He will be good back-up whenever……………………………………
I think those three are competing for the same position. Redman and Ambrose are different types of players.
Of those three, Francis is the only one whose contract expires at the end of this season. He seems to have had some mental health issues and also expressed an interest in returning back to Adelaide during last year’s trade period.
Essendon said they were open to facilitating a move, if they could secure an appropriate deal. They probably wouldn’t mind a very high first round pick, considering how many we have given away lately.
It seems almost impossible, but I wouldn’t be gobsmacked if it happened. I thought the same thing about Adelaide and Jake Lever.
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Was tongue in cheek.
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Money, money, money, must be honey in a rich man’s world.
Francis has so much taleyhe needs to be squeezed in somehow.
The back line looks great so no change there. If the Ridley broken hand rumors are true you could look at Francis but with Norths smaller forward line Gleeson or Guilfi could come in.
Francis off the bench playing hi junior role of impact where needed back, mid or forward, the Hird role could be great.
I would drop Myers for Francis, give him a few center bounces Stringer style and have him pop up in bests all over the ground. He doesn’t need to spend more than 70% of the time on the ground but his pose and natural smarts can be game changing.
Bring in Francis
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Yeah that could actually work coz I reckon he for some reason had Myers, Shiel and even Heppell forward for portions of the game. Dropping Myers (a mid) for Francis (forward) gives those bonafide midfielders more time where they should be playing.
Francis. Just. Has. To. Play.
I wonder if they could start pushing Ridley up onto the wing. He is fairly quick and his kicking into 50 would be great. Has a bit of Isaac Smith about him.
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3 days without a Francis post is just too long. Where is the love ?
If he plays in the VFL, then we should at least develop him by playing him midfield or HFF.
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VFL side is seriously scary this week. Might keep that percentage for another week.
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But then we might have to play Gleeson in the backline… it’s too big a risk to take.
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Need to do whatever we can to get Francis back in the side and firing.
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agree. Gleeson can even warm the bench while Francis plays in the AFL team for the rest of the season.
Francis will get back in the side when he deserves to. A couple of speccies per game is not enough, even if coupled with excellent disposal.
Our game is built on fitness, speed and intensity. Francis has never been as fit as he needs to be. He’s had psychological problems too and deserves sympathy and help, but that can’t extend to a place in the team if he’s not fit enough.
And I wouldn’t mind betting that if he really got fully fit — as fit as Smith or Shiel or Saad or … — then his psychological problems would be a lot less of a worry.
His disposal has been at 67.6% this year. Which is a problem when you’re taking the risks he does. Just a little out of touch (like a lot of people). A few VFL games to get his form back is all he needs.
If being as fit as Saad is the requirement to be best 22, we will not see him again this year. If he plays like he did late last year (ie tidy up kicking efficiency, smart use, clean hands), should be enough to find him a spot. The bar for best 22 is not champion status.
When you task risks of cource its going to be down. That stat is useless without perspective. Just like most other stats. The turn overs are punishing but the rewards huge
I don’t agree with that at all. If you’re taking risky kicks out of the back line you need to make sure you execute them. And his efficiency is down on last year when he was doing the same thing.
I agree that the risks he takes are worth it. I wasn’t criticising him, just saying he’s a little out of touch. Anybody could see that.
While I think Francis is best suited to a defensive role because he reads the play so well, there are other options for him. He can play forward, and I’ve also seen him go into the middle in the seconds and play like a wrecking ball. Now, he hasn’t got the tank for that full time, and seniors is a step up, but the point being is that he can compete in a number of different roles. As soon as he’s pigeon-holed in just one role - as it now appears to be the case, as a defender - then his spot will be precarious given our wealth of options.
His situation is symptomatic of a lack of imagination and dare in the match committee and game day. Francis is a rare talent - use him.
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Not sure how he’s going to get fitter playing VFL.
The running requirements are far less. Even more so in a strong side where the ball is played mostly up your end of the ground.
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