why does Francis have to come in? Ridley is doing perfectly fine
Francis has marking power that is better than Ambrose , Ridley or Hurls.
Hurley would be the ideal lockdown replacement for Ambrose, but its a role that requires a lot of self discipline. TBH Francis is better than Ridley at this point, but is Francis available for selection?
He is. But we also have to be cognisant of player management. Giving Ridley 3-4 games in his second season will do wonders for him. He has already signed a 2 year contract extension, so there are no issues for him leaving us.
Francis is almost ready to play AFL. He is a 3rd year player who needs to be given time in the senior team to show we have faith in him, and would want him to stay on beyond 2018. Francis at his best will demand a spot in the team, and someone has to make way for him.
I may be outraged that Hurley may be brought in and may aggravate a hamstring.
LOL⌠Francis has better marking power than Hurley. 
âŚno, he doesnât.
Everyone on our list has better marking power than Hurley.
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Donât get me wrong, Hurls is one of our best players, but for some reason he is taking chest marks when ever possible these days, just to illustrate this. Ambrose averages almost double the number of contested marks as Hurley in 2018
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Of course he does. Hurley doesnât have a direct opponent most of the time. Its all down to Hurls change of roles. Put him back in a defensive, one on one mode and heâd return to the beast we knew. He hasnât lost it, just because heâs playing the role asked of him and following team orders.
But to compare him to a VFL player that has achieved literally NIL is insulting.
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In the 5 AFL games Francis played in 2016 and 2017 he averaged more contested marks than Hurley has in any year since 2012. Hurls has turned playing off his man into an art form, and tbh Francis is like a clone of Hurley in that respect, but he is better overhead imo. Can Hurls successfully return to a more accountable role ? If he can, both Francis and Hurls could play in the same defensive unit, otherwise they are so similar in style its hard to make a case for them both.
Itâs interesting to note that Hurley didnât start last year as the floating unaccountable loose man. He started in his regular role early on, but struggled against the likes of Michael Close.
By the time Taylor Walker ripped him apart, it was becoming obvious that heâd lost some touch in the one on one battles, and the number 1 job started going to Ambrose / Hartley.
I donât reckon his inability to win a one-on-one contest is due to his role, I actually think itâs the other way around.
And as for him being a better mark than Francis⌠Thatâs just silly, even at his peak, contested marking was never his thing. His hands are too farked.
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You shouldâve stopped after this⌠5 games? Seriously?
Francis hasnât beaten anyone of note at AFL level. Let alone played a meaningful string of games in 1 season, let alone over many years as Hurls has. Sorry, there is no comparison. Francis has potential, but realised exactly none of it. I hope he does become the player we envision he could, but he is so far off it we should be comparing him to anybody, let alone calling him better than Michael Hurley, dual All AustralianâŚ
In reference to the âcan they play togetherâ, I think they can. We are obsessed with this back or forward thingâŚ
T Daniher, back or forward?
M Harvey, back or forward?
Lucas, back or forward?
Hurley, back or forward?
Ambrose, back or forward?
Carlisle, back or forward?
Hooker, back or forward?
Hurley, Hooker and Francis can kick a goal. Give them half a quarter up forward, itâll keep the opposition guessing and chasing us.
To me, yes we want a settled backline, but with injuries, one of Ambrose, Hurley, Francis etc are really all available. You also have rotations during the game.
They can play in the same side. Its fine, really. I think all defenders, whether in the rebounding / intercept role or not, need to be able to stop an opponent on any given day. If a forward is winning the battle with a particular defender, swap defenders. It happens all the time (and happened about a dozen times in a game I watched one day v Geelong in 93).
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Jeez, I wonder why we actually play young players. I can just see Hurls, Hooker, BJ all being handed walking frames so they can make it off the field in 2025, and then we wonât have to âgiftâ games to Guelfi, Francis, Clarke, Redman, and Mutch because they havenât beaten anyone of note.
In comparing Francis to Hurls its simply to justify that he is ready to play at AFL level, not that he is already an AA player.
Your first paragraph is irrelevant to our debate here. I wasnât saying anything about playing youngsters or other.
What I was saying is, Francis has not performed to a level that has had him ready to play AFL, even as a âyoung playerâ being given an opportunity. If he had, he wouldâve played!
I was referring to your assessment of his marking abilities at AFL level based on 5 whole games, which I think is ridiculous. I think he should be played, by the way, and I think we should be playing all our youngsters that are showing something ahead of the older players who are not performing and not the future.
Benny, I am happy to rest my case, and maybe we can discuss again at the end of the season, after ( hopefully) Francis gets a block of games and we can see how they compare to resolve the dispute on the question of who is a better mark at this point in time.
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By that token you must believe Brent Harvey is 90 times the contested mark Aaron Francis is.
Hurley might as well be wearing these when he attempts to mark overhead
http://www.novelime.com/products/product/17012412/lobster-claw-hands/
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Really. Francis in after 1 good game. And to replace another kid who has more than done his role.
I think peopleâs fantasies are running away with them a bit. Francis will get his turn, but I would be absolutely staggered it was this week.
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We will miss him down back thatâs for sure. Letâs hope Hurley has rediscovered his aggression and remembered how to defend
Francis was bog in the last game, and we need to replace a defender. However, Francis should only come in when all parties agree he is ready.
Nice selective quote.
Duty of care.