Strategy Could/Would/Should This Work?

[Blue__Balls]

Theory on Casboult: Navy Shane Mumford.

Mummy's only got 1cm on Levi, and is one of the dominant ruckmen in the comp. He may not have the height of Sandilands or the jump of Naitanui, but he's not afraid to throw his weight around the stoppages. Lays plenty of tackles, works the bodies of opposition rucks, and in doing so adds some real physicality to the GWS midfield.

Maybe we should have Levi hit the gym and focus on his ruckwork for the season? We lack some big bodies around the contest, and this could be one way to alleviate that.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

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Is Casboult fit for a defender?
No he is not quick enough, his decision making is so slow in general play.. He is a forward, if he cant improve his kicking his career as an AFL player will be limited.

Can Curnow be a ball winner?
No - He is simply not good enough to be a ball winning midfielder, his skills are deplorable and this year he has lost the ability to even tag.

Is Menzel midfield material?
This is an unknown, but he has now had 3 preseasons, if he was ever going to build the tank to be a genuine midfielder I would think it would have been done by now.. Still GAJ took a few seasons so I am still hopeful for Menzel.

Could Foster be the tall forward we are looking for?
No idea, kicked 49 goals last year in the TAC but so far has only 1 goal from his 3 VFL games... Way too early to call.

Is Fields the player who can fill Jamo's shoes?
Probably not.

Rowe, Wood, Thomas, Murphy, Simpson etc. Are these players a part of the future?
Rowe yes.. Wood is needed as back up for the fragile Kruezar, Thomas is signed for another 3 years and no club will pay him what we pay him even if we gave him away, Murphy yes unless a very good offer comes.. Simpson i reckon is finished, looks super soft and no where near as effective.

Who is our next captain?
Too early to tell... Cripps looks the most obvious but is years away from being ready.. If Murphy doesnt want it then IMO its a choice between Henderson, Rowe and from left field Daisy Thomas provided his body is right, who looked every bit a leader when he was at Collingwood.

 

[Azul]

and I have a sinking feeling that we'll need the compo pick from Hendo leaving to secure Silvagni/Rice F/S

Father/son picks are agreed on before the trade period.

(Unless the bastards at the AFL change the rules before October)

 

[Dramoth]

Casboult is not a KPD. (I reckon he's a ruck/fwd, rather than a fwd/ruck actually)

and I have a sinking feeling that we'll need the compo pick from Hendo leaving to secure Silvagni/Rice F/S

what compo pick?

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Can we please have in bold letters somewhere that LACHIE HENDERSON IS NOT A FREE AGENT

 

[Magruder]

Can we please have in bold letters somewhere that LACHIE HENDERSON IS NOT A FREE AGENT

Keep forgetting. (So used to us getting ****ed over)

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Keep forgetting. (So used to us getting stuffed over)

Didn't mean to get snappy Mags but every 3rd list management post has LH has an FA and i cri evry time.

 

[Dramoth]

If Lachie wants to leave, he has 2 choices... either be traded or walk into the national or PSD.

If he walks... even if we don't finish on the bottom, we will still have a pretty early pick in the PSD and we can resign him... so really his main option is to ask for a trade. But somehow, I suspect that in the second half of the season, he will re-sign with us.

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

Is Casboult fit for a defender?

Can Curnow be a ball winner?

Is Menzel midfield material?

Could Foster be the tall forward we are looking for?

Is Fields the player who can fill Jamo's shoes?

Rowe, Wood, Thomas, Murphy, Simpson etc. Are these players a part of the future?

Who is our next captain?

Casboult would have potential as a defender, but also a few areas where he severely lacks. Obviously would be good in a pack situation with his hands and height, and probably good coming across as the third man to chop off marks. He would be killed by a forward that is strong on the lead, or plays up the ground a bit. Would need considerable time in the VFL to develop and I don't think we can afford that with him now.

Curnow would be OK as a ball winner. My problem would be what he does with it once he gets it. Do we want another Robbo? Bell? (although to Bell's credit he is improving). Could definitely go in and get the hard ones, but he's a bit slow with his decision making and you need to be quick in tight. I think that why he's one of the Robbo types that just bangs it on the boot. Doesn't have time to make the right choice, so just does what he thinks is best - move it forward. Not sure there's a spot for him outside of tagging.

Menzel I'm not convinced of as a mid. Obviously doesn't have the tank for it yet, but I could see him as a high half forward with bursts in the middle.

Foster I hope turns out good. Haven't seen an awful lot of him, but if he can pick up some momentum in the VFL in the next couple of years...

Fields is looking promising. Would need to be looking for a debut soon I would think. Another nice left footer coming out of defence!

