Big Bodied Mids

[Tony Lynn 15]

Watch Whiley in a game, might just be the mop of hair but I get a lot of Fraser B from his movements.

Okay I probably should not comment until I have done what you suggested!!

Still reckon Holman was the spitting image of Brown in both looks and the way he moved.

 

[ferrisb]

I'm going to go against the grain a little here. I'd be happy for many of the taller players to stay OUT of the midfield.

Curnow - if he looks like being a CHF / athletic mid-tall forward, damn well leave him up front to do things like mark and kick goals! He can moonlight for a couple of minutes in the middle for shits and giggles and to throw off the opposition. But that's it. Recruit the next Clayton Oliver type if you want a big body who is actually a true mid.

Plowman - is reportedly a rebounding defender with nice skills. Sure he can probably run forward and attack nicely (a la Docherty) and might be decent in the guts, but if he can truly hold his own down back as an attacking third tall, please just leave him there.

Yes, I know the modern game is basically FF, FB and 16 'mids'. And yes guys like Kouta and Pav could switch between CHB/F and mid at will. But they were freaks.

If you are tall AND A GENUINE mid, then by all means, hang out in the middle. Cripps is a goddamn beauty and Whiley is a nice size if he can acclimatise to the speed of the game. But don't try and turn competent fwds and defs into mids because they're big and athletic.

 

[thylacine60]

Okay I probably should not comment until I have done what you suggested!!

Still reckon Holman was the spitting image of Brown in both looks and the way he moved.

And his hardness. Really bummed he was cut.

 

[thylacine60]

I'm going to go against the grain a little here. I'd be happy for many of the taller players to stay OUT of the midfield.

Curnow - if he looks like being a CHF / athletic mid-tall forward, damn well leave him up front to do things like mark and kick goals! He can moonlight for a couple of minutes in the middle for shits and giggles and to throw off the opposition. But that's it. Recruit the next Clayton Oliver type if you want a big body who is actually a true mid.

Plowman - is reportedly a rebounding defender with nice skills. Sure he can probably run forward and attack nicely (a la Docherty) and might be decent in the guts, but if he can truly hold his own down back as an attacking third tall, please just leave him there.

Yes, I know the modern game is basically FF, FB and 16 'mids'. And yes guys like Kouta and Pav could switch between CHB/F and mid at will. But they were freaks.

If you are tall AND A GENUINE mid, then by all means, hang out in the middle. Cripps is a goddamn beauty and Whiley is a nice size if he can acclimatise to the speed of the game. But don't try and turn competent fwds and defs into mids because they're big and athletic.

Rotate through the midfield or GTFO.

 

[Tony Lynn 15]

And his hardness. Really bummed he was cut.

Didn't he whack a Hawthorn bloke during one of our drubbings last year? I was beginning to like Holman and then he was gone!

 

[ferrisb]

Yes Harker you are right it is early days and things can change, but I am just speculating and right now he is seen as arguably the no.1 prospect.
Point is it'd be a bit weird having a FB and small forward going no.1 consecutive years.
But I see it this way - if a player is truly exceptional, it doesn't really matter what position they play.
An absolute stand out key defender is worth his weight in gold. If you ever sat behind the goals and watched Brian Lake when he was at his best, the opposition would actually try and avoid him when they entered F50 - they'd literally try and kick to where he wasn't.
So he controlled games.
And we saw again in the GF how Rioli doesn't need 30 touches to ice a game.
If Weitering turns into a once a generation defender, and if we get Ainsworth and he becomes a game winning small forward, then so be it.
Pick the best player. If he is a small forward not a mid then so bet it.
The best players can have 12 touches yet impact the greater more profoundly than a C Grade player who gets it 25 times.
That's why the best players get paid so much, because they are game changers, game dictators.
If we can get 6-8 players like this, and then back them up with decent good footballing depth then we will be on our way.

I generally agree with 'pick best available', but I see Harker's point.

I'd love an elite small forward. And Ainsworth could be a superstar.

But look at the league's best small forwards - Betts (rookie), Bruest (rookie), Walters (pick 53), C Cameron (rookie), Garlett (rookie) etc. Compare the game's best mids. Not all are right at the pointy end, but much less late-draft success.

Generally speaking, taking #1 mid and a rookie small fwd would end up better than a #1 small fwd and a rookie mid...

When push comes to shove, I'd expect Ainsworth to not go to #1 unless his champs is insane (which it could be - he kicked 17 goals as a 17yo?).

 

[thylacine60]

But has he kicked 6 for Glenelg as a 17 year old?

 

[Love the Drake]

There's also been talk of the athletic 200cm Gorringe playing on the wing....

 

[thylacine60]

exactly

 

[ferrisb]

Rotate through the midfield or GTFO.

