Well weāve played Howlett forward for 4 years and about 8 games this year and the common factor across that span of time is weāve looked terrible up forward. Green has played about 15 games and barely touched it but weāve largely looked slick regardless.
Canāt see how anyone could come to that conclusion.
Agree. Thereās more to Green than just raw numbers. He seems to create space off the ball and/or get to the right space when needed. However it is we are trying to set up, he suits it.
Henry, Howlett clearly plays as a midfielder resting as a forward. I would find hard to believe that anyone puts better tackling pressure on than Howlett. Averages 4.25 tackles (versus 3 for green). Averages 3 I50 per game versus 2 for green. Howlett also averages about 4 more possies. Such numbers show heās probably playing as a midfielder.
Sure, he hasnāt had a great year, but also hasnāt exactly had a run at it.
The argument would be that āIFā Howlett played permanently as a forward, he would provide better pressure than Green.
We play on weekends, you should try tuning in. Howlett is in 40.
McDonald-Tipungwuti is in 43, Colyerās in 32, McGrath is in 1, Merrett in 7, Green wears 15.
Pay close attention and youāll see the difference.
Buddyā¦ I think you need to read my posts properly.
IF Howlett played permanently as a forwardā¦ Heād add more value than Green.
I think people overate the correlation between height (or lack thereof) and speed pressure. Green applies less than what is perceived.
For every goal Green kicks he misses a sitter (and sometimes even burns a team-mate). He lays few tackles, and his opponent often runs off him.
Howlett is a defensive team-first player who has lead our tackling count like 5 times! I would back this guy in a final more so than Green (IF played permanently) as a forward.
Howlett. Seriously? Heās kicked 1 goal in 7 games. Begley got twice that in one game on debut. Langford got twice that and more possessions than any of Howlettās in the game before he was dropped.
Howlett is slow, his kicks now lack penetration and because heās lost speed he has become a poor decision maker. Heās shown he does not kick goals as a forward nor get possessions as a midfielder. Itās time to move on.
Howlett forward move was made in 2013 after he had been (to that point) a pretty effective albeit blue collar mid.
It did not get much return in 2013
It did not get much return in 2014
It did not get much return in 2015
It was not missed in 2016
And we have resumed transmission in 2017
Ben
Howlett
Is
Not
A
Forward
He is not a forward because of what made him a handy mid. ie that he is almost always drawn to the contest. He canāt leave a scrap alone. Forwards need to have the instinct or nous to create space, and the legs to be able to get into space. Forwards also need to have the legs to be able to chase and pressure across wider spaces than just the clearance. Added to that heās lost whatever touch he did have for reading space and finding the leading forward. All of this is blindingly obvious if you watch him for even one game, and heās played about 70 as a forward.
And itās blindingly obvious that Green has the instinct and the pace and can read space and leads.
Josh Green is a forward.
Seriously. Take off your Essendon goggles. If we want a blue collar mid, no problems with Howlett. If we want a forward Iād have allost everyone ahead of him.
That was me - Mutch could play a role if we rejig the team - You could even give McGrath time forward, Laverde a bit of midfield time - This is for one game only, seeing that Fantasia will probably return if we play finals.
Settle down Harryā¦ Youāre acting like Marv (Wet Bandits)
Think you need to go back and readā¦ my one and only real contention.
You can āclaimā that Howlett was a forward, but that doesnāt actually mean that he played there. I can also say that Bellchambers played on the wingā¦
I agree that Ben Howlett is not a natural forward (neither is Hooker), nor is McKenna meant to be a footballer. Having said that, with one round to go, when deciding who to play as a forward who can apply pressure and push up the groundā¦ Iād take Howlett over Greenā¦
The numbers donāt though. Have a look at meters gained, number of possessions, number of goals. Heās played forward and midfield and the numbers donāt stack up nor do the results having been to several games where he is playing.