Player Watch #32: Mason Wood -

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koshari

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thats fine saying that, but he is ahead of Garner in my book. Garner is great defensively but goes missing, Garner doesn't have the fitness to roam up the ground either so if Wood is struggling to get into the game he is able to play wing. If Garner doesn't perform today i would be swapping them around however Brad loves Garner so i can't see that happening.
His hand may have been forced today, but would his size disadvantage him as a direct swap for Garner? IMO this selection will ride heavily on if LT stays in or possible has a rest with maybe Nahas or Sugar coming in,
 

giantroo

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If he comes in the forward six could be Petrie, Waite, Brown, Wood, Thomas, Harvey.

Too top heavy for mine.
He can play the wings also. Massive tank on him. Doesn't necessarily need to be played up forward. Other than his defensive side, he offers more than Garner. Thomas gets dropped for Nahas.
 

HBFlanker

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He can play the wings also. Massive tank on him. Doesn't necessarily need to be played up forward. Other than his defensive side, he offers more than Garner. Thomas gets dropped for Nahas.
Cant believe people think Thomas needs to go. Hes not in the team to kick goals at the moment, thats why Boomer is up forward. He spends majority of his time on the wing now. thats the game plan.

He also provided the match winning spoil if you missed it.
 

royalblue92

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Cant believe people think Thomas needs to go. Hes not in the team to kick goals at the moment, thats why Boomer is up forward. He spends majority of his time on the wing now. thats the game plan.

He also provided the match winning spoil if you missed it.
Really? I honestly thought his role was to try and accumulate as many goals - aiming for 40 + as a small, crumbing forward.

He may have provided the match winning spoil but his second and third efforts have seemed to me to be so inconsistent. You look at Wells, who is running at every passage of play, where as atm you see thomas hit the deck after one attempt and stay down. If he is to play the wing, he needs to be more defensively harassing and lift his intensity. No doubt he is one of our best, provides excellent inside fifty passages of play, however, alongside swallow, atley, dal santo and a few others - they need to get their shit together real quick.
 

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astrovic

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He should be playing AFL off the back of that effort. However....

it kinda sucks for him that the bloke he most directly replaces - Waite - is in career best form.

it also sucks that he lacks the defensive intensity to warrant bringing him in for Garner. We really need that extra level of defensive accountability across half-forward as teams are launching too many attacks off half-back at the moment. I feel Nahas is a better option on that front than Wood at the moment (and Nahas is going great guns at the moment too).

Yet we gotta get him in to the team. He might never look back. That just leaves Brown...who isn't in great form, hasn't been for a while but does work well with Petrie and Waite and adds a serious point of difference with his marking, ruckwork and general ability to be very tall. Even if he's not playing great he still adds a fair amount.

Obviously Petrie ain't gonna be dropped.

I just dunno. I'd be inclined to go horses for courses against Freo - where the extra tall will stretch their defence - and leave Brown in. Depending on how he goes, I might be inclined to swap him for Wood against Gold Coast where the extra run Wood provides is more valuable.
 

RobZombie

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He should be playing AFL off the back of that effort. However....

it kinda sucks for him that the bloke he most directly replaces - Waite - is in career best form.

it also sucks that he lacks the defensive intensity to warrant bringing him in for Garner. We really need that extra level of defensive accountability across half-forward as teams are launching too many attacks off half-back at the moment. I feel Nahas is a better option on that front than Wood at the moment (and Nahas is going great guns at the moment too).

Yet we gotta get him in to the team. He might never look back. That just leaves Brown...who isn't in great form, hasn't been for a while but does work well with Petrie and Waite and adds a serious point of difference with his marking, ruckwork and general ability to be very tall. Even if he's not playing great he still adds a fair amount.

Obviously Petrie ain't gonna be dropped.

I just dunno. I'd be inclined to go horses for courses against Freo - where the extra tall will stretch their defence - and leave Brown in. Depending on how he goes, I might be inclined to swap him for Wood against Gold Coast where the extra run Wood provides is more valuable.
I'd just have him in for Garner, with some clear expectations around defensive effort.
 

