2022 tall forward line

Oct 12, 2007
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With Ladhams gone and Finlayson in the way we structure our tall forwards is no clearer. How do you see it going?

Right now I can see us trying to get some muscle on Marshall and using him as a forward/ruck with limited ruck time with Finlayson breathing down his neck. Focusing on kicking more goals all game and rather than prioritising having a 2md ruck.

My line up

#1 KPF - Dixon
#2 KPF - Georgiades
Forward/ruck - Marshall

A lot of usanswered questions.

1. Do we think Hayes can plau forward.
2. Are we willing to try Lycett forward and Hayes in ruck
3. Does Finlayson replace Marshall
4. Will be play the quadrangle
5. How ready do we think Lord will be (did this come into our Ladhams thinking)
 
With Ladhams gone and Finlayson in the way we structure our tall forwards is no clearer. How do you see it going?

Right now I can see us trying to get some muscle on Marshall and using him as a forward/ruck with limited ruck time with Finlayson breathing down his neck. Focusing on kicking more goals all game and rather than prioritising having a 2md ruck.

My line up

#1 KPF - Dixon
#2 KPF - Georgiades
Forward/ruck - Marshall

A lot of usanswered questions.

1. Do we think Hayes can plau forward.
2. Are we willing to try Lycett forward and Hayes in ruck
3. Does Finlayson replace Marshall
4. Will be play the quadrangle
5. How ready do we think Lord will be (did this come into our Ladhams thinking)
I've got Hayes ruck. Dixon, Georgiades forward. Finlayson the fwd/ruck. Marshall in the Hoff role.

To answer your questions:

1. Yes but not in the same team as Lycett, would have been easier swapping with Ladhams.
2. No, too immobile.
3. I think there is room for both if we have Marshall in the Hoff role.
4. Yes.
5. Hopefully an option in 2+ years time after Dixon perhaps, still early days.
 
Oct 11, 2006
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Sydney
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Best 3 performing talls in the preseason get the 3 tall forward slots. Marshall deserved his place in the AFL side the last 2 years but never really had any competition. Gloss is off now, if he or MG cannot beat out Finlayson then they're playing reserves rather than trying to make a quad forward line work.

On the other hand, Hayes getting games as a second ruck unless Lycett falls behind him is a non negotiable.
 
Feb 17, 2010
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I hope we work Dixon out of the lineup and plan our forward line around our younger players. We need to start that transition next year.

Finlayson and Georgiades as our leading forwards.

Marshall CHF and working up the ground.

Dixon and Hayes to share a deep forward role. If all we are getting from Dixon is to basically make a contest and one handedly try to tap the ball to the advantage of our smalls, Hayes can do that and probably better. If he makes a contest and takes short bursts in the ruck, it’s a win.
 
Preseason pending, but right now I'd have Dixon, Georgiades and Finlayson as our top 3 tall forwards. Unless we decide to go taller up towards, if Todd can't improve his numbers next year he might need to find himself a new position or end up stuck in the SANFL.
 

Gryllis

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Feb 12, 2011
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How we manage the players rucking is most important. At this stage of his career, Charlie can follow Hawkins' lead and take most of the forward 50 stoppages. He's good at it and still did it often even with Ladhams in the side. He also takes a few more centre bounces, and Finlayson/Marshall provide a little coverage there too. Don't see them playing together without injuries.

But that does leave a lot of game time for Lycett who will tire as the season goes on, so Hayes has to get games early. No point having Lycett cooked by round 17, as usual.

I know resting a 29 year old is unusual, but if they can't play together, I think we need to follow the Mummy gameplan. Give Lycett 2-3 games and then Hayes a game and repeat. Gets Hayes 5-10 games experience. If he clearly outperforms Lycett, he plays more. Lycett is then better rested for finals should we make it, has competition breathing down his neck, and Hayes knows what he has to do to take that permanent spot in 2023 or 2024.
 

PowerBaz

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 13, 2014
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Preseason pending, but right now I'd have Dixon, Georgiades and Finlayson as our top 3 tall forwards. Unless we decide to go taller up towards, if Todd can't improve his numbers next year he might need to find himself a new position or end up stuck in the SANFL.


After listening to Cripps this seems right.

Marshall has to go up the ground, he has a good footy brain and probably suits him to be setting stuff up more.

Maybe as Dixon getting older they won’t send him up the wing so much.
 
Preseason pending, but right now I'd have Dixon, Georgiades and Finlayson as our top 3 tall forwards. Unless we decide to go taller up towards, if Todd can't improve his numbers next year he might need to find himself a new position or end up stuck in the SANFL.

**Waspy has joined the chat**
 
With Ladhams gone and Finlayson in the way we structure our tall forwards is no clearer. How do you see it going?

Right now I can see us trying to get some muscle on Marshall and using him as a forward/ruck with limited ruck time with Finlayson breathing down his neck. Focusing on kicking more goals all game and rather than prioritising having a 2md ruck.

My line up

#1 KPF - Dixon
#2 KPF - Georgiades
Forward/ruck - Marshall

A lot of usanswered questions.

