Brad Crouch

[Mike Smyth]

As I said, IMO losing quality players has cost us a premiership. If you don't think that is too a high cost to pay than you probably shouldn't be posting on a football forum. Stick to sipping Latte's in the stands and chatting about the next episode of The Kardashians i.e. become a Port Power supporter.

 

[Elite Crow]

Not sure it is,
danger >>>>>>>>>>>Robinson
Bock >> Waite
maric <<< Jacobs
Tippett > garlett
gunston = betts
Have to wait on menzel

Tippett hasn't done much but at the time both players left there was a huge difference in their worth. We were desperate to keep him and every club in the league would have wanted him. Garlett was playing local league.

Maria was our second choice ruck, Jacobs their 4th.

Gunston Betts is interesting, but again it boils down to whether the club wanted them to stay. We wanted Gunston, Carlton didn't match Betts offer so they could get Thomas.

Menzel, again Carlton happy to let go.

Basically the Carlton comparison was a dumb one.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Yep. Bock and Davis went home..


The go home factor is an AFL problem. It has been shown that it doesn't affct the AFC more then any other club. It's just that we care when it happens to us.

It could be rightly argued that we got Betts and Menzel due to the go home factor.


Swings and round abouts.

The go home factor is the cost of doing business as an AFL club.

Do you reckon if we keep Davis, Tippett, Gunston and Dangerfield we would have that elusive 3rd premiership by now?

 

[adelaidecrows]

Do you reckon if we keep Davis, Tippett, Gunston and Dangerfield we would have that elusive 3rd premiership by now?

If we weren't sanctioned and had not one single player leave I suspect we would come close. But this is just wishful thinking and we will never know.

 

[Tex200]

I haven't been on here in a while, and reading that post is making me question my decision to return.

Welcome back - hang around for a while...you know you want to lol

 

[1970crow]

I would have Carlton at the top of my list for quality lost in recent seasons...

Betts, Menzel, Garlett, Waite, Robinson, Jacobs... that's a heck of a lot worse than our situation.

Robinson all but delisted. Sauce was, in their view, 3rd ruck and they were happy for him to go, but probably wanted more. Waite was a full FA and had been average despite his talent. Betts was squeezed out, similar to Sauce, because they had younger guys who they thought would be his equal. Garlett I think was actively traded out. I'm not sure that Carlton attempted to retain a single player listed above.

 

[Danger in Texas]

You are way underestimating how good Brad Crouch is. If he stays fit he will well and truly make up for Danger. He wins so much inside ball and feeds it well. Danger was good at winning the ball as well but his disposal efficiency wasn't that good..... not yet anyway. (but I expect that will improve)

Our mid will be equal to better than last year with a fit Brad and improvement from the rest.

No, I'm not underestimating Brad Crouch's ability. He is a gun at what he does, I know that.

What we will really miss is Danger's point of difference - this isn't his contested marking, IMO, but his pure speed and explosiveness whenever he won a clearance. None of our inside mids have the pure speed that Danger has. Sloane isn't massively fast - neither are Brad or, despite having apparently gained a yard of speed, Matt. This is where we will suffer - our inside mids may win the clearances, but we'll be run down relatively easily.

 

[Elite Crow]

No, I'm not underestimating Brad Crouch's ability. He is a gun at what he does, I know that.

What we will really miss is Danger's point of difference - this isn't his contested marking, IMO, but his pure speed and explosiveness whenever he won a clearance. None of our inside mids have the pure speed that Danger has. Sloane isn't massively fast - neither are Brad or, despite having apparently gained a yard of speed, Matt. This is where we will suffer - our inside mids may win the clearances, but we'll be run down relatively easily.

Smith

 

[JPetro83]

All this pressure and expectation on Brad, we don't even know if he will be ready to go in round 1?

 

[Danger in Texas]

Smith

He'll be played on the wing or on the HBF - not as an inside mid.

 

[Elite Crow]

He'll be played on the wing or on the HBF - not as an inside mid.

He won't if we don't try him. We have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by giving it a go.

Didn't he play in the middle for Eagles and was noted for breaking out of the clearances a little Judd-like?

We've also recruited a number of wingers HBF types but no in the guts players.

 

[Danger in Texas]

He won't if we don't try him. We have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by giving it a go.

Didn't he play in the middle for Eagles and was noted for breaking out of the clearances a little Judd-like?

We've also recruited a number of wingers HBF types but no guts players.

The question is, will we try him there? The club really seems to rate him coming off the HBF, pushing onto the wing occasionally. By the way, I definitely agree with your point, he could be a gun inside mid - I just have my doubts that he'll be tried there.

 

[Elite Crow]

The question is, will we try him there? The club really seems to rate him coming off the HBF, pushing onto the wing occasionally. By the way, I definitely agree with your point, he could be a gun inside mid - I just have my doubts that he'll be tried there.

