Captain VB

[Vader]

So a ruckman/forward is no different to a forward?

Not when they're fighting over a position in the forward line, where kicking goals is the main concern.

While it's nice that Smack & JJ have another string to their bow, their primary job right now is to kick goals - something which they're both failing at. In other words, they're playing as KPP forwards, in direct competition with LJ.

 

[Vader]

Tex is/was a pure forward. He got injured, so they did a re-shuffle. JJ went to FF and was largely stripped of his ruck duties. Smack came in, partly to support Jacobs in the ruck, partly to play in the forward line.

Even if we call Smack a ruckman (which he isn't), JJ is being selected purely as a forward right now. There is no possible way that you can argue that JJ & LJ aren't competing directly for the same position on that basis.

 

[headache1]

Tex is/was a pure forward. He got injured, so they did a re-shuffle. JJ went to FF and was largely stripped of his ruck duties. Smack came in, partly to support Jacobs in the ruck, partly to play in the forward line.

Even if we call Smack a ruckman (which he isn't), JJ is being selected purely as a forward right now. There is no possible way that you can argue that JJ & LJ aren't competing directly for the same position on that basis.

Well, one is a player in the power forward type mold, whilst the other is a lead up forward. It would seem that our gameplan revolves around having a power forward in the offensive half. If he's competing with anybody, it'd be Lynch, and I'd say that Lynch's exceptional workrate is what gives him the nod ahead of LJ.

 

[relapse]

Agree with everything but that line.

How so?

I assume he means leading by medicority

 

[Team DJ]

That excuse just doesn't hold water. Tiprat missed a heap of games due to concussion. Walker missed a heap due to suspension. McKernan, JJ & Lynch played 23 games between them as a result. LJ played 1.

If they wanted to select him then they had abundant opportunities to do so. They didn't.

LJ has been on our list for 37 rounds so far. He's missed 7 of them this year due to injury. I don't recall whether he was injured or not last year, but I'm guessing he didn't miss too many games given how highly he featured in the Ken Farmer medal. That's 30 games for which he could have been selected. He's been selected ONCE - a 3.33% selection rate.

No other 5th year player on our list has played so few games - not even Martin, or the permanently injured Sam Shaw.

Completley different players to Johnstone.
SMack and JJ have the ability to ruck. So take Tippetts games entirely out the occasion. With Tippett out the team, Johnstone would always be behind those 2.
Lynch again, more a 3rd tall floating type. He can play in a team with two other talls without losing anything structurally because of his mobility.
Tex is really the only one that is a straight like for like for Johnstone

 

[Team DJ]

Not when they're fighting over a position in the forward line, where kicking goals is the main concern.

While it's nice that Smack & JJ have another string to their bow, their primary job right now is to kick goals - something which they're both failing at. In other words, they're playing as KPP forwards, in direct competition with LJ.

Im sorry but with all due respect. You must be brain dead if you think that is the case.

 

[King Elvis]

Yea, if he's think LJ is competing with Jenkins or SMcK for a spot, then I give up.

 

[GROTTO]

I just want our Club to give LJ a chance of a string of games up forward. FFS.

I will be disappointed given the debacle that this season has become and will be if we delist a player that we never tested at AFL level.

Players do not deserve to be gifted games, but potentially we could have power forward and not realise this.

Imagine if LJ comes in and performs, how much momentum we could carry in 2014 along with a few other players given a debut and a string of games.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

Maybe.. maybe not. Would have taken a complete reversal of form by the selectors for this to come true. He had good SANFL form last year (better than his 2013 form) and they ignored him then. Walker's injury is the only variable to have changed since then (and he missed large chunks of 2012 through suspension).

I think it will be very informative to see if he gets selected on Thursday night. If not, then I think we can draw some fairly obvious conclusions.

The Walker injury means everything though. Jenkins has earned his spot but McKernan hasn't been anything special this season. Is his ruck work that good that we can be arrogant enough to ignore a proven goal kicker?

One things for sure, if LJ can't win a game over Smack, he truly isn't good enough for the AFL.

 

[Vader]

The Walker injury means everything though. Jenkins has earned his spot but McKernan hasn't been anything special this season. Is his ruck work that good that we can be arrogant enough to ignore a proven goal kicker?

One things for sure, if LJ can't win a game over Smack, he truly isn't good enough for the AFL.

McKernan has been in & out of the side. That indicates that his ruck work is important, more for the relief that it gives Jacobs than anything McKernan contributes himself. It also indicate that he is expendable and that they won't select him if he's not performing to a minimum standard (and he's been close to that minimum all year).

Ironically, the game in which he got suspended was probably the first time he's ever looked like an AFL footballer...

As for the bolded bit.. we are in 100% agreement.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I just want our Club to give LJ a chance of a string of games up forward. FFS.

I will be disappointed given the debacle that this season has become and will be if we delist a player that we never tested at AFL level.

Players do not deserve to be gifted games, but potentially we could have power forward and not realise this.

Imagine if LJ comes in and performs, how much momentum we could carry in 2014 along with a few other players given a debut and a string of games.

Good call.

Our season is cooked, so we should be giving players like Johnston a decent run to see if they have what it takes. We have not given him enough of a go to make an informed judgement yet.

By playing some new players/existing players in different roles, we may discover something good ... & of not, nothing lost ... but we are in a better position to make delisting/positional decisions.

 

[GROTTO]

By playing some new players/existing players in different roles, we may discover something good ... & of not, nothing lost ... but we are in a better position to make delisting/positional decisions.

