Even in that play you described it also helped that maynard slipped otherwise he could’ve tackled durham easily, but you’re right it was luck on durham’s side.
1 Like
The only thing that’s frustrated me about Perkins in recent weeks is his failure to convert. He’s had some good looks I would ordinarily back him to kick
By and large we seem to be using him to sit on a big opponent at a stoppage. A pretty negative role for an otherwise attacking player.
That crisp goal he just got caught out not being switched on. It’s like he forgot where he was for a moment, didn’t realise the ball was already in the air and then panicked. It was not characteristic of how he’s played his spoiler role at stoppages this year.
He dropped a sitter on Friday but I would like to see us look for him across half forward a bit more because I like him kicking the ball inside 50.
He’s a bit in between sizes. Not a nippy small forward, not even really a medium forward and the forward line is already a bit over crowded with mediums and not enough genuinely fast smalls.
So Archie is consigned to the secondary mid rotation who is playing a spoiler role to make space for the guys who are more dynamic in the contest - Durham Caldwell Merrett.
It’s alright, he’s filling the role reasonably well and has more versatility in his game than setterfield so it makes sense to persist with him.
He just needs to work on staying in each moment and take his chances when he finds himself on the attacking side of contests. He’s probably a little down on confidence with his recent conversion rate but that will turn at some point and I think you’ll see him draw the ball a bit more when it does.
13 Likes
Still not sure he’s fit enough to get from contest to contest or that he’s necessarily built that way anyway. Watching him live on Friday you can see him get into really attacking positions (often in the middle of the ground or on the centre square side of the wing) when we have the ball in general play or are moving it from D50. The trouble is, we don’t really have enough good kicks to hit him in the positions he’s getting to so I think it’s potentially that he’s doing a bit of unrewarded running and is stuffed afterwards. I also think the team’s instinct/coaching is to go wide initially which means he’s going to be bypassed. It would be good to see him get into some easier positions so it’s easier for the kicker to hit him because as has been said he’s generally a good and smart user.
5 Likes
Have never seen someone play so stoned since Langford and his midfielder days
3 Likes
Can we afford an out of form player in our 22 at a critical stage of the season?
We had about 16 of them in the side prior to last week.
1 Like
Seems to play best in round 1 off like a 6 month break
Maybe we just play him in round 1 and the Grand Final from now on
4 Likes
People say he’s best on the HFF but his best games have been playing on the ball. Hawthorn Rnd 1 23&24 plus Carlton on Cripps last year
1 Like
Absolutely spot on in every respect.
Keep him warm, he will get hot.
Slowly losing interest in him, I hope he gets better, but just seems to have flashes every few weeks
Keeps the female members interested ? Then I guess
That’s true, however he needs to work on his two way running and defensive abilities more
3 Likes
I imagine Scott would like Safe and Boring.
The only realistic replacement for Archies spot is Hobbs.
No one else in the vfl has played that role.
Setterfield, while being a pretty good midfielder, is extremely one dimensional. Tsatas the same.
Aside from Caldwell, who is a complete midfield lock now, Hobbs is the only other mid we have currently available who has played the high half forward/mid role.
Hobbs had a pretty average game this weekend in the VFL so for now Perkins keeps his spot.
15 touches from the position he is playing is not a bad return anyway. I think he’s only very slightly down on form.
4 Likes
A Saints-supporting friend told me that apparently Phillipou requested to play VFL to work on his midfield game. Who knows how believable that is but if it’s true, that’s commendable.
This is the prevailing theory and yet it seems to be Durham and Caldwell who are also obviously running with dangerous opposition mids at stoppages, and being lauded for it. Surely Perkins isn’t doing it as well.
1 Like
Whenever the opposition has a dangerous bigger bodied mid it’s usually Perkins who lines up on them and plays man on man.
Not always though but its the most prominent matchup we do.
4 Likes
Our list is flexible - could rotate Stringer more midfield take Perkins role.
If Perkins main role is running with opposition bigger mid no reason why Setterfield can’t do it.
Good to see Roberts take out the VFL coaches votes this week.
Port Melbourne 11.15 (81) def by Essendon 16.11 (107)
10 Archie Roberts (ESS)
5 Elijah Tsatas (ESS)
4 Will Hoare (ESS)
4 Will Setterfield (ESS)
3 Nick Bryan (ESS)
3 Josh Green (PM)
1 Archi Manton (PM)
4 Likes
I didn’t know this was a thing
4 Likes
Doesn’t Durham do that? He went to the Bont and maybe Cripps (unless I’m mis-remembering that).
Cripps was mainly Stringer at CB, then I noticed Perkins was manning him up around the ground predominantly.
You are correct with Bont though…Durham.
1 Like