Hasn’t been much action in this thread lately.
anyone got an opinion on this fella?
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I just hope they rest him from JLT 2.
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How about that Begley fella. He’s going to be a ripper
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I still have very high hopes for big boy.
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Not sure why the argument is the need and want for him to be a midfielder.
We still have 6 years + for the following midfielders; Heppell, Zerrett, Smith, Shiel, Langford, Parish, McGrath. 7 players already pretty much cemented into starting 22. Then you have fringe/ youth of Guelfi, Clarke, Mutch and Mynott. For the time being we also have Myers and Zaka at our disposal.
I look at that starting 7 mainstayers I’ve listed and don’t see the need of another attacking mid but a defensive mid. Players that come to mind outside the 4 fringe/ youth options are Redman, McKenna and Ridley. Hell id rather see Gleeson playing as a defensive mid/wing then an attacking Laverde mid.
The vacant spot currently and most likely for the next 6 seasons is on a half forward flank. 190 cm, strong, good hands, decent field kick. I’d rather see Laverde owning half forward like Adelaide’s Lynch, Richmond’s Caddy and/ or Melbourne’s use of Vandenberg and Melkshem. All hard at it, fit, low but effective possession types, marking and tackle ability pseudo midfielders.
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Laverde offers height and talent in the mid / fwd rotations. Most of our mids are midgets, we need tall blokes to balance that out. The club has played him every opportunity that he’s been fit enough. There is zero chance we get through the year with our best 22 on the park each and every week so Laverde will play games if only to cover injuries. He’s going to be hungry, expect presence when he finally gets his midfield time this year.
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It’s clear that the club wants as many players who can rotate between the forward line and the midfield as possible. A player with Laverde’s attributes is perfect for that, if he can get some physical continuity into his game. It’s doubtful he’ll ever be a fulltime midfielder, but then again there’s only a handful on the list that are or will be, given the way the current setup works
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If anything, being a dedicated full time mid is a weakness as you can’t rotate into another role. I think we want flexibility from all players, keep throwing fresh legs at the contest and rest those who are tiring in less strenuous positions. With limitations on rotations, this is critical.
Also, the traditional roles like HFF, wing ect are basically starting positions nowadays. The structures have become far more complex than the crowd can really understand and follow. Saying someone is a traditional HFF or whatnot isn’t overly relevant to what I see of modern structures.
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You’re only as good as your last game.
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Hes a fkg forward. Nothing else
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If he gets his body (and his head) right, I reckon he’s going to surprise a lot on here with how versatile he is.
Best I’ve seen him play was in the VFL late last year as a mid, and the idea of Stringer and Lav swapping with each other between the centre and the forward line is a bit tantalising.
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I’m all for adding more blokes to the midfield rotation, although my guess is that he’ll still spend most of his time forward (and likely play his best footy there).
My question is: does he have the polish and quick hands to be that bigger-bodied, contested midfielder we want? Unsure.
He’d be great to throw in there for a few minutes a quarter through, perhaps rotating with Stringer & Langford between mid/fwd.
So precisely what plenty on here said about Langford this time last year?
You may be right, but pretty limited body of work to be so conclusive. Still plenty of development left in him.
I just want him to put 10 games straight together without getting injured. Dont give a ■■■■ where he plays.
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Considered to have more upside than Degoey when they were drafted by many. A better athlete. Haven’t seen his elite leap or explosiveness at the top level. Could be devastating. I’m tipping him to deliver this year. Will be a serious player. Stage is set.
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Gee those people turned out to be bad judges
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I had DeGoey at 6 and Laverde at 10
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He showed his leap once in a game against geelong, it was immediately followed by the explosivness of his shoulder
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Do we though? I’m not really sure having someone in the midfield 190cm+ is a prerequisite. We’ve already got Hep and The, plus Stringer demonstrated that he was quite capable in there by season’s end. I’m not a fan of having him in there just because he’s tall.
Edit: I forgot about the protector of the kids too, Mr. Myers!
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What I think we need are guys that can catch it overhead and create a threat forward which invariably(but not always) correlates with height. That’s the one weakness our midfield has. We just don’t have a group of players (with exception of Stringer) that can roll forward with equal ability on the ground and in the air. As an example Collingwood in 2019 will roll De Goey, Beams, Sidebottom, through there. All who will threaten. The other piece is that added height gives you further marking options during stationary play further up the field where space is hard to find. For that reason I think Laverde and say a Ridley would be great to have as an inside/outside options who would provide us with greater versatility and marking power. And I also think we need to ask more of Langford, Myers and Hepppell to become forward line threats, but also genuine outlets in the field of play (Hep already does that well, the other guys less so).
I often look at the 2000 side. Everyone was good overhead or could find space brilliantly to get it on the lead… and all were about 6ft 2… ! Through the midfield Blumfield was a gun overhead, Heffernan very solid, Misiti strong, The jets in Hird, Mercuri (played much much taller), Caracalla was just clever in the contest…
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