Past #16: Aiden Bonar - drafted by GWS #11 '17 ND - traded to NM end '19 - 25 NM games - thx Bon

[Moti]

Exactly! HBF the easiest place in footy to get a cheap and easy posessions
Any midfielder that is decent would average 20 on a HBF b4 moving into the middle

Let's move Cunnington back there and see how he goes.

Contested players like Bonar (and Atley) have a more natural ability in traffic and around the ball. That is why they are reactive in defence, their natural game strength is not reading the flight of the ball coming at them but making something happen at the contest. Some players just aren't suited to it.

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Well at least we can safely say Bonar is not a defender.

I expect he won't be a forward either which leaves us with the mid field.

How about we try him in the middle for a couple of games and see how he goes?

If he can't win a contested ball when it comes into half back, and can't get into position to being a receiver more than a handful of times in the backline, I can't see it being any different in the guts.
Having said that, I'm all for playing him for the rest of the season to see what he's got. Bailey Scott had a bunch of nothing games between his great debut and his recent form.

 

[king of the road]

Exactly! HBF the easiest place in footy to get a cheap and easy posessions
Any midfielder that is decent would average 20 on a HBF b4 moving into the middle

Maybe he’s there to defend and not get cheap and easy possessions?
Who did he play on? How did they go? Perhaps a better indication of his performance?
Free up LMac and others to run off HB.

 

[rm3504]

Let's move Cunnington back there and see how he goes.

Contested players like Bonar (and Atley) have a more natural ability in traffic and around the ball. That is why they are reactive in defence, their natural game strength is not reading the flight of the ball coming at them but making something happen at the contest. Some players just aren't suited to it.

U can’t be serious? U don’t think cunners would avg 20 at half back??
no contested ball in defence??
Ok then

 

[rm3504]

Maybe he’s there to defend and not get cheap and easy possessions?
Who did he play on? How did they go? Perhaps a better indication of his performance?
Free up LMac and others to run off HB.

What about all the times we have the ball??
He’s either not fit enough to create on the rebound or just not that good at finding the pill

 

[Passmore]

Maybe he’s there to defend and not get cheap and easy possessions?
Who did he play on? How did they go? Perhaps a better indication of his performance?
Free up LMac and others to run off HB.

He's a young bloke starting out, he's hardly going to be chasing cheapies. His number 1 focus at the moment would be stopping his opponent. When/If he gets more comfortable the posessions will come.

The need to write off young blokes starting out and be first in with "da scoop" or "I told you so", is astounding.

 

[Clarke is King]

The need to write off young blokes starting out and be first in with "da scoop" or "I told you so", is astounding.

This, claiming people as "my man", or quoting your earlier posts when you're right on this forum are some of the more pathetic attempts for validation you will see.

 

[7577969923]

He's a young bloke starting out, he's hardly going to be chasing cheapies. His number 1 focus at the moment would be stopping his opponent. When/If he gets more comfortable the posessions will come.

The need to write off young blokes starting out and be first in with "da scoop" or "I told you so", is astounding.

Did he spend any time on Selwood? He is one of the best players in the last 15 years and he was held to 14 pretty uninfluential possessions last night. Not sure if it was Bonar but someone deserves a pat on the back.

 

[ChoppyGun]

Looked lost last night.

Still very early so hope plays a better one next time.

 

[Psicosis]

Happy to be proven wrong, but I can't really see him putting together a long-term career as a lockdown backman. Doesn't seem to allow him to play to his strengths (power, explosiveness).

I've been harping on about midfield time, and I hope we get a glimpse of it later in the season. At the very least a more attacking role, just not a forward flank where it's easy to get lost for christ sake.

 

[Reginald0]

Looked lost last night.

Still very early so hope plays a better one next time.

that’s the idea
numerous reasons for a crappy game
maybe just plain nervous about his career
excuses cant be endless but how effing weird is this world...how seriously weird is the footy world living in the Bubble..no need to judge in a hurry
Decide in Haste
Repent at Leisure

 

[Themanbun]

Looks like our biggest issue of the past decade (unaccountable defending 2way running mids) is trying to be rectified by rhyce and co by playing potential mids down back for the first 15-20 games.

Turning mids into defensive flankers long pre existed Shaw.

 

[muttley45]

Thought he played on Miers after 1/2 time

 

[kool kangas]

He's played 9 games in 3 years and that including 3 with us. There has been no VFL games only scratch matches and people are calling for his blood. The so called game chair experts think he isnt any good. Lets wait if or until he gets 30+ games then decide...

 

[Its a Process]

I can see what they are trying here - he is a booming kick, strong and fast, all good attributes for a defender.

He was involved in a bit of play coming through the middle and delivering the ball forward against Adelaide which looked really good, give it time.

 

[tazaa]

Our major issue for a while now has been the easy clearance out of the middle.
What kills us entirely is the easy clearance from a 2nd stoppage after a centre bounce. There is a paddock for opposition forwards to lead into and midfielders to spread. That’s when we’re at our most vulnerable.
Reason why is we usually shut down the corridor by having a spare back, which leaves us one short at the stoppage. It’s been like that for years and it’s all due to our midfielders lack of defensive accountability. We pretty much bank on winning the clearance and get into attacking positions because we’re pretty much useless trying to defend. Save for Ben Jacobs taking his place at the centre bounce. He really was the difference and the most important cog in our midfield. His winning %age proves so.

Clearly we’re bringing in new personnel by shifting Ziebell forward a few years back and moving Higgins to a flank.
These changes are critical otherwise we’re always going to leak goals or shots at goal.

If Bonar wants to be a full time midfielder then he needs to develop the defensive side to his game.
Otherwise the easy ball movement will keep killing us.

