Analysis 2017 Midfield Structure

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Oct 7, 2008
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I'd never suggest gorringe is a bullocking body.

Charlie's dimensions are comparable with cripps, so they should rotate between forward, mid and bench.

I don't think we are out of woods re Charlie's behaviour just yet.

Recently saw him in a very poor state under the influence, boxing on with street signs and being very disrespectful to others around him.

I understand he's just an extroverted kid and many his age and personality blow off steam in this way, but when I saw him I just though "oh f**k, please be able to keep it together for a couple of years until your attitude matures".
 

TheHeatleyStand

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I guess you mean that SOS and BB think his injuries werent part of the problem- which is possible. But he is fairly light framed and perhaps needs to toughen up a lot to make it. Shouldnt they give him another preseason and an injury free run before passing judgement?
It's about attitude as much as everything else.
Hunger for the contest, prep the body, etc
 

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Mar 1, 2005
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It's about attitude as much as everything else.
Hunger for the contest, prep the body, etc

I guess he is lucky to have a year on his contract left to show us as has already been said. lets hope he doesnt get injured again. No doubt he is going to have to prove himself. i dont think sos has ever been onboard given his reaction when he was picked. But sos did pick KJ.
 

gbatman

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We're a bit slow and we lack quality numbers in the center but we're having a go at fixing that. We could do with some players who can go in there for bursts and have a real impact. I'm talking 5 minutes a quarter and give us some real drive. I'm hoping that Charlie Curnow and Jack Silvagni may be those who can do this for us.

Then there is the wing. It's hard to pick a guy in our side who is a good winger. I think there were times when Buckley showed a little at the end of last year but we need someone who can actually play the position and be damaging. Perhaps this is where the Curnow brothers are best suited. Maybe even Fisher or Cuningham.

If we can find some young players to go onto the ball and really find the ball and create tackling pressure we'll be going places. As it stands Murphy, Gibbs, Cripps and Ed Curnow aren't a bad core base of center players. I think someone like Dale Thomas, who's shot as an outside player, should be looking at becoming a main stay onballer.

I think SPS is going to be really good for us but lets not expect heaps in his first season.

We need to be looking after Murphy better and have him spend more times in a forward pocket or even off the half back line. He's had a lot of injuries and we would like to get another 3 or 4 seasons out of him.

Kerridge is a stopgap at this stage, he's just a big mature body that will keep the young guys out of the hustle and bustle while they are filling out, he's not great but for now he'll do. Wright is a bit the same though he performed well last season, above expectation really.

I think we'll need to find early picks and really go for midfielders next draft. We've got a few to replace and a few to add.

I am hoping that Silvagni and Curnow are a similar paring to Stringer and Bontempelli of the Bulldogs. Tallish athletic skillful types who bring a lot of hard running and marking to the forward line but are capable of giving a burst in the center square. I think they will have to if a lot of our talls really come on.

The ruck situation is the other thing. Kreuzer and Phillips can't be in the same side as the offer very little up forward. Problem there is that we probably see Phillips as our future but Kreuzer is slightly the better player. Casboult or McKay should be played as the second ruckman. This would be great for McKay's development as it has been for Tom Boyd IMO. I also think Casboult would be a better forward in this role as it would get him moving. The ruck isn't a real issue for us, we don't have a star ruck but what we have is pretty decent.


I think without a doubt we should be going for another quick and quality centerman next year. I think we have a good collection of talls, especially with Ben Silvagni coming along. Just keep building and try and look after our veterans a little.
 

bluegus

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I think some people's obsession with big bodied midfielders is becoming over the top. For me a mid should
1. Be able to get their hands on the ball
2. Gather cleanly
3. Make good decisions, dispose of the ball effectively to advantage
4. Have the mental aptitude and desire to work hard spreading when in possession and hard defensive running when not
5. Have the tank to achieve the above
6. A bit of speed is handy to break the lines and put pressure on
A big body is a bonus and can help with some of this but suggestions that player's such as Gorringe should go through the middle are ridiculous. Just my opinion.
 
Not sure you're barking up the right tree there thylacine60 for the following reasons:
  • Bolton & Clarkson, although their own men, are cut from similar cloths.
  • Hawthorn are a club that have exhibited a stable, disciplined, singular mentality across ALL areas of the club for more than a decade with the view of achieving the same goal and putting the club first. Carlton are only beginners here.
  • Onfield leaders such as Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell, Roughead, Gibson, etc become an extension of the coaches box and would've let him know what's acceptable in the heat of battle. In terms of quality leadership over the last 15 years, it's been Judd or .......
  • Depending upon which version one chooses to believe, Boekhorst would've been snapped up by West Coast if we didn't take him at Pick 19 or he could've been taken as a rookie. If one chooses to believe the second, as I do, then it should temper one's expectations as to his true potential.
  • The fact that Rogers in concert with Malthouse actively sought to draft someone who claimed Malthouse should've been sacked with their 1st Pick shows how manifestly ****ed up the football department's thinking was. To quote Sebastion Vettel, "WTF are we doing here???", and as head of football, these are the questions Andrew McKay should've been asking, but....???? Boekhorst was right, but that's not the point.
I don't actively dislike or have an agenda regarding Boekhorst, but simply don't think he's good enough to make it at AFL level. Would've he done better in another environment where the onfield leadership was stronger and his peers would've demanded more of him??? We'll never know. Based upon where I think he should've have been drafted, I'm more disappointed at those drafted him where they did than anything Boekhorst has or hasn't achieved.

