We need a fullback ?

[Alex_au]

There is a huge possibility that come seasons end we will be without the likes of Barker, Holland and Dixon. That will free up a lot in the pocket for our recruiting staff to play around with.

While others on the board have suggested us in recruiting a forward, I myself don't see the point as we will soon have the likes of Franklin, Roughead, Miller, Williams causing havok down there.

Good backman are harder to come about then forwards so I think maybe our best bet is to opt for a strong experienced backman that has atleast 6 years left in him. Jonothan Hay don't get me wrong is a more then capable player to slot in at fullback for us, but their will always be that injury cloud with him and his soft tissue injuries. When he is in we look very good but when he is out we do not look like winning at all as we tend to have to play Jacobs or Beaumont in that position.

Mcpharlin , Scarlett anyone for Hawthorn 2006 ?

 

[rocket9]

As good as those forwards you have mentioned will be, we need someone until they develop. Our game falls down badly at CHF and it's something we need now if we want to play finals in the immediate future.

 

[Jimmyboy9]

At Full Back we have plenty of options in Hay, Jacobs, Beamont maybe even Brennan. I agree with the idea that we need a chf and i rekon its worth going for someone like a Ryan Okeefe, Brad Miller or a Luke Mcpharlin. Realistically it will be hard to recruit a chf lets face it they r worth GOLD!! Clubs wont get rid of them!!

 

[superstar]

We need to start grooming someone for the job.

Whether that's Boyle, Kirkby or somebody we're yet to draft. We need to identify our future full back, plant them there at Box Hill and then expose them to senior level as soon as possible.

As far as our future in concerned, I think we're right for: key forwards, inside midfielders, tough flankers, back pockets and CHB.

We need a young ruckman, a quick, outside midfielder and a full back.

A roving small forward would be handy too, though they can be picked up late in the draft or in the rookie draft.

 

[Gary Shadforth]

At Full Back we have plenty of options in Hay, Jacobs, Beamont maybe even Brennan. I agree with the idea that we need a chf and i rekon its worth going for someone like a Ryan Okeefe, Brad Miller or a Luke Mcpharlin. Realistically it will be hard to recruit a chf lets face it they r worth GOLD!! Clubs wont get rid of them!!

I keep saying it! We have the talent amongst our youngsters to breed a gun for the CHF position. I don't see Ryan OKeefe, Brad Miller or a Luke Mcpharlin as any more talented than, say, Luke Brennan, Jarryd Roughead or Tim Boyle to be groomed for the position.

Besides by buying the likes of the three you suggest, Jimmyboy9, IMO, means we are not giving the kids we have a chance - hone them in first before thinking about others who are not, currently, impressing all that much.

Go for our present options and avoid disharmony, I say.

 

[Alex_au]

At Full Back we have plenty of options in Hay, Jacobs, Beamont maybe even Brennan. I agree with the idea that we need a chf and i rekon its worth going for someone like a Ryan Okeefe, Brad Miller or a Luke Mcpharlin. Realistically it will be hard to recruit a chf lets face it they r worth GOLD!! Clubs wont get rid of them!!

Jacobs is not suited to play on opposition fullforwards, he is more of a 3rd bigman in defence. Beamont is not fullback material either.

A player like Scarlett or Mcfarlene would do wonders for the club. We could then let Croad roam in our forward line for a couple of quarters a game maybe.

I see little point in recruiting a key CHF when that is the position Roughead and Franklin will be holding down for the next decade. As for them develoing it will not take that long, just keep giving them games and they will improve fast. Carlton's Jarryd Waite and Richmonds Jay Shultz havent been around for long but are producing some good signs when they are both on the park.

 

[Nightwolf]

Leave Hay alone, hes doing fine this year, his disposal will gradually improve....But id be training Boyle to fill that position if Hay comes under injurya gain....

