But I entered this thread to comment on the OP before that ■■■■■■■ steel girder was lain across the tracks.
It’s a good question, even if the answer seems obvious right now.
I love Hocking in the middle, he’s a machine.
I love Hocking deep in our forward-line at a stoppage. Must make his man crap their pants in that situation, because there’s a fair chance he’s going to help create a goal from that position if not kick it himself.
But Melk needs to be in the play, has shown he take handle some big roles, and I love him kicking it into our forward-line. Mostly because he’s usually determined to do just that, rather than hand off or kick around the arc.
i just want melk to grab the ball at every opportunity, too often he tries to tap it in to space and it ends up in oppo hands. i get that he;s trying to open up the play, but it doesn’t work out often enough.
Nah, irrelevant’s good.
There was a bit early in the game where Essendon and Carlton were faffing around with the ball around the boundary line on their forward flank, the ball bobbling about in the air with about a dozen half-possesions from both teams, when Melk just went ‘farking sod this’, flew over the top and volleyball spiked it twenty metres further up the boundary.
Melksham is currently a direct replacement for Hocking, playing Hocking’s role. It’s a relevant comparison.
While I think it’s an interesting topic, when we reach the situation where all of Watson, Heppell, Melk and Hocking are all fit and in form at the same time, then we worry about Who starts in the middle.
History shows that injuries end up rendering these debates pointless. It will be a great problem to have if we end up with it.
Hocking over Melksham in the middle, especially with Myers out for the next few months. It’s no coincidence that with Hocking and Myers out, we lost the stoppages / contested ball by shiteloads yday.
I do however think that the next 2 months are an important phase in Melksham’s career/development and that this opportunity will see him FINALLY take the next step.
Also agree with HAP that it will likely end up being a case of Melksham v Howlett by seasons end.
I always thought Melksham could be useful on a HFF, knows how to find the goals
I agree that’s where he looks best.
I don’t agree that he plays best when positioned there…if you know what I mean.
He needs to be around the ball, and when it comes forward he breaks away.
When he’s positioned forward with an actual backman looking after him…not so great.
Neither.
... neither are necessarily good as taggers, they very rarely limit the opposition...
That’s just flat out wrong.
not really, I’ve seen hocking have a great game limiting an Ablett or Pendleburys influence on a game, but they still rack up high 20’s - 30 possies a game.
That’s where I don’t think either of them can limit a top line player to 15 possies or under. they will however put 100 % pressure on their opponet.
Either way i don’t believe their should be taggers anymore. every midfielder should man the ■■■■ up themselves or work as a group to put as much pressure as possible on the oppositions collective midfield group.
It shouldn’t take one player to limit the oppositions best midfielders influence on a game, note influence not no. of meaningless poessesions.
I like that fact that Hocking, and Melksham in his absence aren’t pure ‘stoppers’ as taggers. It seems that both are told to also hunt their own ball and make a positive impact.
Personally I would prefer to see Judd with 20 rushed touches and maybe 2-3 pieces of brilliance… but Melksham also with 20 touches and 7 inside 50’s… than Judd purely restricted to 12 touches.
Unless you can really blanket a star to under 10 touches, far better strategy to make sure that your tagger is contributing going the other way as well.
Is anyone actually suggesting Melksham is a tagger? Because being annoying is not enough to qualify you for that role (let alone the other aspect of putting on blocks, as noted).
Let’s just call it the defensive midfield role. Trying to define the difference between ‘tagging’ and ‘run-with’ roles is pointless to this discussion.
My 2 cents is that I rate Hocking very much. He is such a warrior and leader for us, but at the same time I’d struggle to have him in a fully fit best 22 atm. Not a knock on him, but a nod to our midfield depth as well as the need to keep blooding youngsters like Zerret, Ashby, Gleeson. Even Melky himself is only 23 - though it feels like he’s been around forever.
Nah, irrelevant's good.
There was a bit early in the game where Essendon and Carlton were faffing around with the ball around the boundary line on their forward flank, the ball bobbling about in the air with about a dozen half-possesions from both teams, when Melk just went 'farking sod this', flew over the top and volleyball spiked it twenty metres further up the boundary.
I loved that.
those big smashing ones i can handle, i’m more thinking of the dinky little slaps forward in traffic that usually end up in the player sitting outside the rough stuff getting the ball. i’m being picky, aren’t i?
