Strategy MIDFIELD - 2015

[Moe B]

Thomas looks really fit... Judd is 20 again apparently and murph and gibbs should do there normal stuff, now develop graham crippa

Is that not damaging enough?

As other people have previously stated, when he's up and going, easily in our top 5 players.

Should've passed off lol...

 

[Moe B]

such a lazy player, doesn't even take the game on...

Yep that goal makes him a really good player, I change my mind!!

 

[Moe B]

Thomas looks really fit... Judd is 20 again apparently and murph and gibbs should do there normal stuff, now develop graham crippa

Should've passed off lol...

Couldnt have been that damaging as we got done in that 1

 

[thylacine60]

No-one's interested in tired old Walker-bashing posters. You sound about 12 years old - why don't you discuss the newer players you may have seen?

 

[Moe B]

No-one's interested in tired old Walker-bashing posters. You sound about 12 years old - why don't you discuss the newer players you may have seen?

They keep bringing it up mate, not me...

 

[Moe B]

No-one's interested in tired old Walker-bashing posters. You sound about 12 years old - why don't you discuss the newer players you may have seen?

It seems like you never really have anything nice to say, why don't you just not worry about what I have to say and ill do likewise ok einstein!

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Ideally you'd wanna have Walker forward on the drier decks.

Him, Levi, Jones...........Spekkie fest.

 

[Jeremias]

They keep bringing it up mate, not me...

Actually, you are the one who initially brought it up.

You have been warned before about derailing threads yet you continue to do it.

ENOUGH.

No more warnings.

 

[ESKIE]

I think Walkers career will 'end' well....

If you know what I mean

 

[Stig O'Hara]

I think Walkers career will 'end' well....

If you know what I mean

Certainly he's had his ups and downs, good year/ bad year type thing, but still think his best year he got near on 60 goals as a classic mark and kick forward, and won a couple of his own boot.

With those hands, him floating about as a tall 3rd and goalkicker, is worth far more than 38 touches deep in the back 50.

 

[goreds]

Docherty is a bit of a mystery as to how he may be used and I think he's more than capable in the middle.

I guess Menzel has been spoken about a little more and may get some earlier chances to prove himself.

I still think that it will largely be Gibbs Murphy and Curnow used but whoever makes the earliest impact has a big leg up.

Look at the Freo model, it's perfect and it's how we have recruited over the last 2 years...

Only room for 1 small in the middle, the rest need to be monsters...

6'2"+ mids are the way of our future, our blocking and tackling will improve as we will get our hands on the ball first...

As you know I've set my sights on Cripps being the ONE, for good reason!

 

[Coona Blues]

I see 31 candidates for round 1. I have omitted a couple of past "regulars" like Ellard, Armfield and Warnock as I believe we must move past them to go forward. Talls: Jammo, Rowey, Hendo, Casboult, Jones, Jaksch, Watto, Everitt, Wood and Kreuzer. I will also include Whitey in the 3rd tall category.

We all know what MK brings to the midfield and Everitt is a jack of all trades.

Of the rest on my early season list, only Tuohy or Sheehan could be considered without midfield experience, credibility or promise.

We are blessed with multiple options and some serious flexibility during games.

For the record.....my early season list........

Murphy, Judd, Gibbs, Thomas, Curnow, Carrazzo, Whiley, Bell, Cripps and Graham are joined by outside mids and part timers
Simpson, Boekhorst, Tutt, Menzel, Docherty, Yarran, Walker and Buckley.

Throw in Holman. Skittles, Clem, and the lower profile Byrne and Dick if they can force their way in....not a bad list.

I don't think even MM knows what combination we will use in round 1 yet.

3,4,5 & 39 fit and firing compares to any midfield in the competition, Carrots, Ed and Andrejs are quality role players.
It remains to be seen what level our youngsters can get to. Glass half full.........going to be a great ride.

