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AFLW 2024 - Round 4 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Midfield is still more of a problem than the forward line...
- Thread starter chinggis77
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I like Cam a lot too, but i think he had a late start to the season as well. I think Crozier and Sheridan may get a gig before him for that reason. Pretty sure if he keeps performing he will get picked soon enough though.
Balla's disposal is terrible, which is not what you want from a mid.
Ballas is dangerous around goal.
Menegola could be our answer on the wing once he becomes elevated.
Mzungu has gone backwards this year.
Ballas is dangerous around goal.
Menegola could be our answer on the wing once he becomes elevated.
Mzungu has gone backwards this year.
Menengola certainly has the tank but is working on his consistency and kicking. Balla would be better as a small forward with a licence to roam a bit if he gets shut down. Mzungu like Pearce seem to be running out of a bit of steam. Goo needs to be more accountable, he has high possessions winners against him too often.
- Thread starter
- #156
Great to see Sheridan starting to get amongst it in the WAFL. Hopefully he can provide some depth for us.
Still don´t think Crichton will make it, just doesn´t have the tank.
Smashed in the clearances again by 21, which was about the same difference in the contested possession count. Clearly the main difference on the day.
Mundy may still be struggling for match fitness, but I would chuck him on a half forward flank and leave Neale in there more.
De Boer looked good in the midfield.
Looking forward to Ross picking through the players and finding the right mix to create an elite midfield.
Still don´t think Crichton will make it, just doesn´t have the tank.
Smashed in the clearances again by 21, which was about the same difference in the contested possession count. Clearly the main difference on the day.
Mundy may still be struggling for match fitness, but I would chuck him on a half forward flank and leave Neale in there more.
De Boer looked good in the midfield.
Looking forward to Ross picking through the players and finding the right mix to create an elite midfield.
Like you Ching I wouldn't mind a bit of creativity in how Mundy gets used. He just is not ready to be the midfield machine. I really wouldn't mind him in the forward line for spells although his pace won't help him there. But with deBoer going midfield more permanently, and Mayne getting some time there, Mundy could be an unorthodox move.
- Thread starter
- #158
Ross has been saying for a while now that we needed to reconstruct our midfield as it was apparent to him early on it wasn´t working. Despite our recent results I reckon he is on track and its just that we have several out injured that we are not really seeing it yet.
The move of De Boer has been critical. Clearly sees Neale as an integral part - which he will be. The Balla´s move hasn´t worked yet. Has been turning Hill´s game around with a bigger emphasis on inside work/getting his own ball. Now that Lower´s back he sees him as a critical part also. Can´t wait to see how he uses Mora when back. I am starting to see some hope in our midfield now.
De Boer - this guy is a gun inside mid. Ross said in his interview today he sees a long future for him as a mid in the Brad Sewell type. 55 possessions, 33 contested, 18 clearances and 18 tackles in his last two games alone. Was bowled over by how clean he was inside as well.
Fyfe - we all know what a gun he is. Can play inside or out. Forward or back.
Lower - inside mid. Hard as nails.
Hill - inside/outside mid who can run and carry and break the lines and do some gut running. Will be so much better when Fyfe, De Boer and Lower are operating together to get him the ball.
Mora - inside/outside mid who can run and carry and break the lines, play forward. Can´t wait to see him feeding off De Boer, Fyfe and Lower and bursting out of the packs and through the middle.
Neale - inside/outside mid, can run and carry, creative with the ball and good in traffic.
Barlow - inside/outside mid who can gut run and provide some run and carry.
Mundy - on current form, not sure where he will fit. Maybe back to a half back role, changing through the mid?
Sheridan, Mzungu, Schloithe, Sutcliffe, Menagola, Broughton, Mitchie, Crichton available as depth or coming through the ranks. Really liking the look of Sheridan and Schloithe in particular. Mitchie was looking great until his foot injury also. Menagola and Sutcliffe have been surprise packets as well.
