Do we really have that much depth?

[theGav56]

It looks like we will be missing Farmer, Johnson, M Carr, and Black from our best 22 list for the first round match. With the exception of Carr, they are generally regarded as key players for the team.

Farmer is a fierce defender in the forward line and a major source of goals for us. In addition, with a tall forward line a first class crumber will be a huge advantage. We don't appear to have a direct replacement to come into the team, and look likely to rotate a few players in the hope they can do some of the things he does.

For all the talk of him playing on-ball, Johnson is our logical CHB. He is a genuinely tall defender as opposed to our generic almost tall defenders. He is also a creative user of the ball, and given that we set up a lot of our attacks from half-back, he will be missed. While tall defenders are a strength for us we do not have a CHB of the same ilk.

Black is a key player in many ways for us, linking between defence and attack, and adding class at every contest he gets to. His long kicking is a feature, and something that puts opposition defenders in a bad situation as the ball gets into our forward line quickly and accurately. Regarded as an average midfield, any weakening of it is a significant loss for us.

While Carr is less critical, he is a very good stopper and gives us some height in a midfield that is a little short.

IF we really have that much depth to cover these players then we are a very powerful side.

 

[back pocket]

Not to mention Schammer, Hadrill, Cook and Thornton, who at their best are very good players. With these players also missing, (I count 8 either first pick, or very close) the depth will be well and truly tested. The challenge lies fairly and squarely with the next level of players, the ones still trying to establish themselves and prove their worth. From what I've seen, some of these players like Browne, Duffield, Gilmore, and I'm going to throw in Mourish (only because I can't help feeling this guy is special - is that too weird???), are more than capable of throwing down the gauntlet to more established players. This will make us a very good side if these players do step up, and I'm very confident that they will.

I believe the pressure may be on some of our seasoned veterans. As much as I like them, MacManus, Parker, Des, Matty Carr, Walker and even J-Lo and probably a few others will have to be right on their game to keep their places.

It is good and it's going to get better.

 

[theGav56]

Yes I should have included Schammer and Cook, although they are a bit like Carr in that they are less critical for us. Cook best 22? Probably not. Haddril and Thornton are fringe players until they show that they are injury free and still able to play at the level required.

 

[back pocket]

Yes I should have included Schammer and Cook, although they are a bit like Carr in that they are less critical for us. Cook best 22? Probably not. Haddril and Thornton are fringe players until they show that they are injury free and still able to play at the level required.

Well, I did say first pick or very close. Players like Cook and Walker may not be best 22 but they are certainly the next best 5 or 6 which becomes important when you do have injuries / suspensions. (Or disciplinary problems )

One player I didn't mention is Murphy. He's yet to convince me of his value. He may be an accurate kick, but that's not much good if you don't go out and get the footy. He's got to do more, Pavlich/Tarrant or no Pavlich/Tarrant, Murphy needs to impose himself a bit more and work harder. His spot in the team is no given, with the likes of Campbell and Mourish lurking around.

 

[pinkus maximus]

One player I didn't mention is Murphy. He's yet to convince me of his value. He may be an accurate kick, but that's not much good if you don't go out and get the footy. He's got to do more, Pavlich/Tarrant or no Pavlich/Tarrant, Murphy needs to impose himself a bit more and work harder. His spot in the team is no given, with the likes of Campbell and Mourish lurking around.

agree. i think people outside the club rate him higher than we do. campbell is really pushing hard for his spot

 

[aron_rox]

It looks like we will be missing Farmer, Johnson, M Carr, and Black from our best 22 list for the first round match. With the exception of Carr, they are generally regarded as key players for the team.

Farmer is a fierce defender in the forward line and a major source of goals for us. In addition, with a tall forward line a first class crumber will be a huge advantage. We don't appear to have a direct replacement to come into the team, and look likely to rotate a few players in the hope they can do some of the things he does.

For all the talk of him playing on-ball, Johnson is our logical CHB. He is a genuinely tall defender as opposed to our generic almost tall defenders. He is also a creative user of the ball, and given that we set up a lot of our attacks from half-back, he will be missed. While tall defenders are a strength for us we do not have a CHB of the same ilk.

Black is a key player in many ways for us, linking between defence and attack, and adding class at every contest he gets to. His long kicking is a feature, and something that puts opposition defenders in a bad situation as the ball gets into our forward line quickly and accurately. Regarded as an average midfield, any weakening of it is a significant loss for us.

While Carr is less critical, he is a very good stopper and gives us some height in a midfield that is a little short.

IF we really have that much depth to cover these players then we are a very powerful side.

Whatis wrong with m carr. His a key midfielder

 

[HAZY]

Whatis wrong with m carr. His a key midfielder

Ah how about the fact that he's a crab and has absolutely no ticker. Des isn't far off either. I like everyone else though

 

[estibador]

I think the fact that we have all these players out yet are still able to field a strong side speaks volumes for the depth we have now.

Imagine if you took 8 of our best 25 out 5 years ago...

