Mature aged recruits hidden gem longshots

Patrick Ryder|340x227
PHOTO: Paddy Ryder was forced to pinch hit for injured ruckman David Hille and finished with the Anzac Day medal for best on ground

Admittedly ended up being a little more than pinch hitting.

Doesn’t change what I think.
That was in the days before the modern team defence era.
And it is also not the same as pulling out your key defender, and destabilising your defence, for 5 or so minutes a quarter.

I do get your point, but it was a glorious example.

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However, I do wonder if we would ever be so radical as to start using backmen in midfield rotations as well as swapping forwards and backs.

Back midfield rotations: McGrath, McKenna, Saad, Francis, Ridley, Gleeson, Redman, Guelfi
As well as:
Forward midfield rotations: Stringer, Raz, Langford, Begley, Smith, Merrett, Zaka, Walla, Heppell, Colyer.

I know I am dreaming, but we have some seriously versatile players at the moment.

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For the ruck help Aaron Redhead.

I don’t think Ryder was still playing as a defender in 2009. He played there a bit in 2006/2007 under Sheeds, but under Knights I’m pretty sure he became second ruck pretty much straight away.
In that ANZAC day game he was named forward. Fletcher and Pears were named as the tall defenders

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Yep.

I can see players playing mid some weeks and back others, but I don’t think defence is really a place to rest anyone for a rotation. I think it will probably stay as is pretty much. In that you could send a Heppell or a McGrath back if you had to, but probably not as a planned rotational thing. I doubt anyone would be too keen to disrupt the chemistry/effectiveness of their defence like that.

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And now watch as they handball to heppell for that special “sit it 1.5m above my head so the backmen can clobber me in the back” kick :wink:

image

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Back to back Magarey Medals for Mitch Grigg.

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I hope he enjoys his time at the Sun’s

He won’t be going there.
Mitch’s priorities have changed drastically and I doubt he will look at getting back into the system at this point in time

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More information please? I have heard he was a little wild when at the Crows.

Can you elaborate?

His father got diagnosed with MND earlier in the year and it has been more rapid than they had expected. Mitch is torn between having another crack at AFL or being close to his father and spending more time with him while he can

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He just said on SEN he wants another go.

Considering EFC (can’t remember who specifically) said McKenna played his first few AFL games forward as he didn’t have the tank to play as a defender then pretty good summation that the backline isn’t a place for a rest.

I don’t believe it was to do with the tank. McKenna said he wanted to learn the game more and he chose the harder position where he would have to learn where to move to receive the ball. EFC had always planned on using McKenna off the HBF and wanted to earlier.

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A EFC official definitely said it (have a feeling it was a post-game interview).
I can remember finding the concept interesting as they implied they could “hide” someone with less endurance in the forward line a lot easier than in the backline.