saint sational
Debutant
cheers mate
-
AFLW 2024 - Round 10 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Discussion Round 1 Best 22
- Thread starter SK_MD_#7
- Start date
- Tagged users None
CursingFijian
Knight of the Square Table
That body looks toned and ready to go. Just saying...
Not sure how young Acres (a two game kid, who has played bugger all senior footy) is an upgrade on a 150 game player, who has played in 3 grand finals, finished 3 in the b&f and 5th in the b&f in grand final years??
Blake might end up ok ..... But atm Sam is a much better player
Blake might end up ok ..... But atm Sam is a much better player
Persevering Saint
Brownlow Medallist
Gilbert has not been a Grand Final playing, top 5 in a B&F player for about five years.
FIVE YEARS.
We have seen Milne, Kosi, Blake, Gram, Hayes, and a fair few others move on in that time. To suggest that he will magically come back and be that good again is laughable. Sure, it might happen - it kinda did with Fisher last year - but let's be realistic. It just doesn't happen that often.
There was a reason that the only youngster in Futurefest to get a four year contract by the club was Blake Acres. He's a darn good player.
Fact is, compared to the crippled has-been that is Sam Gilbert, right at this moment, I think Acres will be a significant upgrade.
FIVE YEARS.
We have seen Milne, Kosi, Blake, Gram, Hayes, and a fair few others move on in that time. To suggest that he will magically come back and be that good again is laughable. Sure, it might happen - it kinda did with Fisher last year - but let's be realistic. It just doesn't happen that often.
There was a reason that the only youngster in Futurefest to get a four year contract by the club was Blake Acres. He's a darn good player.
Fact is, compared to the crippled has-been that is Sam Gilbert, right at this moment, I think Acres will be a significant upgrade.
Kilroy
Hall of Famer
- Nov 10, 2013
- 32,059
- 87,687
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Question: We have 12 left-footers. Who are they? .......
Question: Tactically speaking, should they ideally play on the side which allows them to curve the ball in a similar arc as the boundary line, unless they’re likely to be having a shot on goal?
Like this ... ?
B: Right Either Left
HB: Right Either Left
C: Right Either Left
HF: Left Either Right
F: Left Either Right
Question: Tactically speaking, should they ideally play on the side which allows them to curve the ball in a similar arc as the boundary line, unless they’re likely to be having a shot on goal?
Like this ... ?
B: Right Either Left
HB: Right Either Left
C: Right Either Left
HF: Left Either Right
F: Left Either Right
Persevering Saint
Brownlow Medallist
hayes
Brownlow Medallist
Nah I think he's onto something. Right footers stay on the right side of the field, lefties on the left. Billings will be on his own in the middle because he's the only one who can use both feet.
..........can you tell the lack of footy is getting to us.
..........can you tell the lack of footy is getting to us.
Persevering Saint
Brownlow Medallist
Yes! YES! And then we can make sure that they also are right HANDED or left-HANDED to ensure that they can handball the same way!!!
You can bet this was on the Pelican Spreadsheet. Yesiree!
Kilroy
Hall of Famer
- Nov 10, 2013
- 32,059
- 87,687
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Don't worry, Perse.
You may have noticed I'm attempting to outsource the heavy lifting.
../I\
./.I.\
/..I..\
\..I../
..\I/
Yup.
I wouldn't be the first to admit to withdrawal symptoms.
I can pretty much guarantee you who the likes of Fisher, Dempster, Delaney and co. would rather have out there if they were fully fit and had the choice of Gilbo or Blake, and it ain't Blake just yet! Whenever Gilbo has come back into the team in the past couple of years you just realise how much we've missed him almost immediately, especially with regards to his brilliant ability to read the ball coming in and zone off his man in a flash and get across to intercept, or get a 3rd-up spoil in and then, when we're moving the ball out of defence, he is one of those you'd want to have it in the hands of more than many others, as he is able to break the lines with his speed, evasiveness, carry and willingness to take the game on. Yes he can turn some of those kicks over, but he actually improved his kicking significantly in one of those years under Watters, so he showed that it can be OK and hopefully those improvements are still there if he gets back into it.
He is also one of the best in the team when it comes to tackling (his rugby tackle is as good as almost anyone's in the game) and he also has a huge tank and the ability to play tall or small. It's a shame that he won't be available for round 1, because he is probably the clear best option for Jeremy Cameron, who he did such a good job on when we played them last year. (I guess Roberton is our next best option there.)
No, he hasn't been at his 2010 best since 2010, but what's also true is that he apparently also played injured for pretty much all of 2011 and 2012 (although he still managed 44 games in those two years), which would partly/largely explain his drop off in output in those years and given the glimpses we've seen from him in the past couple of years, when he's come back from injury (especially the last few games of 2013, when he was much more like the Gilbo of old, despite having played so little footy), he can definitely still play footy. It's not like he's lost his ability and with his seemingly naturally large tank, it doesn't usually take him long to get back into the swing of it.
Huge challenge for him to get back to full fitness and not keep on breaking down, but if he does, I don't see why he won't still be well and truly worth having in the team. He is pretty clearly our best 3rd tall option down there until perhaps Roberton proves otherwise (or Bruce of course).
