Changes Round 5 vs Hawks

[threenewpadlocks]

The question only just occurred to me because I have been watching some of the Adelaide-Carlton game:
Is Hynes as a 20yo a bit like a young Patrick Cripps? Big bodied, good in close but not especially quick.

If his trajectory followed that of Cripps we'd have a pretty decent player. I doubt he'd ever be as good as Cripps (or win even one Brownlow lol) but he seems to have some of the same physical and playing characteristics.


EDIT: Just noticed Cripps is 195cm! That's 5cm taller than Hynes. Quite a difference.

Not a bad comparison at all.

I think Hynes is a bit more creative and has better in his decision making. I think his kicking, while merely average, is better than Cripps' somewhat poor kicking.

I think Hynes is more of a natural forward with a natural forward's nouse, that is, he simply "knows where the goals are" when needs to snap a goal via a handball receive inside forward 50.

I think he's an exceptionally fit player too, who doesn't appear to have had any real injury issues in his late junior career or knock on wood with us so far. Cripps obviously has relied on keeping himself fit, his form has not been fit, and his form declines with a lack of fitness more than other players. Hynes will make himself available most weeks, and his body will let him be the best possible version of the player he can be.

On the other hand, I don't think he has anywhere near the out-and-out ball winning instincts of someone like Cripps (or indeed, what we saw of Sanders on the weekend). If he plays onball, he won't necessarily have the insticts to read the general flow of the play, or take on positioning in central stoppages, to get to the ball first, before the opposition or a teammate. And like you say, while he is strong and tall to most mids, he is not exceptionally so (unlike Cripps). His 190cm is only 2cm taller than Kennedy's 188cm, for example, so we can expect his absolute strength to be that much more than Kennedy's. And I'm not sure he's as good as a defensive tackler and pressure player as Cripps.

 

[Zeno The Great]

Obviously a very divisive figure on the board Gags. For me if there are 2 players on our list who ive seen more than enough to know they are sub AFL standard it's him and gardner. I think hes had ample opportunity, doesn't get anywhere near enough of it for a midfielder and butchers it honey church style. That final v the hawks he challenged jamarra for worst on ground...and that was not easy!

I'm no fan of McNeil and he had to be dropped, but I've seen traits from him that he can play at AFL level, he just does it rarely.

Would have much preferred some of the other options suggested above.

Anyway going to be very tough with some good players out but hopefully our improved defensive system holds up and we get the win.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Season two Patty Cripps was already a gun, so starting a little behind, but yeah that does feel like the mould he is in. Seemed to be some talk pre-draft was that he was quite powerful but he doesn't seem to have that burst, at least from the small sample size we've seen of him thus far

Think Matt Kennedy is ideally the player you'd love him to develop into. Strong one on one player that you can play forward of centre as well as through the midfield. Obviously the Cripps' and Tom Green's and that really high calibre are going to be handy in any era but it feels currently that there probably isn't room for more than one of this type in your midfield. Think unless you are the very top of the league, you need to have extra strings to your bow

Yep precisely.
Green was by far the pure best stoppage mid last year - better than Rowell and Serong - yet was only about the 15th best midfielder in the league overall, which would not be most team's best midfielder (and not even for his own with Callaghan). It shows you how you have to have these tricks. Even a few tricks - like Serong has, beyond the stoppage as a outside ball accumulator and neat user - would have Tom Green be a top 5 mid, like Serong.