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2014 Back Six

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76woodenspooners

76woodenspooners

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2014 will see a bit of a change to our back 6.

Losses

Heath Shaw - one of our strongest backline players for many years has left.

Jordan Russell - whatever your opinions of him, he did play 9 senior games in 2013 and his place in the team will need to be replaced.

Michael Hartley (R) - was delisted after having never debuted.


Gains

So far ... Nil


Players currently on list

Nick Maxwell - even his strongest supporters have to admit that he's no longer a "lock-in" for our best 22.

Marley Williams - taken in the rooke draft less than 2 years ago at pick 46, this year he was our best back six player in 2013 going by the Copeland voting.

Alan Toovey - is back!

Jack Frost (R) - great start to the year after having been selected for a few senior games. Then that was ruined by a knee PCL injury - which he has since recovered from.

Nathan Brown - will be going around again.

Ben Reid - strong Back 6 player shown to also be very handy in the forward line. Perhaps with the recruitment of White he can focus in the backline?

Lachlan Keeffe - coming on great!

Tyson Goldsack - a classic swingman who can play many positions including having had strong experience as a medium defender.

Adam Oxley - did well for a fist year (IIRC 4th round) rookie getting selecte for a couple games.

Tim Broomhead - first round draft pick who spent most of 2013 out with Gandular Fever. Hopefully 2014 is his year.

Clint Young - only played two games of 2013 due to injury. Everyone is hoping he has a much better 2014

Jackson Ramsay - spent much of 2013 on the sidelines with a broken wrist.

Ben Sinclair - Reborn as a defender

Peter Yagmoor - Still hanging in there

Thoughts on the health of our back 6?

Do we need to recruit more backline players?
 
Seems a good list you got there 76.

They may even play Sidebottom off HB next season a bit more- he looked awesome there at times last season.

Interesting if Reid goes back. Hope they keep him forward with White to simply replace the Q stick, though it's possible it'll be Cloke and White as forwards, Q stick as second ruck and Reid to the backline. That'd be my plan B - Hope Brown and Keefe can be the two key backs, leaving Reid as a forward with White doing second ruck/third forward option.
 
Keeffe and Brown to hold down the key posts
Reid to play as the 3rd tall, he can take the resting ruck man and also with his ability to read the play and his booming left foot provide us valuable rebound. Reid playing the Maxwell role of 2008-10 will be such a huge asset.
Williams is a lock, our number one small defender with Sinclair in reserve.
Toovey to take the midsize forward.
Then rotating Seedsman, Sidebottom, Young etc through the back flank to provide some run and rebound.

Reid - Keeffe - Williams
Toovey - Brown - Sidebottom

If they gel that's a very well blanked back line!
 

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Our "safe" back 7 (one on the interchange) would be this;

B: Williams, Brown, Maxwell
HB: Toovey, Reid, Goldsack (Shaw replacement)

Int: Keeffe or Sinclair

But we have to mix it up going forward so by the end of 2014 (or part of the way into it) I'd like to see this;

B: Williams, Brown, Toovey
I believe this is our best deep defensive setting for the year, Toovey and Williams will also provide some run while Brown provides the safest one on defensive tall option.

HB: Sinclair, Reid, Oxley/Ramsay
Let's take a risk here, play a kid off half back, whether it be the Ox, Ramsay or our first draft pick (Scharanberg?). Sinclair improved as the season went on off half back and gives us real pace, while Reid is still the best CHB we have be a mile.

Int: Oxley/Ramsay/ or Keeffe

Keeffe is coming along nicely so I'd have him in the 22 most weeks, because even if their isn't a third defensive tall for him Reid or Lachie can go forward. We also have to get games into Oxley, Ramsay and any first round pick who may play off half back, so some weeks Lachie may find himself in the VFL, or up forward permanently (Reid can go forward too of course).

I see Young as more of an attacking option off the wing, and Broomhead to me seems like a pure midfielder once that body develops. Frost is also on the depth chart for tall defenders I reckon.
 
mattys123 said:
Our "safe" back 7 (one on the interchange) would be this;

B: Williams, Brown, Maxwell
HB: Toovey, Reid, Goldsack (Shaw replacement)

Int: Keeffe or Sinclair
Click to expand...


Right and now for the important questions
1. Which one would you trust to take the kick-in and hit the target?
2. Which one has the ability to take on a forward player, break the lines and pass the ball by foot?
 
TheWoodsOf72 said:
Right and now for the important questions
1. Which one would you trust to take the kick-in and hit the target?
2. Which one has the ability to take on a forward player, break the lines and pass the ball by foot?
Click to expand...

Of the safe 7, only Reid and Williams fit that criteria I reckon, Goldsack's field kicking (and his kicking in) are greatly over rated by many on here. Reid could kick the ball in, but I'd prefer him to be a target, so maybe Marley takes the kick ins.

That's another reason why we need to change that setup down back though, need more accurate kicks.
 
Lord Wilberforce said:
Seedsman? He played as a back flank last year. Shouldn't he be included in the OP?
Click to expand...

Does Seeds have the defensive ability of Williams, Sinclair or Goldsack though?

I still think Paul's best role is a mainly attacking role off the wing or half forward, until he develops the defensive side of his game more anyway.
 
mattys123 said:
Does Seeds have the defensive ability of Williams, Sinclair or Goldsack though?

I still think Paul's best role is a mainly attacking role off the wing or half forward, until he develops the defensive side of his game more anyway.
Click to expand...

