To trade or not to trade Brad Sewell ?

[Hawka_de_Haven]

Couldn't have said this better myself. My thoughts to a tee.
Regardless if Buddy stays or goes we need to find a way to work up the draft order and may have to make some calls on a few of the senior players.
If Sewell and Guerra retire does that free up enough salary cap space for Dale Thomas?

Probably, but I am no totally convinced Thomas is the right fit at the Hawks. I much rather Cooney to complement the current team. I also seem to recall early talks on a one year extension for Goo.

 

[Hawka_de_Haven]

I'd say with the exception of mitchell (who's still in top form) and probably hodge (as is captain - but may not be next year) our senior mids (lewis, burg, sewell) could expect some reduced game time next year. We can't not rotate in some younger players as otherwise it'll be a trainwreck when all retire.

The sewell for hallahan argument is missing the point that our midfield lacks a lot of run - replacing sewell for a slightly younger/ more in form version doesn't fix the issue. To get a consistent game he'd have to become our no.2 mid (after mitch) as doesn't have other strings to his bow at present.

The cupboard is pretty bare - if hallahan gets a game there really isn't any other mids at box hill who haven't got a shot at afl.

We will need to make as many tough calls as possible to get a number of draft picks to replenish our midfield stocks. Sewell is a prime candidate - may still have currency and may be forced out of side next year due to team balance/development. Burgoyne's too old, we won't trade hodge or mitch and highly doubt we'd trade lewis (but if we got a crazy offer would not be against it).

The cupboard is not completely bear. There is Louie, who wind the clock back was burning it up in the middle some years back. He has for reasons unknown not had the spring is his step this year despite his BOG on Sat. Barring any long term ailment he should and can return to being a premier mid. Lets not forget the Xman, I still hold hopes of 2 to 3 years of upper grade service from him. There is no doubt, he has still something to offer. He needs to overcome his chronic leg injuries. Than we have Woodward, who by all acounts is talented and could assume a key role in the middle.

Having said that, we need one key onballer more so than we need Tom Boyd IMO.

 

[Brishawk]

Apparently Sewell was stunned to be axed after his performance against Geelong . . . my first thought was, really? He obviously doesn't read big footy!!

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-07-23/sewell-stunned-by-axe

 

[nickrebellious]

Sewell is at a crossroad... my money is on him standing up.

 

[Buckemenico]

Sewell is Mr September. Seriously, his record in finals matches is as good as anyone in the league. People forget he was almost Norm Smith last year, played great in the 2008 grand final and is consistently in our best players in all finals he has played.

 

[Roger Rogerson]

The cupboard is not completely bear. There is Louie, who wind the clock back was burning it up in the middle some years back. He has for reasons unknown not had the spring is his step this year despite his BOG on Sat. Barring any long term ailment he should and can return to being a premier mid. Lets not forget the Xman, I still hold hopes of 2 to 3 years of upper grade service from him. There is no doubt, he has still something to offer. He needs to overcome his chronic leg injuries. Than we have Woodward, who by all acounts is talented and could assume a key role in the middle.

Having said that, we need one key onballer more so than we need Tom Boyd IMO.

The XMan!! And a dual reco victim. You my friend are the eternal optimist but I hope you are right!

 

[savagelunchbox]

The XMan!! And a dual reco victim. You my friend are the eternal optimist but I hope you are right!

You didn't notice the typo in what he wrote.

I still hold hopes of 2 to 3 games of upper grade service from him.

 

[riolimagic]

no doubt he has been a champion. people keep saying how good he played in the granny he he did but people don't just turn it on once there in a granny

 

[Glenferrie Oval]

I find it amazing that we are even discussing this as he was BOG for us in the granny and has had great years since nearly being traded at the end of 06 (?????).
But time and rule changes appear to have caught up with Sewell this year. I didn't hear about him having preseason injury so I am surprised how unfit he appears to be this year (same with Lewis).
What make it worse for Sewell is the form of the other midfielders and he slow they all are.
No use playing him at Box Hill, just rest him and do a mini pre season as someone else has suggested.

I can't see us winning big games with the slowest midfield. what will change next next if he stays?
I hope he returns to full fitness and form and we can close this thread down.

 

[dipper86]

I hope he returns to full fitness and form and we can close this thread down.

And start a new thread next year.....How the hell did we manage to let Hallahan leave our club.

 

[Brishawk]

I think the game has just gotten too quick for him. Typically he has averaged 4-5 marks per game. Last year that dropped to 2.5 and is a similar figure this year. Tells me he isn't making space to get the ball and is relying on his inside game which has also being less effective.

The biggest drop offs for Sewell are in regards to contested possessions and clearances. In 2012 48.4% of possessions were contested compared to 38.7% in 2013. Almost the entire difference in average disposals between 2012 and 2013 can bee seen in his contested possession difference.