Agreed.

Imagine if in our final game, we defeat the Eagles at their home and deny them a finals berth, that kind of performance can form a foundation for 2014.

During Cornesy era Im sure we won a string of games at the arse end of the season and while we didnt make the finals it gave us momentum for the following season. Importantly I remember us fans being optimistic. If I am not sadly mistaken the theme song by the Crows cheerleaders was our future is so bright we have got to wear shades.

 

[skoobydoo]

Well, one is a player in the power forward type mold, whilst the other is a lead up forward. It would seem that our gameplan revolves around having a power forward in the offensive half. If he's competing with anybody, it'd be Lynch, and I'd say that Lynch's exceptional workrate is what gives him the nod ahead of LJ.

Lynch took 11 marks against C'wood and is Crows leading 'marker' with 97 from 12 games, and is ranked 14th in AFL. He also leads Crows goalkicking at 24.

 

[headache1]

Lynch took 11 marks against C'wood and is Crows leading 'marker' with 97 from 12 games, and is ranked 14th in AFL. He also leads Crows goalkicking at 24.

And he takes those marks and gets those goal scoring opprtunities because of his exceptional workrate. I don't see how that changes anything in my post.

 

[skoobydoo]

And he takes those marks and gets those goal scoring opprtunities because of his exceptional workrate. I don't see how that changes anything in my post.

Yep....not questioning or clarifying, just agreeing

 

[1970crow]

VB's Captaincy has never been questioned by anyone within the club.

Neither has triggys position.

 

[Schulzycrow]

There is room for both LJ, Lynch and JJ in the forward line. There isn't when Smack returns. If LJ gets a go and should get an extended on and performs then its either bye, bye Smack, your elbow just cost you your career at the Crows...or we drop JJ who while he marks well can't slot the goals that are going to win us games and give Smack a run to boost his value when we trade him at the end of the season.

How this ended up in the VB thread I don't know.

VB may be able to run all day, but he can't catch either Swan or Pendles.

 

[headache1]

Yep....not questioning or clarifying, just agreeing

Haha, fair enough.

 

[StonesThrow]

Dangerfield (IMO) sewed up the captaincy for next year last Friday night.

 

[Glenno23]

For everyone questioning VB's footy skills, you must have short memories

Yes, he's been shit this year (his worst year IMO) But when he was younger, he could run all day, kick clutch goals, tag and get 20-25 touches of his own

the question should we should be asking is:

WHY has he gone backwards? WHAT has changed? WHAT is the cub doing, and VB doing to get him back to his form of younger years

Would he be better off without the leadership?

Does he need to change something in his preparation?

There has to be something thats not right. He used to be a very good player....

 

[King Elvis]

Lynch took 11 marks against C'wood and is Crows leading 'marker' with 97 from 12 games, and is ranked 14th in AFL. He also leads Crows goalkicking at 24.

Puts our issues in stark light. Our leading goal kicker hasn't kicked many.. Take his GWS haul out, and it's dire.

 

[Schulzycrow]

Your last line Glenno sums it up. Used to be a good player, is he holding his place in the team solely because he is the captain? Probably not at the moment with the injury list and form of the other mids...but the writing has to be on the wall. Can we afford to keep another one pace, loose tackler, erratic disposal player in the side? We have enough of them already.

I think the burden of captaincy this year and all the BS that went on during the off season has played a bigger part. VB is good when others around him are great. When the great are only good then VB is shown up. He had Wright and others to help him out last year with rotations as the tagger. Sando has tried to find him a spot as forward and sometimes back, this hasn't worked.

He did some good things on Friday night, but gets lost in packs and lets his man get straight out in front and he can't use angles to shut them down. The amount of times either Swan or Pendles ran away from him in only a few steps said a lot.

 

[AFC979810]

Tex is/was a pure forward. He got injured, so they did a re-shuffle. JJ went to FF and was largely stripped of his ruck duties. Smack came in, partly to support Jacobs in the ruck, partly to play in the forward line.

Even if we call Smack a ruckman (which he isn't), JJ is being selected purely as a forward right now. There is no possible way that you can argue that JJ & LJ aren't competing directly for the same position on that basis.

Its easy to argue because they aren't.

Our pecking order for Key Forwards is this:

#1 Walker (Key Leading Forward)
#2 Jenkins (Tall FWD/Ruck)
#3 Lynch (Mobile 3rd Tall)
#4 Smack (Tall FWD/Ruck)
#5 LJ. (Key Leading Forward/Mobile 3rd Tall)

If all parties are fit and on form its a competition between JJ and Smack for that 2nd tall Ruck/Forward.

LJ can play both Walker and Lynch's positions, but is realistically only going to challenge Lynch.

Our tall forward pecking order is very easy to understand.

 

[OldCrowBloke]

There is room for both LJ, Lynch and JJ in the forward line. There isn't when Smack returns. If LJ gets a go and should get an extended on and performs then its either bye, bye Smack, your elbow just cost you your career at the Crows...or we drop JJ who while he marks well can't slot the goals that are going to win us games and give Smack a run to boost his value when we trade him at the end of the season.

How this ended up in the VB thread I don't know.

VB may be able to run all day, but he can't catch either Swan or Pendles.

This is the crux of the problem. He is no hope of catching them over 20 metres, but would probably have them covered over 3 k.

 

[FR0GGY]

This is the crux of the problem. He is no hope of catching them over 20 metres, but would probably have them covered over 3 k.

Swan is not quick, he just has a football brain, something vb doesn't have.