Better

[theGav56]

It has been a bit of a no-brainer in the recent past that our best, most important players in the 22 have been Pavlich, Sandilands and MacPharlin. Awesome players, and bookending our team. With age and injuries I think the mantle has passed, and our best, most important 3 are now Mundy, Fyfe and Barlow.

It has been shown reasonably consistently that a team with a great midfield can get by with serviceable talls. Equally, it has been shown that without a very good midfield, you won't win finals. At the same time, it is easier to build a midfield than to find genuine, dominant KPP's.

We have a great season coming up where the past and the future overlap beautifully.

My question is, are we better as a team with having our best 3 players as midfielders, or as talls?

 

[Quinz]

Our three best players are talls.

I hope that answers the question to your satisfaction.

 

[Seppo]

A fit McPharlin has been the barometer of late. We won games without Fyfe and Mundy etc; our depth there is handy.

You can't underestimate the leadership value the old heads bring to the field. Makes so much difference in gameday.

 

[mightymouse75]

All of the above

 

[DCFCFAN84]

Mundy, Fyfe, Mcpharlin IMO are our best 3 players.

 

[mike91]

McPharlin & Johnson are more valuable than Barlow. Not sure how you came to the conclusion those three are our most important players.

 

[Bicco]

I just think Crowley gets underrated. He's hardly missed a game so it's hard to know how we'd play without him, he's top 3 IMO with regards to impacting a result our way.

 

[Kram]

They should trade Barlow for Darling to balance things up.

 

[blue shark]

We have great players, they wont be champions of the game until Brownlows, Norm smith, Premierships, are won. All of our players give great effort, we are a champion team.
Our squad could cover for the loss of several players, just like last year, and still win games. I would argue
that our best 30 could make the 22 and still dominate.
Fyfe could be the best player to ever wear purple, but unlike Collingwood with Buckley, he is surrounded with
quality depth.

 

[Alfonz]

Still think Pav and McPharlin are at the top of the tree for importance when it comes to beating top opposition. We survived well last year without the tall 3 because we had a very good draw that had us playing shit sides during most of their absence.

I know we destroyed Sydney largely through midfield dominance in the prelim, but I feel that to win the flag in 2014 we need Pav and Elvis performing well at either end. Maybe we can do it with them a bit below their career best (due to old age), but if they get injured and aren't there, I feel we have little chance.

 

[Righteo]

There are more quality mids than quality talls, there are more adequate mids than adequate talls. I'll say it's better if they're mids because they're easier to replace.

 

[Kram]

For mine games of footy, especially big ones like finals are won and lost in the midfield.

 

[theGav56]

Still think Pav and McPharlin are at the top of the tree for importance when it comes to beating top opposition. We survived well last year without the tall 3 because we had a very good draw that had us playing shit sides during most of their absence.

I know we destroyed Sydney largely through midfield dominance in the prelim, but I feel that to win the flag in 2014 we need Pav and Elvis performing well at either end. Maybe we can do it with them a bit below their career best (due to old age), but if they get injured and aren't there, I feel we have little chance.

I would be more confident of winning games without Pav, Sandi and MacP than without Fyfe, Mundy and Barlow.

 

[basashi]

I think no Docker has ever had a season as good as McPharlin's 2012. Look at his opponent's stats round by round.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

I think no Docker has ever had a season as good as McPharlin's 2012. Look at his opponent's stats round by round.

No player bar Pav has had as good career as McPharlin. Both are best two players for Freo of all time IMO.

I hope Fyfe is up with them at the end of his career.

 

[Wigarus]

No player bar Pav has had as good career as McPharlin. Both are best two players for Freo of all time IMO.

I hope Fyfe is up with them at the end of his career.

I think of the things that really sets Pav apart is his ridiculous resilience over his career. They debuted in the same round and Pav has played 66 more games than him.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

I think of the things that really sets Pav apart is his ridiculous resilience over his career. They debuted in the same round and Pav has played 66 more games than him.

And that is why Pav and McPharlin are the best players for Freo of all time IMO. Luke Mc being second to him.

I wouldn't go on games played as a yardstick it's what they do in the games they have played. Nothing ridiculous about it.

 

[Wigarus]

And that is why Pav and McPharlin are the best players for Freo of all time IMO. Luke Mc being second to him.

I wouldn't go on games played as a yardstick it's what they do in the games they have played. Nothing ridiculous about it.

I was more praising how Pav has had such a long time without injury whereas McPharlin has missed about 3 seasons of football compared to him. I'm assuming that their difference in games played comes down almost entirely due to injury as he was always highly rated.

Pav has missed about 5% of his possible games through injury. That's ridiculous, he has the complete package.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

I was more praising how Pav has had such a long time without injury whereas McPharlin has missed about 3 seasons of football compared to him. I'm assuming that their difference in games played comes down almost entirely due to injury as he was always highly rated.

Pav has missed about 5% of his possible games through injury. That's ridiculous, he has the complete package.

And so does Macca as a KPD.

 

[freo84]

I was more praising how Pav has had such a long time without injury whereas McPharlin has missed about 3 seasons of football compared to him. I'm assuming that their difference in games played comes down almost entirely due to injury as he was always highly rated.

Pav has missed about 5% of his possible games through injury. That's ridiculous, he has the complete package.

So you are saying that Pav has a nice package?

 

[theGav56]

Our three best players are talls.

I hope that answers the question to your satisfaction.

Yes, good response.

Our 3 best mids are talls.

 

[theGav56]

McPharlin & Johnson are more valuable than Barlow. Not sure how you came to the conclusion those three are our most important players.

It is simply called having an opinion, and putting it out there for discussion. I actually think that the distance in importance between MJ and Barlow is so close that the ball is in your court if you want to dispute it. Go ahead.

I just think Crowley gets underrated. He's hardly missed a game so it's hard to know how we'd play without him, he's top 3 IMO with regards to impacting a result our way.

I don't see Crowley underrated around here at all. A super-stopper. Top 3.... I don't see it. In fact I can see a situation emerging like Collingwood had where they don't tag at all if Sylvia and some of the young fellas fire up .

 

[estibador]

I would be more confident of winning games without Pav, Sandi and MacP than without Fyfe, Mundy and Barlow.

That's true, though partly because with the latter you're taking three players from the same part of the ground rather than spreading the weakness around the field.

If you take out the three mids suddenly the players in there are only the 4th-6th best in their position, whereas the replacements for the other three are each generally the 2nd best option.

 

[theGav56]

That's true, though partly because with the latter you're taking three players from the same part of the ground rather than spreading the weakness around the field.

If you take out the three mids suddenly the players in there are only the 4th-6th best in their position, whereas the replacements for the other three are each generally the 2nd best option.

That is true, but on an individual basis, if we were to lose either ;

MacPharlin or Mundy, I think we would be impacted more by Mundy's absence, but it would be really close.

Fyfe or Pav? Wow. But I would be happier to lose Pav than Fyfe.

Sandi or Barlow? Sandi is covered, and in another thread we are discussing resting him.

 

[mightymouse75]

I think Ross's game plan is more important than any player, we wouldn't have been in the final if it wasn't for the master plan.