Analysis 2018 List Management discussion Part 1 (continued in Part 2 - see OP for link)

[TerryWallet]

Definately an important year for Cuningham. Of all our youth i am not sold on him, Lang, Polson, LeBois and Kerr so far.

Not saying any are toast, but gut feel is not strong on these ones. Polson, LeBois and Kerr haven't had a chance yet, but may never be good enough to get a chance.

Cunners and Lang.....it is go time for them. I have them in my 22 and they will get given a chance. 2018 will tell us if they are good enough.

 

[HARKER]

Watched 3 of our VFL games on TV and got a similar impression, I’m a definite fan though.
Certainly appears to have talent, important year for his progress coming up.

Yeah, we've had the Cuningham debate here quite a bit.

He'll be fine.

 

[Lace_Out]

I too have my doubts re cuningham. Just missing something..the hunger perhaps.

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[Blue Baggers]

I think Dow and O'Brien will feature heavily this season, would like to see O'Brien and Williamson off a half back flank with their foot skills hitting up our forwards.

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

HARKER give me your opinion on Polson please? I don't think he is up to it and would like to get a second opinion.

 

[GiantSkwid]

Really? We're going to say it's do or die on Cuningham after 11 games of football? How about this - Dangerfield was averaging about the same in disposals and disposal efficiency after 25 games as Cuningham is after 11. Anybody remember Dangerfield winning games of footy off his own boot in his third season? Yeah, me neither. Cuningham is here to stay, see the game against North Melbourne last year if you have doubts.

 

[Robertio]

I too have my doubts re cuningham. Just missing something..the hunger perhaps.

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I think he'll be fine, showed in a couple of games last year that he has got some ability. Probably taking a little more time than we would like to show it. A bit of patience is needed.

 

[HARKER]

HARKER give me your opinion on Polson please? I don't think he is up to it and would like to get a second opinion.

I think I put forward my thoughts a week or two back, but that's fine and it really is only from limited VFL games I saw last year.

Looks capable in the centre. Just reads the ball well and even though not an express quick, he's quite slippery.
What I like about him in stoppages though is that he worked hard to keep the ball in stoppages when an easy opposition exit looked likely. He was smart and quick of mind with the simple things; a taps of the ball to advantage and little toe pokes to get the ball to a team-mate. Little things, but smart things, instead of simply wanting to claim the ball as your own, just for it to be pinned to you.

His best game had him with around 30 possessions, which is a good start for a first year mid selected in the 50's.
There was plenty there to be happy about, but he was carrying an injury for the latter half of the year.

A player that doesn't stand out at training, but may start doing so via contested work.

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

I think I put forward my thoughts a week or two back, but that's fine and it really is only from limited VFL games I saw last year.

Looks capable in the centre. Just reads the ball well and even though not an express quick, he's quite slippery.
What I like about him in stoppages though is that he worked hard to keep the ball in stoppages when an easy opposition exit looked likely. He was smart and quick of mind with the simple things; a taps of the ball to advantage and little toe pokes to get the ball to a team-mate. Little things, but smart things, instead of simply wanting to claim the ball as your own, just for it to be pinned to you.

His best game had him with around 30 possessions, which is a good start for a first year mid selected in the 50's.
There was plenty there to be happy about, but he was carrying an injury for the latter half of the year.

A player that doesn't stand out at training, but may start doing so via contested work.

Thanks for that, from the little that I have seen speed is his biggest concern I would think.

 

[ShanDog]

With the recent adjustments to the list (ie. over the past 2-3 years), the number of players who are "under the microscope" is getting smaller & smaller.

