Back six: current and future...

[Visro]

On the defence, I think they need to use a group of players down there and stick with them. Of the back 6, generally I would play 3 talls, 2 medium, 1 medium-small and 1 small. The 90's team were very settled down there and learnt to play together well as a result of games experience with each other. The players I would use down there:

McIntosh - obviously, but how much longer has he got?
Jakovich - look at McIntosh.
Collica - "Mr Fixit", good handy youngish defender
Hunter - would play him as a utility player, rebounding from the CHB line.
Glass - we're going to need him in the future, so we bloody well better start playing him.
Humm - the small defender of the future.
Prior - off the CHB line

So overall, for the rest of this season I would try and use:

FB: Glass McIntosh Humm
HB: Prior Jakovich Collica

with Hunter coming off the bench to play down there.

People I wouldn't play down there:

Wooden - he's good as a tagging midfielder in the midfield, his defensive skills are crap.
Wirrpunda - honestly, he's wasted down there.
Banfield - same a Wooden
Embley - decision making is a bit iffy.
Gaspar - not yet anyway, not as the 1st or 2nd tall defender. Needs to put on more weight to become a defender.
Sierrakowski - not fast enough
Taylor - same as the other midfielders I've just mentioned.
Williams - aint a defender

I'm still uncertain about the future though and some of you will remember me saying that last year.

We REALLY need to draft a good young TALL fullback at this years draft or get someone from another club. Glass is only good enough to be the 2nd tall defender on the FB line, he will never be good enough to be the fullback.

Regarding back pocket players, despite our lack of them currently, we should be alright next year. Read will be back and Humm will also be more experienced by then.

CHB line also looks alright on the flanks with Collica and Prior/Hunter but again, a new tall defender is needed for CHB. Currently Lynch is playing well in the WAFL at CHB but is probably a tad short for todays giants CHB's. With Gaspar, McDougall and Hansen all developing as CHF's, the club needs to turn one of them into a defender. They will all need to put some serious meat on their bones though.

So our defence looks to be nearly set for post Jako/Milli with the exception of a replacement for Milli. We have enough good young defenders, they just need to gel. With the ones currently playing, Woosha needs to improve their consistency and reading the play. Overall basically, the defence needs to become "stingier".

Thoughts?

 

[carlyp]

Visro you have forgotten Phill Read and Chad morrison!!! We still have them to come back!
Yes they do need to become more stingier!

 

[TheRealBuzz]

I haven't given up hope on Glass becoming our next fullback after Milli. He was useless on the weekend - but who wasn't?
This year he struggled against Port in a defence that was missing Milli and Jako (and better men then Glass have been slaughtered by Tredrea), and for a ten minutes period against Melbourne after being switched onto Neitz. I think he was very unlucky to be dropped at all, and now needs to stay in the side along with Humm.

I had Gaspar marked down as our next CHB, but I think his future is now at centre half forward. And I'm happy about that.

I saw Quinten Lynch up close yesterday, and the bloke is bloody huge. And it's Glen Jakovich huge, not Leigh Brown huge.
Seeing him kick 70m drop punts was also a real treat.
I think he has a future.

Hummer and Read will make a great combo in coming years (both are tough as nails) and Morrison could possibly be used as a rebounding defender (unless he actually fulfils his potential).

I don't know if that'll be how it turns out exactly.
The future is very hard to predict. Unless you're a Dockers supporter.

 

[i_luv_westcoast]

Originally posted by Visro
. Of the back 6, generally I would play 3 talls, 2 medium, 1 medium-small and 1 small.

Visro where did you do maths

 

[carlyp]

Obviousley the same place that most of the carringbush faithfull went to school!

 

[Visro]

Re: Re: Back six: current and future...

Originally posted by i_luv_westcoast

Originally posted by Visro
. Of the back 6, generally I would play 3 talls, 2 medium, 1 medium-small and 1 small.

Visro where did you do maths

Yikes, and I have a calculas exam coming up in two weeks!

That should read, 3 talls, 1 medium, 1 medium-small and 1 small..

 

[jod23]

The 6 to 8 defenders i would be using down there this year providing on form, coming off the bench etc would be Jakovich, McIntosh, Glass, Collica, Hunter, Humm, Wooden and Prior if he ever gets back. Also throw Green in there, that makes 9.

