Somerville was a ■■■■■■ average
He was better than ok from about 93-97/98.
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He had one year where he was good - Salmon’s last year.
Not half the player of Hille. Real case of rose tinted glasses.
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I know our ruck situation is bad, but reminiscing about the Somerville days? Yikes.
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I think our key position stocks are good, but as everyone is saying we need a ruckman that can win hitouts and is decent around the ground. Pull a Richmond and get someone like Nankervis. Hopper would be handy as well. I wouldnt be opposed to throwing some money at someone from GWS like Greene, who would want more than GWS can afford, even if we would have to move on one of the returning players that are earning a bit.
Wait a year for it to really sink into Nicholls the chance he’s blown of being #1 ruck, then grab him cheap.
F[quote=“rossoneri, post:258, topic:10164, full:true”]
It seems that every year we can clean out 6-8 players, how does this keep happening? We have a decent bunch of mids coming through but we are still short in that department by a couple.
Defense sees us need a good small defender and another KPP.
And as said above, we need a ruckman. We haven’t had a consistent ruckman since Somerville. Salmon came back for a year (or two) and was good, as was Allan for a season and a bit. Hille then came up, played a great season or (if he didn’t make AA he was very close), then did his knee. Finally got a good season or two out of Ryder then he went all Judas on us. We desperately need a ruckman who will end up being the same sort as a Jacobs, Martin, Goldstein etc.
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Not sure what you have been drinking, but I never saw John Somerville play in the ruck. Think his son Peter did, and he was a consistently beaten ruckman.
Actually Luenberger is a very good ruckman who at least equal led that Crows bloke last Saturday. He got lots of hit outs, just our Players could not seem to capitalize on it. Reckon it will gel as the season goes on.
It’s a bizarre call.
12 years on the list, for 2 as the actual clearcut #1 ruckman, one of which he was actually what I’d call good and one where he was servicable.
ross screams now if we draft someone who takes 3 years to get into the best 22. I’m guessing ross is about my age, and I used to love Ricky Olarenshaw, and it took me a lot of old tapes to realise that my love for him was maybe a bit more about me being 8 at the time and a bit less to do with how good he actually was.
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Hey! Dont forget the spongy floor, luey will come good
Not really. I would expect a midfielder taken in the top 10 or so to make it straight into our best 22, considering how good our 22 has been the past few years. Bigger blokes take longer
Hille was a very good player for Essendon over a long stretch. Somerville was an average player over a long stretch who was eventually dumped for an ageing and delisted John Barnes and Jonathan Robran. (Hille’s pick was also gained in the Robran trade)
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That’s still impatient. There’s been many top ten picks, besides KPPs who haven’t established themselves immediately.
How does 8 years grab you?
Would you have been whingeing about Hird after his first year?
Jobe Watson?
Now what about Orazio Fantasia??
Neither of them had any impact in year 1, for various reasons.
None of those names are, I’ll grant you, in the Peter Somerville class.
But what your ridiculous example does show is sometimes you persist with guys, because you see something in them.
Probably not 8 years, but more than maybe their output would dictate. Doing stuff like fighting to keep Hird and keeping on Wally and Somerville, despite them not doing that much, was part of what made Sheedy great. It’s just funny now you have the shoe on the other foot because… reasons.
What my ridiculous example did suggest was when they are taken in the top 10.
Which pick in the top 10 was Raz, Jobe and Jimmy?
As for Somerville, think you guys are hazy about how ■■■■ he was in 1999. Early to mid 90s he wasn’t at all as bad as you guys make him out to be. My point was we had a consistent enough ruckman for a few years, we have not been able to get that in 2000s and beyond because they have either been injured or haven’t been any good so we have had to put in these stop gaps (Salmon, Allan, Looney, Barnes ironically after Somerville was delisted in 99)
I genuinely think you’re the only person in the world who’d take Somerville over Hille or Ryder. He couldn’t hold a spot over Simon Eastaugh FFS.
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I’d take Somerville over Hille in a heartbeat. Hille was a very average ruck. Somerville was marginally better.
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Although the midfield will be the focus, don’t be surprised if the we might sniff around Jasper Pittard as a free agent.
Mids and rebounding backs will be a focus and I think Adrian mentioned as such on Bomber radio.
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Mids and a ruckman please. I’d like a key forward, but only if we unearth one similar to how Bruce has emerged at the Saints.
Stewart can still be that man
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Didn’t say that. I said he was the only one we got consistent use out of. Hille had his great couple of years, then did his knee. When he came back was played out of position.
Still trying to find the post where I said I preferred Somerville over Hille. If you can find it please share it here