Delisted Spencer White

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I'd reckon.

White more dangerous than Lee IMO. Should get the nod, depending on pre-season form.

Bruce just needs to compete and attract a defender to stop third man up. Allow White to find space and use his speed and forward smarts.

Curren or Saunders to play the Puopolo role. Billings defensive stuff is pretty good for a first year player.

Unsure if Membrey makes the fwd line too top heavy, maybe Murdoch instead, but haven't seen enough of Membrey to judge.
 
Lee averaged 1.7gpg in his first year and 9d

As a fwd, it is not about goal numbers... It's about being a part of a functional fwd line that has a good score per i50 entries
 

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hayes said:
Murdoch and Membrey are the same height. Murdoch probably quicker.
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I thought they would be about the same height.

I've seen Murdoch do good stuff at ground level and lay a handful of HTB tackles in the F50. Don't know if Membrey does that sort of stuff, so could be six of one.
 
ike2112 said:
Personally I think he's in for a rough year in terms of AFL game time. But I would not be concerned by that; its why I'm saying I would think the coaches will give him individual performance-based targets.

I think the club originally recruited Josh Bruce to be a defender; it was clear in 2013 (actually from 2011) the club needed KPD both immediate cover and longer-term prospects, so they got Bruce and Delaney in the hope one could fill in just now. Delaney looks good for that.
Now it looks as though they see Bruce as having just as much potential as a forward, and overall that would be more valuable than a defender. Especially since Goddard fell to us in the draft. Also Bruce has some possible ruck ability. His efforts are high, and he likes the physicality. So I reckon they saw him as the immediate-term replacement for Stanley's slot of fwd/ruck, and he is good enough and fit enough to play 20+ games without the staff needing to worry about him too much. Also Roo isn't going anywhere soon.

So if all are fit, I think we're playing Roo and Bruce as talls. Eli and Billings as smalls (mixed in with Saad if his body is ok). And depending on the game, we play 2 mids rotating through up there, or Lee - realistically last season we played a few games with 4 players up, and most of them with only 5 playing truly in the forward line.
Towards the last 8 games this year, I'd say McCartin or White gets a good run - by then I actually suspect McCartin to be more able to play his role, than White play his. Simply because McCartin's role is easier, and his body in better nick for it. We are asking White, who is a project, to play a difficult job and in a difficult style that few others have managed. In fact now I really think about it, we're likely to give Roo a week off when we travel to WA, so pencil that week in for potentially Paddy and White both playing, whenever it is.

Its worth bearing in mind though, that we no longer have a veteran stop-gap. This is why I was ok with the club considering McKernan in the rookie draft - if he had some life about him then I'd have rather seen him as injury cover for Roo than us having to play an undercooked White/McCartin or play Simpkin up there again.
Likewise at the back we're still a man short on depth in the key position. If Delaney turns an ankle during NAB Cup then we're either playing Simpkin on a key forward, Roberton perhaps, or Goddard get thrown in whether he is ready or not.

That concerns me for development. I don't want to see Goddard, White or McCartin playing until they are ready and unless they have earnt it. I really hope Delaney, Fisher, Roo and Bruce stay healthy.
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You haven't mentioned Tim Membrey. I think he'll be playing from round 1 as that Jack Gunston third tall forward.

I'd rather see Roo, (White/Lee as the second fwd), Membrey, plus 3 other smaller fwds/mids a la Billings, Eli, Minch, etc rotating through...

White has some special skills and is classy and kicks goals and can do some unbelievable stuff. I agree with you re above. He has a lot to work on and is doing his first pre season which is encouraging. He's at least 2 years away but hopefully he plays 10-14 games this year...

I'm not sold on Bruce as a key fwd....
 
"So I reckon they saw him as the immediate-term replacement for Stanley's slot of fwd/ruck, and he is good enough and fit enough to play 20+ games without the staff needing to worry about him too much."