Not all defenders need to be purely defensive. Does he have the defensive ability of Young? I'd say so. He will almost definitely play before Ramsay, Broomhead and Oxley so I think Lord Wilberforce is right, he should be included in the OP.
 
my back 6;
B: M.Williams, N.Brown, A.Toovey
HB: S.Sidebottom, L.Keefe, M.Scharenberg/K.Kolodjashnij

obviously a big call with the last half back spot, hoping we land one of those two with 6 or 10, because they would add so much to our backline. Realistically Maxwell will be there, but my preference is that he is out.

I think its pretty well balanced, Keefe and Brown take the two talls, while Toovey takes that athletic tall player like Gunston or Darling.

Williams plays that real shut down role on the smalls, and we utilise Sidebottom as our user out of the backline. KK/Scharenberg provide brilliant; Marking, run and skill to round out a solid backline.

In a game against Sydney, Reid would have to play back as well to negate their tall forward line.

Reid vs Franklin
Keefe vs Tippett
Brown vs Reid
Toovey vs Goodes
 

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My back six.
FB: A.Toovey, N.Brown, M.Williams
HB: P.Seedsman, B.Reid, L. Keefe

I would really like to see Frost get in they're. I would like him to replace one of these guys. He's gonna have to work hard ;)

(I also don't respect Maxwell at all, and would like to see him out of our team, however unlikely it is)
 
My biggest nightmare is Toovey, Williams and Sinclair in the same bacline. We'd never get the ball out. Williams and Tooves to get first crack. My back 6.

Toovey, Keefe, Reid
Young, Brown, Williams

Seedsman and Sidebum to rotate through.
 
Brown, Williams, Toovey then from there I get a bit worried. I like Reid the forward. I'm not sure about a Keeffe/Brown combo, especially with no decent 3rd tall in support.

I like Sidey at half back but with Seedsman there too its a bit loose.
 
Jonno94 said:
No possible combination will get us top 4, to the draft we go.
Click to expand...

Who on our current list would be included in a top 4 back 6?

What type of backline player would we draft?

Is there a chance any of last year's draftees could develop to fit the requirement? (Broomhead, Ramsay, Frost, Oxley?)
 
Toovey Brown Williams
Sidebottom Reid Young

Maxwell as our 7th man / sweeper.

Young to take the kick ins. Fantastic cover deep.

Sidebottom as a playmaker. Young to rebound.
 

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I would keep Reid up forward personally and by having him focus on forward line duties over the summer could be very affective there in 2014.

The players who I am most keen to get into the side are Frost and Broomhead. I can't understand how Frost was a rookie selection as he seems to be athletically gifted and has ok skills. Broomhead I have only read reports of but would like to see what he can offer off the half back.
 
Frankie23 said:
Keeffe and Brown to hold down the key posts
Reid to play as the 3rd tall, he can take the resting ruck man and also with his ability to read the play and his booming left foot provide us valuable rebound. Reid playing the Maxwell role of 2008-10 will be such a huge asset.
Williams is a lock, our number one small defender with Sinclair in reserve.
Toovey to take the midsize forward.
Then rotating Seedsman, Sidebottom, Young etc through the back flank to provide some run and rebound.

Reid - Keeffe - Williams
Toovey - Brown - Sidebottom

If they gel that's a very well blanked back line!
Click to expand...

There is a lot of talk about wanting Reid to play the 'Maxwell' role, but in my opinion it is slightly misguided. The 'Maxwell role' (if it is even worth calling it that) is the 3rd man up role, where the player (Maxwell) leaves their man once the ball is in the air to get to the arial contest and affect a spoil. However, this means that the player that Maxwell leaves would have to be a small (e.g. not a marking threat) and typically close enough to the contest for Maxwell to be able to get there in time. This is not usual of tall players (who usually try to separate for this reason).

Therefore, given that the opposition player would typically be a medium / small, Reid wouldn't have the ability to cover them (and Maxwell only barely does himself).

Reid can't play the Maxwell role.
 
B: Toovey Keeffe Williams
HB: Sidebottom Brown Seedsman

Not a great backline, is it? I am probably warming toi the need to get Young in there as well. Obviously assuming Reid is used at CHF (which I think we still need). If the opposition plays with three genuine talls, we switch him back. Might also consider moving O'Brien back down there in the short term, until someone like Ramsay or Frost can force their way in.
 
My concern is who is going to be able to negate the tall athletic forwards like Cameron and Franklin. We got towelled up by them this year and I just can't see Brown or Keefe being able to go with them. I'm not even sure Reid has what it takes based on the amount of times Franklin has kicked bags against us.
 
Jasper84 said:
My concern is who is going to be able to negate the tall athletic forwards like Cameron and Franklin. We got towelled up by them this year and I just can't see Brown or Keefe being able to go with them. I'm not even sure Reid has what it takes based on the amount of times Franklin has kicked bags against us.
Click to expand...

I'd play Toovey on franklin to be honest. To beat Franklin, you more need someone who is able to go with him across the ground, moreso than someone who is strong in the air. Toovey is also among our best spoilers, which is also a pre-requisite for beating Buddy. It was clear last year that this was the direction the club was leaning (e.g. not using a key tall defender) in the use of Shaw on Franklin. I would suggest that Tooves would have got the nod if he was available.

On Cameron, it is a tough one. I don't think keeffe did too bad on him, actually. A few of his goals were opportunistic. I'd start with Keeffe, and have Tooves again as a back up if we need ultimate mobility.
 
I think the key next year is whether the team as a whole can play as a defensive unit. So many times this year we would bomb it into our forward line where the opposition would have multiple players ready to rebound it out. Then it would go back the other way and our defenders would be caught one out more often then not. The issue of the mids not running both ways was raised a lot this year. If they can tighten up then the back 6 will be much better no matter who is in it.
 

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