ITS TIME FFS, BRING HIM IN !
Just bring him in heās a utility can play anywhere.
Francis is actually the ideal replacement for Stringer (yes, I know he hasnāt played the role at VFL):
- start in the middle for 5 minutes on the ball at the start of each quarter
- then have 3-4 minutes on the bench
- then back on and play deep forward
The role suits him to a tee.
Go on Worsfold, show some daring.
He has to come in for Ambrose. Surely.
what about dea, it isnāt fair. iāve had enough now i want my share canāt you seeeee
thatās probably what will happen.
Wtfā¦ 3rd tall defender suits him to a tee. He was tried as a forward and sucked.
Didnāt suck at all (looked very dangerous versus Brisbane). But I agree that we should be playing him as a rebounding defender at this stage. Let him get up to speed in the ones watching the game unfold in front of him.
They throw him fwd all the time in VFL
Knows where the goals are and can roost from outside 50. Plus freakish overhead.
Heās played plenty of it in juniors.
Looked great in 1st quarter of Pies game last year fwd but had zilch fitness.
If he is needed fwd itās where he plays and frankly we should have plenty of ball coming his way vs GC so wonāt be short of opportunity.
Dare I say Stringer like?
Wasnāt he originally a forward but asked to go back to improve his game?
Is most natural spot is defence but yes he has played forward for a fair share aswell. Played one game in the 18 championships up forward kicking 4 goals I believe
Iām sure that if the selectors told him he was only going to replace one of the tall defenders butā¦thereās this vacancy to replace this guy whoās got a similar skillset to you, but heās playing forwardā¦would you like to give that a go?
Iām sure heād say noā¦leave me in the backline n the magoos.
Only alternative is to play Stewart, or Laverde if heās fit.
Iām still happy we took him even if he is never able to reach his potential, how can you not get excited as a recruiter when you have 18s highlights like this
4 goals 5 so would fit right in.
One clip a forward make.
Didnāt he do much the same thing for West Adelaide up forward in 2015?
Did you watch any of the vfl with him forward? He looked poor. Didnāt read the play anywhere as near as good as he does as a defender, and although he had a couple of highlights, he has been monumentally more impactful as the 3rd tall interceptor.
If we play him forward I may just have a WOB moment.
Meeting Francis using numbers, which shows how exceptional he has been.Francis vs Vic Metro took 12 marks (11 intercept mark) his courage & great hands backing back into packs was a real feature.
Vs WA Francis had 22 possessions, 4 goals, 5 behinds, total 9 shots & laid 6 tackles, 2 which resulted in shots for goal.
Champion data rated Francis the 6th best player in the championships behind 1. Hooper, 2. Mills, 3. Schache 4. Weitering, 5. Parish.
Given Francis has spent the majority of his year on half back, comparing the South Australian with fellow highly rated defender Weitering makes for interesting reading.
Francis took 14 contested marks across the championships, 27 intercept marks and recorded a tally of eight spoils. Weitering had 16 contested marks, 19 intercepts and 12 spoils.
While the numbers are relatively even, thatās without factoring in the time Francis spent forward.
Remarkably, he also recorded 13 shots on goal in addition to his superb defensive numbers. Only Schache and Ben Ainsworth had more shots in division one.
Just play him as a third tall john.
playing him forward will be like playing Hurley forward all over again, but worse. The club will live to regret it. Toughen the dark up, cut the deadwood from the backline, and play him where he can dominate ffs