'Internal' recruits

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The Dr

The Dr

Norm Smith Medallist
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Jun 20, 2007
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AFL Club
Melbourne
While the trade and draft period always bring about questions about new faces, line-ups, best 22s etc, there are always some surprises/changes with existing players form year to year.

Heading into next season, here's a few things I'll be watching for over summer and some potential 'internal' recruits.

  • Can Jayden Hunt rediscover his 2017 form, and considering our wealth of mid-sized defensive options and need for speed through the midfield, could he be used as a mid or wingman?
  • Will ANB remain a pressure/high half-forward specialist or transition more to a full-time midfield role where he excelled as a junior?
  • Can Jeffy Garlett buy into the need to do the little things (not just kick goals) and become the pacy, crumbing forward we lacked last year?
  • How will the Preuss/Gawn combination work?
  • Joel Smith - absolutely flying on the track but how does he fit in?
  • Once Lever is fit, and assuming we go with Lever/May/O Mac as our key defenders - does Sam Frost become a pure back-up? Or can he find another role elsewhere on the ground?
  • Petracca - does he get fit enough to play more midfield time? And is that something we need, or is he best served spending a fair % of time up forward?
  • Who will be our KPF back-up if Weid or T Mac go down?
 
Hunt - Don’t think his flaws can be trained out of him but happy to be proven wrong

ANB - Think he is suited more to that HF role, he basically plays as an extra mid abyway with his running power. Needs to try up his disposal count by 4-5 a game imo

Garlett - Mentally not there this year, think he is cooked

Preuss/Gawn - I think we will certainly trial it, also gives us the luxury of not running Gawn into the ground

Smith - spud

Frost - Should see games early with Lever out, both he and Omac are pretty average tbh

Petracca - Doesn’t need to play more midfield time, he needs to fix his conversion up forward. He kicked 19.23 this year vs 26.6 in 2017, wtf happened? Fix that and he will be a gun.

No idea on KPF backup but considering teams are having success with only 1 KPF I’m not too worried.
 
My predictions re: our internal recruits:

Lewis - Will cop a fate similar to Vince. Play around half the games, get fazed back into the VFL due to his lack a agility/pace/ability to keep up with the speed of the game before retiring end of season.

Jones - Moved to HFF/FP with a focus on simply adding to the scoreboard.

Garlett - Unfortunately, I think the end of 19' could see Jeffrey calling it a day, however with a better year off field in his personal life we could very well see the Jeffrey of old reclaim his spot in the 22 and return to his blistering best.

T. McDonald - With no Hogan, he very well could have a solid chance at a Coleman in 2019.

Gawn/Preuss - The Dual-Ruck formation is in vogue, and this could have endless possibilities now that Gawn will finally get a proper chop out for once.

Viney - Has yet to even play a full season of AFL, full the love of Paul Roos I hope he can finally get through a season unscathed. Each time that he's come back into the 22 after an injury, he's shown just how much he does bring to the team when he's in peak form. It's just a matter of getting him on the park for good.

Lever - Ooooh it's going to be good when this chap gets back from injury. May taking best defender, one of O.McDonald/Frost taking second best and this bloke running rampant. 2020 could see the return of this chap into AA contention. 2019 though is simply about getting his body right.

Petracca - We all thought 18' would be his breakout year, turns out it was Gussy's. Hopefully next year can be Tractor's to cement his role as that A-Grade Danger/Dusty-esque mid/forward.

Oliver - The AFL/Umpires/Media/etc always seem to be one year behind in giving this chap the credit he deserves. First it was the AA snub, then he got AA this year but not much credit re: the Brownlow. If the logic continues this way, he very well might come close to getting the Charlie this year.

Brayshaw - Imagine if this bloke did play all the games this year. There'd be some value in jumping on him for the Brownlow definitely, the umpies seem to love him.

Stretch - He did play very well in his return games but was once again cruelled by injury. He could very well challenge for that Wing/Half-Back flank position to give the team that needed pace in 2019.

Weideman - Started to get some ripper form as that 2nd tall forward when Hogan went down. Promising signs for the coming season. Third tall/pinch hit ruckman wasn't quite his forte.

C. Wagner - I mean we can pretty much call him an internal recruit. He might be an SSP rookie, but I reckon he's probably almost top of our depth list. So if we cop a handful of injuries I expect this chap to be in contention for a call up.

Baker - In the same boat as quite a few players gunning for a WM/HBF position to provide that crucial pace. I'm big wraps on this chap and I'm keen on him finding his place in the 22 next year.
 

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dylan93 said:
My predictions re: our internal recruits:

Lewis - Will cop a fate similar to Vince. Play around half the games, get fazed back into the VFL due to his lack a agility/pace/ability to keep up with the speed of the game before retiring end of season.

Jones - Moved to HFF/FP with a focus on simply adding to the scoreboard.

