Midfield 2022- 4 locks + ??

[I bleed Blue]

Going to be really interesting who puts there hand up and secures a spot.

Genuine competition moving forward.

 

[Ezayyak]

If Cuningham (sigh) can actually stay fit he will be the joker in the midfield pack. Burst speed, nimble in close, magnificent skills and a goal kicker.

 

[I bleed Blue]

If Cuningham (sigh) can actually stay fit he will be the joker in the midfield pack. Burst speed, nimble in close, magnificent skills and a goal kicker.

One of the few who can kick then from outside 50 too.

We need a bit more fire power from that range.

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

Also needs to improve his fitness so that he's more involved in the game after quarter time. Started with a bang on quite a few occasions this year and then ended up with only around double his quarter time stats at full time.

If he can start chasing down players, laying more tackles stop the opposition altogether on top of winning the ball back as well, getting to more contested areas….

By lifting his workrate i believe he’ll improve his general game involvement, grow in confidence and start believing in himself a lot more than he does atm…

Someone at the club needs to drill into him the level what’s required in defensive mindset, chase and tackle like your life depends on it, hard and flat out…

 

[Jimmae]

The fact he can play mid and go forward and kick goals, he is the best we have with that trait, how can you not select him?

We need midfielders who can kick goals from midfield, not midfielders who get exposed against two-way runners who can also play as a slow medium forward.

He's handy, and he's improved, but Cerra and Hewett are direct upgrades, which leaves him competing with Cripps, Kemp, Martin, and JSOS.

My best 22 can't find any room for him, Fisher, Owies, McGovern, Honey, Plowman, and Durdin, but injuries and form will play their part.

 

[COBALT BLUE]

Well it looks as though the die is cast for our trading this year , and given our #6 pick is gone, it is doubtful that we will draft a young midfielder that will contend to be picked in our midfield rotation.

I dont think many would argue that our best 4 midfielders next year will be-

1 Cripps
2 Walsh
3 Cerra
4 Hewett

But great sides in this modern game need another 2-3 very good mids to add to these 4. Who are our next 3 mids?
To start off , it seems that the emphasis from Vos and his assistants will be tough contested football, so who are the most likely?

My first nomination is Ed Curnow.
Ed has elite running and endurance, and is tough at the contest. Sure he is not an elite ball user but with the class of the above 4 mids around him, maybe his role can be refined so that he gets it out to them and he can concentrate on getting the contested ball. For me Ed is a definite.

My Second Nomination is Liam Stocker
Liam had a very solid 2021 after being in the wilderness in 2020. He showed the traits that attracted SOS in the famous first draft Live trade. For me he meets all the criteria that Vos will demand of our midfielders. He may even remind Vos a little of his younger self. Liam won many of our hearts in 2021 with his hard hitting, balls out , body-on-the-line play , often in support of his fellow players. I reckon vossy will love him. His one weakness -his endurance will be no doubt identified and thrown at him as a challenge to improve this preseason. If he manages to lift this part of his game, then I see no reason why a move from the backline to the midfield isnt a big possibility. As well as his contested toughness , he is also a beautiful kick.

My Third Nomination is undecided
There are about 8 players with some claims-

Leading the pack is Zac Williams: He needs to lift his attitude and fitness , but we need to remind ourselves as to why we went after him so hard last year. It was not for his half back prowess, it was for his ability as a midfielder. Clearly hampered by injury and a lack of physical preparation, his 2021 was underwhelming; If he can get fit anything is possible.

Brodie Kemp is a utility player. He could play in the midfield, or back or forward. Can take a strong mark, but is also quick . It will be interesting to see where Vos sees him playing.

Dow. To say he has been disappointing in his first 4 years, is being a little unfair. He had to manage huge expectations, and the reality is that physically he wasnt ready until 2021. He showed some signs at the end of this year. If he can improve his fitness again this year, he will be a real chance.

Kennedy. Matt started to show that he has a midfield role by playing well in the midfield when given a chance in 2021. He is a very good mark for his size and can kick straight. It didnt seem as though having him as a permanent forward worked under Teague. it will be interesting to see what Vos thinks his role should be

Cuningham. Always injured, always showing signs of class. At his best he is full of class. But will need to show that he can concentrate.

Setterfield. Played out of position (midfield) this year and was hardly sighted. Another player that Vos will need to decide what his role is.

Philp. Has plenty of ability.

