Opinion Fixing our KPF problem

[Taylor]

I'm not sure the KPF is the key to the top four team, Reiwoldt and Fevola were killing it when their teams were bouncing along the bottom of the ladder.

I think it's the key mids. The best midfield in the league could make the worst forward line look like All Australians.

 

[matwt73]

Gold Coast have so many talls I imagine we will be able to pick them up ona buy one get one free any day now.

But seriously I really want Close to succeed, I just love his attitude and his willingness to work. He also has a great teacher in JB, particularly in respect of working his man over with movement.

 

[Dan12]

The TL/DR version of my post: We've got no superstar forward options at the club, but we do have guys already here who can play roles and work together to form a good forward line. It's not overly bleak imo.

Staker at FF and Close at CHF should work out okay. We'll have a ruck/forward in Martin, Leuenberger or West forward as well. I think we should expect a combined goal a game average from them. Also worth mentioning that we'll have a '4th forward' such as Mayes, McGuane or Paperone dragging a defender away from those players.
If Jackson Paine has drastically improved his fitness, that gives him a point of difference potentially as a long leading CHF. Push one of Close and Staker deep along with a ruck and have Paine up the field. However, Paine's still delist material based on 2014's efforts.
It's hard to tell now, but I think there's a likelihood that Freeman will hold his own as a deep forward, given time to develop.
McStay is a gem and could play anywhere he's needed. And who knows what Watts, Hammelman or Paperone could do in the future.
If we can get 30 goals each out of Close, Mayes and Stakes next year, as well as one a game from resting ruckmen and 3-4 from our smalls, that's about nine goals a game out of our weakest area, the forward line. All our locked in starting mids except Redden have proven to be useful goal kickers in the past.
That isn't a terrible forward line, now or in the future. Just see how Freeman and Close go this year. I'm very confident we won't be like the Bulldogs circa 2008 as we actually have decent options that can work together and function well as a forward line.

 

[Dan12]

Do Gold Coast really have that many talls? Nicholls and Smith are good ruckmen but only one can play in the team. Lynch, May and Thompson are quality KPPs, but Dixon is constantly getting soft tissue injuries, Day is an athlete without a football brain and Wright is a baby giraffe right now.
Are any other talls on their list actually any good? Seems like they could do with another defender to support May and Thompson and another key forward to support Lynch and whoever their forward/ruck is.

 

[John]

Close still has a role playing higher leading out. He'll be taking 8-10 marks a game in a few years around that 45-70m mark once he develops smart leading patterns and gut running like a Riewoldt.

Arrgh he was gut running every game to the point of exhaustion last season.


Lads and lasses I have no issue with any views but I do wonder what game some of you where Watling when it came to Close. I am not saying that he is going to make it, not make, be a superstar etc but from my observations he had a heck of a lot asked of him considering he was a 1st year player and only 19/20. How anyone can be so fast to make a call either way on players of his ilk is a bit beyond me.

 

[carnthemlions]

Do Gold Coast really have that many talls? Nicholls and Smith are good ruckmen but only one can play in the team. Lynch, May and Thompson are quality KPPs, but Dixon is constantly getting soft tissue injuries, Day is an athlete without a football brain and Wright is a baby giraffe right now.
Are any other talls on their list actually any good? Seems like they could do with another defender to support May and Thompson and another key forward to support Lynch and whoever their forward/ruck is.

Depth was certainly a problem for their KPPs last year. At times they had Day playing in the ruck, and McKenzie playing as a KPD.
I'm a big fan of Dixon, but he really needs to string together a couple of relatively injury free seasons.
I think Leslie will be their 3rd KPD, although Day is better as a defender.

 

[POBT]

There's not a lot of point wishing for what we're unlikely to get. Recruiting a key forward through the draft next year is going to mean a good 3-5 years development lead time. Trying to trade for an established key forward will pit us in competition with several other clubs and likely required to pay a trade price that most supporters would be very uncomfortable with.

