Opinion The Midfield - A Reality Check

[kelvin_sheedy]

I think its time we compared the midfield group to the rest of the league to see where we exactly sit and how we rate.

Lets rate our midfield on a 0-10 scale. Here's a few samples for comparison:

G Ablett, Fyfe - 10
Selwood, Pendlebury, Dangerfield, Mitchell - 9
Hannebury, Boak, Gray, Lewis, Beams - 8
Parker, Sloane, Murphy - 7
Mundy, Vince, Shuey - 6+
Ward, Dalhaus, Hill, Motlop - 5+

Now here's how ours stand in comparison

Watson - 9 when fit
Heppell - 8
Stanton - 4+
Goddard - 5
Zaharakis - 2 on form this year, 4+ other years
Colyer - 4+
Hocking and Myers - 4+, role players
Z Merrett - 5 and rising
Cooney - 3
Melksham - 3
NOB and Kav - 1
Howlett - 3

So if everything is going right then our midfield lands somewhere in the middle of the road at best.

 

[YEMOC NAYR]

Its really stagnated. Watsons output will go down over the next few, and has so this year. Zaka is in no mans land, heppel has stagnated, zerret is on the up but we still need more.

Draft parish

 

[Cristiano Ronaldo]

We should target an average score of 6 from Z.Merrett, J.Merrett, Zaharakis, Heppell, Myers, Laverde, Colyer and Fantasia in the next 5 years. Then with the proper drafting of mids that would suit us, an average score of around 7.

 

[Towno78]

Strange scale, couldn't possibly add to the discussion re points with that scale.
But on discussion of our midfield, I'd personally be looking from next year to have Watson almost a stay at home forward and goddard in defence. Then look at who we've got from there.

 

[HULK HOGAN]

Strange scale, couldn't possibly add to the discussion re points with that scale.
But on discussion of our midfield, I'd personally be looking from next year to have Watson almost a stay at home forward and goddard in defence. Then look at who we've got from there.

What we e got from there is what we saw yesterday, maybe add Myers and hopefully Hocking......

 

[hurlygurdy]

I think its time we compared the midfield group to the rest of the league to see where we exactly sit and how we rate.

Lets rate our midfield on a 0-10 scale. Here's a few samples for comparison:

G Ablett, Fyfe - 10
Selwood, Pendlebury, Dangerfield, Mitchell - 9
Hannebury, Boak, Gray, Lewis, Beams - 8
Parker, Sloane, Murphy - 7
Mundy, Vince, Shuey - 6+
Ward, Dalhaus, Hill, Motlop - 5+

Now here's how ours stand in comparison

Watson - 9 when fit
Heppell - 8
Stanton - 4+
Goddard - 5
Zaharakis - 2 on form this year, 4+ other years
Colyer - 4+
Hocking and Myers - 4+, role players
Z Merrett - 5 and rising
Cooney - 3
Melksham - 3
NOB and Kav - 1
Howlett - 3

So if everything is going right then our midfield lands somewhere in the middle of the road at best.

A couple of years ago i would have said Zaka was a 7 and his current form is emblematic for where the entire team is at right now.

One thing i think i've learned this year is how important Hocking is for the team. He is such a hard presence that hangs tight in the contest. Without him we are just too soft and don't bring enough pressure to the opposition midfield. For that reason i would say he is a 6 in the context of our midfield.
Goddard is better than a 5 but seems unable to carry the load of being a focal point. Once again he is solid gold to have in the team when we are traveling well.
It's true Stanton may only be a 4+, but his effort and run is outstanding.
I'd have Colyer as a 5+. He is a genuine weapon and is getting enough of the ball now.
Cooney is probably a 5+ also, but who would know with the shambles that is happening at the moment.

The disaster that we are experiencing in the midfield is down to the contrast between those missing and their replacements. Watson - NOB. Hocking - Melksham. Colyer - (no body). Zaka - crap Zaka. Myers - Howlett. We've lost skill, muscle, experience and speed. We've hit the quadrella of shittness in the area on the field that matters most. Yet people still point the finger at our forward line!

 

[Whispering_Jack]

I really struggle with these comparisons because it's so subjective. Clearly our KPP's and forward flanks/wings are set for the next generation (assuming we can pull off a miracle and keep Carlisle). We have plenty of work to do with our midfield, though.

 

[Run and carry]

I think if all or most of them were on the park together (and fit) the ratings would go up. They would also complement each other as well. You can't rate them in isolation.

 

[theboxmike]

What we e got from there is what we saw yesterday, maybe add Myers and hopefully Hocking......

Myers is a must and when on song should be one of our major players in the middle.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

I think if all or most of them were on the park together (and fit) the ratings would go up. They would also complement each other as well. You can't rate them in isolation.

Thats one of our biggest issues. Compare that to the guys I've put up there. Their output rarely fluctuates as much as our midfield.

You could argue that my ratings are too high based on form fluctuation. You cannot have guys that only go well when everything is going right.

 

[Kaiser Powser]

Our midfield has been smashed by injuries and poor form. I actually think it was tracking along okay up until the WADA appeal and everything just falling in a heap. In this light it just looks hopelessly average. We do need a young star in there and then everything will seem better, the older players become support rather than the main thing.

 

[calyam]

There is no reasonable rating scale that would treat Callan Ward as an 'average' midfielder.

The AFL Player Ratings though confirm that we lack top line class - particularly with Watson struggling with injury over the past two seasons.

Here is how our top 10 midfielders rate according to those ratings. The peaks are since the beginning of 2012 (I can't go back any further) and the rankings are calculated over the past two seasons. Games played matter and players lose points if they are injured (which explains why Hocking and Myers are so poorly ranked).