Same here, I just can't see the harm trying, surely there is one person in the club with clout who thinks the same.

 

[dogs105]

Why do you think, in your opinion, other teams were able to fend off raids from the new franchises whereas we could not? It's not like our guys were their first choices or that other, better players hadn't said no beforehand?

Do you have evidence that they weren't first choices? They were allowed how many? And took how many?

 

[Mr_Moogle]

Yep. Bock and Davis went home..


The go home factor is an AFL problem. It has been shown that it doesn't affct the AFC more then any other club. It's just that we care when it happens to us.

It could be rightly argued that we got Betts and Menzel due to the go home factor.


Swings and round abouts.

The go home factor is the cost of doing business as an AFL club.

It's a double edged sword. I'm critical of Free Agency as a system because I think it's easily exploitable but I recognise that without it we wouldn't have gotten to see Betts rip it apart these past two seasons.

 

[beartoo]

As I said, IMO losing quality players has cost us a premiership. If you don't think that is too a high cost to pay than you probably shouldn't be posting on a football forum. Stick to sipping Latte's in the stands and chatting about the next episode of The Kardashians i.e. become a Port Power supporter.

So people that disagree with your opinions shouldn't post on footy sites? Here's a clue, start your own website and recruit sycophants.

 

[dogs105]

Anyway, who gives a shit about how good Danger is/was? He's gone.


Brad's here.


Talking about whether we might have been better or worse is a waste of time at the moment. Because here we are. In this moment.

Let's be as good as we can be with the players we have. Let's improve our list at the end of the season, and improve our players during the season. Not wonder about "what might have been".

It doesn't matter who agrees whether Danger is top 5 or not. Won't affect how we go this year.

#GoCrows
#weflyasone

 

[GrommoT]

 

[1970crow]

No, I'm not underestimating Brad Crouch's ability. He is a gun at what he does, I know that.

What we will really miss is Danger's point of difference - this isn't his contested marking, IMO, but his pure speed and explosiveness whenever he won a clearance. None of our inside mids have the pure speed that Danger has. Sloane isn't massively fast - neither are Brad or, despite having apparently gained a yard of speed, Matt. This is where we will suffer - our inside mids may win the clearances, but we'll be run down relatively easily.

If your stoppage exit strategy is to get ball and run away then your effed anyway. Hawks go ok out of a stoppage but they use something called the 'efficient disposal to a player who's not under pressure' system. We've done pretty well with the hack it forward method, but I think we can improve on that.

 

[fabs33]

Maria was our second choice ruck, Jacobs their 4th.

Don't let the mullet fool you EC, Maric is a man.

 

[Scorpus]

Not sure it is,
danger >>>>>>>>>>>Robinson
Bock >> Waite
maric <<< Jacobs
Tippett > garlett
gunston = betts
Have to wait on menzel

Interesting analysis. Taking into account their age and their performances at the time the players left their respective clubs (as well as future performances), I'd have it more like:

Danger >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Robinson
Bock >>>> Waite
Maric << Jacobs
Tippett >>>>> Garlett
Gunston >>> Betts
Davis >> Henderson
Knights << Yarran
Kerridge < Bell

 

[WaynesWorld19]

If your stoppage exit strategy is to get ball and run away then your effed anyway. Hawks go ok out of a stoppage but they use something called the 'efficient disposal to a player who's not under pressure' system. We've done pretty well with the hack it forward method, but I think we can improve on that.

Your talking about going back to the Neil Craig handball put from stoppages to a clear player

There's a place for both systematic and hack forward clearances from ball ups

 

[mattymac]

We really need both the Crouch boys to step up and get continuity and push each other and become an object of envy around the league. The way our drafting has gone with the sanctions and given our age profile and what we've lost. .. If we are to win a flag this time around these two boys are going to have to do a critical chunk of the heavy lifting

 

[1970crow]

Your talking about going back to the Neil Craig handball put from stoppages to a clear player

There's a place for both systematic and hack forward clearances from ball ups

I don't think it's rocket science. Give the ball to a player in better position and under less pressure than yourself. Ordinarily that will be a handball or 2 out of the pressure area of the stoppage. If there's nothing on offer then kick the ball. But, I reckon one of the major differences between current AFL and when we played is that you're probably quite often better off getting caught HTB than hitting up an opponent. If you can't get the ball to a genuine 50:50, I'd almost take the HTB against as a better option. As long as you buy a bit of time in the getting up and giving back and don't overdo it.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

He won't if we don't try him. We have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by giving it a go.

Didn't he play in the middle for Eagles and was noted for breaking out of the clearances a little Judd-like?

We've also recruited a number of wingers HBF types but no in the guts players.

I'm with you here EC , his body is now mature enough , defensive skills honed by playing in defence ... A nice height which helps and attacking qualities have no question marks

It's a no brainer for mine , just need a coach who is willing to take a calculated risk, and at worst we know he can play half back