The positive about the 9 i have mentioned, 6 are still young and will be there a long time. It also bodes well for the future with Morrison and Read still to come back, two of our best defenders. The position we really lack are backup FB and backup CHB for when Milli and Jako retire. I believe despite what a lot of you guys think that Glass is good enough to fill Milli's shoes.

That leaves CHB?? Lynch, Gaspar?...is Hunter tall enough?? I dont know, that one is still a conundrum.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Any chance of Lynch getting a run anytime soon? From all reports he is ready for the AFL, both physically and mentally. And with all the troubles our backline is suffering, maybe its the right time to bring him in?

What about McCarrey, he's not playing too bad in the WAFL (judging by his stats at least). Woosha should be blooding a few of those promising youngsters we have, cause this year only Judd has made his debut while highly regarded youngsters such as McDougall, Sampi, McCarrey and Lynch are yet to play.

Maybe Harding's an option down back

 

[Au_Blue#24]

Yeh I agree 100% with trying out Lynch. Even if its a bit premature, at least he'd be getting experience and a few games under his belt. Heard alot good things about him.

 

[pauljam]

Vis,

I agree we need to look at a Tall defender in the draft with Milli reaching the end of a magnificent career - but who is available and worth trading for? Hay would be ideal but I doubt he will leave (may have resigned already). The only other one I can thin of is Nicholson at Melb who came from WA? Any others anyone can think of?

I saw a bit of Lynch on tele for the first time on Monday - looks promising and I would promote him for a few games this year to give him a try at the next level. The defence is a concern at the moment.

 

[Methuselah]

FB and CHB players these days need to be at least 192 and preferably 194cm tall. That limits the number of choices considerably.

IMO Hunter and Green stand out as players who can handle the flanks in defence, but need game time to learn how to play together with confidence.

Glass is obviously just tall enough to hold down FB, but does he have the skills at AFL level? Every time I have seen him play he rarely takes a contested mark, and his hand and foot skills are not good. Milli is a hard act to follow. Sometimes when I watch Glass I feel he panics when he gets the ball deep in defence and I wonder if that was the reason that he was dropped back to the WAFL - to rebuild confidence?
We are looking for a Fletcher/Darren Gaspar type for FB....but then so is everyone.

At CHB my feeling is the best option remains Gaspar, he has the height and the mobility required and can take a contested mark. My only query would be whether he has actually stopped growing yet??? Where he needs to improve dramatically in terms of replacing the mighty Jako is in his reading of the play.

I personally think that very heavily built players have a limited future in this game as they are not mobile enough (unless they are close to 200cm tall)....I have not seen Lynch play, so cannot really comment on him, but he sounds as though he is a solidly built guy. That may actually count against him in the future.

 

[Deepthroat]

Wirrpunda

Although some may say it is robbing Peter to pay Paul, I can always see a use for playing Wirrpunda off a half-back line. He has got the leg-speed (and not afraid to use it these days) to cut the opposition up like butter when rebounding from defense.

I think he was moved back way too late on Sunday, could quite easily have done a big job in our struggling back-end and launch more potent attacks than were being generated at the time.

His skills are impeccable, his reading of the play has matured and he could easily be used as an attacking weapon from the HB line.

I think he is better there (especially when the midfield is being hammered) than standing at HF and waiting on a delivery that is poor or non-existent.

 

[carlyp]

Re: Wirrpunda

Originally posted by Deepthroat
Although some may say it is robbing Peter to pay Paul, I can always see a use for playing Wirrpunda off a half-back line. He has got the leg-speed (and not afraid to use it these days) to cut the opposition up like butter when rebounding from defense.

I think he was moved back way too late on Sunday, could quite easily have done a big job in our struggling back-end and launch more potent attacks than were being generated at the time.

His skills are impeccable, his reading of the play has matured and he could easily be used as an attacking weapon from the HB line.

I think he is better there (especially when the midfield is being hammered) than standing at HF and waiting on a delivery that is poor or non-existent.

Yeah!!! Not much good him being where the ball isnt, he needs to be where were getting a hammering and if thats in defence then so be it! If we had 2 wirra's we'd be laughing! Put one in defence and one on the half forward line!