 

[Old navy]

Got some goal kicking power in our midfield
Judd 1 goal a game given he will spend more time forward 15-25
Gibbs love how his big games feature bags of goals 15-20
Murphy hopefully he can find that 2011 goal kicking midfielder form 15-20
Thomas definitely is a goal kicker not sure what position he will play 10-15
Everitt showed he can hit the scoreboard very good set shot at goal 5-10

If Yazz and Menz get added to the midfield this year. We could have some real scoring power in our midfield and then try find 100-120 goals through 3/4 different options up forward.
Hendo 25-30 Cas 15-25 Kruz 15-25 Jones 20-25 Watto 5-10 Tex 15-20
Not the scariest forward line on paper but it may be effective unpredictable and hard to match up on ??
It might mean our midfield score a large slice of our goals. Goal scoring midfielders were a big part of the success MM had at the Pies and a spreed of goal kickers in the midfield was a hallmark of his team.

 

[ESKIE]

Some top input here

 

[Zlatan]

Got some goal kicking power in our midfield
Judd 1 goal a game given he will spend more time forward 15-25
Gibbs love how his big games feature bags of goals 15-20
Murphy hopefully he can find that 2011 goal kicking midfielder form 15-20
Thomas definitely is a goal kicker not sure what position he will play 10-15
Everitt showed he can hit the scoreboard very good set shot at goal 5-10

If Yazz and Menz get added to the midfield this year. We could have some real scoring power in our midfield and then try find 100-120 goals through 3/4 different options up forward.
Hendo 25-30 Cas 15-25 Kruz 15-25 Jones 20-25 Watto 5-10 Tex 15-20
Not the scariest forward line on paper but it may be effective unpredictable and hard to match up on ??
It might mean our midfield score a large slice of our goals. Goal scoring midfielders were a big part of the success MM had at the Pies and a spreed of goal kickers in the midfield was a hallmark of his team.

The quality will be in the versatility imo;
-Casboult - rock solid pack mark and will probably need 2 to stop him
-Hendo (fully fit) - very versatile, good goal kicker and agile
-Jones - If early reports are to be believed, unstoppable on the lead with explosiveness and power.

Would be kinda useless having 3 blocks of meat just standing there in a pack of 6 with opposition defenders. One things for sure; if the crumbers are font and centre, there will be goals as I don't see these guys getting out-marked one on one an awful lot.

 

[Jabba73]

The best teams over the last decade or so have had 4 A Grade mids and a few that can roll through to give them a chop out.
Brisbane: Voss, Lappin, Ackermanis and Black
Geelong: Bartell, Selwood, Chapman, Johnson
Hawks: Hodge, Mitchell, Lewis, Sewell

Carlton: Murphy, Gibbs, Judd, Thomas

Okay, not quite in the same class, not too far off though. In a years time, Judd will need to be replaced with Cripps or ?

 

[zeeCFC]

The best teams over the last decade or so have had 4 A Grade mids and a few that can roll through to give them a chop out.
Brisbane: Voss, Lappin, Ackermanis and Black
Geelong: Bartell, Selwood, Chapman, Johnson
Hawks: Hodge, Mitchell, Lewis, Sewell

Carlton: Murphy, Gibbs, Judd, Thomas

Okay, not quite in the same class, not too far off though. In a years time, Judd will need to be replaced with Cripps or ?

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

I wouldn't have considered Ebert and Hartlett as A graders a couple of years ago but team success can also raise the stature of players. Robbie Gray is another that I wouldn't have picked as an elite proposition. Credit to Port, they turned draft picks to success unlike Melbourne.

Walker bordered All Australian forward and back in recent years while Yarran could certainly do the same.

Murphy, Gibbs, a fit Thomas, Simpson and Judd are certified A graders. Henderson and Kreuzer are important to us but dont have the runs on the board yet.

