Who are our most important players? Our best??

[Boris the Contradiction]

I think it's become pretty obvious in the last couple of weeks that Heath Shaw and Alan Didak, in form, are our most important players.

If I had to name our best players it would come from one of (in no particular order):
-Didak, Davis, Swan, Medhurst, Pendlebury

BUT I think it is evident in the difference between our team in the last couple of weeks and the Carlton game (and most of our really bad games) how important these two are. With our game plan and structure; these two seem to be the ones that make us click and they are always dominant in our really big wins. Shaw played but was in career worst form against carlton (didak was out) and we couldn't get the ball out of defence/rebound and we never looked dangerous coming into our forward 50. All of this despite being pretty even in inside 50s and clearances. This isn't new either, it is a pattern.

We have our most bight/cutting edge inside 50 when dids is there because of his delivery and his cleverness, cunning and vision. Shaw just makes us so dangerous rebounding off half back and when he's out/down/closed down we get swamped. We generally do well in the centre these days either winning or breaking even in the clearances and this makes the other 2 facets even more important.

Medhurst and Davis are our game breakers and are the most likely to win a game off their own boots but they are not as important as these two.

Who does everyone else see as our most important? Who are our best?

*As a side note; I think it is worrying that Davis generally plays his best/most dominant footy when Didak is out. Davis was travelling well last year and then when Didak went out he exploded. This year he has been in the best 3 or 4 mids in the comp all season and as soon as Didak comes back; his form drops, severely. It's weird and it goes back further than those examples. What do other people think?

 

[hellfire]

Pendlebury, Presti, O'Brien, Davis.

 

[Paddywhackers]

Davis, Pendles, Swan, Didak, Presti, O'Brien, Medhurst, Anthony, Shaw.

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

I meant for the lists to be separated..

E.g. 1) Our most important players
2) Our best players (can include players in 1)

I think our top end is very even in terms of ability/contribution but i think the two players mentioned are more important than the others (not better players).

 

[Ketchup]

Cloke is one of our most important players in my opinion, no he doesn't kick bags of goals each week like fev/franklin/roughie etc but when he has a good game leading up, holding everything etc, i can't remember the last time we lost. It was probs the 05 prelim when we last lost with him playing a good game. And that season helps it, he was arguebly AA in 05 (don't think he made it). and we were within 5 points of a grand final birth in the same year.

 

[shawthing09]

Most important in a rough order would be

Pendles - Simply due to the class of player he is, when he has a really good game he sets the team up in so many ways. His ability as a player and the rest of the teams all round ability means we are at a stage where IMO if Pendles is around the best player on the ground it is hard to see us losing. He gets us first use of the ball pretty often and when at his best we are in a better spot after everyone of his possesions.

Fraser - His importance is far more due to the lack of proven alternatives. Wood has shown good signs. However if Fraser went down for a long period we'd all be waiting nervously to see how Wood steps up to the plate.

O'Bree / Swan - I am going to put these guys as a package deal. I think whilst it would be a task we could cover with one of these guys having a quiet day. We would struggle however if both did. These 2 (O'Bree especially) do a lot of the tough body work at stoppages.

O'Brien - I am gonig a little left and including O'Brien above Presti. I think Presti is a star defender. I also think that he and Brown match up on similar type opponents. When Presti does retire Brown will take those match ups and whilst he may not do the job as well as Presti did, I am confident he'll do a pretty good job. Harry on the other hand offers our defence a great amount of versatility. He has the ability to match up on a really wide variety of players as well as offer run out of the defensive 50.

Medhurst - I still think he is our number one foward at the moment. Our entries into the foward 50 look a hell of a lot more dangerous when his around.

Best in no real order. Pendles, Davis, Swan, Didak, Medhurst, Presti, O'Brien

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

Cloke is one of our most important players in my opinion, no he doesn't kick bags of goals each week like fev/franklin/roughie etc but when he has a good game leading up, holding everything etc, i can't remember the last time we lost. It was probs the 05 prelim when we last lost with him playing a good game. And that season helps it, he was arguebly AA in 05 (don't think he made it). and we were within 5 points of a grand final birth in the same year.

I think you mean '07?
I thought he could have been AA that year too, long with Shaw and Lockyer.
He is very important to our structure Cloke, hope things are starting to turn around for him; we need hi firing and I think he needs him firing.

I saw him go up to Dicky and say thankyou after he kicked his goal - really genuine it was. I think that just shows the pressure he is under.

 

[Chief Ten Beers]

everybody out there on the field is the most important player. everyone has to do their job and do it well for a team to go well.

 

[PieBeast]

I know he had a stinker today but i think Pendles is our most important player because of his consistant ability to perform at the high level . Davis is not far behind . Presti and Jack have been very important this year too , kept us alive in plenty of games . Most talented - Didak without a doubt .
And a simple explanation about Davis having quiter games when Dids is arround is that its harder for him to dominate when Didak is having a good game too. Good example today Davis -25 touches , Dids -33 , you can almost guarantee if Didak was out Leon would've got more than 30 touches .

 

[Ketchup]

I think you mean '07?
I thought he could have been AA that year too, long with Shaw and Lockyer.
He is very important to our structure Cloke, hope things are starting to turn around for him; we need hi firing and I think he needs him firing.

I saw him go up to Dicky and say thankyou after he kicked his goal - really genuine it was. I think that just shows the pressure he is under.

Yea i meant 07 my bad.

