Yep, like I said, if the club sees Lavender as that, rather than a pure ruckman, then there is no need to draft another one.
It will be interesting to see what types we do draft, because I agree with you that we don’t need to get inside mids.
Agree but not in the ruck. let him wander half-back to half-forward and be damaging that way. I’d hate to see him come up against some monster like Mumford (yeah I know he’s gone) and get severely hurt.
We have two project ruckman and two capable first ruckman. I think we are good for ruck for a couple of years.
We have a spare KPD in Hearlty/Ambrose competing for a similar role. Francis and Brown competing for the third tall. So we are good for KPD for another year.
KPF, we are playing all of Hooker, Daniher and Stewart. So a project key forward like Boyse would be a good backup.
HFF/FP two guns in tippa and Fanta, plenty of options with Green, Stringer, also mids who can go through there. But I’d like to see us chase a small forward, another developing indigenous kid, more the Jarrah mould, high marking than tippa if we can.
HB/BP baggers is getting on a bit, I’m not sure about McNeice yet, but Gleeson, Saad and McKenna are a good small back combo. We also have Redman as an option to try out. I’d like to see us chase another BP who can kick and is quick if we can.
MIDS, Hepp, Zerrett, Parish, McGrath, Zaka, Smith as the core then you have Langford, Laverde and Myers, Howlett, Bird as the inside players, forwards running through in stints as well. Developing we have Mutch, Begley as bigger guys, Clarke as an inside mid and Long as a wingman. Again I think we have enough to fill the four spots on the ground and bench. Always looking for a new mid though.
Given all that, a KPF, Marking Small Foward, Small defender would be my draft targets. I’d take an inside mid who can kick if there was one too as insurance for our developing players.
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Hartley is yet to be proven, and Ambrose is a lockdown 3rd tall.
IMO
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Agree, to a point. They are good for next year and not enough spots on the ground for more, so I would wait till next years draft.
The problem is - that kind of player takes a while, and doesn’t really come on till 24 or so.
Kerr said we are going to draft a tall
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Probably so no-one takes the midfielder we actually want at 48 but rated at 30 before us.
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Could happen anywhere, any time, any opponent.
Most of the real bad injuries are random chance (Nathan Brown was being spoiled by 5’10” Matt Whelan, Mitch Wallis broke his leg all by himself)
You can’t plan against it.
If we can find the perfect mobile tall (>196cm), then they will offer the list flexibility to become any of:
- A long term replacement for Hooker at FF.
- An upgrade on Hartley at FB.
- A long term ruck companion to Draper.
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I think we’re fine for talls.
I still think we need to blood young mids and give them real responsibility and real minutes on ball.
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Merrett, Parish, Daniher and McGrath all have a bit of upside but the illusive finals win will come from the bigger upside you get from Langford, Laverde getting strong and getting on the ball (eg Crouch boys) , Begley (?) and Stringer. Smith and Saad great pick ups too - they’ve got the mongrel the team lacked a little this year. Mongrel and strength prob the key in finals more than the run (with ball) , accumulation and kicking precision you get from Merrett, Fant, Parish even Daniher. If Hep can put on a little more weight, core and mongrel too… hell.
Best list in comp? -Putting aside a potential bad run with injury, we’ve now got the cattle… the mix of athleticism, height, strength and mental mongrel we need to win against most opposition. Don’t think we need too much else.
Anthony Miles to help the midfield? Could we get as a delisted free agent?
We are going around in circles. I don’t expect him to be best 22, I think he offers cheap depth in an area we have fragile players.
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Young mids under 25:
Hep
Parish
McGrath
Smith
Mutch
Begley
Stringer
Langford
Clarke
Fanta
Young tall backs over 194cm:
Hartley
He is not a upgrade on Bird and I think the Tigers have offered him another year so not a DFA
We play 2 key backs (arguably not even, with how loose Hurley was setting up) and about 8 mids in the 22.
So those numbers seem about right, even more so when you stop ignoring Francis.
We just need to play the young mids in midfield so they can ramp up their learning and development. That should be a huge priority this coming season.
I’m not against adding another key tall, I kinda just don’t care: they are going to be a late late pick, and a long way outside the 22.
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Ratio-wise, that’s correct. I also agree that our up-and-comers need more mid time in the 1’s.
But in real-life-wise - one injury to our only tall key back means we don’t have another. From that point on, we compromise against at least half our opponents. And that’s only if Hartley progresses, because otherwise, we’re sool, and have no one to play on someone like Brown - or heaven forbid - what happened in our last final…
J McGovern 191, Rance 194, S. May 191… Bit misleading to suggest that you are deficient in KPDs if they are not 194+
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That sentence makes little sense to me.
The names of those great defenders you listed are in different teams.
The 3 of them can rebound and intercept and lockdown to varied levels. Two of them better than Hurley.
I didn’t say that 194cm is somehow a magical height differential.
My point, which I thought I explained, but perhaps not well enough - is that we do not have cover for our one, tall, key lockdown defender - Hartley. To cover for him, we need to change Hurley’s role, move Hooker back, or use someone a lot shorter or smaller.
I trust you don’t find this opinion misleading.
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