Melksham has started the year strongly racking up votes in 2 of the 3 games and putting in a solid performance on Fark Carlton star Chris Judd. With Hocking on the road back from injury, the question surely then becomes one of logistics.
Can Melksham play a pure midfield role and make way for Hocking, or does Hocking play defensive small forward to allow Melksham to take the #1 tag?
I never thought I would find this question hard to answer but right now I am leaning towards Melksham getting the gig full time and I’m not sure where Hocking fits in. Melksham appears to be faster than Hocking and more damaging going the other way with the ability to create scores. Hocking is a tough and brilliant tagger but does lack a little pace that can see him burnt from time to time. Thoughts?
We look so much more fierce in the middle with Hocking in there. He would have been one of our best today. He lifts others around him with his endeavour and hardness.
He is our number one tagger and Melksham isn’t a taggers ■■■**le simply because he doesn’t perform well in that role.
They both make the 22 when Hocking is fit but Melksham will return to playing less midfield minutes and more time forward when Hocking comes back and I think if Melksham wants to take the next step, he needs to learn to be able to hit the score board more often and get involved when he is forward rather than basically being a non entity.
If he wants to take the next step as a player he needs to sharpen the “hurt” factor aspect of his game when played forward.
All great midfielders can play forward and kick goals along with impacting the game whilst not being in their favoured position on the ground, Melksham can’t right now.
I’d suggest rewatching the final from last year against North. Hocking is an unbelievable player and is clearly our best tagger. Seems very under rated here by some. Melksham has done really well, but I think the recency effect might be playing out in some people’s minds. If he is good enough he should be able to play another perhaps goal side midfield role - Melksham that is.
When some of our mids are getting a bit battle weary as the season goes on it might work well having a fresh Hocking and Myers to bring into the fold at various stages. Hocking in about 6 weeks from now, Myers about 12.
Hocking is our best blocker, and also adds quite a bit otherwise.
Melksh is a different kind of player, and deserves his own spot based on this year’s performances.
I still reckon the question will be Melks vs Howlett or even Melks vs Stanton by the end of the year.
The “shape” is much better now, with one fewer slow/inside guy (whether that’s Myers or Hocking) and one more outside player(Coons).
Neither.
Don’t use a tagger and neither are necessarily good as taggers, they very rarely limit the opposition, they merely are able to put more pressure on their opponents than most of the other midfielders.
Form should always be the biggest dictating factor however and if both are contributing but offensively and defensively play them both as genuine midfielders, if not then don’t play either/or.