Nup, we tried to trade for him the previous year and didn’t have the draft picks to get it done. It just so happens that Sydney were willing to give away picks and players to free up their salary cap.
Doddoro rates him highly. Worsfold clearly does not. That is where the issues lie. When you bring players to the club, and the new head coach has no idea where the list is at and what he needs, this is the result.
Considering he was our best midfielder behind zerrett last year imo, I find it weird he’s not getting a look in. He was more than okay last year and I reckon we need his type inside a contest
In the club intraclub match he looked fantastic and was part of the more dangerous clearance setup. Not sure why Worsfold won’t give him a go.
Thanks for the info, I’d never heard that.
Zaka jogs it for 6 games and Bird can’t get a look in. Fuarrrkk.
We seriously had three midfielders last year.
I’m not sure that compliment is as good as you intended it to be.
Who have we added this year that’s been valuable through the middle? Heppell has been off the boil since round 1, Jobe is cooked, so is stants, hocking/Myers/howlett havent had a look in and colyer is outside. I reckon we could have done worse than giving bird a look as a inside midfielder
Last game aside, Watson’s ordinary form this year is still far superior to anything Bird has produced in his career.
Look, I can see an argument for him being tried, but he’s as much of a stop gap solution as any of Hocking, Howlett etc.
If Woosha had any inclination to use him as a tagger, then that would change things dramatically imo.
But if he’s brought in as a second-stringer / half forward, then it’s a total waste.
Myers was a much better option this week, Bird is probably next cab off the rank.
If Bird and Hocking are playing really well in the twos and not getting a game, it will essentially mean Woosha either;
A/doesn’t believe in tagging
B/ Would rather develop an attacking midfielder instead as part of his overall development plan.
I’d argue that a negating tagger would currently serve us well, but if it’s at the expense of a young kid getting game time developing then it might not be best for the long term.
I think you answered your own question there
He is a a pretty average, slow, inside mid who is according to the coach behind Watson, Goddard, Heppel, Myers, Hocking and a developing Langford. Howlett was played purely as a forward. I dont see an issue with him not being tried yet. Worsfold would have wanted to have a look at Hocking and Myers before making a call. I think Worsfold inside vs outside selection has been right from a team balance perspective, we just need a lift from the guys we are playing.
If an underdone Howlett can get a game before him he may as well hang his boots up now.
I don’t know why he can’t get a game. He was part of a premiership midfield. He played well last year. Our current midfield is short on his type. Just doesn’t make sense to me.
Is he not liked at the club?
Bird last year averaged 20.6 disposals & importantly 6.4 tackles per game, he was also ranked 58th in the league for total clearances from only 18 games. While we didn’t play him as a pure tagger he is still a naturally defensive mid & so far this year we have missed all his attributes. Hocking & Howlett have never averaged more than 20 disposals in a season & Myers only once in 2014 had a very similar year to Bird’s in terms of stats. The fact all 3 have been given games before Bird even with injury queries seems perplexing. Now I’m not saying I think Bird is a long term solution, just that I want to see our best side picked & exposed form tells me that includes Bird.
I want to see our best side picked
I agree mate, when you look at the game against Farkcarlton, it was so wet a mid like Bird would’ve come pretty handy…
Wet Bird.
I haven’t been keeping up to date with his VFL form.
But I’ve become really angry out our clearances this season.
I had a look at our clearance work from last season.
Craig Bird was an important part of our clearance work last season.
We won 2 games for the year. But we won the clearances 14 times.
12 of those games Craig Bird played.
The 6 games in 2016 he didn’t play, we won the clearances only twice.
Time to get him in. He may not make the difference, but it won’t hurt imo.
I could not agree more. I chose him in the panic dollars game as I thought they’d play him against his old side.
Instead Watson pulls out a massive 1 clearance for the game… equaling Josh Greens effort. Let that sink in.
And there in lies the issue for Bird. The selection panel have clearly written him off, and he really does only have one AFL quality skill. But equally so does Watson. Bird in for Watson though may be a move the club is unable to bring itself to make.
They haven’t even tried him.
Must be putting away Woosha’s wife, there is no other explanation
I think it a travesty that after last year he didn’t even get a fkg sniff. Myers has no runs on the board for woosha and played seniors. half the returning 12 got gifted games at the start.
who cares if he can’t kick? jobe couldn’t have hit water if he was kicking in the middle of the pacific for his first handful of games.
Pretty ordinary comment.