Best Sub?

[muckypup]

Who would be the best player to carry as a sub. I have been befuddled by the choice (of Roberton in particular) in the past few weeks.

 

[Leslie_Chow]

Ideally someone like Walters would be the best sub. Someone who can come on and make an impact on the scoreboard and worry the opposition.
Morabito or Pav would be the super sub, but they are too good to keep on the bench.
But you can't seem to keep the same sub week in week out, as they will easily lose match fitness.

 

[BananaOnTheRun]

Someone like Mellington, I reckon. Young bloke with a bit of size who's not getting a look in in the 1s but could hold his own in a quarter. Any established impact players that we have, like Mayne, Fyfe, Hill, Ballas we need to play four quarters.

 

[muckypup]

I can see an argument for rotating players through as sub. Frodo would make a good sub notwithstanding yesterdays performance.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Walters or Pitt or Josh Mellington .

I would love to Mellington play as the sub vs the bombers.

 

[Scham]

Its as much a mental thing as physical.

You need players that can easily "turn it on" at the drop of a hat after sitting watching the action for an hour or so.

Walters seemed to do it well earlier in the year and Pitt was ok on one occasion too. Roberton has sucked at it.

I think Suban would be good at it, but that's a bit of a luxury if our 21 is strong enough for him to be sub.

Barlow will be good at it and should be used in that way for his comeback match and then maybe one more after?

McPhee would be good.

Maybe Ruffles?

De Boer and Duffield would be good, but again currently can't afford them to be the sub.

 

[Deep_Purple]

I agree with Walters - he would be great if you could be assured that he will make an impact, but he is a bit hit and miss. Other players that make a good impact you want there all the time.

At the end of the match it is easy to say if a player did or did not work. One that worked ok recently was Mzungu. But I think it takes a special person to come on in the last quarter and get the tempo of the game and make that impact.

Maybe the sub should just be looked as a sub. THat is, someone that can come on in case of an injury who can play in a number of positions if needed.

 

[Man of Men]

It really can't be someone like palmer, mzungu or roberton who from what ive seen and heard are much better long distance/rereat sprint runners than impact players. If we're not gonna drop johnson then maybe try him as a sub otherwise walters or one of the new guys like mellington who's shown a little bit

 

[Superkoops]

I've watched Walters in the WAFL and either his ankle is no good or he is struggling more than those in the main side. He needs to show a little more for swans than 7 - 8 possessions and some biff. But if his form picks up then he is a good option for sub. I think Roberton and Palmer shouldn't be subs for all the reasons already listed.

When injury/form are better the following would be my pick:
- Pitt (has performed well as sub but recent Perth form is not great)
- Crichton (needs to get back to his terrier like and tackling best)
- Hinkley (give him a crack at sub - his speed would be an asset for a quarter)
- Walters (as above needs some form first)
- Bollenhagen (just coming back from injury but would be useful as a sub if he finds form)
- Mellington (bit more consistency/involvement in WAFL games would be ideal)

 

[PapaJ]

I can see an argument for rotating players through as sub. Frodo would make a good sub notwithstanding yesterdays performance.

Frodo would be an excellent option I think, especially yesterday. He seems to be carrying a bit of an injury still and that isn't a bad way to use the sub if it's a player of Frodo's quality. For sure he should have been a major candidate to come off yesterday.

Its as much a mental thing as physical.

You need players that can easily "turn it on" at the drop of a hat after sitting watching the action for an hour or so.

Walters seemed to do it well earlier in the year and Pitt was ok on one occasion too. Roberton has sucked at it.

I think Suban would be good at it, but that's a bit of a luxury if our 21 is strong enough for him to be sub.

Barlow will be good at it and should be used in that way for his comeback match and then maybe one more after?

McPhee would be good.

Maybe Ruffles?

De Boer and Duffield would be good, but again currently can't afford them to be the sub.

