Brown v Varcoe v Thomas

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Given Varcoes proven record of impacting finals, I would say he plays. I think the other two are dropped for Wells and Degoey. Thomas of last year in for sure, this year he has been inconsistent. Brown lifts in big moments, does the 1%ers...but butchers the ball and particularly at goal. Will be fix for next year though as he consolidates and fills out over the preseason.
 
Given Varcoes proven record of impacting finals, I would say he plays. I think the other two are dropped for Wells and Degoey. Thomas of last year in for sure, this year he has been inconsistent. Brown lifts in big moments, does the 1%ers...but butchers the ball and particularly at goal. Will be fix for next year though as he consolidates and fills out over the preseason.
Don't think wells will get a Gig before stevo lol.
 

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Season averages:

C Brown 15.2 disposals 0.6 goals 4.0 tackles
Thomas 14.3 disposals 1.0 goals 2.2 tackles
Varcoe 12.2 disposals 0.6 goals 2.7 tackles
 
I'd like to see similar stats over the last 5 games, because I think it would tell a very different story. That's all that matters, really.

Here are their averages over the last 5 games. As I suspected, Brown has been crap lately and really needs to be the first player dropped.

The reasonable form he was showing in the middle of the season has completely deserted him.

Brown
16 possessions, 0.2 goals, 2.8 tackles

Varcoe
12.2 possessions, 1.2 goals, 2 tackles

Thomas
15 possessions, 2.6 goals, 2.6 tackles
 
So really only two at most of these guys can be in the finals team, interested to see how people have them rated.

I'd have Thomas first pick as he just takes his chances and kicks goals.

Varcoe second because he can impact the game in three or four moments.

Brown, sadly third. Just think he misses out in the finals. He has improved through the year but with stacked options up forward he is squeezes out given he has only kicked 11 goals from 20 games and he is not strong enough to play finals midfield minutes.

I think the match committee has it Brown, Thomas, Varcoe though.

Agree with your assessment.

Thomas

Varcoe

Brown
 
I'd like to see similar stats over the last 5 games, because I think it would tell a very different story. That's all that matters, really.
Yer killin me Boris


Last 5 games:


Thomas 15.0 disposals 2.6 goals 2.6 tackles
C Brown 16.0 disposals 0.2 goals 2.8 tackles
Varcoe 12.2 disposals 1.2 goals 2.0 tackles
 
Here are their averages over the last 5 games. As I suspected, Brown has been crap lately and really needs to be the first player dropped.

The reasonable form he was showing in the middle of the season has completely deserted him.

Brown
16 possessions, 0.2 goals, 2.8 tackles

Varcoe
12.2 possessions, 1.2 goals, 2 tackles

Thomas
15 possessions, 2.6 goals, 2.6 tackles
Yer killin me Boris


Last 5 games:


Thomas 15.0 disposals 2.6 goals 2.6 tackles
C Brown 16.0 disposals 0.2 goals 2.8 tackles
Varcoe 12.2 disposals 1.2 goals 2.0 tackles

Poor bloke.

These are some impressive numbers from Thomas. Not a chance he goes out.
 
Here are their averages over the last 5 games. As I suspected, Brown has been crap lately and really needs to be the first player dropped.

The reasonable form he was showing in the middle of the season has completely deserted him.

Brown
16 possessions, 0.2 goals, 2.8 tackles

Varcoe
12.2 possessions, 1.2 goals, 2 tackles

Thomas
15 possessions, 2.6 goals, 2.6 tackles
Brown’s stats are crap lately?

All that’s gone down is his goal kicking, his passions (oops-possessions) are up and although his tackles are down, he still tackles more than the other two.

The big mover in the stats is Thomas who is clearly kicking way more goals than earlier in the year. We have been playing ordinary teams though.

Varcoe to me is the obvious one to go out.
 
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Terrific thread.

I have them in the following order:
- Thomas. Generally more dangerous around goals, can get a bit more of the ball. Can get on fire and kick multiple goals at times.
- Brown. Just starting to do some better useful little things, like getting a hardball and delivering with neat little kick, etc.
- Varcoe. First out for mine. Just too often tries to do something 'special' and fails to, therefore costing the team. Things like if he marks it just inside 50, he would give a handpass off to someone running to have the shot to try to look tricky. Or the goalsquare fiasco of the weekend. Or more usually, tries to gather a ball with one hand while taking off, and in doing so fumbles, leaves it behind, and then the opposition get it and we don't touch it until they get a goal. He does 2-3 of these things a game.
 

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Brown’s stats are crap lately?

All that’s gone down is his goal kicking, his passions are up and although his tackles are down, he still tackles more than the other two.

The big mover in the stats is Thomas who is clearly kicking way more goals than earlier in the year. We have been playing ordinary teams though.

Varcoe to me is the obvious one to go out.
Stalker!!!
 
