Around the ground he would get slaughtered.
Start looking for a more rounded Sammy in 2020.
Will be a very good ruckman in time.
1 Like
This is what worries me about him, the top ruckman are another midfielder or roaming KPP who can take pack marks.
I just donāt see that in him - yet. But can we afford to wait till 2020/21? If Belly goes down with a seriou injury we need a ruckman who can step in.
I think we should be drafting another one in the off season.
Unfortunately rucks of that ilk are pretty hard to come by. And traditionally the draft is a bit of a shot in the dark for ruckmen. Thatās where the state league mid season draft could be interesting, or rookie a big man who has shown some promise now.
It is fair to say that our tackling has improved immensely this year across the whole side.
Smith is obviously a beauty but I still love how much ferocity Zerrett tackles with.
I am a big fan of dishing out a bit niggle after the tackle also to get in the oppositions head.
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I think we could still make significant improvements with our tackling, I still see so many of our players using poor tackling technique resulting in an easily broken tackle or and ineffective tackle which allows the opposition to dispose to a teammate. Most of the good tacklers in the team - Dev, Zach and Tippa - are naturals. Iād love to see the club hire a tackling coach who splits their time between AFL, VFL, VFLW and the NGA.
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Perhaps someone like Billy Slater? Oh waitā¦ shoulder chargeā¦ nevermind.
There is always room for improvement.
I would be very surprised if we donāt already have somebody that teaches tackling technique.
zaka is easily a top 3 tackler in terms of technique, just pins the arms perfectly when he decides to stop corralling.
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Been re-watching some of our games from the second half of the year and canāt say as I really agree, our tackling technique is really good. Pin an arm, hit from the side, drag down. If hitting from the back, pin an arm, drop your knees and drag the player down so as not to get in the back.
We also hit much harder with our tackles this year than we have been.
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Intent wasnāt always there. Technique I agree is OK.
When the sideās switched on, and making quick decisions, itās very very good.
That 2nd month of this year, guys are 2nd guessing which way to go, and the missed tackles and half tackles creep in.
One thing Iām really please about is we have kept Hartley and Ambrose. These 2 given the chance and backing could play key positions for any club and do it well. I often look at other clubs key defenders and think how average they are, but Paddy and Harts have played some great games for the club and are fantastic depth. Their upside is great, and yes, they may have some shortfalls but when playing with confidence they are excellent.
I just hope when Harts gets his chance he backs himself and plays with confidence like the first year he was at the club. He was the no. 1 defender then and under siege but he defended excellently and got up the ground to help setup attack while also using that booming kick to great effect. Have some confidence son!!
Paddy is a beast. He just needs to stay on the park and I think heās a real talent. Heās quick, has endurance and can kick a goal.
If Hurls or Hooker go down, I think we are still in a great position with key defensive backups this year, as with our forwards.
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To win a flag we need
- More inside depth. Heppell and Shiel is not enough. We need someone like Begley to develop and become a consistent contributor.
- Mobile ruck option. On our list currently that is smack. We need him to have a blinder of a year or recruit someone to cover that space.
- Injury free run.
That could actually happen in 2019 but IMO thatās to many āIFsā for one year. We need to continue to build depth.
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Rubbish. This list can now win a flag. Window firmly open.
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I donāt reckon Harts and Ambrose quite got the credit they deserved in 2016.
Playing as a key defender in a team getting continually spanked is tough work, and they both did really well.
While it wouldnāt be ideal, if Hooker and Hurls were unavailable to play, these two can still have us competitive.
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I donāt believe clubs have done their due diligence with recruiting Hartley and Ambrose. Both could easily slot into at least half of the current AFL back lines and would have come cheap.
Unfortunately for these two guys they are missing out on game due to two all Australians and and up and coming gun intercept marker.
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Skills, fitness, strength are obviously needed. But it seems the mental side and the ability to commit to a cause and withstand pressure and be willing to endure the hurt of going back and back again with repeat efforts goes a long way to making a successful side.
Get that mental aspect in place and our list would be in the mix like a number of other teams with that first part of skills and fitness being at an acceptable level. On paper we are in the mix. Itās making it happen consistently during an actual game and during the season that is the key.
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We havenāt signed Harts yet. No guarantee we keep him
Our depth chart currently looks pretty good following the acquisition of Shiel.
Small/Med Def - Gleeson, Francis, Redman, Ridley, Saad, McKenna
Tall Def - Ambrose, Hurley, BZT, Hooker
Outside Mid - Merrett, Smith, Zaharakis, McGrath, Guelfi
Inside Mid - Shiel, Myers, Langford, Heppell, Parish, Mutch, Clarke
Small/Med Fwd - Tippa, Raz, Stringer, Laverde, Begley, Houlahan
Tall Fwd - Daniher, Brown, Stewart
Ruck - TBell, Smack, Draper, Lavender
Thatās pretty impressive depth on every line. A lot of players who can play different roles depending on team need. Hard to see a quality inside mid falling to our first draft position, but if on the table then that would be a bonus. Casting aside the resignings that will likely happen (Hartley, Leuey, Baguley), the draft needs I see are;
- Quick small forward
- Outside runner/wingman
- Tall inside mid
Would also hope the club rookies Hanna/Fletcher for KP depth moving forward. Donāt see ruck as a massive position of need as our depth chart is competitive enough, and the likelihood of a dynamic, mobile ruck option being available at our picks is low.
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Wonder if the GWS connection can help us land Coniglio or Nick Haynes as free agents next year. Considering weāve traded the draft picks that would appear our best hope of bringing in quality.
We will.
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