1. Do we think Hayes can plau forward.
2. Are we willing to try Lycett forward and Hayes in ruck
3. Does Finlayson replace Marshall
4. Will be play the quadrangle
5. How ready do we think Lord will be (did this come into our Ladhams thinking)

Marshall isn't a second ruck where dixon can play that role as can finlayson
Marshall has to replace the immobile dixon as full forward or go up the ground and run run run like westhoff

Hayes has to emerge this year and replace the dinosaur lycett
 

El_Scorcho

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Aug 21, 2007
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None if it will matter if we're going to lump the ball on the head of Dixon in a 1 on 3 every forward entry. We've spent half a decade entering the forward line to prevent rebounds instead of to score and it doesn't work.

I'd play all 4 of Dixon, Finlayson, Marshall and Georgiades.

Marshall to play higher up the ground, we need him leading up and kicking inside 50.

Dixon to take the 2nd ruck position. I don't accept that he's too important or too fragile to take that role. He's only too important because we are too 1 dimensional and it's time to broaden our attacking threat.
 

AFC AFeederClub

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Nov 23, 2018
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after 2 years of vanilla extract Marshall will be the liability he's destined to become, mainly due to bad coaching, gifting him games and allowing the same rubbish every week, then talking it up with media protection racket. glad we got jf because we're gonna need it but more importantly a new coach, i will be spewing if we havnt already told clarkson the job is his if he wants it in 2023. the board can even cover themselves by saying 'you couldnt knock back clarko and it was a bit of bad luck for ken'
 
Jan 20, 2015
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We couldn’t play Dixon as second ruck because he had glass ankles and was too valuable to risk. Those days are gone. He is the obvious 2nd ruck.
I am with you on this. While not a perfect player, dixon has arguably been our most important over the last few seasons. With the young quality that has developed behind him now and the addition of another tall goal kicker in finlayson, dixons role in the team is able to be expanded, and I think he would be a good second ruck, both up forward and centre square.
 

JUSTWORK

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Aug 25, 2013
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We couldn’t play Dixon as second ruck because he had glass ankles and was too valuable to risk. Those days are gone. He is the obvious 2nd ruck.
Don't get too carried away, MG has a long way to go before he is in the discussion of taking the number 1 KPF mantle. That and we'd need to completly change how we structure and deliver the ball.

Finlayson will be our first choice to support in the ruck as needed.

Dixon, MG and Finlayson should be our 3 tall forwards with Marshall needing to do a lot of work to put himself in front of any of those 3, there also a plethora of mid sizes he'd need to keep out to play as a 4th tall.
 
Jul 17, 2010
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Forward coach loves Dixon and Marshall

Thinks Georgiades still has a lot to learn and still needs to grow as a footballer.

Finlayson is an unknown how he will work in our forward-line.

Talls: Dixon, Marshall, Georgiades/Finlayson.
 
Jan 20, 2015
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Forward coach loves Dixon and Marshall

Thinks Georgiades still has a lot to learn and still needs to grow as a footballer.

Finlayson is an unknown how he will work in our forward-line.

Talls: Dixon, Marshall, Georgiades/Finlayson.
I would be playing all 4. One rotating off the bench, one rotating into second ruck. Fantasia, gray, rozee, butters as the smalls also rotating off the bench or through the middle. Motlop next in line.
 
Sep 9, 2008
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We have

Dixon mg Marshall finlayson

And Hayes possibly as a 2nd ruck

To fit into 3 or 4 spots.

Dixon is the best backup ruck of the first 4 names if we only carry 1 true ruck into games but Marshall and finlayson can pinch hit when some teams are playing similar players as second rucks

Mg and Marshall both have the mobility and skill sets to compliment our talls and allow us to play more talls.

Finlayson is a pure tall who has less ground level game and other accompanying skills than my great grandmother, so if he plays there’s zero chance we can play a second ruck cause Hayes finlayson and Dixon are a horrific mix unless our mids are dominant and have laser skills that week.
 

El_Scorcho

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Aug 21, 2007
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Yep. Dixon needs to ruck. He's a beast and a very good 2nd ruckman. As a forward he's important to the way we've played the last 2 years, but we need to move away from targeting him 95% of the time.

I'd play a quadrangle. Which 4 players fit in there will depend on form and fitness.
 

Powerage

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Aug 14, 2014
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after 2 years of vanilla extract Marshall will be the liability he's destined to become, mainly due to bad coaching, gifting him games and allowing the same rubbish every week, then talking it up with media protection racket. glad we got jf because we're gonna need it but more importantly a new coach, i will be spewing if we havnt already told clarkson the job is his if he wants it in 2023. the board can even cover themselves by saying 'you couldnt knock back clarko and it was a bit of bad luck for ken'

The AFL will do everything in their considerable power to get Clarkson to the Gold Coast and hope he does to them what Matthews did for the Brisbane Lions.

As a point of curiousity, we have a salary cap for the playing list, should have one for the coaching group?
 
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