gopower
22 Jun 2008, 13:26
In this thread I want to discuss what I want the PAFC lineup to look like next year, and what it would look like next year if I was coach, by not just naming players, but also talking about the role that they will play in our team.
Backline
It’s time for Chad Cornes to go back to centre half back and get back to the AA form he was showing in that role in 2004. We have a young and leaky defence and we need an experienced player to stabilize it. He should also have a similar deal with Simon Goodwin at the crows where if he feels we’re in trouble, he can push up into the midfield. Chad going to CHB releases Troy Chaplin, who can now be used in a more creative role or as a loose man filling space. We saw in both finals last year how good he can be if he has license to run, and so far this year he hasn‘t been that good in one-on-one duels, so IMO playing as a loose man would suit him. If we need him to play one-on-one on someone, then Boak or Salopek are both playmaking options, preferably Salopek because he can take a good overhead mark. Alipate Carlile to stay in full back, the same place he will hold down for the next ten years. Paul Stewart to be a direct replacement for Michael Pettigrew as the third tall, who moves to half forward playing the same role Westhoff has been playing this year. May be swapped for Surjan if the opposition has a small forward line. Matt Thomas and Tom Logan as small, niggly defenders who can both play cameo roles winning clearances in the midfield. Domenic Cassisi to drop back and tag a half forward if need be. Peter Burgoyne out of defence unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, e.g. our entire defence gets injured.
Ruck/Midfield
Brogan as No. 1 ruck, Deluca or Cockshell as back up, and Lade as Tippett style ruck/forward. Adam Thomson to be introduced in the centre square to feed the ball out to players such as the Burgoyne brothers and Rodan. Steven Salopek playing the same role he has been filling so well this year, wingman who stays slightly behind the ball but can attack if necessary. Rodan, same deal as this year, take the game on at every opportunity. Kane Cornes, same deal as the last few years, tagger who also wins a bit of it. Shaun Burgoyne, gets the taps from Brogan/Deluca or gets the ball fed out to him by Thomson/Thomas. Needs help from others to break tags in the same way Judd got at West Coast, and he in turn needs to repay the players helping him by improving his defensive pressure. His brother Peter needs to be reintroduced to the midfield, he’s a liability in defence. Cassisi taking the opposition’s 2nd best mid or best half forward depending on the team. Travis Boak, same again but with more TOG and more time in the square. If Pearce can get back to his ‘06 and parts of ‘07 form, then he is reintroduced into the square, but if I was coach he’d be starting in the SANFL barring injuries.
Forwards
As I said before, Pettigrew playing Westhoff’s role. Other than that, I don’t think our forward structure needs much changing, with Tredrea in good form and Ebert, Motlop and Gray forming a trio few teams can contain. The only thing I would make different is stick Ladey in the goalsquare, because our delivery isn‘t always top class and sometimes you need to just bomb it in. If he retires or hits some bad form, then Cockshell and Salter can both fill this role, or Tredders could be pushed deeper and Westhoff could be reintroduced as a lead-up CHF. Gray can also play a cameo role in the midfield.
Team sheet
B: P. Stewart, A. Carlile, M. Thomas
HB: T. Chaplin, C. Cornes, T. Logan
C: S. Salopek, A. Thomson, D. Rodan
HF: M. Pettigrew, W. Tredrea, R. Gray
F: B. Ebert, B. Lade, D. Motlop
R: D. Brogan, K. Cornes, S. Burgoyne
Int: D. Cassisi, P. Burgoyne, F. Deluca, T. Boak
Emerg: J. Surjan, D. Pearce, J. Westhoff
Changes to the list
Delisted/Traded
Wilson (retired)
Minson (retired)
Thurstans
White
Lonie
Bentley (All traded or delisted)
Krakouer if we can get a 2nd rounder, early 3rd rounder or Josh Carr for him. We already have 10 Krakouer’s running around for us every week. If we get Carr, he takes Cassisi’s spot as the second tagger but plays with an attacking edge as he did for us in ‘04. But if we can’t get a pick for him, he stays.
Depending on whether Krakouer goes or not, or whether Lade retires, we’ll have six, seven or eight free spaces. One goes to Salter, giving us five, six or seven picks. I’ll assume six, just because it’s in the middle.
1st pick. Will presumably be fifth, and Naitanui, Rich and Yarran will be picks 1, 2 and 3, so whichever of Michael Hurley (best key defender) or Jack Watts (best key forward) is still available gets our first pick. Hurley is first preference if both are available.
2nd pick. Best ruck available, good options include Shaun McKernan (Corey’s brother) and Ayce Cordy (is eligible for the Bulldogs father-son pick though, so is unlikely to end up here). I’m sure there are more
3rd pick. Either a hard bodied, inside midfielder, best key defender available if we picked Watts at five, or best key forward available if we picked Hurley at five. Depends on whether the best hard-bodied midfielder available at the time or the best KPP at the time is better.
4th pick. If we didn’t draft a hard-bodied midfielder with our third pick, do that now. If we did, then the best key defender if we picked Watts or the best key forward if we picked Hurley again.
5th pick. Best player available.