Kimbo

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He should be playing AFL off the back of that effort. However....

it kinda sucks for him that the bloke he most directly replaces - Waite - is in career best form.

it also sucks that he lacks the defensive intensity to warrant bringing him in for Garner. We really need that extra level of defensive accountability across half-forward as teams are launching too many attacks off half-back at the moment. I feel Nahas is a better option on that front than Wood at the moment (and Nahas is going great guns at the moment too).

Yet we gotta get him in to the team. He might never look back. That just leaves Brown...who isn't in great form, hasn't been for a while but does work well with Petrie and Waite and adds a serious point of difference with his marking, ruckwork and general ability to be very tall. Even if he's not playing great he still adds a fair amount.

Obviously Petrie ain't gonna be dropped.

I just dunno. I'd be inclined to go horses for courses against Freo - where the extra tall will stretch their defence - and leave Brown in. Depending on how he goes, I might be inclined to swap him for Wood against Gold Coast where the extra run Wood provides is more valuable.
Agree on the inclusion of Nahas. Yet another 'old head' for a younger one, which will be sure to infuriate some.

Actually, I wouldn't be averse to seeing Nahas and Wood in for Garner and Thomas, respectively.

If Swallow's game was simply a case of an off day, back him in. If not, and he has a niggle or is struggling to regain the necessary fitness, I'd love to see a change with Clarke to come in.
 

astrovic

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How much was that happening last time?
Last time Wood played or last time we played Freo?

Certainly against Freo we get caught in the trap of bombing the ball inside 50 and having it run back out with interest. Another tall is just another bloke to add to the scrum 20 metres out from goal, which doesn't help much. We beat Freo when our crumbers inside 50 get on the end of it.

Last time Wood played...well he got a decent run of games at the start of last year when we played him, Brown, Petrie and Waite at once. He had a couple of good games and a couple of bad ones - as did the team in general - and overall my feeling at the time is that that lineup didn't work very well.
 
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Has been to the Macmillan school of tackling.
To an extent true. But stood out like dog's balls preseason intraclub / NAB as having the most offensive promise of the next crop.

All our players have limitations. But not that many have the talent of Mason Wood. He is a genuine marking, goalkicking half-forward. His game isn't based on secondary aspects like tackling or defensive pressure as meritorious as those things are. He's a a player who would demand opposition attention if he's up and running.

Would consider him for Garner, Thomas, Jacobs or even Brown in current form depending on the opposition ruck depth. As a bench option a 192cm mobile marking skillful player would be a nice ace up the sleeve.
 

TennisPlayerAndy

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To an extent true. But stood out like dog's balls preseason intraclub / NAB as having the most offensive promise of the next crop.

All our players have limitations. But not that many have the talent of Mason Wood. He is a genuine marking, goalkicking half-forward. His game isn't based on secondary aspects like tackling or defensive pressure as meritorious as those things are. He's a a player who would demand opposition attention if he's up and running.

Would consider him for Garner, Thomas, Jacobs or even Brown in current form depending on the opposition ruck depth. As a bench option a 192cm mobile marking skillful player would be a nice ace up the sleeve.
He's a weapon for sure.

But he's in the Dumont camp insofar as there are many guys in front of him despite his ability to impact at AFL level.
 

Shermanator

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To an extent true. But stood out like dog's balls preseason intraclub / NAB as having the most offensive promise of the next crop.

All our players have limitations. But not that many have the talent of Mason Wood. He is a genuine marking, goalkicking half-forward. His game isn't based on secondary aspects like tackling or defensive pressure as meritorious as those things are. He's a a player who would demand opposition attention if he's up and running.

Would consider him for Garner, Thomas, Jacobs or even Brown in current form depending on the opposition ruck depth. As a bench option a 192cm mobile marking skillful player would be a nice ace up the sleeve.
I'm picking up what you're putting down KC.

Something about this kid oozes class.

He does glide across the ground and his disposal seems to be very good, the publicised flaws are his hardness but it's impossible to have a team full of Jack Ziebell's you have to have some outside run too.

Geez NDS has made a 300 game career out of it!..
 
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