From my perspective, the ones who will come under scrutiny are :

Murphy - retire in a couple of years time
Simpson - retire
Kerridge - maybe, maybe not
Lamb - in limbo now
Garlett - thrown a lifeline, needs to take it
Rowe - retire
Mullett - short-term option only
O'Shea - short term option only
Phillips/Lobbe - one of them may not last much longer
Polson - may need to press his claims more
Graham - time to deliver or else
Thomas - retire
Casboult - short-term option only
Wright - retire
Cuningham - may need to press his claims more
Kerr - may need to press his claims more

I'm not suggesting that all of those named will automatically be dispensed with, just that that is where the changes will come from going forward.

The best part about that list is that it is largely made up of players who are on the verge of retirement, short-term options or some of the youngers guys who still have the chance to make the grade.

The list is looking healthier & healthier and there is real competition for places in the senior team, no-one gets "gifted" a game now.

Not sure Wright will be retiring too soon. If anything, he'll get pushed out of the side by younger guys like Pickett. Until then, he's still the number one small forward I reckon. Otherwise, pretty much agree with the rest there.

 

[ShanDog]

I think he'll be fine, showed in a couple of games last year that he has got some ability. Probably taking a little more time than we would like to show it. A bit of patience is needed.

I get the feeling that Cuningham is the sort of player who could explode out of relative obscurity to be a jet if that 'click' moment happens above the shoulders. He has some serious tools at his disposal, and the impression I get is that it's all about him figuring out how he can use them, and that he can actually do it.

 

[LordLucifer]

Not sure Wright will be retiring too soon. If anything, he'll get pushed out of the side by younger guys like Pickett. Until then, he's still the number one small forward I reckon. Otherwise, pretty much agree with the rest there.

Interestingly, he has played 138 games and only kicked 115 goals. Not sure what the ratio is just for us as opposed to his time at the Crows.


EDIT : just found the numbers :

Crows : 94 games & 63 goals (ave : 0.67 per game)
Blues : 44 games & 52 goals (ave : 1.18 per game)

 

[CJMB]

Interestingly, he has played 138 games and only kicked 115 goals. Not sure what the ratio is just for us as opposed to his time at the Crows.


EDIT : just found the numbers :

Crows : 94 games & 63 goals (ave : 0.67 per game)
Blues : 44 games & 52 goals (ave : 1.18 per game)

I think he played more as a midfielder at Adelaide. Having a trawl through some Adelaide team lists from 2015 and Wright alternates between starting on ball, HFF, HBF and on the bench. Did start as a forward pocket and at CHF once. Also surprised me how many times he was named as a follower that year, maybe 4-5. Was probably bench most often, then flanks.


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[katmanblue]

We have a young side now who need on field instruction as well as examples of structure, this is where I see the coaches using Thomas and Levi.
Thomas gets what the coaches want, now if Murphy, Cripps and the rest of the leaders do their job on field he will not be needed. I believe that he will spend most of his games on the bench this year.

Not Levi. He can barely get to the right spots himself. I wouldnt count on him instructing anyone.

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[katmanblue]

Thanks for that, from the little that I have seen speed is his biggest concern I would think.

Only time i saw him at training, i thought he was very quick.

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[Cripps17]

Still think we would have played finals had he not gone down in 2012. What does Carlton look like today if that were the case.

 

[Weiterbot23]

Still think we would have played finals had he not gone down in 2012. What does Carlton look like today if that were the case.

Worse

We'd still have guys like Waite, Jeff Garlett, Robbo etc

Think we're doing it the right way

Just need to survive one more slightly painful year

 

[Love the Drake]

Nucleus of a classy midfield already. SPS, Fisher, DOW & LOB. Add a couple of young bulls - Cripps and Kennedy and we have 6 pretty good quality on ballers ). Yes early days already but I’m banking on us finally nailing our top 10 selections. Add the old fella (Murphy), Ed Curnow, Cuningham, Lang, kerridge and polson (with Wright, thomas and Pickett pinch hitting)and we finally look to have some depth. Not the strongest, but certainly not the weakest.

Target another quality mid with our first draft pick at the end of this year (realistically should be a top 10 selection) and add a quality free agent mid and all of a sudden we look strong.