2012/2013
Disp Avg: 25.3/20.7 = -4.6
Contested Pos: 12.3/8.2 = -4.1
Uncontested: 13.2/12.9 = -0.3

We can see an even bigger drop off in his clearance work. His numbers are half of what they were last year.

2012/2013
Clearance Avg: 5.8/2.9 = -2.9
Centre Cl Avg: 2.5/1.1 = -1.4

Normally when a player wins more ball on the outside his DE improves. Sewell has had the opposite as his DE has dropped form 69.7 in 2012 to 66.9 in 2013.

The one thing Sewell continues to do well is tackle. He is leading our tackle averages with 5 per game.

Over all the signs are not good. To recapture his form of last year he would need win 50% more contested ball and double his clearance and centre clearance averages. That is a big ask of any player and I'd be amazed if he was able to do it at this stage of the season. The only question that remains for me is if he can improve enough to warrant a place in the side or are we better off testing the waters with Mitch Hallhan. Or do we play Whitcross and Hodge more through the middle and replace their roles with Half back flankers?

 

[Steven Tyler]

Just like the team as a whole, Sewell isn't in top form at the moment, but do you want to be at round 16?
We are definitely running to a plan after learning from last year, which is to play well enough to win us games, play some players in different roles throughout the season, while sLowly building up fitness and form peaking in finals
Considering Sewell's history in finals, I'm backing him in to produce when it matters this year, but I agree next year Hallahan needs to get games.

 

[m0zza]

He has done well

Are you talking about Brad Sewell?

Because that is what's left after deleting the complete crap from your post.

You have clearly forgotten the 2007 Peter Crimmins Medal, ahead of not one but TWO four time winners
And the 2008 Grand Final
And that he was second in the PCM as recently as 2012
And that he has played 181 senior games earning Life Membership and deserving your respect

He has indeed done well!

 

[Brishawk]

Just like the team as a whole, Sewell isn't in top form at the moment, but do you want to be at round 16?
We are definitely running to a plan after learning from last year, which is to play well enough to win us games, play some players in different roles throughout the season, while sLowly building up fitness and form peaking in finals
Considering Sewell's history in finals, I'm backing him in to produce when it matters this year, but I agree next year Hallahan needs to get games.

If the team as a whole were 25-50% down on last year we would be luck to be in the top 8. Sewell isn't just down on form, he is actually being a negative in several games and was absolutely non existent against Geelong. How does a full time on baller that doesn't get tagged get 12 possession in a game of football? Given his bread and butter is contested football, it is deeply disturbing that he is so down on last years numbers. The area that he needs to deliver on is contested footy and clearances and he will need to double his output in the later to achieve results on par with last year. Sewell doesn't just need to improve he needs to basically be twice as good as he is now. He started off last year slowly but by this stage of the season he was firing on all cylinders. Its 6 weeks until finals and I'd rather not go into finals having carried an under performing player all season without getting a look at the alternative (who is killing it in the VFL).

 

[Steven Tyler]

If the team as a whole were 25-50% down on last year we would be luck to be in the top 8. Sewell isn't just down on form, he is actually being a negative in several games and was absolutely non existent against Geelong. How does a full time on baller that doesn't get tagged get 12 possession in a game of football? Given his bread and butter is contested football, it is deeply disturbing that he is so down on last years numbers. The area that he needs to deliver on is contested footy and clearances and he will need to double his output in the later to achieve results on par with last year. Sewell doesn't just need to improve he needs to basically be twice as good as he is now. He started off last year slowly but by this stage of the season he was firing on all cylinders. Its 6 weeks until finals and I'd rather not go into finals having carried an under performing player all season without getting a look at the alternative (who is killing it in the VFL).

I'd say, apart from Cyril before his hammy, Roughie ,Big Max, Birch before his knee, and Gibbo, all players are down on last year, but with the inclusions of Dureya, Simpkin, Anderson earlier, we are a more balanced side
That's why we are playing players in different areas, Mitch to half back, Rough as an on-baller, Bud as a lesser target

 

[Brishawk]

I'd say, apart from Cyril before his hammy, Roughie ,Big Max, Birch before his knee, and Gibbo, all players are down on last year, but with the inclusions of Dureya, Simpkin, Anderson earlier, we are a more balanced side
That's why we are playing players in different areas, Mitch to half back, Rough as an on-baller, Bud as a lesser target

Are any players 50% down on their KPIs from last year?

EDIT:
A lot of people have claimed Lewis is down on last year but on statistical terms he is on par with last year. Any differences are decimal places. Sewell is literally half the clearance player he was last year and winning 25% less contested possessions. It is shockingly bad and not good enough to be a first choice midfielder in a lot of teams let alone a premiership contender. If we try Mitch and he does no good then we can always try and get more out of Sewell. If Hallahan is only able to match what Sewell is presently offering then I think it would be a win to play him as he will only get better.

