I actually agree.
I’m glass half empty this year but the medium term picture is pretty rosy. Our best ~10 kids are gems.
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Still think we need to fast track a couple.
Lang, Lav, Francis, Mutch, Begley, Redman need to play ahead of older players when in form.
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I know he hasn’t been great at VFL but I’d like to see Redman trued off the hbf at some point. I real l y liked what I saw of him last year.
But we could be playing Ben Howlett, as a forward! Pressure! Kicks goals! Clearances!
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Let’s run with Howlett, Bird and Stanton as our starting midfield that should set our future up.
I wasn’t happy when they signed Howlett, he is proving my concerns correct.
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I don’t mind Benny, but he’s just about our slowest mid with the fewest tricks, shocking anyone still thinks he’ll make a forward pocket. Don’t reckon he’s had 2 shots on goal in the same match since the Richmond dreamtime game
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I posted this two weeks ago…it was only partially in jest…Myers is my only remaining hope to take over from a fading Jobe, and inject that lacking combination of strength and pace into our midfield. Should have seen it today, but surely next week:
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One more thing - our drafting should be extremely simple. Midfield strength and pace. At least 185cms tall with some explosiveness. Almost every pick.
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Beats me why Dodo drafted Morgan who was known to have bad hamstrings and decided to give footy another crack.
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Dodo has a touch of the Sheeds, loves the diamonds in the rough (for better or worse)…
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Because that’s his m.o.
He’s often looking for players he thinks are undervalued who have the greatest upside particularly after our first pick.
Its the same reason he always looks for half back flankers that will eventually be ‘midfielders’.
He’s had a couple of hits sure, but he has not delivered the quantity or quality of midfielders overall required to compete for a flag.
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Well this draft should be pure mid focused no more HBF’s then trying to turn them into mids.
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Unless they’re like Heppell or McGrath type HBFs.
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The funny thing is that for once we actually do finally have a need for a good half back flank/small-med defender!!
- Kelly is in most likely in his last year
- Baguley is approaching the end quicker than we hoped.
- Gleeson has not showed any real signs of taking the next step towards being a 2 way running back flanker who can negate as well as give us rebound/footskills
- Morgan has serious question marks
- McKenna has some AFL traits but will it come together?
- McNiece on rookie list, mature age. ???
- Dea is serviceable depth
- Ridley is the one we’d hope has upside
- McGrath will transition into the midfield soon
It’s certainly not an area of strength for us. We need to find someone in the mould of Jayden Hunt, Brodie Smith, Pittard, Adam Saad, Zac Williams, Docherty, JJ etc. Easier said than done, I know.
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Even still.
Midfield should still be the priority. its been the weakest link in our team for so long. A good midfield can cover the issues with the forwards and backs. Likewise they can exacerbate them when its poor.
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Oh I agree 1000000%
Focus should primarily be on building an elite midfield.
It’s been below competition average for too long and as you say can cover a multitude of sins fwd and back if you get it right. We’ll have the chance to get another top tier young mid you would think this year to add to Zerrett, Heppell, Parish, McGrath.
Hopefully one with a hard edge to him. I reckon we are a bit meek in there atm.
If we had a dollar for every time this has been posted over the last 15 years we would have paid off the TVSC 3 times over…
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Build the spine then.
Parish’s brother seems to be a solid 190 cm inside mid that is pretty classy.
We have tried that over the past 20 years. Mids, mids and more mids!