Do midfielders have to be tall these days?

[the_interloper]

I've heard a lot of coaches recently (including Roos just on the radio now) insist that midfielders need to be tall these days and it's the way the game is headed. Obviously they are taller than they were yesteryear but personally I thought this was just because the general population were getting taller, not because short players were specifically being overlooked.

There are blokes like Fyfe and Pendlebury obviously who are guns and taller than the norm but there are also blokes like Bartel, Mitchell, B Harvey (and some nude nut from the Suns who goes alright too) who don't seem to be very tall.

I would have thought being closer to the ground might actually be an advantage with the amount of stoppages these days, so am I missing something? (Other than barracking for a side who has a bit of ticker)

 

[Grape Bear]

Lachie Neale from One Direction says hi.

 

[Grape Bear]

On a more serious note, I think for a midfield to be good - any team, for that matter - there needs to be a good balance of talls and smalls. You have to have enough of both to keep from being monstered by teams with big-bodied midfielders or keep from being too plodding and absolutely cut up by pace and run - which the smaller mids have in spades.

 

[Kaiser Powser]

No. If you are good enough it does not matter.

P.S. Bartel is not short and is also very good in the air. Ablett is not that short. Admittedly plays short though.

Having tall midfielders does help though. Freo have a very tall midfield.

Pendles, Jobe, Judd, Barlow are all quite tall.

 

[Rioli magic]

As mentioned above, I'd say a mix is probably preferable. If I was going to pick an attribute of the modern midfielder, I'd say it's running ability. Certainly something Hawrhorn have targeted in recent years, and Port aren't shy in expressing their belief in this, and they're currently sitting 1 & 2 on the ladder.

 

[Dynamics]

Being a tall mid helps because it means you have an advantage in marking contests, you have increased reach and the ability to add more weight to your frame, ala Pendles, Kennedy and Watson.

But I think you've answered your own question and that answer is Sam Mitchell and Gary Ablett Jr. Neither are six feet tall and both are elite mids. Good enough will always be good enough.

 

[yeewww]

i think tall mids are becoming more prevalent, but not a deal breaker if your good enough you will make it. Runners are a big part atm, but mids that can play tall as they need to rest in other positions are becoming high on peoples draft list. A total football philosophy. So the height becomes important in the game.

 

[Falchoon]

Is it tall or is it having body mass ?

 

[PumpyChowdown]

Seems to be the current fad - "Big bodied mids". Freo made it trendy, also players like Pendles, Watson, Kennedy etc.

Next year it'll be "mids that can run all day" due to the rise and gameplan of Port.

Just trends. As has been said already, a good midfield should be diverse with bigs and smalls, inside players and outside players.

 

[yeewww]

Is it tall or is it having body mass ?

to a degree body mass will come with height generally (not a given) no use being 5 ft and 90 kg's be like a rolling ball that cant run or play in another position. So sort of, swan exempted, go hand in hand. Just went through our list out of the top 10 mids on our list 2 are 6ft exactly, boak and cornes. Then the rest are a minimum of 6ft 2 they can or have the frame to hold body mass.

 

[juss]

It's more about talent and diversity. You need a mix of speed, skill, toughness, leadership inside and outside players in your midfield. Naturally players will be different heights and weights so it's just the way it falls.

 

[SJ]

No. If you are good enough it does not matter.

P.S. Bartel is not short and is also very good in the air. Ablett is not that short. Admittedly plays short though.

Having tall midfielders does help though. Freo have a very tall midfield.

Pendles, Jobe, Judd, Barlow are all quite tall.

Ablett would be in the bottom quartile of players in terms of height, I would have thought. Maybe bottom 10%.

 

[Falchoon]

to a degree body mass will come with height generally (not a given) no use being 5 ft and 90 kg's be like a rolling ball that cant run or play in another position. So sort of, swan exempted, go hand in hand. Just went through our list out of the top 10 mids on our list 2 are 6ft exactly, boak and cornes. Then the rest are a minimum of 6ft 2 they can or have the frame to hold body mass.

That's the point, I'd suggest it's more about being 85kg's+ whilst being able to run all day, versus height itself.

 

[Kaiser Powser]

Ablett would be in the bottom quartile of players in terms of height, I would have thought. Maybe bottom 10%.

Yeah he's not tall. But at 182cm's he's not that short. He's half a foot taller than Harvey who was the other example.

 

[I am Jack]

If they are tall, they have to have exceptional balance to cut it.

Short players have a better center of gravity, they don't go to ground as easily - which is becoming important, keep your feet.

Shorter midfielders will continue to see success - and will continue to come cheaper at draft time.
Lewis Taylor, Dion Prestia, Jack Viney, both short players with above average balance who will be guns.

Taller midfielders might even gain more traction, with Nat Fyfe looking like the second coming of Sir James.

 

[the_interloper]

That's the point, I'd suggest it's more about being 85kg's+ whilst being able to run all day, versus height itself.

That's kind of what I thought to be honest, obviously height helps you in the ruck and up forward but I wasn't sure how much it helped you as a midfielder and thought it might even count against you sometimes.

And many of you have said a mixture of short and tall is ideal, but I thought generally coaches had been saying that all midfielders had to be a bit taller. Roos used the example of Freo who have Fyfe, Mundy and Barlow who are all meant to be quite tall.

 

[Sam The Doc]

I get nervous when Marc Murphy is in a one on one marking contest so yes i think they do need to be tall.

 

[BG32]

I get nervous when Marc Murphy is in a one on one marking contest so yes i think they do need to be tall.

mids shouldnt be in these situations

 

[Trav 20]

I've heard a lot of coaches recently (including Roos just on the radio now) insist that midfielders need to be tall these days and it's the way the game is headed.

That's not exactly what he said. He said you need some who are tall, which was emphasised in his mind at Freo's after GF function that he attended after he stood next to Barlow, Fyfe and Mundy. This is why we recruited Vince, Cross and Tyson, who are all reasonably tall (around 187cms)

It's a matter of having the right mix. There will always be room for Marc Murphy, Sam Mitchell, Joel Selwood and Nathan Jones, but you need a complement of taller mids to go with them.

 

[Sam The Doc]

mids shouldnt be in these situations

Huh? Everyone at some point has their turn to either defend or take a contested mark.

 

[BG32]

Huh? Everyone at some point has their turn to either defend or take a contested mark.

if you're kicking to small Mids in a 1V1 that explains why Carltons s**t

 

[go_the_dockers]

Sam Mitchell goes ok. Ablett isn't that tall. Core strength and great kicking are more important than height.

 

[Zgope1]

if you're kicking to small Mids in a 1V1 that explains why Carltons s**t

can't agree with this. at some stage you've got to kick it to a contest and the good teams in recent years have had mids that can take important marks. think of christensen's mark in the 2011 GF. grand finals involve a lot of contests and many are in the air, you'd want your mids able to handle them when it's their turn

 

[BG32]

can't agree with this. at some stage you've got to kick it to a contest and the good teams in recent years have had mids that can take important marks. think of christensen's mark in the 2011 GF. grand finals involve a lot of contests and many are in the air, you'd want your mids able to handle them when it's their turn

Christensien is a forward. how often do you see the suns kicking it down the line to Garry Ablett 1 V 1? or even collingwood dont do this to pendulbury

 

[Pusswah]

I'd suggest if you've got two midfielders with the same amount of talent that the taller one will tend to give you more. That doesn't mean that there aren't midfielders that aren't so tall that don't have great talent.