Mitch Brown - The Accountant

Yep backline for me. He looks so much more assured down there and has a great ability to take a good mark. Credit to him and his ability that he’s been able to kick 20 goals this year too.

I'm not worried about Brown, but we'll have to draft Hartley fairly early. Other clubs will be all over him.

I thought that Hartley and Brown were already drafted to Bombers ?

Excellent mark and cool with ball in hand. Woosha has used him really well as a swingman deep in defence in the last few games

I don’t think so. Pretty sure they’re top ups.

Great effort on Sunday. The back line is his spot and appears to becoming the link man.

http://ambergriscaye.com/images/slides/fishing2.jpg

I'm not worried about Brown, but we'll have to draft Hartley fairly early. Other clubs will be all over him.

Harts might get his nose out of joint when you say things like that.

It’s easier to stack everyone down back, get a ton of easy marks and loose touches and look good, but we actually need players to go up forward. I’d take a 2 goal game average per season over a ton of easy uncontested marks down back.

He was very good Brown and reads the ball in flight pretty darn well and has decent hands. What I would say though is, he, along with others in the backline need to take the bit between the teeth and be more daring with their ball use at times. There is a little bit of shifting the onus of responsibility to not be the one who ‘stuffs up’.

We kick laterally and short far too often back there at present.

As we get more confidence as a group and we work out the best mix when the others return I feel this will improve and a lot of this will be down to the mids and forwards presenting with more intent to the ball carrier.

Does his form down back, emergence of Ambrose and possible Dea signing mean that Francis plays forward next year?

Does his form down back, emergence of Ambrose and possible Dea signing mean that Francis plays forward next year?
Francis has to prove he's AFL ready before we even have to worry about where in the AFL side he'll play. Between that and injuries, it may not be so difficult to decide. And Brown (IMO) still looks pretty decent up forward.

Brown back, Francis forward.

He was very good Brown and reads the ball in flight pretty darn well and has decent hands. What I would say though is, he, along with others in the backline need to take the bit between the teeth and be more daring with their ball use at times. There is a little bit of shifting the onus of responsibility to not be the one who 'stuffs up'.

We kick laterally and short far too often back there at present.

As we get more confidence as a group and we work out the best mix when the others return I feel this will improve and a lot of this will be down to the mids and forwards presenting with more intent to the ball carrier.

This year we were a weak team, and our reputation invited teams to press hard on our defenders. When we redress the imbalance with Hurley back, a strengthened midfield our opponents will not press so hard, (a) because we will have less ball coming into defence and (b) because we will win the ball coming out of defence a lot more often . In 2017 Brown will take on the Carlisle role, but unlike Jake, he just gets on with his job, no complaints, no sulks, no attitude, wherever the coaches put him. Oh yes, he is probably about as good as Carlisle in the air, and better with the ground ball. Brown was good enough in this respect to have played on the wing in the VFL last year for a bracket of games.

He was very good Brown and reads the ball in flight pretty darn well and has decent hands. What I would say though is, he, along with others in the backline need to take the bit between the teeth and be more daring with their ball use at times. There is a little bit of shifting the onus of responsibility to not be the one who 'stuffs up'.

We kick laterally and short far too often back there at present.

As we get more confidence as a group and we work out the best mix when the others return I feel this will improve and a lot of this will be down to the mids and forwards presenting with more intent to the ball carrier.

This year we were a weak team, and our reputation invited teams to press hard on our defenders. When we redress the imbalance with Hurley back, a strengthened midfield our opponents will not press so hard, (a) because we will have less ball coming into defence and (b) because we will win the ball coming out of defence a lot more often . In 2017 Brown will take on the Carlisle role, but unlike Jake, he just gets on with his job, no complaints, no sulks, no attitude, wherever the coaches put him. Oh yes, he is probably about as good as Carlisle in the air, and better with the ground ball. Brown was good enough in this respect to have played on the wing in the VFL last year for a bracket of games.

I agree with most of that. Our movement out of defensive 50 should improve next year with some improvement in personnel.

You’re selling Carlisle short big time there though when talking purely about his aerial ability. Especially when playing as a defender. Was undoubtedly in the top 2 or 3 marks of the footy in the comp. Whether that be reading the flight as the +1 in defense or in a contested situation. Just strong, one grab clunks they were.
Brown is no mug in this area of course but not in that league.

Look, I’ve been critical about this blokes hair, his lack of muscle, and up forward just looks a bit to pedestrian. Yesterday watching him in the back half I thought he was great. Not sure what piece of scum he was playing in, but he has great ability to read the ball in flight and positioned himself well to spoil. Genuine intensity when the ball was in his area.

Keep him down back I reckon.

Agree. He is very composed, and has the skills as back man. We will have better options up forward.
Really love what he’s brought to the defence.

From the evidence of the last three rounds… he is a backman through and through. Does he keep a spot ahead of lock down Ambrose who is unspectacular but has done his job every single round this year?

Says a lot about our depth next year that there may not be a spot for Brown.

Remember when we all bust a nut when carlol on 1 leg out marked cloke at the height of his powers on anzac day?

Interesting player is Brown.

Call play forward or back and yet isn’t really someone who you think: “He is definitely a forward/back!” he just doesn’t excel at any one thing and I find more often than not just gets in the way of his other teammates.

His high looping kicks are just disasters waiting to happen though and he will cost us big time if given regular game time this season against AFL quality teams.

Here’s hoping he can improve and learn from the likes of Zerrett.