Unofficial Preview Appeal to the Bench - Make The Case

[Next Waiting]

2018 Round One: The Bench

The premise of this thread is that it's easy to rush to judgement. Guilty myself in this instance. So, let's toy with the assumption that the bench named for this game is actually the one that MC wanted and look for the positive aspects of their games and what they might bring to this particular contest. In an attempt to look for the silver lining, have a go at making the case for the selection of English, Williams, Honeychurch and Gowers over Daniel, Dickson, Webb and Jong. There's little point in stating here why they shouldn't be picked as this is well canvased in other threads.

Assumption: No fitness or injury concerns

Venue: Canberra

Forecast weather: 80% chance 5-10mm in the afternoon. Winds NNW 30 - 50kmph.

English: Has had a good pre-season and excelled in tap work. A closed training sessions star (perhaps). A third rucking option is pinpointed as important to where we think we can win this game - at the coalface around stoppages. Working on an attrition principle with the opposing ruckman. Good hands in likely wet weather. A better option than Campbell and Boyd is not fit/ready to go.

Williams: A good aerial competitor. Physically strong and likes to take the game on. An impulsive/instinctive element to his game which makes him unpredictable to the opposition. Wet conditions might favour his ball in hand inclinations. Midfield option?

Honeychurch: Part of a small/short forward line (with Dalhaus). We intend to go inside 50 with worm burners and he and Dahl are better placed to deal with this than the GWS defenders in wet conditions. A committed chaser and tackler who won't let up. A crumbing option to feed off dropped/incomplete marks in difficult handling conditions.

Gowers: Know nothing about him. Help

 

[dogwatch]

English - he's going to be a 200 gamer and has progressed rapidly since the end of last season including added bulk. Get as many games into him as possible. Is mobile and has good ball skills, possibly as good or better than some of our bona fide midfielders. We may have to shift Trengove back and Roughead has (as always) some questions over being 100% fit. If either of those can't play ruck forward we'll need another ruck option.

Williams - has had a good pre-season despite a poor JLT2. One of our better players in JLT1. Expecting him to make big advances in 2018 as part of our HBF rotation. Robust body, hard at it and a high possession winner. A key part of the WB future.

Honeychurch - works as hard as anybody. If we can get midfield dominance then he's going to help hold the ball in the forward 50. Line-ball inclusion but it also sends a message to certain more highly regarded players who have not come up as well as we'd hoped and/or not worked as hard in the pre-season as we want them to. If things fall right for him for once he could kick 3-4 goals as a crumbing forward.

Gowers - solid player with aggression, pace and ability to take a grab, something like Crameri when he first arrived at VUWO. (OK, I admit I'm guessing a bit here - he's the one that truly surprised me.)

 

[Yojimbo]

Gowers : I think of Billy as a poor mans Koby Stevens, big
and robust, effort over efficiency.

Williams : Needs to play every game he is fit for this year
needs to be exposed to the faster game pace of the
senior team, could become a nice player.

English : Jury is still out for me on the grounds that he
was a midfielder that grew 21 cm and become a ruck
because of his size. Played for the same WAFL club
as Darcy Cameron where he managed one game in the
ones. Darcy kicked 40 goals that year plus and yet
went in the fifties or higher.

Honeychurch : His weight progression annoys me as he
is lighter than Caleb Daniel (70 kg) a little bit of a
twilight zone player in that he sits somewhere between
the VFL and the AFL.
2014 = 68 kg
2015 = 71 kg
2016 = 71 kg
2017 = 71 kg
2018 = 70 kg

 

[webbo]

Gowers : I think of Billy as a poor mans Koby Stevens, big
and robust, effort over efficiency.

Williams : Needs to play every game he is fit for this year
needs to be exposed to the faster game pace of the
senior team, could become a nice player.

English : Jury is still out for me on the grounds that he
was a midfielder that grew 21 cm and become a ruck
because of his size. Played for the same WAFL club
as Darcy Cameron where he managed one game in the
ones. Darcy kicked 40 goals that year plus and yet
went in the fifties or higher.

Honeychurch : His weight progression annoys me as he
is lighter than Caleb Daniel (70 kg) a little bit of a
twilight zone player in that he sits somewhere between
the VFL and the AFL.
2014 = 68 kg
2015 = 71 kg
2016 = 71 kg
2017 = 71 kg
2018 = 70 kg

Cameron has 2 years and 7 kilos on English. Explains it a bit.

 

[Yojimbo]

Cameron has 2 years and 7 kilos on English. Explains it a bit.

I realize that mate, they played at the same club where Darcy
was the clear number one ruck in fact Tim was playing colts
until he got too old he was drafted at nineteen years of age.
Hopefully he turns out good, i just find it an odd pick.