 

[dominguez]

Having Black and Johnson missing at the same time isn't ideal because they are our two most attacking defenders, but we should cope. McManus and Webster played a lot of footy last year, including the prelim, but both will probably miss out round one. Gilmore and Campbell will probably miss out aswell after very good preseasons, so we still have enough depth.

Hopefully we will get off to a good start then have
Carr available round two,
Cook ready to go round three,
Black and Haddrill available round four,
Johnson into the side round five,
Farmer into the team round seven,
Thornton and Schammer available ?????

 

[theGav56]

Whatis wrong with m carr. His a key midfielder

I didn't say that there was anything wrong with him. He is in our best 22. But his absence is not a big deal. His primary role is as a tagger and we have several other players who can do that where required, notably Crowley and Dodd, who are also tall like Carr.

 

[dominguez]

Tall and betterer.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

One player I didn't mention is Murphy. He's yet to convince me of his value. He may be an accurate kick, but that's not much good if you don't go out and get the footy. He's got to do more, Pavlich/Tarrant or no Pavlich/Tarrant, Murphy needs to impose himself a bit more and work harder. His spot in the team is no given, with the likes of Campbell and Mourish lurking around.

I've been posting on the 'Net for six years now. Looks like nothing is different this season. The first guys to get it in the neck are the forwards. Clive, Croad, Medhurst, Simmonds for us. Take your pick for the other teams. Yet only 25 blokes a year kick much more than 25 goals. Thats less than two a team. You'd think people would figure out this forward thing is more difficult than it looks.

Murphs has played 22 games. Last year he kicked 22 goals in 10 games. You'd have to figure he would be 35+ in a full season. So he looks bloody good for only 22 games under his belt.

An area where I criticise Connolly is in trying to have too many backmen. Murphy kicked 70 goals as a 18 year old in the WAFL. Then CC tried to turn him into a backman. He should have been left as a designated forward.

Same with Polak. Should have been left at full forward for the Sharks for a year or so.

 

[Lach72]

I've been posting on the 'Net for six years now. Looks like nothing is different this season. The first guys to get it in the neck are the forwards. Clive, Croad, Medhurst, Simmonds for us. Take your pick for the other teams. Yet only 25 blokes a year kick much more than 25 goals. Thats less than two a team. You'd think people would figure out this forward thing is more difficult than it looks.

Murphs has played 22 games. Last year he kicked 22 goals in 10 games. You'd have to figure he would be 35+ in a full season. So he looks bloody good for only 22 games under his belt.

An area where I criticise Connolly is in trying to have too many backmen. Murphy kicked 70 goals as a 18 year old in the WAFL. Then CC tried to turn him into a backman. He should have been left as a designated forward.

Same with Polak. Should have been left at full forward for the Sharks for a year or so.

Quality post as always Doc.

 

[sabre_ac]

An area where I criticise Connolly is in trying to have too many backmen. Murphy kicked 70 goals as a 18 year old in the WAFL. Then CC tried to turn him into a backman. He should have been left as a designated forward.

Same with Polak. Should have been left at full forward for the Sharks for a year or so.

Agreed.
It definitely put Schammers development back when they experimented with his position.
Took far to long to switch McPharlin back as well.

 

[estibador]

An area where I criticise Connolly is in trying to have too many backmen. Murphy kicked 70 goals as a 18 year old in the WAFL. Then CC tried to turn him into a backman. He should have been left as a designated forward.

I would take that a step further and say CC has had an unfortunate tendency to try develop players out of their natural positions all over the ground.

Croad as a forward when he lacks footy smarts and is better off sticking to a man in the backline. McPharlin up forward when his goal kicking technique suggests he was born to be a backman. Pav in the middle and down back. Ok, Pav will be a star wherever he plays but he's a natural key forward and that's probably the hardest position to play. Murphy and Schammer in the backline have already been mentioned. Now they've got me worried with the plan to move MJ to midfield when he's already proven he can be a star backman.

I can understand the theory of trying to develop versatility in the team but I'd rather see players being left to master the positions they are naturally suited to. This is what seemed to happen during our winning run - a simplified gameplan with the players in their natural positions.

 

[Memories]

Whats the deal with Thornton. 2 years ago he was coming good then nothing, last year he looked as skinny as ever. I know he has "injuries", but is there something more to it? Is he growing too much still or anything? Would be good to have the real skinny (no pun) on things with our club and some of these players.

 

[estibador]

I think Thornton's got Crohn's disease which means he'll always have interrupted preseasons and won't be able to put on muscle like other players.

It's a shame cos he's one player that really does have natural footy smarts. IMO he's worth having on the list even if we can never get a full season out of him. Let's just hope he can stay relatively fit for the rest of his career.

 

[Memories]

I think Thornton's got Crohn's disease which means he'll always have interrupted preseasons and won't be able to put on muscle like other players.

It's a shame cos he's one player that really does have natural footy smarts. IMO he's worth having on the list even if we can never get a full season out of him. Let's just hope he can stay relatively fit for the rest of his career.

