Opinion Positional changes you would like to see in the NAB challenge

[Schauermann]

DeBoer as tagger should really be tried. Think he coudl be an more offensive version of Crowley...

Walters midfield was talked about a lot, should be tried as well (think injury prohibited it up to date). Still think he is too dangerous up forward to play him as mid to much. DidN#t work well for Ballanytne as well. But did for some...

Don't think we need much messing around somewhere else.

Perhaps Taberner/Apeness as 2nd ruck. We somehow have a huge ruck depth and still nobody who can have a consistent impact as forward (or somewhere else).

 

[Purple Jesus]

I would only play guys at half back if they are good marks overhead and very good at executing the right decision by foot.

So.. a Stephen Hill type then...

 

[Taylor]

So.. a Stephen Hill type then...

The marking is the more important feature in my opinion and Hill's primary weapons are his kick, carry and extraction. I'm my opinion.

 

[Schauermann]

So.. a Stephen Hill type then...

Well, I don't associate being good overhead that much with Hill.

But generally midfielder as hbf: More the way around. The runner of half back should be able to play midfield. Obviously somebody needs to play his position when he does. But don't think that is really much an issue of a huge positional change. Most players apart from taller guys and perhaps a few lock down role players most players play close to midfielder anyway today...

 

[Taylor]

If:
Half backs - Can mark
Center - Can win contested ball
Half forwards - Can swoop on loose ground ball

Then we will do okay.

 

[Unique Name]

Try Danyle Pearce as a small defender. He's quick, can tackle, could run the ball well out of defence. Would give us another midfield rotation.

Sutcliffe as a winger. Great kick, good decision maker, not afraid to get stuck in or run with the ball. Can be swapped with a defender for extra mid rotations.

Mundy to HB. Copy and paste what i said about Sutcliffe.Can be swapped into the midfield for more rotations.

Zac Clarke as No1 ruckman with Tabs and Apeness covering for 20-30% between them. Rest Sandi.

Try a forward line of Crozier, Walters, Ballas, Duffy, Apeness and Tabs.

Try Crozier, Mayne and Walters in the middle. The more players we have that can have a spell in the middle the better. Obviously we would never have more than one part-time midfielder in the middle at once.

I have no idea what Mora can be for us, still think he'll be an asset in the middle though.

Hopefully i want us to field a team that has 12+ players that can run in the midfield.

 

[theGav56]

I am not a huge fan of rotating players through the backline. Better to get the match ups right and back them in.

 

[Unique Name]

I am not a huge fan of rotating players through the backline. Better to get the match ups right and back them in.

Yes, with the talls.

But if the other team starts rotating their small/medium forwards through the middle then the matchups will change regardless.

 

[strobe00]

Think we could still come up with a quality midfield with the players on our list without Mundy and Fyfe in there the majority of the time. We can always use them for cameos when required as they are still on the field.

We definitely differ there. Without mundy and fyfe onball our inside ball winning and clearances fall away real fast. Lachie and suban aren't adequate replacements. Lachie... Not yet... Suban... Probably never. Cycling other guys through there makes sense, but deliberately leaving our two of our best three inside mids out of there for most of the game doesn't.

If Sylvia has a blinder of a preseason he may be a suitable plug in. PearceD might also be good at times. Hill could do a very good job onball but we need him elsewhere most of the time.

We freo BF supporters seem to overrate the strength of our midfield. Thankfully we've drafted to strengthen it in past years... But it'll take a few years before the guys we drafted are ready to take over.

Our midfield isn't good enough to allow us the luxury of bringing mundy and fyfe into the midfield for cameos.

 

[valkorum]

We definitely differ there. Without mundy and fyfe onball our inside ball winning and clearances fall away real fast.

*cough cough* Barlow

That being said, I completely agree with you that Mundy and Fyfe need to be mainstays in our midfield.

 

[dockerfemme]

*cough cough* Barlow

That being said, I completely agree with you that Mundy and Fyfe need to be mainstays in our midfield.

I also agree that Mundy and Fyfe need to spend lots of time in the middle, but I also noted how no-one was mentioning Barlow. It seems to me his clearance skills are underutilised. He rarely starts in the centre square, probably because we usually have Fyfe, Mundy and Crowls in there.

 

[rodney hoo]

I would like to see my new buddy given a chance as the 2nd ruc/forward. He kicked a few in the wafl last year was pretty good in his afl game as well. Might shed a light at where he is at.

 

[Freo Dr]

Sorry folks bit confused by some of the discussion here.

Mundy is already rotating through HB just like Fyfe is already rotating through HF and I think Hill has been spending some time on HB as well. It may happen more but is already happening and Hawthorn in particular constantly rotate their forwards into the midfield so you need to have a plan for that (think the term is 'flipping' but could be wrong).

Besides NAB cup is a game of giggles where every season the Eagles fans think they are certain favs for the premiership after they beat teams managing game time and trying things out.

Modern footy theory says you put your best users of the ball off HB to create dangerous rebound attacks. Look at Hawthorn - Hodge, Burgoyne and Birchall all play off the HB line and others rotate through. Suggests Hill has a place along with Duffield and MJ back there but yes we also need better delivery into our forward line somehow based on the last two years where it is often a kick in hope. Also suggests we cannot afford two poor users of the ball in defence and we already have Dawson.

 

[freoextra]

Sorry folks bit confused by some of the discussion here.