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. Still can't see them playing Hickey and Longer together so they have to have an alternate plan in mind and that can only be Hickey or Longer and Bruce.

Billings Roo Murdoch

Templeton Lee/White Bruce

with Membrey on the bench.
 
Spencer needs to make this his year, I'd like to see him do the basics like repeat leads, lead in patterns, chase his opponent, put defensive pressure on when they have the ball and lay some tackles.
Membrey is certainly more accomplished than Spencer, if anything he slid around 20 picks more than his TAC form dictated.
 
hayes said:
Murdoch and Membrey are the same height. Murdoch probably quicker.
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The difference is on the playing style and skills. Murdoch is more a runner where Membrey is more contested style with solid marking.
 
Fehring said:
Just to repeat an earlier prediction, Bruce will play forward for the first quarter of the first practice match and that will be the end of it.

So that's one less competitor for Spence.
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Bruce will get time in the forward line next year. I sat behind the goals when he played forward and his work rate was phenomenal. He just kept leading to dangerous spots. He gave Rooey and Stanley heaps of space and if they'd used his leads he could have had about 10 easy shots on goal. If I was a coach I would have loved him. He had a great sense for running to the right spots. He looked heaps better forward than back. Some people rate a forwards performance on score alone but forward craft is much more than kicking goals. I can't remember what game it was but Stanley looked really good in that game because Bruce had the defence stretched deep and wide.
 
Since this is White's thread,

has anyone seen him over the preseason to see if he will have improved in any part of his game. or will he be the next big tease similar to Stanley?
 

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I think White is the reverse of Stanley. Good footballer, needs to work on some athletic traits.

I've seen enough football ability from him to know that if he can get his body & mind right he will at worst be a good player.
 
Ian Dunross said:
I think White is the reverse of Stanley. Good footballer, needs to work on some athletic traits.

I've seen enough football ability from him to know that if he can get his body & mind right he will at worst be a good player.
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Hope so. I know his cardio isnt great. So he probably will never be able to play like Roo and might need to stay closer to goal.

Terrific news that his wrist has healed and he can finallly do a full pre-season.
 
I read this article the other day and it made me think that maybe Whites 2km results aren't a bad thing:

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-12-22/weight-on-says-jack

THE first time Rodney Eade saw young star Jack Martin at Gold Coast pre-season training, he wasn't impressed.

Martin ran a 2km time trial in early November, languishing near the back of the field with a time that barely broke eight minutes.

He beat home only a handful of the Suns' big men.

"When I got back he wasn't too impressed with my running," Martin told AFL.com.au.

"A new coach coming in, so you want that good first impression and I didn't run well that first couple of weeks."

But the 19-year-old had a good reason.

Along with high performance manager Stephen Schwerdt, Martin had devised a plan to add some size to his wiry frame in the off-season.

He came back five kilograms heavier – all muscle – much to the surprise of both Schwerdt and Martin.

"I didn't think he could put on that much in that short a period of time," Schwerdt said.

With the extra weight to lug around, Martin struggled.

But as the weeks have worn on his running has improved, and despite still carrying the kilos he set a new personal best at the Suns' final time trial before their Christmas break – clocking 6.38 for the 2km last Friday
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They are totally different players, but we'd all agree that both Spencer and Martin needed to add weight to help them compete. So what if White has also put on a lot of muscle over the break and has had a similar drop off in cardio ability to go with it? That would be much more understandable and a good sign about his work ethic as well.
 
Periphery said:
I read this article the other day and it made me think that maybe Whites 2km results aren't a bad thing:



They are totally different players, but we'd all agree that both Spencer and Martin needed to add weight to help them compete. So what if White has also put on a lot of muscle over the break and has had a similar drop off in cardio ability to go with it? That would be much more understandable and a good sign about his work ethic as well.
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Good point. Also the last two years he had that broken wrist that wouldnt heal. So this year is the first pre-season where he has been able to hit the upper body weights. Maybe hes put on some muscle.
 
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