The “politely” is presumed here mate, no issue with disagreeing with my opinion.
I’m not sure how many teams are lining up with 3 talls at the moment, but I just can’t see how Weitering is a 3rd tall type backman and how Plowman takes Docherty’s role?
Weitering should be marking the oppositions best forward. It’s where he’s played his best footy and where he seems the most comfortable, especially when intercepting. Marchbank just needs a little bit more size and can take the second tall as his read of the game is very good. Lastly, Plowman is a cookie cutter third tall defender - that good medium size. I don’t recall him rebounding from defence and playmaking like Doc has.
Most importantly, if your team defence and understanding is top notch, a few cm’s here and there won’t make that much of a difference. You might concede 1 or 2 goals due to a one-on-one marking contest every now and then, but the intercept marking and rebounding will be much more damaging going the other way.
All good - these discussions can snowball pretty quick, so just making sure we're all on good terms.
Jones, to me, is a reactive defender. He sticks close to his man most of the time, but if he sees the opportunity to come off and impact another contest, or run through and contest a ground ball himself, he will. His athleticism and burst speed makes him well suited to this role.
Weiters and Marchbank more proactive defenders. They're less physical, for mine, and beat their opponents through spacing, positioning and team defense. Weitering in particular is just as much an offensive player from the back line as he is a defender. Would rather he was able to play a little looser on a third tall type so that he can zone off more freely and be used on the rebound at times.
Plowman's bigger than Doc, but I think he plays a little smaller than his height suggests. We haven't seem him rebounding and playmaking as much because Docherty was our go-to. But there have been times I've seen Plowman cut through traffic and clear the ball, and he was used up the ground a bit while at GWS too. Given the opportunity, I think he'd perform the role well.
We're going to have a tough time getting the balance right while also playing everyone who deserves games, that's for sure.
Jones to man up the deepest forward and come at the contest from behind. Marchbank and Weiters guarding the second and third talls whilst also protecting space further out from goal. Plowman playing the extra man behind the play, intercepting loose kicks and setting up our rebounds.