Player Watch Finlay Macrae

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He is very clean and has good link up ability but isn’t very strong in the contest and lacks pace off the mark. His tackling ability yesterday was a real let down. I still think he can make it as a wing/half forward but Richards and Harrison are now ahead.
 

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Jen2310 said:
So maybe pendles is the one that goes mid-HB? Nick?

Crisp
Nick
Pendles
Jordy
Mitchell

How do you work all of them in the middle?
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It needs to be a couple of them rotating through other roles or one of them not playing mid at all.

The good thing about having the mids rotate through other roles is that it doesn't matter if a mid gets injured - they're already covered.
 
We also need to remember that the entire team had virtually no interchange options in the final quarter so the midfielders especially earned their keep. Fin didn't show any glaring signs of an inferior tank in my opinion.
 
Abdul_The_Bull said:
We also need to remember that the entire team had virtually no interchange options in the final quarter so the midfielders especially earned their keep. Fin didn't show any glaring signs of an inferior tank in my opinion.
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His tank is pretty good. Always has had really good fitness levels and endurance.
 
sr36 said:
It needs to be a couple of them rotating through other roles or one of them not playing mid at all.

The good thing about having the mids rotate through other roles is that it doesn't matter if a mid gets injured - they're already covered.
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And perhaps Steele, Pendles, Mitchell will be managed throughout the year & not play every game.. and some weeks as the sub.
 
Jen2310 said:
So maybe pendles is the one that goes mid-HB? Nick?

Crisp
Nick
Pendles
Jordy
Mitchell

How do you work all of them in the middle?
Click to expand...

I am not forgetting Mitchell's importance to our side in that grand final and perhaps its recency bias but I really enjoy the Crisp/Nick/Pendles combination in the middle and there could be a temptation to play Jordy forward but he has just been too important in the midfield in finals not to play there when the whips are cracking so I see this as our primary 4 guys going through the centre bounces.

Perhaps come finals time, Mitchell ends up being the sub coming on and playing midfield in the last 30-40 minutes.

In terms of the starting 22, the question is really are we better of with Crisp in midfield with a Noble/Markov at half back, or are we better off with Crisp at half back and Mitchell in the midfield?
 
SwanBet said:
I am not forgetting Mitchell's importance to our side in that grand final and perhaps its recency bias but I really enjoy the Crisp/Nick/Pendles combination in the middle and there could be a temptation to play Jordy forward but he has just been too important in the midfield in finals not to play there when the whips are cracking so I see this as our primary 4 guys going through the centre bounces.

Perhaps come finals time, Mitchell ends up being the sub coming on and playing midfield in the last 30-40 minutes.

In terms of the starting 22, the question is really are we better of with Crisp in midfield with a Noble/Markov at half back, or are we better off with Crisp at half back and Mitchell in the midfield?
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For a one off game, I'd Crisp in the midfield, but over the course of a season it's good to be able to cover an injured midfielder from within the team rather than crossing your fingers and hoping a vfl guy will come in and immediately be up to speed. I'd be rotating, I think.
 
JuniorB said:
It sounds like Fin is keen to stay:

www.afl.com.au

'It pushes you harder': Opportunity-starved Pie seizing chance in stacked midfield

After managing just 12 games across his first three seasons, Fin Macrae is taking every opportunity that comes his way in the Magpies' talent-laden midfield
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au
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Sounds like he'd rather fight to break into the team and earn it at the club he loves rather than finding it easy to look elsewhere.
Rewards will come.

Liked how he worked hard in the off season to improve his running performance.
 

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JuniorB said:
It sounds like Fin is keen to stay:

www.afl.com.au

'It pushes you harder': Opportunity-starved Pie seizing chance in stacked midfield

After managing just 12 games across his first three seasons, Fin Macrae is taking every opportunity that comes his way in the Magpies' talent-laden midfield
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au
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I have been intrigued by his development this year - being deployed in that forward flanker role was critical to him sticking around, in my opinion. Lipinski is thriving in Sidebottom's old wing role, so there might be room.

Lots of interesting young flankers.
 
Jen2310 said:
Sounds like he'd rather fight to break into the team and earn it at the club he loves rather than finding it easy to look elsewhere.
Rewards will come.

Liked how he worked hard in the off season to improve his running performance.
Click to expand...
He knows his time will come.
 
gouki88 said:
I have been intrigued by his development this year - being deployed in that forward flanker role was critical to him sticking around, in my opinion. Lipinski is thriving in Sidebottom's old wing role, so there might be room.

Lots of interesting young flankers.
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He's become solid offensively with hard running and really clean hands, but I think his career lives or dies based on how competitive his contested and inside game can become. It's not there yet.
 
sr36 said:
He's become solid offensively with hard running and really clean hands, but I think his career lives or dies based on how competitive his contested and inside game can become. It's not there yet.
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I agree. I'm not sold yet, but it's an important step in showing that he's more than a one-paced medium sized mid
 
gouki88 said:
Lipinski is thriving in Sidebottom's old wing role, so there might be room.
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Which in itself is interesting, because I seem to recall he was struggling in that role in his final season at the Dogs?
 
The Royal Sampler said:
Which in itself is interesting, because I seem to recall he was struggling in that role in his final season at the Dogs?
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Were they prepping him for it though. He was playing inside mid in the twos and then outside on the flanks when he played seniors.
 
Run n Spread said:
Put him.in the guts and give him a decent run in the next month in Degoeys probable absence.
Thank we know one way or another. No more sub or HFF roles
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All we'll know is where he's at now. And at the moment it's already pretty clear that his strengths of clean hands and hard running are stacking up, but he's not yet as good around the contest as the senior mids - and whether that remains the case or not won't be discovered by a months trial - a months trial in the centre square which will also reduce our chances of winning.
 
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He is tracking in the right direction, already improving more than what some thought he could do. I think it was Jen said next preseason is to work on his strength and contest work. Sounds like injuries have held his development back and contested work is generally best done by those in the 24+ yrs old age group. Hoping to see some gains in his contested work esp early next year - if he can get there this year that is a bonus.
 
sr36 said:
All we'll know is where he's at now. And at the moment it's already pretty clear that his strengths of clean hands and hard running are stacking up, but he's not yet as good around the contest as the senior mids - and whether that remains the case or not won't be discovered by a months trial - a months trial in the centre square which will also reduce our chances of winning.
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And he had a reasonable game against Eagles and struggled last week out of position. Now we have a vacancy and a guy who has torn it up in VFL and had limited opportunities in his preferred role.
He is a 4th year player AFL careers are limited if he value him and see him as the future this is a perfect opportunity. Don't see it as unreasonable.
 
Run n Spread said:
And he had a reasonable game against Eagles and struggled last week out of position. Now we have a vacancy and a guy who has torn it up in VFL and had limited opportunities in his preferred role.
He is a 4th year player AFL careers are limited if he value him and see him as the future this is a perfect opportunity. Don't see it as unreasonable.
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I thought he did play some stoppage against Adel? Was that just the around the ground rather than centre square?

Our midfield has been on fire the last 3 weeks - we'd be nuts to move from Pendles, Crisp and Nick as the mainstays - but someone will rotate for them - Sullivan has done most of it the last fortnight - but Lippa nd Macrae are other options, McCreery also if we want someone a bit more dynamic.

To win through this block with no forwards, we need to be putting our best midfield out there - the VFL arguments for Finn apply equally to Sullivan and Sullivan has looked stronger in AFL contests - so he'd be my go to before Finn.
 
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