Crichton is still your classic tease. Uses the ball so well in traffic. Has great awareness. Which is what lures you in all the time. He just has no tank. Reckon Sheridan, Schloithe and Mitchie (when fit) will overtake him quickly. Sutcliffe and Menagola seem to be more outside runners at this stage. Mundy better pull his finger out or once everyone is back fit and firing. He could be on a flank.
Our midfield looks so much better the way De Boer has been playing and with Lower in there. Neale looks fantastic also, so good in traffic. Some great depth coming through in the WAFL also.
The move of De Boer has been critical. Clearly sees Neale as an integral part - which he will be. The Balla´s move hasn´t worked yet. Has been turning Hill´s game around with a bigger emphasis on inside work/getting his own ball. Now that Lower´s back he sees him as a critical part also. Can´t wait to see how he uses Mora when back. I am starting to see some hope in our midfield now.
De Boer - this guy is a gun inside mid. Ross said in his interview today he sees a long future for him as a mid in the Brad Sewell type. 55 possessions, 33 contested, 18 clearances and 18 tackles in his last two games alone. Was bowled over by how clean he was inside as well.
Fyfe - we all know what a gun he is. Can play inside or out. Forward or back.
Lower - inside mid. Hard as nails.
Hill - inside/outside mid who can run and carry and break the lines and do some gut running. Will be so much better when Fyfe, De Boer and Lower are operating together to get him the ball.
Mora - inside/outside mid who can run and carry and break the lines, play forward. Can´t wait to see him feeding off De Boer, Fyfe and Lower and bursting out of the packs and through the middle.
Neale - inside/outside mid, can run and carry, creative with the ball and good in traffic.
Barlow - inside/outside mid who can gut run and provide some run and carry.
Mundy - on current form, not sure where he will fit. Maybe back to a half back role, changing through the mid?
Sheridan, Mzungu, Schloithe, Sutcliffe, Menagola, Broughton, Mitchie, Crichton available as depth or coming through the ranks. Really liking the look of Sheridan and Schloithe in particular. Mitchie was looking great until his foot injury also. Menagola and Sutcliffe have been surprise packets as well.
Crichton is still your classic tease. Uses the ball so well in traffic. Has great awareness. Which is what lures you in all the time. He just has no tank. Reckon Sheridan, Schloithe and Mitchie (when fit) will overtake him quickly. Sutcliffe and Menagola seem to be more outside runners at this stage. Mundy better pull his finger out or once everyone is back fit and firing. He could be on a flank.
Our midfield looks so much better the way De Boer has been playing and with Lower in there. Neale looks fantastic also, so good in traffic. Some great depth coming through in the WAFL also.
When you put it like that we look great.. But inevitably not all these guys are going to make it unfortunately.
agree with what you are saying about players not making it, but I think strangely it is underselling some things:
People are writing off Mundy way too quickly - I remember a few years when Hayes was coming back from major injury and I thought it was all over for him, but then after sometime it all clicked back into place and he has been back to his best levels again. Mundy came back into a (arguably still) decimated midfield with a similar covering Barlow and no Fyfe. and TBH I don't think he has been that bad - he just hasn't had the fitness to be in the game in the centre long enough.
Based on WAFL performance, Sheridan should go past players like Lower and DeBoer in two years time once he has a few more preseasons under his belt. The only thing that has kept him out of the side so far is the fact he keeps pulling up sore, but based upon his draft results and the way he plays he has a huge tank - one of the things people on this board have been calling for. I am not expecting him to be depth next season.
Morabito adds a lot with his long kicking (off all the things across the entire midfield group, probably only he and Hill that add this offensive side).
On the negative side, I don't see Lower as being very good offensively - Crowley and DeBoer probably add more. I don't subscribe to the idea that you can be allowed to only be good in the clinches - even Mitchell has super refined his short kicking
to be a weapon and/or dangerous around goals.
Whilst I like DeBoers recent form and he has always had good hands, size and speed, I think it is too early to say "gun midfielder". wait till the end of the year then call it.
I also really like Neale, but I think he will be a forward / midfield rotation. I don't think he will be a permanent centre - is a little small and easy to get knocked off the ball.