Absolutely spot on
The third choice would indicate who can step up first...the likes of.....Kennedy,etc.....that's good question ☝
Will be interesting to see in 2022......considering our injury backed year and club disruptions,Carlton should go a bit higher this time.....sustaining an ongoing means to become a lot more competitive

 

[PattyCr1pps]

What really excites me from a midfield point of view is that, we have the like of Stocker, Philp, Carroll, Kemp who haven't even found there way into the midfield yet.

Couple this with one of Dow, Obrien, Fogarty or Cunningham to take another step up and hopefully a resurgence of Setterfield our young midfield prospects don't look as bad as people make out

 

[katmanblue]

We need midfielders who can kick goals from midfield, not midfielders who get exposed against two-way runners who can also play as a slow medium forward.

He's handy, and he's improved, but Cerra and Hewett are direct upgrades, which leaves him competing with Cripps, Kemp, Martin, and JSOS.

My best 22 can't find any room for him, Fisher, Owies, McGovern, Honey, Plowman, and Durdin, but injuries and form will play their part.

If he doesn't get near the ball in the first few seconds of the stoppage, he gets lost and can't get near it again until the next stoppage.

 

[Blue Dimension]

I'm a bit confused about where all this negativity towards Dow is coming from. He had a great back end of last season and really started to show something. He's absolutely right up there if he continues on his development.

 

[Jimmae]

If he doesn't get near the ball in the first few seconds of the stoppage, he gets lost and can't get near it again until the next stoppage.

He definitely relies on others opening up space for him to drift in, which makes him boom or bust if he can't get into the zone when we turn it over.

I'm a bit confused about where all this negativity towards Dow is coming from. He had a great back end of last season and really started to show something. He's absolutely right up there if he continues on his development.

Yup, I credit alot of what we saw with Durdin, Honey, Williamson, Owies, O'Brien, Kennedy, and Dow to Power and co.

 

[gbatman]

A successful midfields need to cover all bases. Offence and defence. Contested and uncontested. Melbourne, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs had the premier midfields in the competition this season. Looking at how they play they cover both areas well with Melbourne being the standout midfield. The ability to cover shorth distances quickly and repeatedly is so important so that means fitness, speed and agility have to be there as well as desire. We have lacked speed, agility and desire. Ball winning ability is ok with us but our defensive running is mediocre. The other thing is you have to be tough, if the opposition go hard your midfielders have to go harder, this was a key to Melbourne winning the premiership this season. That and their ability to make contests where other sides would have been beaten by the opposition.

Locks for next year:

1. Walsh - Ticks all the boxes, elite for speed, agility and repeat efforts as well as his desire for the contest. He's our best mid and one of the competitions best.

2. Cripps - Cripps at his best a few seasons ago was pretty good but he has been a mediocre mid for a few years now. Good ball winner without being elite. Good at the contest but does let us down when it comes to agility and closing those small gaps to create pressure. I think in a good setup he can fit in pretty well but he needs to be a major ball winner.

3. Cerra - He's a young mid who we are hoping will go to the next level. I haven't taken huge notice of his game but he seems to be someone who is pretty decent in all areas but probably not elite in any yet. He seems to be offensively growing, not a huge ball winner but good for his age and well skilled. How he performs defensively is going to be something that we need to wait and see.

4. Hewett - He's the sort of player who will come in and either grow and improve and become someone we really enjoy having in our side or he will be the sort to take criticism because he's not a high possession player. IMO his ball winning is an area he will need to improve on. You don't fix your midfield's defensive efforts in modern footy by putting a defensive mid in there. If it is to improve in this area you need to improve the whole midfield group. However, I think he will be really good for us as defending in the midfield is all about competing and speed and he brings that. He'll get to lose ball and players in his vicinity and make a strong contest and he'll play with effort and we need more of this.

Others:

Curnow - He's probably going to still bring what he has always brought and that is competitiveness. He plays tight to his man and he goes hard at the contest. His age and our desire to improve kicking probably sees him on the outer.

Kennedy - He was great offensively but defensively he is a liability. Lack of speed and agility means getting to that contest/lose ball/opponent 3-8 meters away isn't happening over and over again and this is where we fall down badly as a team and why we are criticised so heavily for our lack of defence/pressure. He's too much like Cripps. Put the ball in front of him and he's great. Put the ball to the side of him or a bit further away and he's not in the contest. I like his skills, effort and ball winning but if we are to be the best we need to be elite in both offence and defence. I think he is an excellent emergency for someone like Cripps and at times he's been better than Cripps but having he, Dow and Cripps, that is the worst defensive midfield setup in the game.