He is also one of the best in the team when it comes to tackling (his rugby tackle is as good as almost anyone's in the game) and he also has a huge tank and the ability to play tall or small. It's a shame that he won't be available for round 1, because he is probably the clear best option for Jeremy Cameron, who he did such a good job on when we played them last year. (I guess Roberton is our next best option there.)
No, he hasn't been at his 2010 best since 2010, but what's also true is that he apparently also played injured for pretty much all of 2011 and 2012 (although he still managed 44 games in those two years), which would partly/largely explain his drop off in output in those years and given the glimpses we've seen from him in the past couple of years, when he's come back from injury (especially the last few games of 2013, when he was much more like the Gilbo of old, despite having played so little footy), he can definitely still play footy. It's not like he's lost his ability and with his seemingly naturally large tank, it doesn't usually take him long to get back into the swing of it.
Huge challenge for him to get back to full fitness and not keep on breaking down, but if he does, I don't see why he won't still be well and truly worth having in the team. He is pretty clearly our best 3rd tall option down there until perhaps Roberton proves otherwise (or Bruce of course).
Last edited:
CursingFijian
Knight of the Square Table
We may all have to rethink our midfields by the sound of it, after reading the following
gringo2011
Premium Platinum
I have been talking him up. Lenny himself said he expected Ross to step in and his progression has been pretty good including a 28 possession game against Geelong last year. He's a quiet achiever but I'm pretty confident he's going to be good this year.We may all have to rethink our midfields by the sound of it, after reading the following
Defacto
Brownlow Medallist
- Sep 21, 2008
- 22,930
- 17,129
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Competition for inside mid spots sure is bloody tough!!!
TheLastEmperor
Cancelled
- Sep 10, 2009
- 8,400
- 7,721
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
Good call Gringo, you've been on him for a while.
Ross has never had any issue finding the ball and often gets plenty of it in the early stages of games but his glaring weakness has been his ability to stay in the game and run defensively with his opponents which both come from his lack of tank. If he significantly improves his tank then we are in for a very good player. Personally I think his tank is that far back we may not see a very good player in Ross for at least another few seasons.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My gut feel is that it's going to be like the last time when we had to find someone to replace Lenny, which was 2011. That year when he did his ACL in round 2 we probably all thought/assumed that Armo would be the logical one to step up and replace him for the rest of that year, and he was of course the one who was tried initially, but evidently Lyon and co. weren't that happy with how he was going in there and I think out of a bit of desperation they threw Jack Steven in there, about a quarter or so into the round 9 game against Melbourne. (After he had been in and out of the team for those first 8 rounds, playing mainly deep forward- possibly in a McQualter/Eddy type role- and was having a quiet one early in that game as well). He instantly just went bang and had something like 19 possessions and a bunch of clearances in the 2nd half, followed it up with an excellent last 15 games and won the 2nd most clearances for us for the rest of the season- becoming our 3rd best "mid" overnight- and it wouldn't surprise me if something similar happened this year.
Not sure if we have "another Jack Steven" up our sleeves, or who it will be (Saunders the most like-for-like, and he is the same age Jack was then and has played more games currently than Jack had then, Curren another possibility), but like it was with Armo at that time, I suspect that Ross's tank may still not quite be up to the required level and that we may just find that he's still not quite ready for the full-time, full season role.
Like it has been with Armo, I think it's going to continue to be a steady build for him, as he builds his tank, without him necessarily ever having a huge break-out type year. (I do think he's a good chance to get there sooner than Armo has though - ie. he could be at 24yo what Armo was by 26yo).
Armo at the start of 2011- About to turn 23yo and with 28 games under his belt.
Ross at the start of 2015- About to turn 22yo and with 27 games under his belt.
Not sure if we have "another Jack Steven" up our sleeves, or who it will be (Saunders the most like-for-like, and he is the same age Jack was then and has played more games currently than Jack had then, Curren another possibility), but like it was with Armo at that time, I suspect that Ross's tank may still not quite be up to the required level and that we may just find that he's still not quite ready for the full-time, full season role.
Like it has been with Armo, I think it's going to continue to be a steady build for him, as he builds his tank, without him necessarily ever having a huge break-out type year. (I do think he's a good chance to get there sooner than Armo has though - ie. he could be at 24yo what Armo was by 26yo).
Armo at the start of 2011- About to turn 23yo and with 28 games under his belt.
Ross at the start of 2015- About to turn 22yo and with 27 games under his belt.
Last edited:
Really, well I looked at the stats and saw that he didn't play rounds 1 and 2 or round 4 and I also remember that game like it was yesterday and remember thinking at the time that the way he was playing early in it that he was probably going to be back in the VFL the following week, if he didn't do something in the last 2 or 3 quarters, as he had been very quiet the previous two weeks as well (just 19 possies and no goals in the previous two games combined), so, like I said, and which was my main point, I think it was a bit of a hail-Mary type move throwing him in there (both because he was doing nothing up forward and because Armo's form had also really declined in the previous couple of weeks in the middle- just 13 possies the week before and 17 that day against Melbourne) and it worked a treat. After a quiet start to the game Jack ended up with 27 possies and 7 clearances (with some of them being centre clearances where he just burst forward with the ball, from memory), from just 73% game-time, and the rest is history.
