Quoted Post
Quoted Post
Ivan, I reckon whenever we have started an inside type as sub over the last 2 years we've been smashed around the ball for the first half. Maybe we have enough depth now, but I wouldn't be starting with Myers as sub in our best side.
Of course it will probably change throughout the year, but for now I’d want his leadership and strength around the ball when the heat is on.
interesting point. i can’t say i can recall an example of what your speaking about but equally the fact that i have noticed myers’ impact as sub may in and of itself support it.
maybe also the elimination final is still giving me the heebeejeebees but damn we looked slow in that game with myers, hepp, jobe, hocking and stanton around the pill. yes we dominated the first half of the game but once we gave them a sniff of the ball in the 2nd half they out spread us comprehensively.
now there may have been fitness issues at play for stants, jobe and hocking but even so i am weary of having to many cumbersome players at the coal face and i think myers is probably the least flexible of those discussed. I don’t like him at half back where i think he gets badly exposed on the lead and in the air.
if hepp and jobe are killing it in the middle for us I just think myers might unbalance us slightly.
that is not to say i don’t think he has a lot to offer but i am pretty to keen to see how jobe and hepp both fit and at their best can work together in the middle (perhaps complemented by a speedster) and we haven’t really had the chance to see that yet.
If hepp and jobe are playing say 70% game time together in the middle i’m not sure that leaves a lot of room for myers in the rotation unless we are going to become a little top heavy.
happy for people to disagree with that and i’m not certain that it’s right but it’s something we need to be wary of i think.
See to me, the root cause was we got killed for clearances which allowed them the luxury of all ■■■■-bolting forward.
North aren’t a quick side but they are (or at least were, before losing Greenwood) pretty deep through midfield. With Hepp and Stants down, they killed us after half time. Accordingly, I’d have to say that I’d be losing Stants before Myers - but Howlett before either. Stants as much as I love him is not necessarily good for balance - he’s neither really quick, nor a force at the clearance. Most of the other guys on the periphery are one or the other (Myers Howlett Melksham Hocking, Jerrett Colyer Demps Gleeson).
I’d also be trying to ensure we have 4 or 5 speedsters so we can capitalise on the ball we do win. Which means Gleeson has to play if Demps doesn’t, Zerrett and Colyer are even more locked in, and Jerrett might be preferred over an otherwise better player who doesn’t have that leg speed - could be Chap.
Baguley Hurley Fletcher
Gleeson Hooker Hibberd
Heppell Watson Stanton
Zaharakis Carlisle Cooney
Ambrose Daniher Zerrett
Bellchambers Melksham Colyer
Chap, Myers, Goddard, Jerrett (sub)
Em - Langford Gwilt Howlett Dempsey Winderlich Giles etc
That speed vs clearance vs height equation is part of what makes Langford intriguing, could he play that 3rd tall forward role whilst adding a hell of a lot more footspeed, maybe meaning we can play 1 more inside mid?