Rowe I'd like to see get more of a run up forward. Switch Hendo back again.
Wood has a spot as long as Kreuz has a ? over his head and we still have no developing ruck.
Thomas adds x factor in a few different ways. Always gives 110%. Always does the little things that others don't. A strong leader and an extrovert (something we need more of at the club).
Murphy needs to start playing more of an outside mid role. Let Cripps, Bell, Graham, Whiley do the grunt work and get it out to Murphys, Judds and Gibbssss.
Simpson can go as long as he likes, but I'd like to see go with a bit left in the tank. He still gives more on the field than any other player, but you can see glimpses of him fading in areas.
Are they part of the future? Depends on what you mean. Playing in the next flag? Unlikely. Contributing to the club with experience and knowledge as we move through the rebuild? Absolutely. Should we consider trading any of them? Only if the right offer comes along. You can't get rid of all of the experience from the side simply because we can get lots of picks. No point having 30 odd players 22-23 or under, with 10 or so 24-25 year olds to guide them.
I'm not a fan of the Fletcher/Harvey type scenarios. What does Fletcher offer that a young player couldn't? Sure, he does the odd thing like kicking barrel goals from outside 50, or run down a Garlett and everyone goes "wow, he's still got it", but he's in and out every 2-3 weeks and hasn't really had an opponent for a few years. Harvey still gets heaps of the ball, but what has it done for North's chances? What has he done in the last 5 years to help the club reach new heights? If he had retired 5 years ago they could have a 24-25yo gun mid, just hitting his prime. Had they both retired around 32, what exactly have Essendon done in the past 8 years to say they've been better for having him? They have finished in the 8 four times (JUST and booted out one of those times) but never made a splash. What have North done in the last 5 to say it was worth letting Harvey go on? North have finished 8th and 6th in that time and never really looked like making too much noise in finals.

EDIT: Got sidetracked in my little rant at the end there and forgot about the captain question.
You'd have to say that Cripps and Docherty are the front runners in that department. If it gets relinquished for whatever reason in the next year or two, that could be tough. Probably lean towards Docherty being the older and slightly more experienced of the two, but it might be too soon for either and you might have to look at a fill-in for a couple of years. In which case I would look at Daisy, Gibbs or Hendo, assuming they are still around.

 

[Azul]

Is Casboult fit for a defender?
Worth a crack but no.
Kreuzer will be back in a month. On form Wood deserves a game. Unless he's learned to kick goals, Levi will be permanently relegated to the VFL.
Rowe and Casboult can't play in the same half of the ground - not agile enough.

Can Curnow be a ball winner?
Something we'll learn next year. If Bryce departs and Judd and Carrazzo retire that'll leave just Murph in the engine room older than 22.

Is Menzel midfield material?
As a floating wingman but nothing more. He's very outside, some might say laconically soft, and lacking fitness. Would off load him for Port Adelaide's first + Jasper Pittard in a heart beat.
2 goals a week in junk time isn't enough. Prove me wrong, Menz.

Could Foster be the tall forward we are looking for?
That's the hope. Early doors.

Is Fields the player who can fill Jamo's shoes?
Not really big enough. Releases White and Walker further up field though.

Rowe, Wood, Thomas, Murphy, Simpson etc. Are these players a part of the future?
Sam is our best tall defender at the minute. I doubt they have much trade value but will consider offers.
Natural attrition but I don't think Kade will get another contract.

Who is our next captain?
Let Cripps and Jaksch focus on footy, not tossing a coin.
I'll stick with Whiley - the only player Malthouse ranked highly enough to tag Pendles. Tough first gig. Luscious locks for female fans.

 

[FoeverBlues]

Can we please have in bold letters somewhere that LACHIE HENDERSON IS NOT A FREE AGENT

"LACHIE HENDERSON IS NOT A FREE AGENT!" for you MEB

 

[Magruder]

Didn't mean to get snappy Mags but every 3rd list management post has LH has an FA and i cri evry time.

nah, it's all good Mebbsy. No need to apologise, for some reason I keep thinking he is FA.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

"LACHIE HENDERSON IS NOT A FREE AGENT!" for you MEB

Thanks FoBlu. You rule.
Now if you could just post that in every thread....

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

Theory on Casboult: Navy Shane Mumford.

Mummy's only got 1cm on Levi, and is one of the dominant ruckmen in the comp. He may not have the height of Sandilands or the jump of Naitanui, but he's not afraid to throw his weight around the stoppages. Lays plenty of tackles, works the bodies of opposition rucks, and in doing so adds some real physicality to the GWS midfield.

Maybe we should have Levi hit the gym and focus on his ruckwork for the season? We lack some big bodies around the contest, and this could be one way to alleviate that.

I'd say the only thing stopping him from becoming the main ruck is the uncertainty of Kreuz.

 

[LordLucifer]

Theory on Casboult: Navy Shane Mumford.

Mummy's only got 1cm on Levi, and is one of the dominant ruckmen in the comp. He may not have the height of Sandilands or the jump of Naitanui, but he's not afraid to throw his weight around the stoppages. Lays plenty of tackles, works the bodies of opposition rucks, and in doing so adds some real physicality to the GWS midfield.