Brown’s stats are crap lately?

All that’s gone down is his goal kicking, his passions are up and although his tackles are down, he still tackles more than the other two.

The big mover in the stats is Thomas who is clearly kicking way more goals than earlier in the year. We have been playing ordinary teams though.

Varcoe to me is the obvious one to go out.

Yes. They are crap.

His possessions are up by 0.8 per game. This is negligible.

His tackles are down 1.2 per game which is a significant drop from a starting point of 4 (in fact, more than 4 because his season average of 4 incorporates the last 5 weeks).

He has kicked 1 goal in 5 weeks.

For a guy who doesn't kick goals and doesn't get a lot of the ball, doesn't play in defence and doesn't spend much time in midfield, he needs to be laying more tackles than 2.8 per game to make himself relevant. He is a forward, which means he needs to be putting on a lot of pressure or kicking goals - preferably both. He has been doing neither for weeks.

I have been on Varcoe's back for 2 years about his poor form and would drop him (as well as Brown). However, he has found a way to make himself a goal threat lately, so at least he is offering something. Brown is offering nought.

Yes. Thomas is playing very well at the moment and his spot won't even be discussed by the match committee.
 
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Varcoe is the smartest, most experienced, most likely to crunch someone, important chase, win a 1v3.

He should play. Thomas and Brown out for Stevo and De Goey
 
Brown has been crap lately
Che?
So he's averaging a goal a game less than Varcs.
However, he's averaging 1 more tackle and 4 more possessions.
Hardly what I'd call crap, (in comparison).
 
When you include disposal efficency Varcoe gets closer to the other two, he's running at over 77%

Brown 10.6 disposals
Thomas 10.3 disposals
Varcoe 9.6 disposals
 
1. Brown
2. Varcoe
3. Thomas

Brown clearly first picked out of the 3 for mine. At this stage he is the best ball winner and pressure forward out of the 3.

Varcoe VS Thomas is a little harder - for mine I would go with Varcoe. Despite his modest goal returns he is excellent one on one (albeit very infrequent) and still an exceptional defensive forward. I feel Thomas goes missing a lot and doesn't provide the same defensive side to him game that Varcoe does.

Especially when we have DeGoey, Elliott and Stephenson running around up forward we need someone to do some of the grunt work and I see Varcoe as that guy.
 
Varcoe is most vulnerable of the three purely because he can be completely invisible in games with no impact.

However he’s also the best natural crumber of the three and he can hit an body some serious venom.
 
Varcoe is most vulnerable of the three purely because he can be completely invisible in games with no impact.

However he’s also the best natural crumber of the three and he can hit an body some serious venom.

I’ve never understood the commentary on Varcoe being someone who hits hard.

He’s just a guy that has the fundamentals of crumbing down pat. Basically he hits contests in the right spots, at pace and often collides with stationary players. The stationary players don’t have time to brace for impact so the unstoppable force overcomes the “immovable” object...

It’s the same reason why Sicily can make it look so easy to out mark a guy that has 20cm and 25kg on him (Cox) and what makes our game so great because all shapes and sizes can have an impact.
 
I don't think it is any surprise that since Adams and Wills came into our side, our midfield has done much better in clearances. I'd play both for balance. We desperately need the hardness of both in finals. As noted on here, Wills has been one of the best pressure players in the AFL in the past month. I'm not sure that DeGoey can play the minutes required in the midfield to replace him.

During the course of this year, it's been shown that Varcoe is the one to go. But I too think his form has lifted. By contrast, I think Callum Brown's form has fallen away. He got a couple of touches early against Essendon and was virtually unsighted thereafter. He rarely hits the scoreboard in any case. Varcoe was much better, albeit the one brain fade where he kicked backwards to WHE (and missed) before half time. Thomas, again, has improved in recent weeks and is now impacting the scoreboard again. I too think WHE should be in this discussion about who misses out. He rarely makes a tackle, rarely puts his head over the ball and has been out of touch this entire season, ableit working his way back in a bit in recent weeks.

Assuming De Goey, Steele and Stephenson come back into the team.

Roughead moves down back again and Magden drops out. I think De Goey, Elliott, Mihocek, Stephenson, WHE provide us enough marking power up forward, albeit not so much for the 'get out' bombing kick in.
We're adding speed, so Noble probably loses his spot, albeit he's played down back and done quite well.
I'd drop Brown but I think Varcoe will be the third one to lose his spot.

Finals is a different dynamic to H&A and I think Varcoe has shown he is built for finals with his pressure, hardness and ability to convert. Brown is too slight for mine and a very unreliable kick for goal. Poor goal kicking cost us the game against Geelong in Rd 1 and kept the Bombers in it on the weekend. It matters. For that reason, I think JT definitely plays and I would prefer Varcoe of the other smalls.
 

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