Interesting... looks kinda bad for him.

What is the treatment for Crohn's disease?

Treatment may include drugs, nutrition supplements, surgery, or a combination of these options. The goals of treatment are to control inflammation, correct nutritional deficiencies, and relieve symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. At this time, treatment can help control the disease by lowering the number of times a person experiences a recurrence, but there is no cure. Treatment for Crohn’s disease depends on the location and severity of disease, complications, and the person’s response to previous medical treatments when treated for reoccurring symptoms.
Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person’s lifetime. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped. Predicting when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return is not possible.
Someone with Crohn’s disease may need medical care for a long time, with regular doctor visits to monitor the condition.

 

[back pocket]

I've been posting on the 'Net for six years now. Looks like nothing is different this season. The first guys to get it in the neck are the forwards. Clive, Croad, Medhurst, Simmonds for us. Take your pick for the other teams. Yet only 25 blokes a year kick much more than 25 goals. Thats less than two a team. You'd think people would figure out this forward thing is more difficult than it looks.

Murphs has played 22 games. Last year he kicked 22 goals in 10 games. You'd have to figure he would be 35+ in a full season. So he looks bloody good for only 22 games under his belt.

An area where I criticise Connolly is in trying to have too many backmen. Murphy kicked 70 goals as a 18 year old in the WAFL. Then CC tried to turn him into a backman. He should have been left as a designated forward.

Same with Polak. Should have been left at full forward for the Sharks for a year or so.

All I'm saying is Murphy seems to be in everyone's best 22, but will be pressured by others to maintain his spot. How is that getting it in the neck? From what I've seen in this pre-season, Campbell seems more aggressive, takes contested marks, tackles harder and is also a fairly accurate kick.

It's a good thing. I'm not bagging Murphy, just saying I don't think he's as good as most supporters make him out to be. Last season he had an extraordinary accuracy rate, which helped his average. He wouldn't want to start missing a few, with Campbell and Mourish waiting in the wings (or pockets).

 

[theGav56]

One of the things that gives us our depth is the ability of players to play different roles when required.

One of the huge bonuses for us this year looks like Sandilands ability to drift forward, mark, and kick a goal. If he can't play this role then we are far less dangerous.

It is a well travelled road for coaches to give developing forwards a stint in the backline, most if not all clubs do it. As well as creating a level of versatility, it is seen as one of the main ways to teach them about what a backman is going to try and stop you, and how a forward can try and prevent that happening.

If Croad/MacPharlin was played back, then someone else would play forward. If you assume they are replacing a talented tall in the backline, then it is likely to be them. Regardless, it would need to be someone with marking ability, which is why those two were trialled up forward.

 

[Memories]

One of the things that gives us our depth is the ability of players to play different roles when required.

One of the huge bonuses for us this year looks like Sandilands ability to drift forward, mark, and kick a goal. If he can't play this role then we are far less dangerous.

I agree, however we rarely see him down there. He seems so effective, as no one can out mark him (if its dropped on his head which it should be). I guess half the problem is getting the ball into our 50 in the first place.. teams will be looking to stop our inside 50s anyway they can, and that is where we are vulnerable.

I'd like to see him drift forward more or some way to allow us to use him down there more often than we have so far. Put him on a leash 20m out from the goals and just make people bomb it to his head, not on the lead. We seem pretty good at that delivery compared to on the lead stuff.

 

[wehavethepassion]

From our 2006 prelim side missing will be WIZ, Magic, Big Carr, Cookie(if injured) & Byron

Gain : Tarantino & solly

Now Browne, jimmy & Duff beer have been the stars of the preseason deserve their spot. These three are hungry

AS for Hadrill, is now a depth player.

As for Rash thornton, if he has the alledged disease will find it difficult to string multiple game stogether.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

It's a good thing. I'm not bagging Murphy, just saying I don't think he's as good as most supporters make him out to be. Last season he had an extraordinary accuracy rate, which helped his average. He wouldn't want to start missing a few, with Campbell and Mourish waiting in the wings (or pockets).

Yeah, but ... yeah, but.

Maybe you're not bagging Murphy but not your giving him much credit either. He was damn accurate in the WAFL as well as his junior career. And in relative terms he's done way more than Campbell. He's done it in the real games, not in a pre-season.

And Mourish. A huge talent who is way too fat to play AFL at this point.

And no one would be more pleased than me to see Kiwi Campbell push Murphy out of a spot because he'd have to be really on his game, and as you say 'a good thing'.

 

[ImperialPurple]

"Yeah, but" is not a great thing to say to a Croatian Ralphie... (and I'm talking about back pocket, not me...)

 

[rotto]

Feel for Thornton but his illness is very taxing. I had a mate who nearly died from it and physcially can't do the things me could do before. Also, its cut your life and for Scott he really needs to consider his long term health. Life is more than money, fame, and football. He needs to retire because this illness can easierly came back.