6th pick. Best player available, can be sacrificed to PSD if we think we’ve found the next Rodan.
Backline
It’s time for Chad Cornes to go back to centre half back and get back to the AA form he was showing in that role in 2004. We have a young and leaky defence and we need an experienced player to stabilize it. He should also have a similar deal with Simon Goodwin at the crows where if he feels we’re in trouble, he can push up into the midfield. Chad going to CHB releases Troy Chaplin, who can now be used in a more creative role or as a loose man filling space. We saw in both finals last year how good he can be if he has license to run, and so far this year he hasn‘t been that good in one-on-one duels, so IMO playing as a loose man would suit him. If we need him to play one-on-one on someone, then Boak or Salopek are both playmaking options, preferably Salopek because he can take a good overhead mark. Alipate Carlile to stay in full back, the same place he will hold down for the next ten years. Paul Stewart to be a direct replacement for Michael Pettigrew as the third tall, who moves to half forward playing the same role Westhoff has been playing this year. May be swapped for Surjan if the opposition has a small forward line. Matt Thomas and Tom Logan as small, niggly defenders who can both play cameo roles winning clearances in the midfield. Domenic Cassisi to drop back and tag a half forward if need be. Peter Burgoyne out of defence unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, e.g. our entire defence gets injured.
Ruck/Midfield
Brogan as No. 1 ruck, Deluca or Cockshell as back up, and Lade as Tippett style ruck/forward. Adam Thomson to be introduced in the centre square to feed the ball out to players such as the Burgoyne brothers and Rodan. Steven Salopek playing the same role he has been filling so well this year, wingman who stays slightly behind the ball but can attack if necessary. Rodan, same deal as this year, take the game on at every opportunity. Kane Cornes, same deal as the last few years, tagger who also wins a bit of it. Shaun Burgoyne, gets the taps from Brogan/Deluca or gets the ball fed out to him by Thomson/Thomas. Needs help from others to break tags in the same way Judd got at West Coast, and he in turn needs to repay the players helping him by improving his defensive pressure. His brother Peter needs to be reintroduced to the midfield, he’s a liability in defence. Cassisi taking the opposition’s 2nd best mid or best half forward depending on the team. Travis Boak, same again but with more TOG and more time in the square. If Pearce can get back to his ‘06 and parts of ‘07 form, then he is reintroduced into the square, but if I was coach he’d be starting in the SANFL barring injuries.
Forwards
As I said before, Pettigrew playing Westhoff’s role. Other than that, I don’t think our forward structure needs much changing, with Tredrea in good form and Ebert, Motlop and Gray forming a trio few teams can contain. The only thing I would make different is stick Ladey in the goalsquare, because our delivery isn‘t always top class and sometimes you need to just bomb it in. If he retires or hits some bad form, then Cockshell and Salter can both fill this role, or Tredders could be pushed deeper and Westhoff could be reintroduced as a lead-up CHF. Gray can also play a cameo role in the midfield.
Team sheet
B: P. Stewart, A. Carlile, M. Thomas
HB: T. Chaplin, C. Cornes, T. Logan
C: S. Salopek, A. Thomson, D. Rodan
HF: M. Pettigrew, W. Tredrea, R. Gray
F: B. Ebert, B. Lade, D. Motlop
R: D. Brogan, K. Cornes, S. Burgoyne
Int: D. Cassisi, P. Burgoyne, F. Deluca, T. Boak
Emerg: J. Surjan, D. Pearce, J. Westhoff
Changes to the list
Delisted/Traded
Wilson (retired)
Minson (retired)
Thurstans
White
Lonie
Bentley (All traded or delisted)
Krakouer if we can get a 2nd rounder, early 3rd rounder or Josh Carr for him. We already have 10 Krakouer’s running around for us every week. If we get Carr, he takes Cassisi’s spot as the second tagger but plays with an attacking edge as he did for us in ‘04. But if we can’t get a pick for him, he stays.
Depending on whether Krakouer goes or not, or whether Lade retires, we’ll have six, seven or eight free spaces. One goes to Salter, giving us five, six or seven picks. I’ll assume six, just because it’s in the middle.
1st pick. Will presumably be fifth, and Naitanui, Rich and Yarran will be picks 1, 2 and 3, so whichever of Michael Hurley (best key defender) or Jack Watts (best key forward) is still available gets our first pick. Hurley is first preference if both are available.
2nd pick. Best ruck available, good options include Shaun McKernan (Corey’s brother) and Ayce Cordy (is eligible for the Bulldogs father-son pick though, so is unlikely to end up here). I’m sure there are more
3rd pick. Either a hard bodied, inside midfielder, best key defender available if we picked Watts at five, or best key forward available if we picked Hurley at five. Depends on whether the best hard-bodied midfielder available at the time or the best KPP at the time is better.
4th pick. If we didn’t draft a hard-bodied midfielder with our third pick, do that now. If we did, then the best key defender if we picked Watts or the best key forward if we picked Hurley again.
5th pick. Best player available.
6th pick. Best player available, can be sacrificed to PSD if we think we’ve found the next Rodan.