2016 we had 4 of 8 main midfielders (in order of total clearances) new to the club, and another 1 basically new to midfield.
2017 we had 4 of 8 as returnees.
Only Zerrett and Goddard have been in that group 2015, 16 & 17.
For 2018 we know Jobe is out. Goddard may drop his midfield minutes. We strongly suspect Smith and Langford will be in. Stringer might get in too.
But it won’t be anywhere near the previous 2 years’ of changes.
I guess it depends on how you define change.
Langford, stringer, Smith and McGrath will all be new additions to the midfield.
I would also expect that Parish and Merrett will be utilised in different ways to last season.
I’m lid off with our midfield but I’m not naive enough to think that a new look midfield under a new midfield coach is not going to have teething problems.
As I stated above I believe we have the depth and quality to help ride out the transition period before starting to hit our straps in the second half of the year.
I think top four is still a realistic target.
Was annoyed how we kept using Merret in the back half during games.
mid/fwd is where he does all the damage.
The kick from half back is just about the most important kick in football, it makes sense to have your best users executing there. A good kick into the middle can open up the whole field and create a scoring opportunity, a bad kick can go on the board against you. The guy who is conservative because he doesn’t trust his skills results in a crowded forward line.
Given the way most sides press up, fall back etc, it makes sense that Zerret gets a lot of ball deep when we transition. I don’t think we want him a ahead of the play, we want him in it. We want him magically releasing tippa and Fanta or spotting up Stewart in a shoe box in the centre of the field.
On a slow build up sure, we want the ball in his hands crossing 50.
Unless we start dominating field position or stopagges this year I still think you’ll see Zerret being a key part of our transition. He’s on record as saying he’s tried to model his game on Sam Mitchell who was the master distributor from the back of the back by foot
That said I’d love to see him get a few hand ball recieves from saad after he’s broken the line.
Goddard was primarily used inside for the first half of the season so Merrett was the obvious choice to drop back considering his kicking skills.
With Saad down there to help and hopefully one of Hartley or Gleeson to step up then we should be better of moving the ball from defence.
Merrett drifting forward will be a dangerous proposition.
I think Hartley and gleeson are better suited to the long switching kick. I’d rather not see either of them chipping into the middle off a step
One of them is going to need to add it to the repertoire in my opinion.
Last season it was to easy and predictable to set up for Hurley’s long kicks out of defence.
We need another elite kick down there and that’s why I like Francis.
Is Franga a elite kick though? I wouldn’t have thought so
Don’t know about elite, … but he’s not bad.
Not sure we’ve had the chance to see enough of them yet … 
Similar to Goddard or Hurley.
Prone to the odd turnover but can break the game open.
He has very good depth in his kicking.
I don’t think Francis’ kicking is comparable to Hurley or Goddard personally.
I think his kicking is “pentrating” but not “elite” or “reliable” as of yet.
Francis’s best kicks ARE better than Goddard’s or Hurley’s… but he makes a lot more fluffed kicks too.
That’s a big call. Bj is one of the best exponents of the 50 metre laser I’ve ever seen. He pulled the trigger on one that released green in the last quarter of round one which was just unbelievable
Very aware it’s a big call. But Francis’s best kicks, 50m bullet passes, are devastating.
Francis also an awesome mark as well
But it’s all irrelevant if he can’t run out games
At this stage he’s a ‘Jack in the pack’ specialist and no chance of bypassing Ambrose or Gleeson until he can get to & maintain AFL level fitness
Best kick I saw last season was Francis against the Dogs at whiten Oval.
It was a 60 metre kick from CHB that went about 5 mtrs off the ground and hit a team mate on the chest with opponents either side.
Francis has a laser and will get consistency with experience
That goal on Anzac day, albeit a completely different type of kick to the one you describe, was very impressive as well. Set shot from 50 he basically walked in and kicked it off one step. Never looked like missing and made the distance easily.
I didn’t watch his junior years but he was described as an elite kick heading into the draft.
I haven’t seen anything to suggest otherwise.
Great post Ivan, re Zach in the back half delivering