Yep, loading up on ‘elite Key position players’ is 1990’s stuff.
You just need serviceable key defenders and key forwards. And make sure your midfield and small forwards are elite.
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Who are Collingwood’s elite key forwards?
When did I say they had any?
But whilst they are very good without them, that does not mean they wouldn’t be better if they had 2 join them.
4 of the last 8 premiers had 2. 4 did not. To say it’s the way of the 90s is cherry picking at its finest.
Absolutely agree you want to have quality mids and quality small forwards, but that does not preclude you from also having 2 quality key forwards.
Most clubs don’t have 2, because they are hard to come by, not because they don’t want them.
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Langford and Wright are better players than Hipwood and Gallop
Langford, when he’s fit, is maybe a Mihocek equivalent on a good day. Wright is utterly useless and I disagree completely.
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I find Blitz rates Wright extremely harshly. Wright averaged 1.5 goals, 10.4 hit outs and 1.5 contested marks a game.
Only two other players averaged at least 0.8 goals, 5 hit outs and 1 contested mark a game - Thilthorpe and Jackson
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He’s fine as a chop out key forward/ruckman.
The main issue I have is his inability to compete in the air sometimes….. and also that we are too top heavy.
A forwardline of Caddy, Wright and Langford is enough….. we shouldn’t have another tall in the forwardline.
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It’s funny to me that there’s a reputation that Wright doesn’t take contested marks, yet he was 15th for contested marks per game this year
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What were his averages the 2/3 years prior? I felt he looked a lot more competitive overhead this year. Don’t know if that reflects on the stats sheet or not… but I’d be surprised if he was near top 15 those years.
I’m more talking about when he is out of position, and a key defender is blocking him from contesting the ball….. he tends to give up.
Caddy (for example) will do everything he can to get to the contest, and bring it to ground.
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Sorry wasn’t having a go at you. I just find the narrative around wright baffling.
Wright’s a giant, if he wasn’t taking contested marks it would be a sick joke. He’s not useless, that was harsh, but now comparing him to Thilthorpe? The original discussion was teams not needing a couple of high class tall forwards. If you’re elite enough in every other department probably not, but in our case, we have one promising kid and thus far a clutch of jobbers, including Wright, and nary a small forward in sight. Kako is apparently required in the middle now.
When the whips are cracking in finals you need a midfield that has quality and depth.
It’s why teams like the Crows got found out with their trash midfield. Can have the best forward line in the competition but worthless if your mids aren’t up to it
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But we’ve got Parish, Merrett and McGrath.
Our midfield is complete!
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1st for contested marks with his eyes closed though
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IMO he’s not actually a really good contested mark (and that’s what separates him from the absolute top tier) but I do think he consistently puts himself in very good positions. I’d be intrigued to see some more advanced stats, percentage of contested marks vs opportunities.
I’ve never seen much evidence of this ‘giving up’. Didn’t pay much attention to him at GC.
I don’t think it’s so dichotomous. There are both forwards and defenders with the capability of playing tall and small, who typically fall in that “in between” height (roughly 187 - 192).
I feel like the typical defensive structure is to have 2 keys, a third tall, an offensive rebounder, 1-2 mediums with some versatility, and 1-2 lockdown smalls. You’d never play 3 Jayden Nguyens, because there’ll still be non-talls that will be too big of an opponent.
Most teams won’t play any more than 1 Nguyen size defender that’s true.
McMerrish is a name gleefully thrown at me constantly by mates. What were we thinking.
If Parish can stay injury free and get some where close to his best it will be like having a new recruit
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The problem isn’t so much Parish’s fitness as it was his tendancy to go to sleep defensively when he wasn’t seeking the ball.
Some say you build your team around player strengths and have Durham and Caldwell covering for Parish defensively, except I’d rather them kicking the ball than Parish.
If we’re letting a player roam ala Daicos then he needs to hurt the opposition with the pill, or be an accountable team player, which Parish is not.
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