I think Sydney pre-Buddy demonstrates that it is possible to be enormously competitive without a dominant key forward. They won a flag with Sam Reid as the focal point up forward and had another really good year in 2013 with the occasional services of Kurt Tippett. Both guys were pick 30 something in their draft years. I think most people believe Buddy was then icing on the cake, rather than being absolutely critical to their ability to compete against the best sides.

 

[Awhimaway]

Besides the young guys like Close, Freeman, Paine, McStay everyone is mentioning, who require more time to show what they are, or are not capable of, there are a few others I am hoping can help to improve the KPF problem.

I am fairly optimistic that with the confidence Martin has built in his game, combined with the size he has put on in the gym he will be a pretty tough assignment for defenders when he is resting up forward and believe we could see a few games where he kicks 2-3 as Luey controls the taps. I also think Luey is capable of this as well, as he looks to have added considerable bulk to his upper body, but I always cringe when he is clunking that body as He has proven to be fragile.

Also Staker being one of the strongest at the club could be used up forward, he is probably never going to kick huge bags, but he will create a contest. I guess it may come down to how he works the other way and if he still has that burst of speed he used to have. He may be eased into the season through the reserves.

The other guy many don' t have in their team is McGuane. If he can reach peak fitness, I think he could surprise a few as he is definitely capable. Once again though he may have to work his way into the team through the reserves.

I also think the improved midfield skill and depth, together with some additional work on set plays moving the ball into the forward line, will make a big difference, as the opposition defenders will be run off their feet with bursts of repeat inside 50's with deadly accurate precision. (Well I'm hoping)

 

[lionshine]

We'll just trade in Jake Carlisle and Jack Darling at the end of next year and the problem will be solved

 

[Billy Puller]

Close and freeman realistically have until they are 22-24 to show anything. KPP players take a long time to develop. If anything this early exposure should help them but I don't expect either of them to be dominating games until they are in that 22+ age bracket.

 

[Mr Ripper]

#RoBew

 

[Haso]

#RoBew

I think you mean Rony Modra.

 

[The Zork]

Arrgh he was gut running every game to the point of exhaustion last season.


Lads and lasses I have no issue with any views but I do wonder what game some of you where Watling when it came to Close. I am not saying that he is going to make it, not make, be a superstar etc but from my observations he had a heck of a lot asked of him considering he was a 1st year player and only 19/20. How anyone can be so fast to make a call either way on players of his ilk is a bit beyond me.

John I agree with you that's why he'll command a spot, he's in my best 22. My point is he's not the deep high flying taking strong pack marks asserting himself on a game type guy that we also need.. If he does turn out to be just that, then great. I just don't think, from what I've seen so far, he's cut from the same cloth as a genuine contested marking player which is what I said originally that we may need. Never said he doesn't fit in our set up.

 

[Brett C]

John I agree with you that's why he'll command a spot, he's in my best 22. My point is he's not the deep high flying taking strong pack marks asserting himself on a game type guy that we also need.. If he does turn out to be just that, then great. I just don't think, from what I've seen so far, he's cut from the same cloth as a genuine contested marking player which is what I said originally that we may need. Never said he doesn't fit in our set up.

I'm not sure you can make those sort of comments so early on in his career. People forget that Jonathan Brown was pretty average to start with.

It's just the nature of being a young forward, defenders are stronger, quicker and smarter than they are.

Give close and freeman time to show what they've got before passing such definitive judgement.

 

[The Zork]

Surely though one can speculate and discuss the "type" of forward someone may turn out to be. Which is what I'm expressing. Merely pointing out where I see him heading. Or do I have to wait.

 

[John]

John I agree with you that's why he'll command a spot, he's in my best 22. My point is he's not the deep high flying taking strong pack marks asserting himself on a game type guy that we also need.. If he does turn out to be just that, then great. I just don't think, from what I've seen so far, he's cut from the same cloth as a genuine contested marking player which is what I said originally that we may need. Never said he doesn't fit in our set up.

