Brown aiming to raise the bar

jboyar

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which bar ??


Brown aiming to raise the bar
12:10:23 PM Wed 5 March, 2003
afl.com.au

He may be one of the smaller key forwards in the competition, but Bulldog Nathan Brown is prepared to back himself against the best defenders in the game, no matter what their size.

Brown’s been in sensational pre-season form, and has set himself in 2003 to better last year’s personal achievements, which included the club best and fairest, All-Australian selection and a season tally of 57 goals – the third best in the AFL.

“My goals in 2003 are simply to raise the bar on 2002,” Brown told Sport927.

“From a team point of view more importantly, I would like to make the finals again because we’ve missed the last two years. With the list we’ve got, I think we’re wasting our talent if we don’t make the finals,” he said.


Standing 182 cm or a shade under six foot on the old scale, Brown isn’t concerned about the prospect of playing on the best fullbacks in the comp, most of whom are considerably taller.

Brown’s got the pace to trouble them, and the aerial strength to beat defenders his own size.

“Being a small full forward, the other clubs can’t afford to play a regular full back, like a Mick Martyn, on me. They have to play someone my size and my agility down there, so it evens itself out,” Brown said.

While he seems destined for a long, productive spell in the goal square, interestingly Brown doesn’t want to be typecast.

“I don’t exactly see myself as a full-forward. I see myself as a midfielder learning to play full-forward at the moment,” he said.

“The way our team is structured, we don’t have a heap of talls and if I can hold down a key post it allows Granty to play at centre half-back and Daniel Bandy at centre half-forward.”

“Hopefully I’ll return to the midfield in years to come, but I guess this year I’ll be playing at full-forward and I need to make the most of it.”

While conceding the Dogs appeared all at sea against Geelong in the first round of the Wizard Home Loans Cup, Brown believes there are good reasons.

He said the players were still coming to terms with new coach Peter Rohde’s game plan built around accountability, and that the Dogs’ effort the following week against Port Adelaide was a better guide.

“We went into that Geelong game and we played the ‘Bulldog’ way to the letter. We played it too much and we just forgot to go out there and get the football,” Brown said.

“Blokes were worried about blocking and helping each other out and in the end they forgot to get the football. Hopefully with a couple of more practice matches we can fine tune that and turn it around against Geelong in round one.”
 

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Mr. Walker

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#2
West to hold down the centremans position, (for me) Hahn on the ball, the question is who is our other onballer. I saw it as Brown because I see him as a class above the other options we have as good as they are.

So if Brown is at FF or FP who starts on the ball?

Brown certainly is saying all the right things at the moment. He seems more mature and looks to be trying to improve himself in all areas of his football.
 

SCRAY72

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#3
If Brown spends most of his time in the FP then Hahn,Murphy,Johnson,West,Giansiracusa,Gilbee,Robbins will have to rotate through the midfield.
If we can get some goals from Wiggins,McGuinness,Bandy then Brown might be able to drift down more often otherwise if he going to raise the bar after kicking 57 last season then Rohde should use his talents where he will do the most damage.
 

Mr. Walker

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#4
I agree but my point was I do not see any of that group as in the same class as Brown so I think we lose something when he is stuck up at FF. ( I should say I see Johnson as a class player but as a ball winner and goal kicker in the forward half)

Given that we do not have two of him I would prefer to play Brown in the middle so that the ball will come down a lot more often and hopefully Johnson Guido and (yes) Garlick can kick almost as many goals as Brown would.
 

jim440

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#5
Originally posted by Mr. Walker
West to hold down the centremans position, (for me) Hahn on the ball, the question is who is our other onballer. I saw it as Brown because I see him as a class above the other options we have as good as they are.

So if Brown is at FF or FP who starts on the ball?

Brown certainly is saying all the right things at the moment. He seems more mature and looks to be trying to improve himself in all areas of his football.
I see Johnson and Guido/Robbins as the wingers and Birss as the fourth on-baller, predominately in a run-with role.
 

Larry6

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#6
Originally posted by jboyar
which bar ??


Brown aiming to raise the bar

Brown’s been in sensational pre-season form, and has set himself in 2003 to better last year’s personal achievements, which included the club best and fairest,
Did I read this incorrectly or did Johnno win the B&F last year?
 
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