View Full Version : Can Sampi become a mongrel tagger?
jorel6669
5 Dec 2005, 18:55
I'd like to see Sampi be used in a tagging role. Whether it's midfield (which means he must improve his fitness) or in a back pocket (mentored by the Pund), I reckon it could be what he needs. He can chase and tackle when he wants to, so make that his sole role. Sure he can provide flashes of brilliance up forward, but the Pund has flourished down back after starting as a forward pocket, so why not do the same with the Fatso the Wombat?
PS. My jibes against Sampi are playful ones. I love him as an Eagles player, but he needs to lift his game.
HAWKS HEROES
5 Dec 2005, 19:01
as long as he is nothing like pickett i don't mind
TheReason
5 Dec 2005, 19:02
I see where you're coming from and what you're trying to achieve. There is some merit in it.
However, its adding another midfielder into the mix.
And the midfielder that he replaces, must be adept in the forward line.
Names that spring to mind that could be interchanged with Fatso are:
Cousins
Judd
Embley
Whatever makes our team stronger:thumbsu:
no he cant! he is way to unfit at the moment
jorel6669
5 Dec 2005, 20:27
Unfit at the moment, maybe. But can he BECOME a mongrel tagger if he improves his fitness? That there is the question at hand.
Jimmy_the_Gent
5 Dec 2005, 20:38
Being a tagger doesn't give you a good chance to show off your skills, which would be fine if you didn't have any but Sampi's skills are his strength, so why hide them?
In the future, if Sampi managed to get his fitness to the point where he could play in the midfield, I'd like to see him on ball using his stealth and acceleration. If I hear or see him as a tagger I'll lose all faith in the coaching staff.
theorangeapple
5 Dec 2005, 21:07
Why would you make him a tagger? He wouldnt be able to use his flair or his skills. He physically couldnt do it because of his fitness and he isnt tall enough. Maybe try him down back ala Wirra but Sampi is the one bloke on our list who I would say isnt a tagger.
daddy_4_eyes
5 Dec 2005, 21:17
Too much skill to play as a tagger. But it would definitely be a good idea to use him in that role in 2006 to show him what it takes to play in the midfield. Imagine him having to follow Crawford or R.Harvey for a quarter, let alone a whole game. :eek:
That learning experience aside, he should be used in short stints in the midfield when Cuzz/Judd/Kerr are resting in the forward line.
From what I remember he played a good game in the back pocket in the final against Essendon in 2002, one punch in the goalscquare is what I really remember. But I wouldn't use him there. Now with Matera gone we will need all the help we can get in the forward line. It is not really noticed but he sets up a lot of goals, even when he was in his slump he has a knack of getting the ball to someone clear inside 50.
coasting
6 Dec 2005, 11:59
I think he said once that defense was actually his best position.
Too much skill to play as a tagger. But it would definitely be a good idea to use him in that role in 2006 to show him what it takes to play in the midfield. Imagine him having to follow Crawford or R.Harvey for a quarter, let alone a whole game. :eek:
That learning experience aside, he should be used in short stints in the midfield when Cuzz/Judd/Kerr are resting in the forward line.
y not just play him on a judd/kerr/cuzz in a practice match???
Thrawn666
6 Dec 2005, 21:41
I think he said once that defense was actually his best position.
He played CHB at school. Cant do that at AFL level.
Black JuJu
6 Dec 2005, 23:20
Ashley Sampi should now concentrate on becoming the teams #1 small forward, whether thats in a pocket or on a flank. With no Fido he has no excuse why he can't nail down that spot.
You would waste his excellent skills if he were put into a tagging role. What he needs to do is to get fit and use those skills up forward because he needs to stand up big time now that Matera has retired.
hawkeye23
7 Dec 2005, 07:35
Not at his level of fitness and motivation.