No worries, my comment to you was about the gut running. I should have made a 2nd post as that was about the conversation in general conversation.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

It's just the nature of being a young forward, defenders are stronger, quicker and smarter than they are.

Give close and freeman time to show what they've got before passing such definitive judgement.

You might have gotten a bit definitive yourself there. Clarke definitely, but Goose Maguire?

 

[Eons]

McStay, Freeman, Close, Hammelmann, Andrews.

Think we'll be ok.

Personally think we're in a great position for where I see our list in the next few years. Our mids are a few years off their peaks, our KPP players will be pushing 100 games and will have had another few pre seasons in the gym. Think we'll land a Carlisle type player next year and be playing finals in 2016 if not next year and cementing ourselves in the top 4 by 2017.

 

[Caiphus]

He's already taking the occasional contested mark, and showing good competitive instincts so it is hard to say whether that will develop further or not. Another 5 kgs and extra core strength to keep his running ability after a wrestle will be needed before we see whether he is the answer to specific questions. I expected him to play a little more Nick Riewoldt than Jonathan Brown with his running power before he got a gig in the seniors, but he doesn't seem to mind engaging his defender and hopefully he will get a few tricks together to get separation again. The defensive effort and tackling could make him a completely different prospect all together.

I was excited by a few things I saw this year, and I really want him to make it (I think he will but I am aware I have put that down to marking his card as a bit of a favorite early). I think Close will be an important member of the side and will be given every chance to lock down a key forward position. I think if Staker is fit he will probably be our number 1 forward, and we will probably tinker with resting ruckman, McGuane and Freeman depending on the opposition and our form.

Staker has had a few years off his legs and been working on his upper-body, so if he has the core strength to support it he will be a handful for a fair few defenders. He hasn't played as a FF before but I think that will probably be his best position at his age and with his injury history. He might not have been a crasher of packs in the past but I think he would be absolutely begging for some contact after his layoffs.

 

[Fatcat08]

With all this talk about possibly trading for a KPF I'm curious to know what peoples thoughts are on what we are able to give up. Its all well and good saying we've got cash and will be going all out for one but we're going to have to give something reasonably significant at the trade table to land one in all likelihood. Our greatest supply of available players is in the mids and probably at this stage its where we could afford most to lose someone from. The Beams situation where we got away with giving picks and fringe players is unlikely to surface again so I see us as having to bear some pain in a trade.

Last trade period our mids were all off limits as we were bringing in other mids and trading like for like doesn't really make sense when you're building depth. However with Keays looking likely next year will we be more amiable to a trade of a mid for a forward? Does someone like Aish, Rich even Mayes become something we have to give up to assist us in landing any said KPF? Not sure but if we're going out chasing then perhaps we need to start preparing ourselves for losing someone we don't want to give up. It may not happen, but there's a high likelihood.

 

[Eons]

I personally think Aish will leave and will land us Adelaides first pick to offset what we have to give up potentially for Keays. What would a pick 6-12 and our second round pick get us? Would that be enough for Carlisle? Think next year will be very interesting in how not only Freeman, McStay and Close develop, also the team as a whole to determine what we need and when we need it.

 

[Fatcat08]

Personally I'm very keen to see what our current stocks can do with some improved delivery and another year of development both of themselves and the gameplan. The first half of the season will enable us to get a much better idea about our current KPF options and where they are projecting. I certainly haven't given up on a combo of a few of Close, Freeman, McStay, Paine and our mid size forwards making the grade going forward long term and I think Staker and McGuane can add plenty in the interim. Our increased midfield strength should have a domino affect on other areas of our game. Here's hoping its a large one

 

[Vipertooth]

Tex Walker anyone? Money speaks and we still have enough as far as i am aware.

 

[Fatcat08]

Tex Walker anyone? Money speaks and we still have enough as far as i am aware.

Miss the bit where he re-signed until 2018 did we?

 

[Vipertooth]

Miss the bit where he re-signed until 2018 did we?

Yes