Sorry you haven't had more replies/opinions to the subject you've raised, but it is good to see you instigate discussion. :thumbsu:
 

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Sep 3, 2011
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He's not that soft - although unless he makes impacts on games this year he will struggle.
Agreed. He isn't that soft. He is no Joel Selwood but he is hard enough for the role he plays.

Needs to become more damaging though. Needs to average over 20 touches and run and carry the ball.

If Boeky can make the grade it will be so handy for the rebuild.
 

BLUE_BALLS95

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The Midfield isnt like the 80's anymore - throw your best 3 in the guts and let them have a shootout with opposition.

Centre Bounce - need 1 stopper sitting on opponents gun, and 2 who can actually win ball and distribute.
After that those players may rotate back or forwards and the genuine followers need to work both ways.
For this reason we cant have Gibbs, Murphy and Cripps as the 3 on the ball other than at the bounce - none of them pay any respect to their opponent.
Hence Ed Curnow's role.

I'd just like to see the kids rotate through, within games and from week to week.
Too long in the VFL will kill them - They all need to play at top level - see who steps up first.
 
Jul 5, 2011
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Is the ruck discussion part of this midfield discussion? I will proceed until shut down

Scenario 1: Kreuzer and Phillips sharing ruck 50:50, playing 65% game time each and rest sitting on the pine or up forward in the pocket
Outcome - ruck contests we halve or better, forward line suffers, valuable time on the pine is consumed

Scenario 2: Kreuzer OR Phillips as ruck 80% of time, Casboult 20%, they both play 80-85% game time, Casboult provides marking around ground and both instructed to handball at all opportunities
Outcome - ruck contests halved at best, allows forward line to have Harry Mac in it without getting too tall, might increase mobility of forward line, might impact on Casbouls confidence if he has another job that gets him involved in play

Scenario 3: Kreuzer OR Phillips as ruck 80% of time, Rowe forward and 20% ruck
Outcome - ruck contests halved at best, relies on Marchback or Weitering to step into Rowe role (don't think yet) but I actually like Rowe up forward until Harry Mac becomes the man

I think go with scenario 2 until scenario 4 (Harry Mac body matures and he can be unleashed as forward/ruck) can be utilised, scenario 1 didn't work this year and I think Rowe is more then capable down back until Macreadie or JGM comes on.
 

GapInIkonPark

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Is the ruck discussion part of this midfield discussion? I will proceed until shut down

Scenario 1: Kreuzer and Phillips sharing ruck 50:50, playing 65% game time each and rest sitting on the pine or up forward in the pocket
Outcome - ruck contests we halve or better, forward line suffers, valuable time on the pine is consumed

Scenario 2: Kreuzer OR Phillips as ruck 80% of time, Casboult 20%, they both play 80-85% game time, Casboult provides marking around ground and both instructed to handball at all opportunities
Outcome - ruck contests halved at best, allows forward line to have Harry Mac in it without getting too tall, might increase mobility of forward line, might impact on Casbouls confidence if he has another job that gets him involved in play

Scenario 3: Kreuzer OR Phillips as ruck 80% of time, Rowe forward and 20% ruck
Outcome - ruck contests halved at best, relies on Marchback or Weitering to step into Rowe role (don't think yet) but I actually like Rowe up forward until Harry Mac becomes the man

I think go with scenario 2 until scenario 4 (Harry Mac body matures and he can be unleashed as forward/ruck) can be utilised, scenario 1 didn't work this year and I think Rowe is more then capable down back until Macreadie or JGM comes on.
I vote Scenario 1 (Kreuzer and Phillips rucking 50:50 and playing 65% game time each). It worked this year apart from injuries to one or both. Hence Gorringe got a run.

I think Phillips will overtake Kreuzer as the number 1.

After season 2017, we have to address our poor ruck division.
 
Aug 12, 2012
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Agreed. He isn't that soft. He is no Joel Selwood but he is hard enough for the role he plays.

Needs to become more damaging though. Needs to average over 20 touches and run and carry the ball.

If Boeky can make the grade it will be so handy for the rebuild.
I recall him beating guys in the contest several times to the ball or winning it back off them. The guy isn't afraid of physical contact, he just sometimes chooses to hang off a little when it's probably his turn to go in hard.

I'd hate to be a running outside player who is lightly built; you're damned if you do and damned if you don't when it comes to trying to win contested ball.
 
Aug 12, 2012
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My back of the enmvelope calc says there are only 4 spots open for starting 22 players to fight over and the competitng squad for those 4 positions are Pickett/SPS/Boekhurst/Thomas/Kerridge/Graham/Buckley/Fisher/LeBois/Gallucci/Sumner - good luck Boeky.
Only four spots for a team that finished so low?
 

GapInIkonPark

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I recall him beating guys in the contest several times to the ball or winning it back off them. The guy isn't afraid of physical contact, he just sometimes chooses to hang off a little when it's probably his turn to go in hard.

I'd hate to be a running outside player who is lightly built; you're damned if you do and damned if you don't when it comes to trying to win contested ball.
Disagree. Runs backwards or sideways when he has the ball. Avoids contact. Only had the one chase down tackle.
 

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