Stocker - Here is a guy who should be played on the ball. He has an appetite for the contest, good skills, and burst speed. IMO we need to take note of how Melbourne has developed Petracca and take the same approach with Stocker. With what he's got he should be able to defend and attack in the midfield. Endurance may be the question. Think of it this way, we gave Dow plenty of games in the centre and Stocker one. Stocker is a lot better player.

Dow - I'm not holding my breath with Dow, he still appears to have such a long way to go. In high pressure games he goes missing and he has no defensive aspects to his game, not through lack of ability but through lack of desire. IMO this is a player who could make his career if he decided that he was going to knuckle down and become a very good defensive player and make efforts to chase, get to more contests and compete repetitively. If he was good in these areas I would have no doubts on him however this is not the case. I don't think his work ethic and desire is anywhere near good enough to make it. Perhaps with a new coaching group things could change but I am not seeing it. Until there is a defensive aspect to his game he is a definite no for me. New coaches could have an impact and he may mature but he has a lot of change to do to get there.

Williams - most likely no. Was terrible in the midfield this year and good in defence, he's a defender.

Carroll - Here's a young guy I hold a lot of hope for. He looks to have a heap of ability, if his maturity gets there then he could come in and make an impact. We are a mature side now so we should be able to bring a young guy in and support them. I think he's likely to play.

Kemp - This guy has insane ability but where does he play? I don't think he plays on the ball but I may be wrong.

Fisher - IMO this is a talented player who is on the outer. Lack of physicality is a big issue here. Being a good defensive midfield is being good in the contests and he isn't. If he nailed that down he'd be straight in because the rest of his game is good.

Cuningham - Probably doesn't play on the ball but he can have stints there.

Setterfield - He's too similar to Kennedy and Cripps. Another tall midfield and teams are not winning flags with a heap of tall midfielders because they are generally really poor at getting to contests quickly and applying pressure. Teague played him on a wing and that was insane, definitely not a wingman. Setterfield is going to have to get a lot fitter and stronger and make a career for himself as an onballer and he's going to have to be really good. IMO he's going to be depth. Too many tall, slow, immobile midfielders is not a good thing.

Wings

Heaps of options but nothing set in stone for our wings. Wings need to be good in the contest, quick and skillful and have great endurance. I don't know of any who tick all these boxes at this stage.

Newnes - Great in the contest but not damaging or skilful. Struggles below his knees and is limited to mostly to kicking long. Puts in 100% though and is competitive but more of a defensive wingman.

O'Brien - Had a good patch at the end of this season The opposite sort of player to Newnes. Not good in the contest but getting better and very skilful.

Carroll - Wing may be a great place to start a player like Carroll.

Kemp - If he had the tank I reckon he would be a sure thing for a wing. Has speed, skill and agility and attacks the footy while his height could be handy dropping back in defence.

Martin - I've been saying it for ever, he just seems like a player who would be good on a wing. Good in the contests, quick and skilled. Perhaps not durable or fit enough.

Cuningham - Seems suited to a wing, just not sure if he will be overly good but he can play there.

Philp - The player I feel is most likely to come on and fit in on a wing. Has it all for that role, hard at the contest and man, fast, good skills.

Cottrell - He's not a bad player, he just lacks some class and skills. I see him as more of a backup. Really good VFL player who lacks a bit of class and size in the AFL.


At this stage I am thinking something like this:

C: Philp Cripps Kemp
OB: DeKoning Walsh Cerra
IC: Hewett Stocker

O'Brien, Carroll and Cuningham are my next choices with wingmen based on form. We are really undecided when it comes to our wings.

Curnow is my next choice onballer. The rest don't excite me at all as they do nothing defensively and have been a big part of the problem getting dominated going the other way.

I am still very much of the opinion that our midfield needs to go through a very extensive rebuild (and it is). Kicking has been far too poor, contesting too poor, speed and agility too poor hence our poor ability to defend.

 

[therubbernub]

One thing is for sure , we cant fit them all in. If they all improve with coaching, some are going to be fringe mids and have to play other roles. good position to be in- but there will be a need to move some of them on. Qu: How do we maintain their value as a fringe mid?

 

[The Bighouse]

One thing is for sure , we cant fit them all in. If they all improve with coaching, some are going to be fringe mids and have to play other roles. good position to be in- but there will be a need to move some of them on. Qu: How do we maintain their value as a fringe mid?

Very strong VFL performances (surely back to normal next season…), coupled with a resurgent AFL team.