If De boer rips it up again against Collingwood I think we can make the call. Would be 4 weeks in a row he'd have excelled there and all against high quality opposition too (Richmond aren't that great but their midfield is very talented). His confidence is growing every game and if you extrapolate from his performances in the last 3 weeks he'll be a top line inside mid by seasons end, easy.
Quickly becoming the heart & soul of Freo.
So looking forward to watching de boer & lower mixing it up with beams & swan.Brutal contested Footy this weekend.
strobe00
Norm Smith Medallist
- Nov 18, 2010
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Dunno, but he's been one of my favourite players since he drove himself head-first into the turf to palm the ball to Bollenhagen, who kicked a goal in a derby a few years ago.
I'd say he's already very well regarded at the club, based on the successive clubman awards and being part of the leadership team. I'm glad that Ross finally gave him a shot in the middle, and didn't keep him pegged as a defensive forward. There are other blokes that can do that job.
As I've said before, with guys like Mundy in the midfield we need someone that'll actually chase and apply pressure in midfield... and have the cardio to keep it up. This is the reason I rate De Boer even higher than Lower as a mid. You can guarantee he'll run both ways.
- Thread starter
- #164
Would like to see Ross start to give some of the guys like Sheridan and Sutcliffe a game this year to aid their development so we can start accelerating the development of our midfield depth.
One thing Collingwood have been doing is, even when they are on top, they still manage to give their kids a few games to give them a taste of what they should be working towards. Ross needs to do that as well.
Gee, Mundy better turn it around. What were Essendon offering a few years ago? Pick 8 in the 2010 AFL draft which gave them Heppel?
One thing Collingwood have been doing is, even when they are on top, they still manage to give their kids a few games to give them a taste of what they should be working towards. Ross needs to do that as well.
Gee, Mundy better turn it around. What were Essendon offering a few years ago? Pick 8 in the 2010 AFL draft which gave them Heppel?
Crippa2Sipa
Debutant
That's not how Collingwood go about it at all. Collingwood have their own VFL side and that's where their kids learn what they should be working towards. By the time they get a few games they are well-drilled Collingwood soldiers who know exactly what to do. Having your own reserves team, as Collingwood and Geelong do (and Essendon has from this year I think) is almost a prerequisite for premiership success these days. Ross wanted St Kilda to go down that path for years but the admin was too inept to get it done.
- Aug 27, 2010
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Well thankfully we are about to get our own reserves team...when Hell freezes over. The push for one over here is getting ugly.
I think the Weagles really exemplify the importance of a strong midfield even at the expense of the forward line. Despite being without their two best forwards throughout most of the year they have played really good football until the last couple of weeks, when Shuey came out. There midfield is very good but doesn't run that deep, in my opinion. Obviously every area of the ground is important and Shuey coming out was probably the last straw, but if you have a sub-par midfield then forget about the rest of the ground.
- Thread starter
- #168
Got to say that things are starting to look a lot better for us in the midfield.
Mundy is back in form with a great game on the weekend. Barlow is regaining his touch and effectiveness with his efficiency getting a lot better. Fyfe is doing as Fyfe does. Crowley takes away problem midfielders from the opposition. De Boer can pinch hit very effectively when not playing the defensive forward. Pearce is the ultimate role/impact player who can hit the scoreboard as well. Hill is doing his role, but certainly still has the most upside out of them all. Ballas is starting to have an impact both in the middle and forward also after being lost somewhere in between.
Our depth still needs to be developed further to compete with the sides like Collingwood, Hawks and Sydney who have unreal midfield depth and never rely on one player. However our future depth is looking very good.
As mentioned in the WAFL thread, I can´t remember having so many great young kids performing so well in the WAFL. Its going to be hard going to fit them into the first 22 during the coming years. Certainly I hope Ross gives them game time next year.
Mundy is back in form with a great game on the weekend. Barlow is regaining his touch and effectiveness with his efficiency getting a lot better. Fyfe is doing as Fyfe does. Crowley takes away problem midfielders from the opposition. De Boer can pinch hit very effectively when not playing the defensive forward. Pearce is the ultimate role/impact player who can hit the scoreboard as well. Hill is doing his role, but certainly still has the most upside out of them all. Ballas is starting to have an impact both in the middle and forward also after being lost somewhere in between.
