Backline without Sicily

[thejockey]

Sicily stays back when he comes in

Is just way too good an intercept mark and ball user not too . Plus he floats forward and kicks goals anyway .

Kudos to the backline without him they have been immense
Brand goes out , just isn’t safe enough and still seems to have trouble reading the flight and second guesses himself

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Sicily stays in defence purely for his work at kick-ins. He’s sublime at them.

 

[threesixpio]

No it doesn’t. Brand still looks like a deer in headlights.

IN: Sicily
OUT: Brand

/thread

 

[hawk for 37]

Horses for courses. If a team has 2 big key fwds, Brand has to play. Silicy is a half back flanker. The recent match with Brisbane was a classic example. Backline could not handle their 2 talls with only Frawley and an great but undersized Stratton.
Even the Gold Coast caused big headaches for half a match with Lynch and 2 metre Peter. Had no one the cover the second tall.
Lose control in the midfield and a one tall backline is wide open and easy pickings.

 

[TallyHawk]

Sicily comes straight back in to CHB, and Frawley goes out unless we come up against a forward that likes to out body his opponents. Brand has been good since he has come back in, doesn't seem to tug the jumper as much.

What I've noticed with Frawley is him slowing down, not foot speed, but his hand to foot skills have slowed considerably. Takes an eternity to get rid of the ball and his kicking has never been a strength.

In saying that Frawley's form has been significantly better than the start of the year where he looked completely cooked.


On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[detox]

Brand getting a raw deal in here.

Still think he can become a very good defender. Still young and has some good attributes

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Did anyone hear the Channel 9 "experts" referring to Stratton and Hardwick as "lesser lights" in defence. It would be nice if the media started to pay some attention to Hawthorn for a change.

 

[Gralin]

Yeah we are better with Sis in the team than not, also better with him in the backline than not

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

I still like Frawley up forward.

 

[Mrzohs]

Our defence is holding up nicely without the big dog sicily burton has been stuck in his shadow all year and is playing alot better footy with him out of the team. The only change i would make is birchall in for brand when he ready.
Im starting to truley belive our defence can hold up without sicily!
Unless we are playing a team like w.c with two big key talls.
Most teams at the top are only running with 1 monster.

Roughy has been a liability in some games dropping chest marks, we have tried everything but the kitchen sink at c.h.f with no clear indication who can hold that spot for us in the finals its not the worst idea to play sic at chf.

A defence containing frawley,stratton,birchall,hardwick,burton,burgoyne will hold up in the finals! When silk goes on the ball miles slots in
sic and gunston can always stem the flow as plan b

 

[SSSSSS]

I still like Frawley up forward.

 

[derp de derp]

In regards to team structure I think Brand is worth more to the side than the other talls such as Schoey, Pitto and O’Brien. If he continues to play his role down back Sicily just screams match winning forward


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HedgeFund]

Yeah we are better with Sis in the team than not, also better with him in the backline than not

Don’t disagree with him in the side obviously, but why not get better value for his kicking by moving him up the ground a bit?

How about this for a first week of finals line-up:

B: Hardwick Frawley Stratton
HB: Impey Burton Birchall (if fit)
C: Sicily O’Meara Smith
HF: Burgoyne Ceglar Gunston
F: Puopolo Roughead Breust

R: McEvoy Mitchell Shiels

I: Brand (back) Worpel (mid/fwd) Morrison (wherever) Henderson (wing)

In: Birchall Roughead McEvoy Sicily
Out: Schoenmakers Miles Nash Pittonet

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

It's an interesting concept and I'm not opposed to it, but I love him behind the ball.

 

[TallyHawk]

We could always play Burton as a forward with Gunna.


On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[StillAtLarge]

We could always play Burton as a forward with Gunna.


On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

For the love of God no

 

[Stratton_Gun]

He will probably come in for Brand but they play different roles. Brand is a decent defender but rubbish ball in hand. Despite being a similar size, Sicily is more of a 3rd tall/rebounder. Stratts has been better since Sicily got injured as he doesn't have to be the lock down defender. Not sure how we will play it
Not sure I want Sicily in the forward line though. Seen him a bit there since permanent going back and reckon he's lost the touch for it. The goals he has kicked recently are more bombs you'd expect from a HBF

 

[jenniferHAWKinS]

Don’t disagree with him in the side obviously, but why not get better value for his kicking by moving him up the ground a bit?