All these things rotate through the middle...



None of them would be any good as a midfielder....

 

[HBF]

Charlie is a flexible player with great endurance. Can play forward and midfield. #AskTheCoach

Get the feeling C.Curnow could be anything. His highlights are as impressive as they come.
Our midfield could be one of the best in a couple of years time.

 

[Ken Navies]

Didn't he whack a Hawthorn bloke during one of our drubbings last year? I was beginning to like Holman and then he was gone!

Yep I recall that. Sat one pickle on his arse and then laughed when two of their "hard" men came into remonstrate. Certainly looked up for the fight if nothing else...

 

[HARKER]

Get the feeling C.Curnow could be anything. His highlights are as impressive as they come.
Our midfield could be one of the best in a couple of years time.

I've been told that the thoughts from inside the club is that Curnow is the one.

Not gospel but have been told by a couple now.

 

[PuffDragon89]

Simon White? Anyone?

 

[PuffDragon89]

I don't really see Plowman as a midfield, maybe up on a wing as he has a nice kick on him. Curnow is more likely in my mind to go through the mid. Although Whiley is the same height as Gibbs, he seems to always be popping up in the Carlton videos and pictures too so im hoping to see him get some early games

Whiley lacks spacial awareness for mine, will get caught many times on his road to improving it to AFL level

 

[PuffDragon89]

Not injured right now. Looks ever so much better for it.

Have you seen some of the clips? Pretty good movement from the Whiley one.

Will take your word for it, have to see it for my own eyes to be convinced though. Pre 2015 Bell was the same in that he had to get caught to learn, 2016 Bell just needs to pick the right option.

 

[Soapy V]

We now have size but some talent and depth around the ball. Cripps C.Curnow Plowman have real size and talent. Kerridge is 188cm and built so is Whiley. Think he can play. Byrne is the same size and may eventually be a mid. Ed Curnow & Wright are tough nuts. Will allow Murphy Gibbs Cuningham Graham Thomas Smith to just run & create. Phillips could be handy with his size and aggression as well.

 

[HARKER]

Will take your word for it, have to see it for my own eyes to be convinced though. Pre 2015 Bell was the same in that he had to get caught to learn, 2016 Bell just needs to pick the right option.

But have a look as he does look to be a different player in the way he moves.
That's not to say he'll be a gun but he does look a lot more confident this year around.

 

[LordLucifer]

How possible is it they will end up mids? Because if they do end up onball they will be big bodied mids.Did we recruit these two primiarly in the hope they can eventually become bid bodied mids, and with Cripps and Gibbs we'd have a formidable big bodied onball brigade???

Big bodied mids are normally well over the 190cm mark, Gibbs just doesn't qualify IMO.

Curnow will be developed as an onballer but I see Plowman being a permanent defender.

 

[LordLucifer]

You will be glad to her then that Ainsworth is a 178cm small forward and could well go no.1 in this year's draft. Kid is just a little gem, impacts the game, terrific player.

He'd only be taller than Jason Tutt on our list.

Not a hope in hell !!!!

 

[HBF]

I've been told that the thoughts from inside the club is that Curnow is the one.

Not gospel but have been told by a couple now.

Hope the club are right Harks.
But as it sits now i reckon the club cleaned up in November.

 

[PuffDragon89]

But have a look as he does look to be a different player in the way he moves.
That's not to say he'll be a gun but he does look a lot more confident this year around.

Glad to hear. New system so I'll be looking at the whole team as a fresh start. Confidence may be key as he looked like a QB going through his options, unsure which is the best option or just letting fly when he sees it, then getting done...my concerns aren't as much 'unable to outrun the opponent' but stays stagnant for too long.

Hope you're right and he turns out to be a good'n but based on last year, I'd have put money on that Boek is the steak in the trade and other 2 not cutting the mustard. Hard to argue with the bloke who gives the main chunk of my player information, so I'll hold off on that bet

 

[Beer n Skittles]

I've been told that the thoughts from inside the club is that Curnow is the one.

Not gospel but have been told by a couple now.

He killed all other alternate universe versions of himself? [/terriblemoviereference]

He'd only be taller than Jason Tutt on our list.

Not a hope in hell !!!!

We won't have pick 1 anyway

 

[Funk]

Not a size issue but I'd prefer our first pick to be more than a small forward. Best mid seems to get the way to go this year.

The first sentence?

More or less what my first girlfriend said to me.

 

[HalAlaric]

All I want is Petrevski-Set on and Powell-Pepper... Don't really mind who else.

Just on this Ainsworth at #1 talk. Has any small forward ever gone first in a draft? Oh and he's injured remember. See him going too 5 but not 1