 

[dipper86]

The scariest part in all this is that both Sydney and Geelong have improved their midfields considerably in both depth and in quality this year. Especially Sydney. Mitchell who I consider as our best mid, is playing more at half back, this is off set by Hodge who is fit this year playing more midfield time and we have added Puopolo to our rotations whilst Cyril is getting less midfield time due to bogus hammy's. Apart from that I can't think of anyone else we have added. Has anyone taken there game to a new level though ? Hodge looks like the only one that has improved since last year, obviously because he's fit and injury free. Lewis of late has been given more midfield time and looks to be coming into some very good form.
Take a good look at Sydney, Hannebery and Jack have taken their game to a new level, both blessed with speed and are probably two of the hardest two way runners in the league. Its given them the luxury of throwing McVeigh down back which is then offset again by Parker getting more midfield game time along with adding an absolute young gun in Mitchell who's a ball magnet. Then you throw in their ruckmen with their will to provide a contest through pressure acts and around the ground ability.. It makes our task even harder. They have more depth in rotations, more players in there prime years of football in the guts with Hannebery Jack and Kennedy and are more balanced( speed wise)
We will have to play out of our skin come finals time everyone of our midfielders have to be in red hot form. Sydney are truly a better team this year through the midfield and more balanced around the ground. (compared to last year)

 

[Brishawk]

Yep, its scary. I was hoping to see more Breust and a little of Anderson and maybe some of Birchall this year. I think it is at least encouraging that Savage has come good. He has been given a little amount of time in the middle. We are going to need the best from our support crew when playing in the middle come finals.

 

[Steven Tyler]

This time last year we were winning every game by 10 goals, then ran out of puff come Prelim final
I really think its a man-management thing this year
I agree Sewell needs to lift, but he ain't on his own, and we are top after losing 2 games all year,haven't had our best side on the park, rotating players through different positions, resting players where needed, introducing 4-5 debutants , toughest draw in the comp, late start to pre-season, and a fairly long injury list.

 

[burner1]

Agree dipper86 - our midfield is a big concern vs sydney and geelong. We're seriously outmatched for pace, hard running and depth and possibly for class. Given sydney's strong rucks, big forwards, solid defence + goodes they are going to be very tough to beat. We're going to have to hope a fresh mitch can have the ball on a string and our fwds are so efficient that the other side doesn't get a look in.

I was hoping WX, rioli, breust, birchall and maybe langford could form the nucleus of a new look midfield this year but injuries have curtailed this. We also lack run and polish from the backhalf (birch will help), our small defenders look a bit shaky (esp guerra) and our rucks still look a bit dodgy (esp v sydney)

 

[NICE1]

its pretty simple;

- Sewell can only play one role/position and if he is under performing during a game, the coaching staff have no flexibility to play him elsewhere.
- He is last in the pecking order of a long list of slow midfielders
- He is one of the few players in our team who struggles to dispose of the ball effectively (very rarely hits up targets, choosing to go the long bomb on most occasions).
- His only asset is/was to win the hard ball and get the quick hands away through traffic to a running mid, but it seems this asset is now behind him.
- Cant hit the scoreboard

Even if Sewell is able to recapture his form and dominate the contested ball as done previously in his career, i still think we are a better team having any of the following players floating through the midfield ahead of Sewell, due to his above deficiencies;

Hodge
Mitch
Lewis
Shiels
Burgoyne
Sav
Breust
Anderson
Rioli
Simpkin
Whitecross

He may still be valuable come finals time when it becomes more of a contested style game, but he should only be played if he has a dramatic improvement in form. Moving forward, from 2014 on wards, I think Sewell should be used as depth when the above players and potentially Hallahan/Langford aren't available.

As others have pointed out, our midfield needs an injection of more youth over the next year or two, otherwise it is destined for an abrupt decline.

 

[Steven Tyler]

Yep, as I thought........
Channel 10 sport reporting Hawks coach Clarko saying we are trying to peak come finals, not in round 16!

 

[dipper86]

its pretty simple;

Moving forward, from 2014 on wards, I think Sewell should be used as depth when the above players and potentially Hallahan/Langford aren't available.

As others have pointed out, our midfield needs an injection of more youth over the next year or two, otherwise it is destined for an abrupt decline.

That's one mighty expensive depth player........You would think he'd be on 450 k, you can fix holes, or recruit potential young mids with that kinda coin.

 

[dipper86]

Yep, as I thought........
Channel 10 sport reporting Hawks coach Clarko saying we are trying to peak come finals, not in round 16!

That's obvious......it still doesn't take away our limitations and deficiencies though the midfield though.

 

[nickrebellious]

Could be carrying something. In round 1 33 possessions v Geelong, round 2 15 possession in half a game v WCE. Then missed 3 games due to injury hasn't been the same since. Had 23 contested possession to 25 uncontested possession in those first 2 rounds compared to 98-155 for his seasons total.