Except DeBoer and Duffield who are both endurance role players for us, I agree with most of this. Roberton in theory would be a good one because he can play so many positions so it gives you a flexible option for the sub which makes sense, but it hasn't worked so far with him.

Also agree that Bollers would be a possible candidate, I'd even give Hinkley a go - though if we're going down that path I'd stick with the Pitt or Walters option.

 

[Ysaye]

I think the sub does need versatility because of it's role in replacing injured players - they have to at least be able to pinch hit at nearly every position on the ground. They also have to have a bit of speed about them - there is no point if they are slow as anything because this miss out on that huge advantage of being fresh when everyone else is knackered.

Darryl White and Martin Pike who used to play for Brisbane would be perfect subs, they could either go play forward, or down back either as a key position, or just roam around as a wing/flanker. I suppose going along with that thinking that is why Roberton has played as such, but he just isn't that dangerous up forward.

If the AFL persist with the role, I can see "inbetween" athletes making it a niche role - guys like Majak Daw and that who probably don't have the endurance to play a whole game week in week out but could be really dangerous coming on in one quarter and going two times as fast as anyone else.

 

[Nickos66]

Definitely Walters or Pitt. They were the ones to have shown something in the role.

 

[mattus]

Midfield runners.

I heard one of the Essendon players (I think it was an Essendon player) a few weeks ago saying that when the sub came on, he made the rest of them feel like they were standing still, or like he was on a travelator, or something lije that. Imagine the psychological impact of a bloke doing that in the last half. Essentially, a footy T20 player.

Rhys Palmer, SonSon, Mora...Impact players when run through the middle.


Roberton doesn't seem to have the stamina for 4 quarters, but doesn't have the pace for a 3rd and 4th quarter blitz.

 

[yakka man]

Very soon Barlow should be made sub. They havn't tried Van Berlo as sub yet.

 

[Kram]

Agree with using either Walters or Pitt, Palmer is completely the wrong type of player to be used as a sub.

 

[E Shed]

Bollenhagen. Talk about a burst player! Has trouble staying involved over 4 quarters but can be devastating in small bursts.

 

[Deep_Purple]

Raises the question though, what if you have a specialist 'burst player' to come on and rip it up for the last quarter and you get an injury in the first quarter?

Who in the AFL is doing this right? Who has had success in bringing on a 'burst player'? and what sort of a player was it?

Plus should we always use one or two players that suit this kind of strategy and they become permanent subs?

Also how is this used in soccer? they have subs, do they pick 'burst' or 'impact' players for their sub?

 

[Seppo]

A Footlong Meatball on Italian Herb & Cheese with the works.

 

[PapaJ]

I think the sub does need versatility because of it's role in replacing injured players - they have to at least be able to pinch hit at nearly every position on the ground. ...

Not really, it's helpful if they can do a few roles, but most teams just have a certain player (usually an attacking minded I've noticed) and then restructure whoever is out there to fit him in.

...
Also how is this used in soccer? they have subs, do they pick 'burst' or 'impact' players for their sub?

Subs in soccer are nearly always used tactically - keep in mind they have a bench to choose from, not just one that has to be picked at the beginning of the game. They bring on an attacking player if they need goals, defensive if they're in the lead with 15 minutes to play etc. Apples and oranges in this case.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

Ballantyne would probably be the best sub, but is more needed for a whole game. When the ball's in the area, he'll just run and run to put the pressure on and get involved in the play - bottling that up for one quarter could be awesome.

Put simply, the best sub is someone that can run quick or knows how to find the ball. Cant see why Barlow cant be an awesome sub. Hasleby could've possibly been good at it if he didnt get the arse.

 

[more_of_bito]

pretty sure Palmer agrees with you, he wasn't impressed on that bench yesterday. havent seen a sub this season in full tracksuit on the bench barely warming up, he almost looked like he was sulking.
agree with Pitt, think Crichton is a similar player has speed/ kicking ability. Mora has versatility as a brilliant sub, he has the height to cover KP and pace/skill to cover a midfield/HB injury.