Backline and KPB’s look good - plenty of depth.

Quality CHF sorted, if harry clicks we could rise quickly in 2019.

I’m tipping 2019 is the year bolts hits the go button and EXPECTS us to be ultra competitive.

 

[1981]

I get the feeling that Cuningham is the sort of player who could explode out of relative obscurity to be a jet if that 'click' moment happens above the shoulders. He has some serious tools at his disposal, and the impression I get is that it's all about him figuring out how he can use them, and that he can actually do it.

I'd play him down back for a bit to find more of it. Strikes me as a conference player and some he might benefit by getting more of it down back

 

[1981]

Confidence player that is

 

[Arr0w]

Thanks for that, from the little that I have seen speed is his biggest concern I would think.

His speed is fine. Reminds me of a Murphy, with better lateral movement

 

[Blueballs38]

T

Gibbs is a obviously a loss. Can't argue with that and Kennedy won't be Gibbs, but he doesn't need to be.

Cripps: Had next to no pre-season last year, played with broken ribs and finally succumbed to a broken leg.
Petrevski-Seton: As with Cripps, he had a very limited pre-season, but showed good signs in the centre. Can only get better.
He's not the one we're talking much about right now, but he could become a real point of difference for us and he can find the ball. The use is sublime.
Dow: We can't expect much, but won't be surprised should he deliver plenty. Doesn't have to do it a lot, but just at the right times.
Kennedy: He's not Gibbs, but again, he doesn't need to be. Just bull enough to support Cripps, as we have a little more back-up this year.
Fisher: Stronger than last year and can find the ball, even though he looked half kick away at times last year
ECurnow: Losing Ed for the last 10 games of the year, didn't particularly help us, either.

The wild-card may be; Sam Kerridge.
I don't know when Carrazzo turned it around from being a fumbler and ball-butcher, to a starting mid, but if any player could do that on our list, Kerridge may be the one the coach would love to do so. Still pretty young as he's currently 24 and will play the year out as a 25 year old. Don't be too surprised should something click for Sam and if it doesn't, we know it won't be for not trying.

Thats the thing with Sam isn’t it .... he will not die wondering.

All teams have a kerridge in them .... it’s just not possible to have a midfield full of elite talent .... unless u r GWS.

What is important is the character of the Sam in ur team and I have to say ......

Sam gets it.

 

[HARKER]

He was big on his training form in the stoppage drills during his first 18 months, so in reality he's had a pretty dramatic each-way bet.

You mean his first pre-season and through a few drills where he cut a path through opponents?

Cuningham was given plenty of midfield minutes in 2016, but showed his relative understanding of the craft required.
It was largely a similar story in 2017 and I feel his best work was done around the ground and not as a centre-square/stoppage specialist.

If he does indeed start getting first hands to the ball at stoppages, he could become a real weapon for us.
I don't see that coming about, but will be thrilled if it somehow does.

 

[Foucault1989]

Really? We're going to say it's do or die on Cuningham after 11 games of football? How about this - Dangerfield was averaging about the same in disposals and disposal efficiency after 25 games as Cuningham is after 11. Anybody remember Dangerfield winning games of footy off his own boot in his third season? Yeah, me neither. Cuningham is here to stay, see the game against North Melbourne last year if you have doubts.

And the GWS game where he slotted two important set shots under pressure

 

[HARKER]

Interesting that Fisher played 17 games and Cuningham 8 in 2017, yet neither chalked up a 20 possession game.
It's somewhat easy to see Fisher start to break that 20 possession barrier, yet not so easy to see Cuningham do so.

Again, that's not to cast a shadow upon Cuningham as his possessions could be very valuable.......but the thing is; How many low-possession players can we afford to carry in our team? Maybe we don't need many possessions to come good, but just quality possessions.


Just on possessions; Who do we think will be our highest possession players this year?

1. Murphy 2. Cripps 3. ECurnow 4. Kennedy 5. Fisher? What do we think?