A need for speed

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RunningBounce

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#4
Yep, we're gunna miss Matty White, IMO.

But speed can be a bit over-rated.

Think premiership year Hawks and / or Cats. Not too many players from those teams had scary foot pace, but both teams moved the ball from one end to the other faster than any backline could cope with. A decent game plan can make up for lack of foot pace.
 

tunksy

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#5
umm first game of the preseason, no one is gonna go full tilt trying to break records.. its not an overly bad thing we must address it. we get exposed at times by it by bad play not some player going omg burn 3 bounces i50 goal boom.
 

El Tigre

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#6
Having some players who are significantly faster than their direct opponents is nice, but... Good team set-up overcomes the lack of speed. Good individual reading of play makes up for lack of individual speed.
 

kozi

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#9
Don't think we have an issue with speed. Youngsters coming through that can play inside (think Miles, Arnott) will allow our speedier types (Lids, Foley, Ellis etc) to play more on the outside and get battered a bit less which will improve overall speed.

However, speed (and accuracy) of ball use is much more important than leg speed.
 

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tugga

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Moderator #13
This is a good point. Speed in and of itself is good, but the player who has it must still be able to play. In other words, pace is the cherry on top.
I have often thought over the past few years that players are chosen as athletes first and footballers second. Which is wrong (IMO). Greg Wlliams, Paul Broderick and Sam Mitchell (to name a few) were/are as slow as treacle, but they had/have footy smarts.
Our record of drafting tall basketball types (Elton, Astbury, Griffiths) hasn't exactly been a success.
Give me a footballer any day. Lance Whitnall would not get drafted today, but he had everything above the shoulders that made him such a good player.


PS: the chick sitting next to McKenna in the Gold Coast coaches box is smokin'.
 

theflea

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#14
I have often thought over the past few years that players are chosen as athletes first and footballers second. Which is wrong (IMO). Greg Wlliams, Paul Broderick and Sam Mitchell (to name a few) were/are as slow as treacle, but they had/have footy smarts.
Our record of drafting tall basketball types (Elton, Astbury, Griffiths) hasn't exactly been a success.
Give me a footballer any day. Lance Whitnall would not get drafted today, but he had everything above the shoulders that made him such a good player.


PS: the chick sitting next to McKenna in the Gold Coast coaches box is smokin'.
Haha the chick I noticed was Huddo!! I will check again. I don't think Griff and Astbury were those B'Ball types but I could be wrong. maybe there just junk!!
 

johnno77

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#23
I certainly don't think more pace would hurt. Those saying Geelong didn't have any pace are forgetting guys like Varcoe, Stokes, Christensen and Wojcinski. I don't know how they compare to other players for pace but guys like Ablett, Chapman, Kelly and Mackie didn't exactly look slow in their prime either. The fact that they are all gun players certainly help.

The Hawks identified a lack of pace and got Isaac Smith and Brad Hill in recent drafts (who both played in last years flag and played their part) to add to Cyril Rioli. The Swans grabbed Jetta and Rohan.

I agree that they need to be footballers first because if their brains can't keep up with their legs, they are usually useless. Problem is, those type of players are either very high draft picks ie Deledio, O'Meara,Rioli, Jetta etc or they take years to develop. That was the most disappointing thing about White. It seemed his brain finally caught up to his legs last year and then he buggered off for more money and a longer contract without ever playing a final for the Tigers. I get why he did it but at the same time he probably should have stayed another year and bedded down the gains he made. He's placed a lot of pressure on himself this year by going to another club for more money/longer contract when he only produced one good season out of eight with the Tigers.

Short story long, I hope another player or two emerges this year who can break the lines or we go looking for one in the draft/trade period at the end of the year.
 

rfctiger74

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#25
Yep, we're gunna miss Matty White, IMO.

But speed can be a bit over-rated.

Think premiership year Hawks and / or Cats. Not too many players from those teams had scary foot pace, but both teams moved the ball from one end to the other faster than any backline could cope with. A decent game plan can make up for lack of foot pace.
yep, its ball movement speed, not foot speed, that matters
 
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