Garlett - Unfortunately, I think the end of 19' could see Jeffrey calling it a day, however with a better year off field in his personal life we could very well see the Jeffrey of old reclaim his spot in the 22 and return to his blistering best.

T. McDonald - With no Hogan, he very well could have a solid chance at a Coleman in 2019.

Gawn/Preuss - The Dual-Ruck formation is in vogue, and this could have endless possibilities now that Gawn will finally get a proper chop out for once.

Viney - Has yet to even play a full season of AFL, full the love of Paul Roos I hope he can finally get through a season unscathed. Each time that he's come back into the 22 after an injury, he's shown just how much he does bring to the team when he's in peak form. It's just a matter of getting him on the park for good.

Lever - Ooooh it's going to be good when this chap gets back from injury. May taking best defender, one of O.McDonald/Frost taking second best and this bloke running rampant. 2020 could see the return of this chap into AA contention. 2019 though is simply about getting his body right.

Petracca - We all thought 18' would be his breakout year, turns out it was Gussy's. Hopefully next year can be Tractor's to cement his role as that A-Grade Danger/Dusty-esque mid/forward.

Oliver - The AFL/Umpires/Media/etc always seem to be one year behind in giving this chap the credit he deserves. First it was the AA snub, then he got AA this year but not much credit re: the Brownlow. If the logic continues this way, he very well might come close to getting the Charlie this year.

Brayshaw - Imagine if this bloke did play all the games this year. There'd be some value in jumping on him for the Brownlow definitely, the umpies seem to love him.

Stretch - He did play very well in his return games but was once again cruelled by injury. He could very well challenge for that Wing/Half-Back flank position to give the team that needed pace in 2019.

Weideman - Started to get some ripper form as that 2nd tall forward when Hogan went down. Promising signs for the coming season. Third tall/pinch hit ruckman wasn't quite his forte.

C. Wagner - I mean we can pretty much call him an internal recruit. He might be an SSP rookie, but I reckon he's probably almost top of our depth list. So if we cop a handful of injuries I expect this chap to be in contention for a call up.

Baker - In the same boat as quite a few players gunning for a WM/HBF position to provide that crucial pace. I'm big wraps on this chap and I'm keen on him finding his place in the 22 next year.
Click to expand...
How come most of them are chaps except Brayshaw who seems to be a bloke?
 
schmuttt said:
Hunt - Don’t think his flaws can be trained out of him but happy to be proven wrong

ANB - Think he is suited more to that HF role, he basically plays as an extra mid abyway with his running power. Needs to try up his disposal count by 4-5 a game imo

Garlett - Mentally not there this year, think he is cooked

Preuss/Gawn - I think we will certainly trial it, also gives us the luxury of not running Gawn into the ground

Smith - spud

Frost - Should see games early with Lever out, both he and Omac are pretty average tbh

Petracca - Doesn’t need to play more midfield time, he needs to fix his conversion up forward. He kicked 19.23 this year vs 26.6 in 2017, wtf happened? Fix that and he will be a gun.

No idea on KPF backup but considering teams are having success with only 1 KPF I’m not too worried.
Click to expand...
Truck going at the same efficiency as 2017 in 2018 kicks 34-35 goals. Layer on a little more natural improvement and he’s a 20-25 possession, 5 marks, 2 goals a game player.
 
The Dr said:
While the trade and draft period always bring about questions about new faces, line-ups, best 22s etc, there are always some surprises/changes with existing players form year to year.

Heading into next season, here's a few things I'll be watching for over summer and some potential 'internal' recruits.

  • Can Jayden Hunt rediscover his 2017 form, and considering our wealth of mid-sized defensive options and need for speed through the midfield, could he be used as a mid or wingman?
  • Will ANB remain a pressure/high half-forward specialist or transition more to a full-time midfield role where he excelled as a junior?
  • Can Jeffy Garlett buy into the need to do the little things (not just kick goals) and become the pacy, crumbing forward we lacked last year?
  • How will the Preuss/Gawn combination work?
  • Joel Smith - absolutely flying on the track but how does he fit in?
  • Once Lever is fit, and assuming we go with Lever/May/O Mac as our key defenders - does Sam Frost become a pure back-up? Or can he find another role elsewhere on the ground?
  • Petracca - does he get fit enough to play more midfield time? And is that something we need, or is he best served spending a fair % of time up forward?
  • Who will be our KPF back-up if Weid or T Mac go down?
Click to expand...

Great post Doc - Hunt + Garlett interest me the most here, and also Frosty - will the rule changes at kick ins help him kep a spot?

As I posted in another thread, I also truly believe that Tim Smith could have a big impact this year if he gets a good run at it.

I'm also interested in AVB & Hannan - are they best 22?
 
