Igloo
Not a mod
After the drubbing that our mids experienced in the second half of the game, and the complete inability to go with Melbourne defensively, it got me thinking about what mix of players would have been best to try and combat it.
We have a great midfield. It's a strange thing to say after they just got comprehensively beaten down, but we do. Bont, Macrae, Libba, Treloar, Dunkley, Smith. 6 does not go into 3, so who do you want at the centre bounce when the whips are cracking?
I do think we have a slight problem in that our mix isn't particularly defensively minded. Dunkley and Libba are probably the only two that it comes naturally to, and neither are particularly quick.
Personally, I favour the Bont/Dunkley/Treloar mix for a centre bounce. Dunkley a bit more defensively minded, Treloar the quicker offensively minded, and Bont as Bont. I would start Macrae on a wing, but then for stoppages bring him in closer, and push Treloar wider.
It's sacrilege, but i'm not sure what to do with Libba going forward. Obviously he's a hugely important part of the team. Ability wise, spiritually, and that compared to some of his teammates he doesn't take any s**t. If we kept going with him in our main centre bounce rotation we will win a lot of games, no doubt. But can we win a premiership in this current climate where the mids are getting bigger and quicker? He'll be 30 next year, and if he doesn't get that first quick tackle he's not going to keep up defensively out of a centre bounce. Yes it may be reactive to the obliteration we just received, but we just got ****ed, so reactive thoughts will be posted.
As for Smith, he hasn't worked terribly well on a wing most of the time he has played there. This half forward pushing up role has been decent for him, but realistically, he's a midfielder who needs to be playing as one. In my preferred set up, if it's not Treloar in, it would be Smith.
In conclusion, to the surprise of no one, we have a lot of mids. Where would you put them?
We have a great midfield. It's a strange thing to say after they just got comprehensively beaten down, but we do. Bont, Macrae, Libba, Treloar, Dunkley, Smith. 6 does not go into 3, so who do you want at the centre bounce when the whips are cracking?
I do think we have a slight problem in that our mix isn't particularly defensively minded. Dunkley and Libba are probably the only two that it comes naturally to, and neither are particularly quick.
Personally, I favour the Bont/Dunkley/Treloar mix for a centre bounce. Dunkley a bit more defensively minded, Treloar the quicker offensively minded, and Bont as Bont. I would start Macrae on a wing, but then for stoppages bring him in closer, and push Treloar wider.
It's sacrilege, but i'm not sure what to do with Libba going forward. Obviously he's a hugely important part of the team. Ability wise, spiritually, and that compared to some of his teammates he doesn't take any s**t. If we kept going with him in our main centre bounce rotation we will win a lot of games, no doubt. But can we win a premiership in this current climate where the mids are getting bigger and quicker? He'll be 30 next year, and if he doesn't get that first quick tackle he's not going to keep up defensively out of a centre bounce. Yes it may be reactive to the obliteration we just received, but we just got ****ed, so reactive thoughts will be posted.
As for Smith, he hasn't worked terribly well on a wing most of the time he has played there. This half forward pushing up role has been decent for him, but realistically, he's a midfielder who needs to be playing as one. In my preferred set up, if it's not Treloar in, it would be Smith.
In conclusion, to the surprise of no one, we have a lot of mids. Where would you put them?