Toast Hayden Crozier

[splendidham]

Can't wait to see this game. He's my buddy so I'm absolutely disgusted that I missed it. But my other little buddy who was just born kinda makes up for it. Hopefully get to watch it before the next game. Life has pretty much been work, boy and sleep. Anyway, GO CROZ!!

 

[beetz]

Awesome game. Tackled like a maniac, although over committed at times but that's just his eagerness so it was good to see.

Elite kicking skills too, with a few more games and experience on the big stage I have no doubts he will be a quality player.

Big thing now for him now is CONSISTENCY.

 

[manpurple]

Good game from Crozier. Nice to see him getting into it.

Look out GU.

I think deBoer is the one in the sights not the Gu.
Gu is predominantly a wing and HB player. Crozier is a HF player so definitely keeping Sylvia out and may be a replacement for deBoer

 

[The Black Sheep]

Has arrived.

Bit early for that call. Still, was very, very good. Especially as we were under the pump for most of the game (all of it virtually) and he was one of the standouts.

 

[salim malik]

De Boer is in the side for his strong body that allows him to tackle ,lock the ball in the forward half for a ball up then block in the clearance for the Ballas etc to do their work
If Ross is contemplating a different tactic in the forward line incorporating the speed that Crosier and Duffy showed then probably De Boer will go
If Ross is going to keep his tried and true method Matt will stay,Sonny will come in and either Cros or Duff will go

 

[The Black Sheep]

De Boer is in the side for his strong body that allows him to tackle ,lock the ball in the forward half for a ball up then block in the clearance for the Ballas etc to do their work
If Ross is contemplating a different tactic in the forward line incorporating the speed that Crosier and Duffy showed then probably De Boer will go
If Ross is going to keep his tried and true method Matt will stay,Sonny will come in and either Cros or Duff will go

deBoer is crucial for us. We really missed him when he wasn't there. He's not getting dropped regardless of the ins, IMO. I think a lot would disagree, but I don't see Walters playing this week. I think he'll get another run in the WAFL and possibly even the week after, as long as Duffy and Croz keep performing. If we can afford to, then we should let him get a couple of games under his belt in the WAFL to give him a bit more match conditioning. I reckon the only change will be McPharlin for Silvagni.

 

[Freeeoo]

Bit early for that call. Still, was very, very good. Especially as we were under the pump for most of the game (all of it virtually) and he was one of the standouts.

He ticked a lot of boxes.

 

[beetz]

He has certainly arrived, whether it's just an overnighter or permanent remains to be seen.

 

[AAACockburn]

Good game from Crozier. Nice to see him getting into it.


I think deBoer is the one in the sights not the Gu.
Gu is predominantly a wing and HB player. Crozier is a HF player so definitely keeping Sylvia out and may be a replacement for deBoer

Nothing against Tendai. But I should have done my homework a bit more on Croz. The way he ran all day and the contests he got to, I thought he was more of a midfielder than a forward.
After sobering up and using old mate google. I see where you are coming from

 

[go_the_dockers]

Nothing against Tendai. But I should have done my homework a bit more on Croz. The way he ran all day and the contests he got to, I thought he was more of a midfielder than a forward.
After sobering up and using old mate google. I see where you are coming from

Crozier has been playing Wing\half forward and I imagine he will continue to do this next week especially with Ballas, Duffy and Walters all playing.

At times Crozier has been playing as an inside mid in the WAFL and once he adds a bit more bulk he will be able to play the same role in the AFL. If he can be a true inside\outside mid then he will be something very special.

 

[simpsonwillo]

I've always rated him highly. Was at training yesterday and got within 15 meters of him. He's very athletic and has a very attractive style of footy. He just needs more opportunities to get into the afl system. Once he gets going he's going and his confidence up at afl level he's going to be a real gem of a player. I'm very excited about this guy;he could be the full package.

 

[Nickos66]

What a fantastic performance, very exciting to see somebody of his obvious talent do the hard things and put on the pressure that's associated with Freo's best performances. His WAFL performances have read in a very similar way to how he played last weekend so it's great to see him make the transition with the same hunger for the contest.

What an exciting prospect!

 

[manpurple]

I've always rated him highly. Was at training yesterday and got within 15 meters of him. He's very athletic and has a very attractive style of footy. He just needs more opportunities to get into the afl system. Once he gets going he's going and his confidence up at afl level he's going to be a real gem of a player. I'm very excited about this guy;he could be the full package.

Whilst not as good as the 08 draft I think that the the 11 draft where we picked up (Sherro, Croz, Neale, Sutty and Spurr) is going to be a killer year for us. Of those taken I would expect all five mentioned to go well over 100 games. I also think that of the 5 Crozier has the most upside though it will be a close run thing with Sutty.
If it comes to trading any of the above I am least likely to want to trade Croz as I think he will be good for 200 games assuming no injuries. At the moment he has played the least of his cohort, only 18 games, but he has a flash of brilliance that I have not seen from the others.
Don't misunderstand me I rate Spurr, Sutty and Neale but I believe that these three are good consistant performers and will improve over time but Croz has the X-factor.
Sherridan is the one I am the least sure of. He also has only had 19 games so less time to judge and i think his challenge is that he is more pure inside mid than the rest and our mids ATM are not missing too much. Hard for him to get a game.

 

[Freo Dr]

The confidence he and the match committee will have got from that games cannot be underestimated. Crozier has the greatest upside of his draft year group of five and I think that will go down as his breakout game. Very excited about what he can achieve next year with another preseason into him.