Hunt - I do have my doubts on whether he can establish himself again in our side and maintain his spot. I've got no doubt he can contribute to a good level for us when he's playing but I still have queries on his kicking and his ability to hit targets consistently going forward. In saying that, he did have an injury interrupted year in 2018 so hopefully he gets a better run at it and can put his best foot forward next year.

ANB - I think he's found his niche as a high half forward. He found the ball a little bit less this year but I think he made up for that by impacting the scoreboard more this year. Developing nicely, a really solid and reliable player for mine.

Garlett - Like Hunt, he's a player that can contribute to a high level but I have doubts on his consistency in performance. Got no doubt when given the opportunity he will have some quality games but I'm not sure if he will be able to maintain his spot in the side. He's definitely got the talent and the skillset to be good enough to be best 22, we just have to see him impact the game more frequently. One of the more interesting players to watch next year for mine.

Preuss/Gawn - I'm glad we got Preuss as a back-up option but I'm not sure it's best for us if we play him and Gawn in the same side. With the addition of Preuss, it certainly gives us the option to trial it and it would provide Gawn a chop-out. It seems like the club will play them both in the same side at times in 2019 but I don't think it should be a regular occurrence.

J Smith - I think I read somewhere he's been training with the forwards. I don't mind that. I think it's good to train players to be versatile particularly those who might struggle for opportunity in their original preferred position which in Smith's case was in defence.

Frost - I get the feeling the club prefers O Mac over Frost atm. Assuming Lever is still unavailable early in the season and O Mac and May are the two preferred key defenders, I wonder if Frost will still be included in our defence. I'm really not sure but I'm not against it if we do have Frost in the side along with May and O Mac. I do like what Frost brings to our team in regards to his athleticism and his ability to rebound and start the attack for us from the backline but I think his aerial work is still questionable. I've seen him take some strong intercept marks for us particularly late in the season which was encouraging but I feel he's still prone to dropping easy marks and failing to impact the ball in the air (in particular letting the ball get out the back) more than I would like. If he improves his aerial work further than I feel he can be best 22 and a good option for us in defence. At this stage, I think O Mac is developing ok but if Frost improves the aerial aspect of his game even more than I think he could definitely be a more desirable option over O Mac in the side. I'll be interested to see how he develops in 2019.

Petracca - I think he's good enough to play midfield full-time but I'm not sure that would be the best thing for our team. If we did that, I think it would result in one of our primary on-ballers such as Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney or Harmes getting less time in the midfield which I don't think is best for us. All of those players are best suited in the midfield and I'd hate to see someone like Harmes (who has found his niche as a run-with player) for example getting moved out of there more often at the expense of Petracca. Petracca shouldn't spend more time in the midfield than any of those four midfielders I listed. I feel Petracca is best utilised as someone who plays primarily in the forward half that can be used as an impactful rotation in the midfield. I'm looking for his conversion to improve next year. I reckon he should again average more than one goal a game in 2019 and add to our spread of goal kickers. Excited to see what he produces next season.

KPF backup - If say one of T Mac or Weideman are out of the side, I don't think there needs to be drastic changes to the side. I don't think we need to necessarily replace either T Mac or Weid with another tall. I reckon we can play effectively with the one tall complemented by our many mid-sized forwards such as Melksham, Petracca, Hannan and Fritsch for example who can be effective targets but are also equally adept at ground level. I don't think it's a big concern in the case we need to replace one of T Mac or Weid as I feel our medium tall forwards are good enough to pick up the slack and impact both in the air and on the ground. The other alternative for mine would be to play Gawn in the forward line and bring in Preuss to do the majority of the ruck work around the ground. Gawn is one of the best contested marks in the comp and at the very least would bring the ball to ground which would give our players a chance to get involved and impact the game at ground level.
 

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Hunt I'm guessing got ahead of himself after his breakout season and hopefully has pulled his head in and ready to have the season he should have had in 2018.

Smith I'll continue to back in to get up to the speed of the game and be a handy utility.

Garlett I dunno, even if he lifts his workrate he may not have it anymore. Reckon the young short arses will be given first crack anyway.

Petracca is due to bust out. Hurry the * up you huge bastard.
 
Theseventhhamster said:
Hunt I'm guessing got ahead of himself after his breakout season and hopefully has pulled his head in and ready to have the season he should have had in 2018.

Smith I'll continue to back in to get up to the speed of the game and be a handy utility.

Garlett I dunno, even if he lifts his workrate he may not have it anymore. Reckon the young short arses will be given first crack anyway.

Petracca is due to bust out. Hurry the **** up you huge bastard.
Click to expand...
Hunt was injured most the year wasn't he?
 
Not to pin the hopes all on one bloke, we need the entire group to improve (don’t all clubs). But if trac has a
de goey type season next year I’d be surprised if we weren’t there at the very business end off the season.
 
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