seasons to average 20 possessions a game

If Rachele had a tank and was putting up numbers he is now I’d be LESS bullish on his improvement curve going forward

 

[GreyCrow]

The second to the ball is a coaching direction. Its that's stark and we do it in SANFL and AFL. Young players start out hunting the ball and over time they change to pay far more attention to their opponent. How many times did Dawson just let his opponent beat him to it today?

I was going to read the whole thread but this combined with something Nicks said resonated. And to be fair Nicks acknowledged the Bulldogs effort and how poor we were

But he also said '' we got our method wrong , we were half a metre , half a step off'' (2.43 vid)

Given your comment it seems some sides also see this and try and take advantage of it - and as inferred by Nicks if you are half a step off you will struggle to impact

Just thought your comment and his aligned and it is troubling to me this is our preferred method

 

[thebirdman 24]

Going early on Rachele being a dunce is 100% going to backfire.

He IS doing elite things. Yes, there are parts of his game he would like to iron out, but it seems fitness related.

Still on a gun trajectory for me.

On SM-A325F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[GROTTO]

IIRC Rachele's mum was here last Mothers Day for the Saints game, she was one of many mums that stood by the banner as the Crows players came out.

Im glad we are doing all these things to help keep him here for the long term.

Thats my only concern about Rachele, as a player I love him and he is progressing nicely.