 

[Jabba73]

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

I wouldn't have considered Ebert and Hartlett as A graders a couple of years ago but team success can also raise the stature of players. Robbie Gray is another that I wouldn't have picked as an elite proposition. Credit to Port, they turned draft picks to success unlike Melbourne.

Walker bordered All Australian forward and back in recent years while Yarran could certainly do the same.

Murphy, Gibbs, a fit Thomas, Simpson and Judd are certified A graders. Henderson and Kreuzer are important to us but dont have the runs on the board yet.

Was looking at teams with sustained success, should have added Sydney to the list with Kirk, Bolton, Kennedy and O'Keefe and certainly WCE with Cousins, Kerr, Judd and Embley.

Judd will not be in the midfield as much in two years time so we need to find a younger guy to go with the other three in their prime. Cripps seems to be the most likely of those on our list to be the big inside player like Kennedy, Sewell, Voss and co, Bell may be the closest to size we have, not sure he is clean enough with his hands just yet.

 

[blue gunslinger]

Mid fielders need smarts like diesel Bradley dare I say Ratten
Decision making and skill

 

[Amers]

C; C. Yarran, B. Gibbs, D. Thomas
R; M. Kreuzer, C.Judd, M. Murphy

Right there is a quality midfield. Yarran at pick 6 is the lowest draft pick !!

C, S. Docherty, N. Graham, B Boekhurst
R; C. Wood, P Cripps, M. Whiley

4 more 1st round picks in that lot as a secondary, and that doesn't include Curnow or Carrazzo as taggers, or Bell(inside) or Everitt(outside)

Our depth may be a little unproven, but I have high hopes that they will prove themselves in time.

 

[Old navy]

The quality will be in the versatility imo;
-Casboult - rock solid pack mark and will probably need 2 to stop him
-Hendo (fully fit) - very versatile, good goal kicker and agile
-Jones - If early reports are to be believed, unstoppable on the lead with explosiveness and power.

Think Kruz Tex and may be even Cripps will spend time up forward.
First time I saw Cripps play it was a televised VFL game he made some men look like boys around the clearances had it 30+ times and kicked 3 goals. He looked great as a tall inside midfielder that gets forward
makes himself a target and hits the scoreboard. I'd love for him to step into our midfield but they generally say 3rd year for mids to break into midfield full time. So if he plays this year it could be 60% midfield 40%forward
something like that.
Also love to see Menz in his 3rd year get a run through the middle has a great skill set to be a gun midfielder
but we need him too much inside forward 50 ATM but 70% forward 30% midfield could be interesting.

 

[OnceWeWereKings]

Looking forward to some of the younger ones coming through, but most importantly hoping they have the appetite to run back as much as they like running forward. That's where our real improvement will be judged.
Have had far too many like doing the glitz and not the grunt in recent times.

 

[Big Sim]

Walker bordered All Australian forward and back in recent years while Yarran could certainly do the same.

Murphy, Gibbs, a fit Thomas, Simpson and Judd are certified A graders. Henderson and Kreuzer are important to us but dont have the runs on the board yet.

Good thread.

Agree with Zee. We have a core of A Graders in the middle but do not want Judd to be doing the heavy lifting any more, and the others I want making play. Which means we lack a top notch extractor, opening the door for one Patrick Cripps to step in and step up. Nick Graham and Mark Whiley as understudies.

I like the look of what has been assembled.

Regarding bit parters in the middle, Walker and Simmo for sure, Docherty and Menz, and one bloke I think could be a surprise packet in there: SOJ.

 

[BluStreak]

players like Gibbs and Yarran should be running real close to Casboult when he is setting to kick a goal from 40 out.
Fire a hand pass out to them and bang another sausage on the bbq

 

[Crippa16]

A graders

Judd
Murphy
Gibbs
Thomas

Potential A-B Graders

Cripps
Whiley
Graham
Boekhorst
Vojo Rainbow
Menzel

Probably need another one or two young classy players to improve our depth