Give him a few games to get match for and find form- then he takes Lavs spot
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The hate on Laverde is weird.
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I play Laverde over Baldwin every day of the week. The fact is that if Reid miraculously becomes available, both Laverde and Baldwin will be playing VFL. Both are depth going forward.
You seem to not rate Baldwin.
I didnāt see it as a forward, but as a defender I can.
Really good hands, better than LAVās.
Obviously a nice field kick.
Still want to see how he goes against AFL Level forwards.
There is a player there if his body allows.
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I think he lacks the athleticism for AFL footy.
Only good forward that he has played on is Daniher, and Daniher kicked 6 goals if I recall correctly. Not saying they were all his fault, but he lacks athleticism considering he is not overly tall.
Yep, I think thatās fair.
The injuries may have impacted his ability to work on his speed, so it could improve.
LAV certainly quicker in a straight lineā¦turning though ???
Most big guys canāt turn, so having straight line speed is important.
Whatās keeping LAV in the side isnāt his speed or turning circle or kicking ability. Itās his desperation to not lose a physical contest. He brings physicality that is otherwise rather thin on the ground, itās why Reid hasnāt pushed Lav out when fit.
Baldwin has the potential to take Lavās spot, but heāll need to show heās able to bring it physically at the contest.
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Anyone else worried that Scott doesnāt rate him? I canāt recall if he has ever been picked ahead of Laverde unless there has been some injuries and a reshuffle in defense.
Hope he makes it, bit Iām not sure his internal reputation is as high as on Blitz.
Lav may have the desperation not to lose a one on one / contestā¦ But the fact is he does lose plenty. He gets beaten quiet often in a marking contest.
And even on the weekend he was being played on Carltonās smalls, and at the ground it was clear the instruction was to play though through his opponent.
Yes he tries and never gives in, but when
A) you are a avg-poor kick,
B) give away height when playing on talls,
C) get exposed for agility with smalls
Then Iām sorry but ādesperationā and āphysicalityā isnāt going to cut it.
Baldwin at least offers intercept marking and much much better kicking. I also havenāt seen any issues with his physicality to date.
In my opinion he comes in once match fit.
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Not really, need to move past him eventually if we want to be a top 4 or 6 team
Be interesting to see who has the bigger turning circle - Baldwin or Laverde
Itās not hate
Baldwin is a much better kick
Can play on the bigger forwards if needed
Doesnāt seem to make as many clangers as Lav does
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I really like LAV, and heās probably in career best form. However, if we had all players available, I can see him struggling to get a game. If/when this happens, will he be happy with being a depth player for us? I donāt think heād have much trouble picking up a role with several other teams.
I think in this regard, heās similar to BZT for us. BZTās pure effort is amazing, and I loved having him in our team. But I think heās more valuable to other teams, if we have all our players on the park.
The real question is, will Baldwin and Reid begin to play most of their time uninjured soon?
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Lav has been good.
But playing Baldwin means we donāt have Hepp/Kelly and LAV all in the side.
Baldwin is a piercing kick and better contested mark.
he may need a few games to show he is up to speed though.
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Lav a piercing kick?
What
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Think it was a typo
From the comment following about needing a few games, Iād say it was meant to be Baldwin
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Yep can see now the comment was edited
I donāt think itās hate on Laverde. Itās just recognition that heās an average footballer with some strengths but some big weaknesses, and an obvious position to improve the best 22.
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I donāt think Baldwin is a slow as some would believe. I also think Laverde is not as fast as some believe!! Laverde doesnāt like losing contests so I think his natural competitiveness keeps him in the contest rather than his foot speed. Having said all this I donāt think Laverde deserves to be dropped and Baldwin will definitely need multiple weeks in VFL smashing the door down with performance before heās considered by Brad.
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