Maybe we should have Levi hit the gym and focus on his ruckwork for the season? We lack some big bodies around the contest, and this could be one way to alleviate that.

I'd rather the Big Galoot be groomed as a ruckman than as a key forward so give it a go.

 

[LordLucifer]

I'd say the only thing stopping him from becoming the main ruck is the uncertainty of Kreuz.

There is no uncertainty, it's all up to him, what happens to Kreuzer should not come into the equation and why would it.

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

There is no uncertainty, it's all up to him, what happens to Kreuzer should not come into the equation and why would it.

Because Wood is played as first ruck in Kreuzer's absence. If we know that Kreuz is a bust (not saying or hoping that he is), we can offload Warnock, keep Wood as back up, move Levi into 1st ruck, and bring in a developing kid.
With Kreuz being up in the air, it changes the whole structure. It's not about Levi wanting anything, it's team structure. At the moment some players are only in the team, or position because of Kreuz.

 

[LordLucifer]

Because Wood is played as first ruck in Kreuzer's absence. If we know that Kreuz is a bust (not saying or hoping that he is), we can offload Warnock, keep Wood as back up, move Levi into 1st ruck, and bring in a developing kid.
With Kreuz being up in the air, it changes the whole structure. It's not about Levi wanting anything, it's team structure. At the moment some players are only in the team, or position because of Kreuz.

I think we are at crossed purposes here.

If Casboult wants to be a ruck bad enough he will get there and how Kreuzer turns out will have no bearing on that.

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

I think we are at crossed purposes here.

If Casboult wants to be a ruck bad enough he will get there and how Kreuzer turns out will have no bearing on that.

Happy to agree to disagree. It's a bit of a hard task if the club views Kreuz as THE ruck and they are stuck in that mindset. Not sure they will change their view unless someone says that Kreuz is cooked and we have to move on. Given the fact that we have NO developing ruck, and Wood and Warnock are temporary fixes, they obviously still hold that view.

 

[Azul]

Happy to agree to disagree. It's a bit of a hard task if the club views Kreuz as THE ruck and they are stuck in that mindset. Not sure they will change their view unless someone says that Kreuz is cooked and we have to move on. Given the fact that we have NO developing ruck, and Wood and Warnock are temporary fixes, they obviously still hold that view.

It's no coincidence we're 17th on the ladder.

We didn't immediately rookie a teenage ruck when Jacobs left nor after Hampson left nor last year when Kreuzer was unavailable.

 

[LordLucifer]

Happy to agree to disagree. It's a bit of a hard task if the club views Kreuz as THE ruck and they are stuck in that mindset. Not sure they will change their view unless someone says that Kreuz is cooked and we have to move on. Given the fact that we have NO developing ruck, and Wood and Warnock are temporary fixes, they obviously still hold that view.

Okay, let me rephrase it, regardless of whether Kreuzer is anointed as the #1 ruck or not, if Casboult wants to work hard and become the #1 ruck then that is all up to him.

The club is not going to say "sorry Levi, we have bestowed the #1 ruck mantle on Matty even though you are way better than he is" and then boot him after both parties have put in all that hard work.

Two players slugging it out for the one position is a healthy position for us don't you think ??

Forget about Wood etc, he is only a stop-gap option, thankfully we have him right now though.

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

Okay, let me rephrase it, regardless of whether Kreuzer is anointed as the #1 ruck or not, if Casboult wants to work hard and become the #1 ruck then that is all up to him.

The club is not going to say "sorry Levi, we have bestowed the #1 ruck mantle on Matty even though you are way better than he is" and then boot him after both parties have put in all that hard work.

Two players slugging it out for the one position is a healthy position for us don't you think ??

Forget about Wood etc, he is only a stop-gap option, thankfully we have him right now though.

I know exactly what you're saying, I just disagree with how much of it is up to him. It's one thing for him to go to the club and say I'd like to take on more ruck responsibility, but if they've got him spending all his time training on his goal kicking, leading paterns, etc. it doesn't really leave him much time to develop his ruck skills, especially when the ruck coaches spend the majority of their time with Kreuz, Wood and Warnock, and would only spend a small amount of time with Levi as a secondary ruck. It also doesn't mean he's going to spend more time there during games. Players just don't have the freedom to choose their own positions and mess up team structure. It's ultimately up to the match committee and the coaches.
I think we've milked this one for all it's worth now.

 

[Magruder]

What's to stop us gradually increasing Levi's time in the ruck? I've been advocating this fir a little while now.

Essentially he has most of the attributes of a very good ruckman and I believe his kicking for goal would actually improve with greater confidence gained from more involvement in general play.

 

[NumberEight]

A fit Kreuzer could be our next captain.

Get rid of Wood and Beanpole and have Casboult as backup.

Menzel stays forward.

Cripps vice captain.

Everybody else goes and bring in some good kids.

Rebuild done.

 

[King of Ruin]