And for the record if anything I would be considering dropping/easing out Crowley (especially next year when he will be 30) and having MDB take his role so that we have one less defensive player replaced with another damaging player the opposition have to worry about. 2-3 extra goals per game versus 2012 season is needed and a guy like Crozier can provide at least half of that. Getting Clarke or a 2nd tall to kick 1-2 goals a game will be the other half.

 

[NatTheKnifeFyfe]

The confidence he and the match committee will have got from that games cannot be underestimated. Crozier has the greatest upside of his draft year group of five and I think that will go down as his breakout game. Very excited about what he can achieve next year with another preseason into him.

And for the record if anything I would be considering dropping/easing out Crowley (especially next year when he will be 30) and having MDB take his role so that we have one less defensive player replaced with another damaging player the opposition have to worry about. 2-3 extra goals per game versus 2012 season is needed and a guy like Crozier can provide at least half of that. Getting Clarke or a 2nd tall to kick 1-2 goals a game will be the other half.

Nope Crowley can stay as long as he wants

 

[Freo88]

Nope Crowley can stay as long as he wants

I wouldnt go that far. I dont think hes got the points in the bank to be able to say when hes had enough, unlike our current 3 champions.

 

[Righteo]

I wouldnt go that far. I dont think hes got the points in the bank to be able to say when hes had enough, unlike our current 3 champions.

As soon as his fitness wanes even slightly he's gone IMO and makes way for the new superfreak runner in Menegola.

 

[pokerspiv]

Considering the umpires have his card marked he might be gone even sooner than expected. Can't afford to have him causing 5-10 turnovers a game, even if it's not his fault.

 

[theGav56]

Really enjoyed his game and his selection was good timing by Cyanide Ross. Coming into finals we have suddenly become a little more dangerous. A little less predictable. In the absence of a classic forward set up it just might work for us.

 

[The Black Sheep]

As soon as his fitness wanes even slightly he's gone IMO and makes way for the new superfreak runner in Menegola.

He could be turned into a pretty good defensive forward though. I'd imagine shutting down the oppositions best rebounder would be a role he'd relish. He'd be fit enough to play in the forward line, even if he can't run with the best mids anymore. Plus he's a pretty handy mark and kick for goal.

 

[Silent Alarm]

As soon as his fitness wanes even slightly he's gone IMO and makes way for the new superfreak runner in Menegola.

Menegola is such a s**t footballer it's bizarre how people want him in the team. The dude is an athlete trying to be a footballer. A tagger isn't that important – how many seriously good taggers are there? Crowley and...?

 

[salim malik]

Menegola is such a s**t footballer it's bizarre how people want him in the team. The dude is an athlete trying to be a footballer. A tagger isn't that important – how many seriously good taggers are there? Crowley and...?

Seen much of him have you

 

[Righteo]

Menegola is such a s**t footballer it's bizarre how people want him in the team. The dude is an athlete trying to be a footballer. A tagger isn't that important – how many seriously good taggers are there? Crowley and...?

Whether I rate him or not is immaterial, Ross likes playing a tagger and the fact he was upgraded indicates he's in their future plans; just trying to be objective about it.

 

[Freo Dr]

My mention of Crowley was more for next year. But its simple managment 101, the easiest way to improve is to upgrade you worst performing players. If our plan is to score more then presently we have three very defensively minded players who basically never score or rebound the footy very well (Dawson, Deboer and Crowley). Crowley is actually the best but his goals have been less this year. Our rucks also need to get on the scoreboard more often if you compare to other teams but that is another story. Hence why I see guys like Crozier coming in and providing more offense as well as reasonable defensive pressure as our need for next year so do we have room for both MDB and Crowley then?

Likewise if someone like Alex Pearce or Vandeluer can come in and provide more rebound than Dawson by foot as well as the defensive side then I would look at that as well. Dawson is safe ATM I would think though because first we need to replace Macca and then MJ.

 

[manpurple]

My mention of Crowley was more for next year. But its simple managment 101, the easiest way to improve is to upgrade you worst performing players. If our plan is to score more then presently we have three very defensively minded players who basically never score or rebound the footy very well (Dawson, Deboer and Crowley). Crowley is actually the best but his goals have been less this year. Our rucks also need to get on the scoreboard more often if you compare to other teams but that is another story. Hence why I see guys like Crozier coming in and providing more offense as well as reasonable defensive pressure as our need for next year so do we have room for both MDB and Crowley then?

Likewise if someone like Alex Pearce or Vandeluer can come in and provide more rebound than Dawson by foot as well as the defensive side then I would look at that as well. Dawson is safe ATM I would think though because first we need to replace Macca and then MJ.

Dawson kicked his first ever goal for us. He takes the deepest biggest forward every week. I would say that his KPI sheet contains none of the measures you mentioned for performance. His role is not to rebound, nor to score, his only role is to stop attacking movement by the opposition in any way he can. To this end his 1%, punches and so forth will put him in untouchable territory for years to come. Don't look at SC or DT style stats to assess backs they have very limited relevance for the ones who play deep. Now rebound and so forth is more relevant for MJ's or Duffield's roles and if their rebound drops they will come under pressure.

WRT Menegola taking over from Crowley eventually. Personally i don't think he brings enough to the table. I would rather that MDB or the Gu got that role. Both have more than enough stamina and are genuinely in the side for ability, like Crowley (HF before his role was changed under Harvey).