Heppell (28) - at peak.
Watson (46) - peaked at 3.
Goddard (51) - peaked at 12.
Stanton (118) - peaked at 23.
Howlett (144) - peaked at 49.
Zaharakis (151) - peaked at 44.
Z. Merrett (164) - at peak and rising rapidly.
Melksham (198) - peaked at 131.
Hocking (315) - peaked at 60.
Myers (321) - peaked at 125.

The numbers indicate that most of the players running through our midfield are capable players. Unfortunately, most of them - either due to injuries, age, or a change in role - have been unable to maintain that form.

Too much is being left to Heppell while Merrett is really the only other guy under 25 that is establishing himself as a potential top liner (apparently he's been the 18th best performed player over the past month in the entire league). Stanton deserves some credit for stepping up in the absence of Watson, though his decision-making can sometimes be questionable, while our other midfielders simply aren't having a red hot dip.

There is clear upside to the likes of Zaharakis and Myers - if they get some sense of continuity - and Hocking still has an important role to play. Colyer is a player I'd like to see play a more important role given his ability to break lines and kick goals.

The reality is that to challenge for the top 4 you probably need 4 or 5 midfielders sitting in the top 100 players. It's the reason why I think we shouldn't hesitate to have a crack at the likes of Treloar or even Liberatore if they are available.

 

[HULK HOGAN]

A couple of years ago i would have said Zaka was a 7 and his current form is emblematic for where the entire team is at right now.

One thing i think i've learned this year is how important Hocking is for the team. He is such a hard presence that hangs tight in the contest. Without him we are just too soft and don't bring enough pressure to the opposition midfield. For that reason i would say he is a 6 in the context of our midfield.
Goddard is better than a 5 but seems unable to carry the load of being a focal point. Once again he is solid gold to have in the team when we are traveling well.
It's true Stanton may only be a 4+, but his effort and run is outstanding.
I'd have Colyer as a 5+. He is a genuine weapon and is getting enough of the ball now.
Cooney is probably a 5+ also, but who would know with the shambles that is happening at the moment.

The disaster that we are experiencing in the midfield is down to the contrast between those missing and their replacements. Watson - NOB. Hocking - Melksham. Colyer - (no body). Zaka - crap Zaka. Myers - Howlett. We've lost skill, muscle, experience and speed. We've hit the quadrella of shittness in the area on the field that matters most. Yet people still point the finger at our forward line!

Stanton had more touches than Cooney and Zahrakis put together yesterday.....

 

[vast]

I really hope we can find 1 or 2 truly elite mids soon.

 

[bombreys]

Our midfielders aged in the 20-24 year old region is absolutely frightening and quite probably amongst league-worst.

Heppell
O'Brien
Melksham
J Merrett
Browne
Kavanagh
Dalgleish
Hams

Outside of Heppell, I don't think any would get a game for the top 12 teams.

 

[vast]

bombreys please delete ur post its one of the most disturbing things Ive seen on this site.

 

[doug85]

Our midfield looked so slow yesterday.

12 months ago I never would have thought I'd post this but we really miss Colyer.

 

[Astro Bomber]

Our midfielders aged in the 20-24 year old region is absolutely frightening and quite probably amongst league-worst.

Heppell
O'Brien
Melksham
J Merrett
Browne
Kavanagh
Dalgleish
Hams

Outside of Heppell, I don't think any would get a game for the top 12 teams.

Colyer?
Zack Merrett (19) can be added to this
as can Laverde who looks good.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

We need someone to jump out of the box and i'm hoping Jackson Merrett after another pre season can be the guy. Hoping the Merrett brothers become part of our core midfield rotation next year. Zack is already there but one more Merrett please.

Fantasia may be another that can come from nowhere and be a good player. Fingers crossed.

Colyer is someone we need to take another step next year. Praying his foot completely heals and he goes on with it.

 

[bombreys]

Colyer?
Zack Merrett (19) can be added to this
as can Laverde who looks good.

Colyer - I guess depends on opinion as to whether you think he's best suited as a midfielder/forward. Forward for me.

I really like all of Z Merrett, Laverde, Langford & Fantasia.

But as I stated above, I was just referring to 20-24 year olds, as in young-ish players who should only be 1-3 years from their prime. It's pretty ordinary to have one, maybe two AFL-caliber midfielders in that range.

 

[yaco55]

The midfield is OK - Ideally we get another 2 or 3 quality midfielders in the next two drafts - For me its a mid-level midfield. And midfields can change quickly - WC's midfield was bottom 5 in 2014 and now its probably top 5 in 2015.

 

[Yoda_]

Go after the guys that should be leading our midfield NOT the ones finally being afforded a chance in the seniors.

What's Goddard rating right now? Zaka? Stanton? Heppell? Howlett? The guys with games behind them.

 

[daffo]

The midfield has been a problem for us for 10-15 years.

 

[mayhem20202]

Our midfielders aged in the 20-24 year old region is absolutely frightening and quite probably amongst league-worst.

Heppell
O'Brien
Melksham
J Merrett
Browne
Kavanagh
Dalgleish
Hams

Outside of Heppell, I don't think any would get a game for the top 12 teams.

Got creative there with 20-24 so he could leave out zac Merrett and laverde and Langford and just clean overlooked colyer.

 

[calyam]

Got creative there with 20-24 so he could leave out zac Merrett and laverde and Langford and just clean overlooked colyer.

I agree that leaving out Zach was a mistake - he's clearly been among our best this year - but at this point Laverde and Langford are merely speculation. It is, however, true that most of our midfielders within that bracket are pretty useless. Melksham might get a game at some other clubs - though few would have considered him 'best 22' like we did - but the others would get little interest.