Matthew Bate changed his kicking style several years ago. He went from being a reasonably fluent, booming left footer to this awkward player who can barely kick 50 with his left and don't even bother on his right.
His hands have lost all stickyness and he struggles to get near the ball. He played one game this year, against Adelaide, and I honestly felt sorry for him. We murdered the crowds and had the ball in our forward line almost all game. It was only in the final quarter that he finally got a cheapie. He was actually at half back for points because he was a liability and was just thrown wherever. He gave up a goal shortly after.
Watched him for Casey on Sunday and he played well in wet conditions but still doesn't have enough of the necessary attributes to be a good forward. As someone said, he's too slow to play small. He has the height to play tall but has poor hands, is slow on the lead and even if he gets the ball, is likely to turn it over.
Hopefully he has some trade value and even with a weak draft coming up, I would entertain offers.
As for Morton, well, he has been horrendous this year but I would prefer to persist with him than Bate. He has many more things going for him. If only we could combine the heart of Bate and the skills of Morton. You would get a reasonable player who would make most best 18s in the league.