It wouldn't surprise me if something somewhat similar happened this year, with someone a bit unexpected really stepping up.
It wouldn't surprise me if something somewhat similar happened this year, with someone a bit unexpected really stepping up.
Last edited:
Defacto
Brownlow Medallist
- Sep 21, 2008
- 22,930
- 17,129
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
I wouldn't rule out the extra responsibility with Lenny going out and the effect that has on people that are ready but just need that motivation, which is what ARRs point is (I think)
I'm with him, with Lenny no longer there, we could find a younger player just click and start to drive the midfield.
The thing with what richo said today on Ross, is if you couple it with what he said last year at times on Ross, it gives you an indication that Ross has that personality where he could go bang! He was on record stating Ross sat back too much last year at the clearances and waited for Lenny Monty etc. to do it. He seems very respectful to the senior players...to his own detriment. He's one that absolutely needs that responsibility to just go out and win it himself, something he took at VFL I thought and absolutely flourished
hayes
Brownlow Medallist
Don't think I've ever had Ross out of mine! Everyone likes to talk about stuff he doesn't do but he's pretty damn good at the most important thing in the game which is winning the ball. Put him in the middle, give him a few games to get comfortable and we'll be laughing.We may all have to rethink our midfields by the sound of it, after reading the following
- Thread starter
- #647
I've always had high hopes for him and still do.
Games against Geelong and the Western Shitdogs last year proved how good he can be when he gets more confidence at AFL level.
One of the things I've heard the club still believe he is not up to scratch on is the defensive side of the game mentally. That he gets a bit lazy mentally on the defensive spread and so-on, so he really needs to work on being switched on from that defensive POV, apart from anything else.
Pretty much the only reason I didn't have him in my 22 (had him as 1st emergency) is because if we are at full strength we'll have Armo, Dunstan and presumably Mav in the guts or thereabouts and that is already 3 big, strong and not particularly fast units and with all the talk that Newnes is going to spend time in the middle and hopefully Billings as well, on top of other inside options like Steven and Joey (not to mention a Curren or Saunders, if we go with one or both of them in a defensive forward role), I just preferred a bit more run and versatility on the bench (Webster, Ray, Acres), especially since I already had Dunstan on there.
Fair-dinkum, if we have someone as good as Ray or Webster (with another preseason under his belt) sub in round 1, then that is pretty bloody good for the team that came last the previous year!
Pretty much the only reason I didn't have him in my 22 (had him as 1st emergency) is because if we are at full strength we'll have Armo, Dunstan and presumably Mav in the guts or thereabouts and that is already 3 big, strong and not particularly fast units and with all the talk that Newnes is going to spend time in the middle and hopefully Billings as well, on top of other inside options like Steven and Joey (not to mention a Curren or Saunders, if we go with one or both of them in a defensive forward role), I just preferred a bit more run and versatility on the bench (Webster, Ray, Acres), especially since I already had Dunstan on there.
Fair-dinkum, if we have someone as good as Ray or Webster (with another preseason under his belt) sub in round 1, then that is pretty bloody good for the team that came last the previous year!
Last edited:
We may all have to rethink our midfields by the sound of it, after reading the following
Get on him
saint sational
Debutant
I was interested in the Armo v Ross topic and how we see Ross potentially developing into the player Armo is today. Run some stats for the their first 28/27 games.
DAVID SEB Result
KICKS 6.5 7 SR
HANDBALLS 5.7 8.2 SR
DISPOSALS 12.2 15.2 SR
MARKS 3.0 2.6 DA
TACKELS 4.5 3.3 DA
GOALS 0.6 0.1 DA
BEHINDS 0.3 0.1 DA
FREES FOR 0.9 0.5 DA
FREES AGAIN 0.9 0.7 SR
CONTESTED POS 5.0 6.0 SR
UNCONTESTED POS 7.1 9.2 SR
1% 1.1 0.8 DA
clearly armo did the little things better and ross finds it a little more, but all in all pretty similar.
for what its worth I don't like the idea of people saying Ross to replace Lenny, I more see it as Armo to replace Lenny's output and Ross to replace Armo's output.
DAVID SEB Result
KICKS 6.5 7 SR
HANDBALLS 5.7 8.2 SR
DISPOSALS 12.2 15.2 SR
MARKS 3.0 2.6 DA
TACKELS 4.5 3.3 DA
GOALS 0.6 0.1 DA
BEHINDS 0.3 0.1 DA
FREES FOR 0.9 0.5 DA
FREES AGAIN 0.9 0.7 SR
CONTESTED POS 5.0 6.0 SR
UNCONTESTED POS 7.1 9.2 SR
1% 1.1 0.8 DA
clearly armo did the little things better and ross finds it a little more, but all in all pretty similar.
for what its worth I don't like the idea of people saying Ross to replace Lenny, I more see it as Armo to replace Lenny's output and Ross to replace Armo's output.