Our depth still needs to be developed further to compete with the sides like Collingwood, Hawks and Sydney who have unreal midfield depth and never rely on one player. However our future depth is looking very good.
- Lachie Neale - could be anything. Ball magnet his whole junior life. Fantastic in traffic. Elite awareness and good ball use. Tough as nails. Exactly what we have been needing. Can´t wait to see him step it up in the next few years. Could be our Sam Mitchell
- Sheridan - smooth user and great ball user. Good skills and elite endurance.
- Sutcliffe - looked good when he came up to AFL level. Has been very good for Easts. Great runner and user of the ball. Good speed.
- Menagola - has stepped up for Easts and become a reliable midfielder who can kick goals. Great game again today it seems with 30 poss. Absolute elite endurance.
- Schloithe - BOG for Souths on the weekend. Consistency not there yet but has played a few blinders. Seems to have all the tools and can play inside and has fantastic speed. Schloithe´s draft writeup is interesting. Seems Freo picked him due to his upside/ability to end up playing through the midfield. Bond/Lloyd certainly seem to have been on the money there. I can see him becoming a Lyon favourite.
- Morabito - god I miss him. Could be a Pav/Goodes type player.
- Mitchie - still have high hopes for this kid if he gets over his foot injury. Great skills, speed, ball use.
- Lower - provides great depth and grunt in the midfield. I fear Neale and co will see him fall out of favour though.
As mentioned in the WAFL thread, I can´t remember having so many great young kids performing so well in the WAFL. Its going to be hard going to fit them into the first 22 during the coming years. Certainly I hope Ross gives them game time next year.
- Thread starter
- #169
Interesting that Ross thinks the midfield is still the main problem. Effectively blamed the midfield for not making the defenders work easier and wants more mids in the upcoming draft/trade period including some line breaking players.
One wonders if that means only chasing Goddard or whether it will lead to us overlooking Shaw for a Garlett type. Seems like he has perhaps given up on Balla´s as our line breaking mid and chose to play him predominantly forward in the last third of the year.
Personally I think we have some great kids coming through and I hope that Lyon and Co see that and give some of them a go next year. We should also see further growth from Hill and Fyfe. If one or two of Neale, Suban, Sutcliffe, Sheridan, Menagola, Schloithe, Crozier or Mitchie can step up nextfield we may be fine.
The big question will be whether Bond, Lloyd and Lyon see Freo as being in a "window of opportunity" with regards to a premiership and seek to top up with experienced players (apart from Goddard) from other clubs. Lyon did this for several years at the Saints and continually tried to bring in more pace with Peake and Lovett. This could see us target guys like Jetta (pace and skill, wants to come home) or Danyle Pearce (free agent).
One wonders if that means only chasing Goddard or whether it will lead to us overlooking Shaw for a Garlett type. Seems like he has perhaps given up on Balla´s as our line breaking mid and chose to play him predominantly forward in the last third of the year.
Personally I think we have some great kids coming through and I hope that Lyon and Co see that and give some of them a go next year. We should also see further growth from Hill and Fyfe. If one or two of Neale, Suban, Sutcliffe, Sheridan, Menagola, Schloithe, Crozier or Mitchie can step up nextfield we may be fine.
The big question will be whether Bond, Lloyd and Lyon see Freo as being in a "window of opportunity" with regards to a premiership and seek to top up with experienced players (apart from Goddard) from other clubs. Lyon did this for several years at the Saints and continually tried to bring in more pace with Peake and Lovett. This could see us target guys like Jetta (pace and skill, wants to come home) or Danyle Pearce (free agent).
I might be wrong but I didn't actually see him say that he wanted to draft or trade for some more line breaking players - all he said was he needed more of them. To me this could be development of existing players = Crozier, Neale and Morabito are all potentially line breaking types - they were just not ready for various reasons.
We did struggle in the middle for the first half of the year with injury to the main three (Fyfe, Barlow, Mundy) and this showed that our B team replacements are not great, even though our A team is generally good enough to match it with most.