 

[Foucault1989]

From the best 22 thread my team looks like this:

B: Young Weits Plow
HB: Carroll Jones Saad
C: Cerra Walsh Williams
HF: Martin Charles Fisher
F: JSos Mckay Honey
Foll: TDK Cripps Hewett

Int: Kemp Dow Stocker Kennedy


Cerra Walsh and Williams rotating on the wings with Cripps Hewett Cerra Dow Stocker and Kennedy rotating through the contested stuff as well. Kemp off the bench can rotate through as can Martin, Fisher, Jsos and Carroll.

Doch and Cunners when they're back are more than capable as well. Plenty of ball winners and outside mids in the reserves still too. Ed, Setters, L'Ob, Newnes etc.

Really like this team. Well done

 

[HarryFlashman]

There’s a lot of talk about burst, defensive running, endurance etc but not a lot of talk about tackling & blocking. Kennedy makes our mid field so much stronger with his ability to tackle - people seem to forget that sticking the first tackle is the key to the defensive mid field battle. His blocking & tackling make everyone around him better.
Dow will step up to the next level, his burst & hands were awesome- Voss will do wonders developing him to the next level.

 

[therubbernub]

There’s a lot of talk about burst, defensive running, endurance etc but not a lot of talk about tackling & blocking. Kennedy makes our mid field so much stronger with his ability to tackle - people seem to forget that sticking the first tackle is the key to the defensive mid field battle. His blocking & tackling make everyone around him better.
Dow will step up to the next level, his burst & hands were awesome- Voss will do wonders developing him to the next level.

Having a coach that has played in the midfield eg Voss will hopefully lead to its development into an elite unit.

Ratten did a pretty good job with our midfield while he was coach. We were just a bit short in depth on other positions so injurys hurt

 

[Arr0w]

For next season it will be Dow and Williams. With a couple others rolling through from time to time.

Stocker will be the year after.

Unfortunately, Ed Curnow is done.

Ed is far from done

 

[katmanblue]

Ed is far from done

Also shouldn't be starting 18 when we have full availability.

 

[Arr0w]

Also shouldn't be starting 18 when we have full availability.

That will be dependent on output

 

[Ash24]

While Ed may no longer be a lock in our midfield, he definitely still has a spot in our 22.

It's unrealistic, but we could potentially win a flag next year. So we pick the team that will help us win games now, not provide development for 2-3 years time.

 

[Revenant1995]

I have appreciated many insights and opinions in this thread. What will fascinate me next year will be stoppages set-up (both centre bounce and around the ground), and the overall game plan to maximize our talents, at the same time seeking to negate the opposition.

 

[iAsbestos]

Walsh Hewett O'Brien
TDK, Cripps, Cerra

Rotations: Dow, E.Curnow, Stocker, Kemp, Fogarty, Cuningham, JSOS, Martin, Williams, Williamson

How can people look at the acquisition and Hewett and Cerra and think Kennedy is still in the 22? Ahead of who?

Averaged 23.5 touches and almost 6 tackles a game when playing in midfield.

 

[BluStreak]

If i am in the midfield and Cripps is going for the ball then I am targeting his opponent to give Crippa a clear run.
I am going for the ball then I expect Crippa to clear a path for me.

I=any midfielder

 

[Juddernaut08]

Walsh Hewett O'Brien
TDK, Cripps, Cerra

Rotations: Dow, E.Curnow, Stocker, Kemp, Fogarty, Cuningham, JSOS, Martin, Williams, Williamson

How can people look at the acquisition and Hewett and Cerra and think Kennedy is still in the 22? Ahead of who?

Kennedy has shown much more than LOB for one. I like LOB on a wing, but he's far from set.

Kennedy played some excellent games in 2021. He averaged over 18 disposals and is a threat for goal.

Maybe due to overabundance of inside mids/onballers he doesn't make our best 22 when all fit, but he's in the mix certainly on 2021 form.

 

[SkyhorseTamer]

Kennedy has shown much more than LOB for one. I like LOB on a wing, but he's far from set.

Kennedy played some excellent games in 2021. He averaged over 18 disposals and is a threat for goal.

Maybe due to overabundance of inside mids/onballers he doesn't make our best 22 when all fit, but he's in the mix certainly on 2021 form.

Youd be hoping Williams fitness goes up a huge notch so the combination of him Cerra and Walsh can patrol the wings and Carroll, Newnes L'Ob etc can be called on if needed/ when ready. We've got enough outside runners now. Hopefully they come on.