 

[RobZombie]

It’s n

I can see what they are trying here - he is a booming kick, strong and fast, all good attributes for a defender.

He was involved in a bit of play coming through the middle and delivering the ball forward against Adelaide which looked really good, give it time.

Yeah I’m on board. Also, there’s something I’ve been thinking about a bit lately. It’s overly simplistic to say "the list is s**t, burn it all down, bottom out". At the very least, think about the depth chart and demographics across the lines. For a few years now the forward line has been young and good, the midfield middle of the pack, and the backline old and bad. It’s bad at stopping scores and bad at generating transition. It’s THE biggest challenge for Brady and Luffy.

And the backline is hard to fix in the draft. You might be lucky enough to be in the exact right spot in the draft to pick up a Hayden Young or Lachie Ash, but the pointy end is also where all the good mids are and you want to keep the talent pipeline moving there. Can never have enough A grade mids. So you’re basically stocking the backline from the second and third rounds, and you can’t fix it in one or two years.

Thankfully McKay is finally showing a bit and making Taz's retirement slightly less terrifying. And Walker’s buying us some time to develop another KPD. Maj has some years left in him but I’m thinking of him as a tall utility, not a permanent defender. Medium and small defenders though, the cupboard is bare. We’re pinning our hopes on Perez? If we want to rejuvenate the backline we have to start with what we’ve already got. So natural mids like Hayden and Bonar are getting a run as small/medium defenders. Tbh I’d rather see that than the alternative.

It’s why I’m pretty meh on the "play him in his natural position" calls. We have no shortage of young and youngish mids to squeeze into the rotations. His natural position is in the twos right now, and they don’t exist. It’s a shitshow of a season, let him learn a new position on the fly.

(And yes of course I’d like to see him show more than he has so far by the end of the year)

 

[LB2Snake]

It’s no real surprise that we are getting belted when have a dearth of small defenders and the competition is stacked with a plethora of small forwards/half forwards.

 

[Hojuman]

It’s no real surprise that we are getting belted when have a dearth of small defenders and the competition is stacked with a plethora of small forwards/half forwards.

When we won flags in the '90's we had one, Fruity as our " specialist " half foward that would fit that bill ?

 

[Passmore]

It’s n

Yeah I’m on board. Also, there’s something I’ve been thinking about a bit lately. It’s overly simplistic to say "the list is sh*t, burn it all down, bottom out". At the very least, think about the depth chart and demographics across the lines. For a few years now the forward line has been young and good, the midfield middle of the pack, and the backline old and bad. It’s bad at stopping scores and bad at generating transition. It’s THE biggest challenge for Brady and Luffy.

And the backline is hard to fix in the draft. You might be lucky enough to be in the exact right spot in the draft to pick up a Hayden Young or Lachie Ash, but the pointy end is also where all the good mids are and you want to keep the talent pipeline moving there. Can never have enough A grade mids. So you’re basically stocking the backline from the second and third rounds, and you can’t fix it in one or two years.

Thankfully McKay is finally showing a bit and making Taz's retirement slightly less terrifying. And Walker’s buying us some time to develop another KPD. Maj has some years left in him but I’m thinking of him as a tall utility, not a permanent defender. Medium and small defenders though, the cupboard is bare. We’re pinning our hopes on Perez? If we want to rejuvenate the backline we have to start with what we’ve already got. So natural mids like Hayden and Bonar are getting a run as small/medium defenders. Tbh I’d rather see that than the alternative.

It’s why I’m pretty meh on the "play him in his natural position" calls. We have no shortage of young and youngish mids to squeeze into the rotations. His natural position is in the twos right now, and they don’t exist. It’s a shitshow of a season, let him learn a new position on the fly.

(And yes of course I’d like to see him show more than he has so far by the end of the year)

Great points Mr Zombie.

I think the "natural position" thing is a bit of a furphy. The majority of kids in the draft are "natural midfielders". Given you can't start 18 blokes in the centre square, some need to learn other positions.

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[Moti]

Great points Mr Zombie.

I think the "natural position" thing is a bit of a furphy. The majority of kids in the draft are "natural midfielders". Given you can't start 18 blokes in the centre square, some need to learn other positions.

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I agree with that in part, but some players have either high level skills or high level deficiencies that make the transition difficult. Cunnington's lack of pace means he would be terrible outside of the contest as he would run off at every opportunity. Means he has to be in a position where he is either in congestion where pace is less of an issue or in a position where he is the proactive player, for example up forward.

I see Bonar and Atley as the same. I think both seem to have that natural leaning towards contested situations where the ball is in dispute rather than reacting to the ball coming at them. Whether it personality or lack of football education, they just don't seem to be creative types, more instinct. For me that does very much reduce their ability to be more flexible than say a player like Scott who seems to be equally at home in space as in congestion.

 

[king of the road]

He's a young bloke starting out, he's hardly going to be chasing cheapies. His number 1 focus at the moment would be stopping his opponent. When/If he gets more comfortable the posessions will come.

The need to write off young blokes starting out and be first in with "da scoop" or "I told you so", is astounding.

Exactly. Similar kind of point to what I was making... Hope that came through in the post.

 

[Caracas]

17 possessions at 100% de?

That aside....

He is definitely growing on me. Wasn't impressed early but as he gets more game time he is definitely getting a lot better.

5 disposals wasn’t it? Or are we at cross-purposes?


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[Tarka_Dal]

5 disposals wasn’t it? Or are we at cross-purposes?


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

He had 5 possessions. 17 was his AFL Fantasy score.

 

[muttley45]

As far as i recall, Miers kicked his 4th on him after complete disregard of a blatant push in the back, so, in theory, apart from Supercoach score, better result than Atley.