 

[lasher]

chris mew was not big , he was a great reader of the play and a terriffic spoiler on all sized opponents ...
yes we need a third tall for our backline because jacobs is'nt giving us anything ...
what about letting thurgood mature , put on a bit of weight and making him our CHB .. he is a great spoiler and reads the play well , he just has to fine tune some other aspects of his game and he could be our answer ...
that would free up croad a bit more aswell and allow boyle and roughy to play forward ..

with franklin , roughy , boyle , williams , little and miller up forward i think thats ok ..kirkby will need maybe a bit longer ..
also if we got a good quality young mobile ruck , spider could go forward aswell .. tell me an opposistion coach would be looking forward to matching a forward structure with those blokes ...

 

[celtic_pride]

Do you want Luke Livingstone ?
You can have him ...

 

[mattyc2422]

Mcpharlin , Scarlett anyone for Hawthorn 2006 ?

Please don't mention that weak mummys boy name in relation to our future again.

 

[ViperV10]

Tim Boyle for FB!

 

[Hawk Dork]

We will need a new Spida and Crawf soon too

 

[Grendel]

So long as they identify a need 'x' years down the track for any position, fb, ff, ruck, rovers, wings.. even HBF'S and recruit with a team balance in mind, I'll be happy.

Kirkby, Boyle, Dawson, Murphy even Little to an extent (size is a worry.. but it's not stopping Willo atm) I think are at least being looked at as long term kp replacments. Roughead and Franklin were the emergency jobs (had to get them NOW) of real quality that will hopefully come through sooner rather than later.

It's the mess the list has been left in that's the problem with that lack of 22-28y/o's of any quality currently established 100/150 gamers. We don't have many and hence, are now blooding a lot of kids to try and fill the void.

We need a fb being groomed. We need a chb being groomed, chf, ruck etc etc etc. About the only area we're (sort of) right is the centre. Four (Mitchell, Ries, Lewis, Sewell) is a good balance.

That's why I'm still more than happy to go again to the draft and try and recruit quality via unknown kids rather than trade away for the short term.

Us or Carlton for instance? Who had the better season last season? They may (if they get their act together) still even have a better win/loss ratio this season once it all pans out.

Next season, the season after that? That's when the work being done now will start to come to the fore.

 

[lasher]

So long as they identify a need 'x' years down the track for any position, fb, ff, ruck, rovers, wings.. even HBF'S and recruit with a team balance in mind, I'll be happy.

Kirkby, Boyle, Dawson, Murphy even Little to an extent (size is a worry.. but it's not stopping Willo atm) I think are at least being looked at as long term kp replacments. Roughead and Franklin were the emergency jobs (had to get them NOW) of real quality that will hopefully come through sooner rather than later.

It's the mess the list has been left in that's the problem with that lack of 22-28y/o's of any quality currently established 100/150 gamers. We don't have many and hence, are now blooding a lot of kids to try and fill the void.

We need a fb being groomed. We need a chb being groomed, chf, ruck etc etc etc. About the only area we're (sort of) right is the centre. Four (Mitchell, Ries, Lewis, Sewell) is a good balance.

That's why I'm still more than happy to go again to the draft and try and recruit quality via unknown kids rather than trade away for the short term.

Us or Carlton for instance? Who had the better season last season? They may (if they get their act together) still even have a better win/loss ratio this season once it all pans out.

Next season, the season after that? That's when the work being done now will start to come to the fore.

i don't think little is being looked at as a KPP grendel , he's pretty small , i reckon if he keeps improving we could have him and williams in our pockets ..
both are capable of kicking bags , both are good marks and kicks ..
put them along side roughy at fullforward and have a half forward line of boyle , franklin and kirkby ..
i still think that when he fills out a bit , this year and another good pre-season under his belt , that thurgood could play CFB , wouldnt be unlike chris mew .. not big , but reads the play well and is a good spoiler ..
that could free up croad to fullback for the latter part of his career ..be a bit like mew and langford ..
just a thought anyway ..