Cloke showed signs of coming back to form (slight signs but still signs) i know its easy to say that because its agaisnt Melbourne, but you gotta start somewhere

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

Considering the performance of opposition key forwards last year vs. this year, I reckon there's a fair chance that it's Presti.

 

[Pie eyed]

Very good question Rusler.
It needs some consideration.

 

[Frankie23]

As for barometers on how we perform:

Didak, H.Shaw, Presti, O'Brien, Fraser.

You know what you're going to get from Davis, Pendlebury, Swan etc., but those 5 i mentioned are a measure of how well we are playing.

 

[magpies42]

Our most important players are:anthony, presti, swan

the rest come at a dime a dozen in our team we have mutiple didak types, mutiple smallish defenders and multiple classy mids that are tinmanish.

Anthony provides a contest, is a strong mark and his kicking is exceptional. dont like him up the ground tho, he is dumb

Presti- nuf said

Swan- The most influential hard mid in our team atm. Allows pendles to be soft and do his soft stuff.

 

[Daicos Mullets]

Presti's our most important player. He shuts down the opposition's most dangerous forward, which sets up the rest of our defence around him & allows them much greater freedom & run.

 

[the mighty T]

my top 5 in order of most important:

Didak- he is the best user of the ball, our most creative player, a great target up forward. he is collingwoods top to bottom player and i think he is the only man in our lineup who deserves the title of superstar.

swan- gets a lot of the ball and usually disposes quite well. whilst i dont think he has the efficiency to be classed in the elite midfielders yet, he gets a lot of clearances and moves the ball well inside 50. doesnt mind kicking a goal or two either.

Presti- hes our backline general. forget about disposals, as long as hes stopping the power forwards kicking goals hes made a massive impact on the game.

Cloke- today against melbourne was the cloke of 07. at his very best he is definately in our most important players. he is a dangerous forward target and contributes all over the ground. even when hes not on the ball hes involved in some way.

davis- hes evolved in the last 6 months into one of our top 3 players. hes able to go into the middle and win heaps of the ball, or stay forward and kick a bag. a lot like didak, but dids's consistancy over the longrun has gotten him the biscuits.

the last spot is a difficult one, especially with tarks and pendles being up there aswell...but yeah, thats my take on it

 

[Damon_3388]

Considering the performance of opposition key forwards last year vs. this year, I reckon there's a fair chance that it's Presti.

I actually can't wait to see how we match it with Hawthorn now that we have a fully fit Presti, because both Franklin and Roughead killed us last year. It probably had as much to do with their supply as anything, but still. Hopefully Rambo is 150% fit by then as well, and we have Leigh Brown to maybe throw onto Roughead in desperation. Last year I think we had Harry on Franklin and Max and/or Rambo on Roughead, which obviously stretched us a fair bit.

 

[madsta1234]

i think our best players are diffinetly Davis, Pendles, Swan, Didak, Presti, O'Brien, Medhurst, Anthony, Shaw, thomas

 

[Itsblackandwhite]

Just the way didak went and shouldered davey after a turnover cost them a didak goal - Thats what we need - thats what Didak will provide you

Jack Anthony - letting the defender know when he gave away a free kick - those are the signs id like to see more often

Some agression and love for collingwood

I think Didak is our most important player - no doubt about it - He brings the passion - I think Maxwell too - We need more passion on the field

Brad dick now brings the excitement !! Medhurst links us up !!

 

[Camo1902]

Presti & Cloke are super important as key position players.

Fraser, not so much at the stoppages but around the ground (remember the 07 prelim without him before being critical).

Swan and Pendles as the engine room.

And for their creativity and the ability to turn a game on its head Didak & Davis.

The drive created by Heater is super important as well.

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

Fraser, not so much at the stoppages but around the ground (remember the 07 prelim without him before being critical)

Fraser is one who I left out who is probably one of our more important players. That said, I agree with other posters in saying that the only reason for this is a lack of a quality alternative, i.e. we play worse without him there.

I see Shaw and Didak as the most important (moreso than Fraser, Medders, O'Brien, Presti, Swan and Pendles) because we actually play a better type of football when they are up and running. The others being there simply means that we play better football because the quality of the collective is enhanced. Although we are clearly a side with an indirect gameplan we seem to play a faster, more cutting edge/energetic game with these bloke in the team and its the only time the gameplan actually works. Didak was involved in something like 12 scoring chains on the weekend; we use him every chance we get going into the forward 50 because he is our best at spotting up targets and banging them on the chest quickly. He's the one the other players have the most confidence in. Shaw gives us quick ball on the flanks/wings to get it to him. These boys are the links in the chain or at least the ones we want being the links in the chain - and when they're not there the chain breaks and we lose direction.

This is why they are our most important.

 

[Thommo 42]

Josh Fraser is our most important player.

We simply cannot beat the top sides if he is not playing.

 

[forwardflanker]

Josh Fraser is our most important player.

We simply cannot beat the top sides if he is not playing.

Agree with this - we cant afford Fraser to be injured. David is just as important and also our best player imo. Out of all the midfielders he gets the ball in the most dangerous positions and his kicking to targets inside 50 is also the best; and he also kicks goals.

 

[Trojan82]

i think our best players are diffinetly Davis, Pendles, Swan, Didak, Presti, O'Brien, Medhurst, Anthony, Shaw, thomas

Went and put yourself out on a limb there.

 

[#1 pies]

Everyone of our players is important.