Modern footy theory says you put your best users of the ball off HB to create dangerous rebound attacks. Look at Hawthorn - Hodge, Burgoyne and Birchall all play off the HB line and others rotate through. Suggests Hill has a place along with Duffield and MJ back there but yes we also need better delivery into our forward line somehow based on the last two years where it is often a kick in hope. Also suggests we cannot afford two poor users of the ball in defence and we already have Dawson.

Hey! what he lacks in kicking skills he makes up for in solid handball (apart from when disorentiated by enormous marks) and of course the golden fist to the boundary

 

[clivenator26]

I support the Hill down back trial, also the Dpearce as a small back which is a problem area for us I think. However I am not sure Ross is the experimental type (kind of like my wife, ay oh!), he'll just plug his best team in and back them in to win.

Mayne down back? He had a few moments there in 2014, let's see a bit more. Walters to the middle will happen once Duffy or Crozier grab the FP spot.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Leatherpoizoned]

I support the Hill down back trial, also the Dpearce as a small back which is a problem area for us I think. However I am not sure Ross is the experimental type (kind of like my wife, ay oh!), he'll just plug his best team in and back them in to win.

Mayne down back? He had a few moments there in 2014, let's see a bit more. Walters to the middle will happen once Duffy or Crozier grab the FP spot.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Like for the Aye Oh.

 

[PurpleWizard]

In a perfect world I'd love Apeness to tear up the pre season and demand to start round 1 at full forward. Pav the romantic he is would finish his career at full back from where it all started.



Reply

 

[strobe00]

*cough cough* Barlow

That being said, I completely agree with you that Mundy and Fyfe need to be mainstays in our midfield.

Barlow was the third guy of our top 3 inside mids that I mentioned... but didn't mention him by name.

Reasoning being that if mundy and fyfe were playing elsewhere on the field, then barlow would be an absolute necessity onball.

 

[SHill Shall]

Lachie is already ahead of Barlow as a clearance player with probably a similar level of opportunity re attendance at stoppages. Love how he's developing and he should take another step forward this year. Like Barlow, he has beautiful hands.

And now we have Blakely to look forward to as well.

 

[democritus]

I'd like to see us look to the future in the NAB.

Would love to see Apeness and Taberner play up forward in tandem. Fyfe to rotate more through half forward with these two. We need to plan for a post pav era and if these guys click that's some serious marking power.

Mayne back to his manic best up forward, no more of this flexible defender rubbish. We look on when he's laying tackles in our forward fifty, needs to recpature his 2013 form, otherwise Crozier takes his place in the 22.

Mundy to play the Birchall distributor role down back. A. Pearce to fill Johnson's position, it looks unlikely MJ will be ready to go and the experience for Pearce would be huge going forward. Would also be pretty thrilled to see Mora played off the backline.

Opportunity given to Sheridan to take up Mundy's position. Neale to start at the majority of centre bounces, reads the taps and has incredible hands in congestion. Play walters predominately through the midfield, see what he's got to offer, Duffy can play his forward role. Also, would like Sutcliffe to rotate through the middle more, could become a Mundy clone moving from HB into the guts. Like others have mentioned, De Boer to play tagger. If he can't wrestle the gig from Crowley or at least emerge as his logical successor, I unfortunately don't see a spot on the list for MDB going forward. I'd rest Sandilands and give Clarke the first ruck gig.

Of the new recruits, Weller to play on a wing. Blakely could potentially get a few minutes, but it seems more likely that guys like Sheridan, Crozier, Morabito are first in line to show what they've got in the pre-season.

 

[pavsbootlace]

Lachie is already ahead of Barlow as a clearance player with probably a similar level of opportunity re attendance at stoppages. Love how he's developing and he should take another step forward this year. Like Barlow, he has beautiful hands.

And now we have Blakely to look forward to as well.

Not yet.

Lachie = 4.2 Clearances, 3.3 Tackles, 10.3 Cont Poss
Mick = 4.0 Clearances, 5.1 Tackles, 10.8 Cont Poss

But Lachie's disposal by foot was atrocious this year. When he learns to kick and bulks up so that he can lay an effective tackle, he'll be at Mick's level.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Not yet.

Lachie = 4.2 Clearances, 3.3 Tackles, 10.3 Cont Poss
Mick = 4.0 Clearances, 5.1 Tackles, 10.8 Cont Poss

But Lachie's disposal by foot was atrocious this year. When he learns to kick and bulks up so that he can lay an effective tackle, he'll be at Mick's level.

I am really glad to have both of them at Fremantle.
Lachie has terrific goal sense when in close range and Mick gets them from further out.

 

[pavsbootlace]

I am really glad to have both of them at Fremantle.
Lachie has terrific goal sense when in close range and Mick gets them from further out.

Bloody oath. I think Lachie will really step up this year. Which will hopefully allow us more freedom with Fyfe (resting forward) and Mundy (rotating back)

 

[Agenfrida]

Bloody oath. I think Lachie will really step up this year. Which will hopefully allow us more freedom with Fyfe (resting forward) and Mundy (rotating back)

What will really give us freedom to play Fyfe between forward and midfield is if Sylvia comes to the party. Still not holding my breath though.

 

[Agenfrida]

I would like to see Michael Johnson rotated forward in a 2005 McPharlin type role. I feel that having a player who can do that is invaluable to any team, look at McGovern at the Weagles.

Nice of you to join us, Mark. But, shouldn't you be more worried about Essendons positional set ups?