 

[Gary Shadforth]

Chris mew is being recalled in this place as not being big. I consider anyone 6'4' 'big', albeit Chris was lean in build. He was a top centre-half-back of his era ... I loved his long stretching arms taking safe contested marks under pressure. Mind you, any pressure he was under was supported magnificently by the players around him at a time when the Hawks were the boss of the crop.

 

[Grendel]

Many memories of Teddy running the wings early in his career (and very well too). Was intially surprised 81ish when he first started being slotted back (when Knights really started to take over chf) in defence. Way to lean at the time from my pov.

But he got that 'long' strength akin to Tucky eventually. Rarely shifted off-ball and superb judgement of the flight of the ball. Wish we had him now (though the bloke currently wearing 24 is doing a none to shabby job just the same).

Lasher, re the Little comment, can't see it myself (kp) either. Yet it's not stopping Willo and Little is 187cm's so he's not that far off in height terms (long way off weight terms atm). Reckon you're right he's looking far more likely as a flanker/pocket type but.. his cousin did alright without the lack of cm's on more than a few occasions as a chf or ff (or rr, centreman.. but his cousin's a freak). If young Matty turns out to be the player that James has been.. I'll be more than a little happy.

 

[lasher]

Many memories of Teddy running the wings early in his career (and very well too). Was intially surprised 81ish when he first started being slotted back (when Knights really started to take over chf) in defence. Way to lean at the time from my pov.

But he got that 'long' strength akin to Tucky eventually. Rarely shifted off-ball and superb judgement of the flight of the ball. Wish we had him now (though the bloke currently wearing 24 is doing a none to shabby job just the same).

Lasher, re the Little comment, can't see it myself (kp) either. Yet it's not stopping Willo and Little is 187cm's so he's not that far off in height terms (long way off weight terms atm). Reckon you're right he's looking far more likely as a flanker/pocket type but.. his cousin did alright without the lack of cm's on more than a few occasions as a chf or ff (or rr, centreman.. but his cousin's a freak). If young Matty turns out to be the player that James has been.. I'll be more than a little happy.

little won the goal kicking in the TAC last year playing fullforward for the cannons who also won the flag ... i reckon he's surely got to have potential as being a very handy FP for us .. i agree willo is doing well , but like clarkson said , we wont win a flag with a small fullforward .. when roughy matures and hopefully he is bred into FF , it will give us a formidbale combo down there with a big tough roughead as the key and two fast leading , safe marking , acurate kicking pockets ...
be a long time before we see a player of hirds ability but like you said , if little turns out half as good we're on a winner ...

RE : CHB , maybe thurgood does lack some height for the role but i reckon he certainly shows he has the courage and ball reading skills ..if he fills out a bit , and i mean they get him on a good gym program , i reckon he could do the job ..

boyle could be another candidate for the backline , not sure what his role has been with boxhill each week but he has played forward a bit .. how has he done when played down back .. do you know ??

 

[Gary Shadforth]

RE : CHB , maybe thurgood does lack some height for the role but i reckon he certainly shows he has the courage and ball reading skills ..if he fills out a bit , and i mean they get him on a good gym program , i reckon he could do the job ..

I'd be more than pleased if what I'm stating here comes back to haunt me. But I have an inner feeling that "Ragdoll' Thurs will not make it at AFL level, unless he bulks up, dramatically. I cannot see him being CHB or, for that matter, holding down any other position in a vigorous take-no-enemies Hawk's side. Sorry, it's just a gut feeling I have.

I would go as far as to say, Rags will play few games for our team over the next two seasons. The 'think again' decision by the selectors to replace him at the eleventh hour against the Demons last Friday evolved from a school of thought that he is far from physically up to it in our new vigorous style Hawthorn.

OK, boys and gals, shoot at me - but not from the hip with a revolver, use the barrel-sight of a rifle ... check it for accuracy.

 

[rph]

I'll back Thurgood to make it as an uncompromising back-flanker who has good hands and application to a task, a build like Tucky and will play a bit like he did off the half back line for his last 7 years