How about this for a first week of finals line-up:

B: Hardwick Frawley Stratton
HB: Impey Burton Birchall (if fit)
C: Sicily O’Meara Smith
HF: Burgoyne Ceglar Gunston
F: Puopolo Roughead Breust

R: McEvoy Mitchell Shiels

I: Brand (back) Worpel (mid/fwd) Morrison (wherever) Henderson (wing)

In: Birchall Roughead McEvoy Sicily
Out: Schoenmakers Miles Nash Pittonet

Miles absolutely stays in even if Birch comes back. Love his run, composure and good ball use. Perfect player to combat the Tigers small as well.
In: Rough, Big Boy and Sicily
Out: Nash, Pitto and Brand
Not sure who Birch replaces?
Schoey stays. Need him for structure plus he is our lucky charm (6-0) with him in the side.

 

[DrEvil_]

Sicily to the ruck, Brand FF, Ceglar back pocket.

 

[MrFujiMoto]

100%. It's an easy change

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Taking Brand (A big fella) out and putting Sicily in will change the role Stratton has excelled at over the last 3 weeks. I don't think it is a simple as Sicily is 100x the player Brand is, so swap them. I think it will happen, players like Sicily don't play seconds, I am not sure it is so simple though. Sicily will have to step in and step up immediately for the back 6 to be as effective as they are at the moment. Stratton is probably the best back man in the comp at the moment. Just impassable.

One thing is for sure. The flexibility is ridiculous with Sis & Gunners both able to win games off their own boot as a forward and marshal the troops as a QB or CHB, or play the link up man between the arcs.

 

[OnceKicked50]

Not an unreasonable question, but it's important to recognise we have won both contested ball and clearances in each of our past four wins. We have also given up the least number of inside 50's in the competition during this time.

I think our defensive structure is always a product of our midfield and the pressure we are applying up the field.

Overall, everyone seems to be on the same page with our team defence and the group is really starting to gel and understand what's required of them. Watching live 3 of the past 4 games you can see how well we are setting up across the ground and denying entries.

Sicily will not be a liability and is a no-brainer for Brand.

 

[KermitJagger]

Not an unreasonable question, but it's important to recognise we have won both contested ball and clearances in each of our past four wins. We have also given up the least number of inside 50's in the competition during this time.

I think our defensive structure is always a product of our midfield and the pressure we are applying up the field.

Overall, everyone seems to be on the same page with our team defence and the group is really starting to gel and understand what's required of them. Watching live 3 of the past 4 games you can see how well we are setting up across the ground and denying entries.

Sicily will not be a liability and is a no-brainer for Brand.

Exactly, at this point people need to understand that up-the-ground is more important than what happens to us in defense as our game is predicated on not letting the ball go in. Sicily is tall, athletic and reads the play well enough to play taller, so does Stratton. We've also conceded the 4th less goals from key forwards in the comp, so it was never a concern for us that Brand is now coming in and remedying.

The people I really can't have in this thread are the ones that are saying Frawley has to go out in lieu of Brand. When is the last time this year he had a bag kicked on him? When is the last time a team kicked a bag against our defense in general? The most we've had kicked against us from one player is 4; Hipwood, Brown and Riewoldt.

Riewoldt out-wiled him, Hipwood had a game out of the box and Brown was dominating at that point and in all instances we were losing in the middle. We've kept most key forwards to 1-2 goals this season, fair effort for Frawley who is too slow and a complete spud apparently.

 

[Del33640]

Sicily could play the high half forward role that Gunston has been doing now and then. He's good enough as a marking target that he can play that same role, and we really don't lose as much of his rebounding ability as we would if he was played as a deeper forward.

It's actually a pretty good problem to have, we'd effectively be freeing Gunners up to do what he does best, and be replacing him with a player with similar marking ability, and better rebound.

Not sure Clarkson will wind up having to trial this though, unless Birch comes back firing in the VFL, which seems unlikely after so long out.

Note sure we can fit all of Burton, Sicily and Birchall into the same backline, so one of Burton and Sicily further up the ground seems to make a lot of sense at that point.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

In teams with one tall forward, Siss come sin for Brand. Against those with multiple talls, play both.

 

[hk89]

Sicily could play the high half forward role that Gunston has been doing now and then. He's good enough as a marking target that he can play that same role, and we really don't lose as much of his rebounding ability as we would if he was played as a deeper forward.

My only concern with that is that there is a reason Sicily was moved down back. He wasn't working up forward, at least not as well as we'd have liked. As soon as he went to defence, it seemed to switch something on that he couldn't switch on up forward. When up forward he had a tendency to look lazy and to be playing without intensity. For whatever reason, that has never been a problem when he has been down back. On paper, his attributes that make him good in defence, should make him good up forward, perhaps even better up forward given his main weakness is one-on-one defending. However given we've tried it already with much more limited success, I'd be concerned. Perhaps the workrate and intensity he's shown down back can now be translated into his game as a forward. It is probably worth the experiment, but I don't think we can be certain he's going to be as good forward as he has been back - even if he was a forward to start with - given the evidence we've seen across his senior career so far.