Forward Line

[Ricky_15]

Despite the all around terrible performance yesterday, i cant help but wonder why our forward line lacks depth

It is clear we miss Jurrah a hell of a lot, Not to mention Watts and Sylvia

However i maintain Brad Miller should not be getting a game.

We should have used pick 11 on a Key forward like Talia or Black and then they could have developed throughout the year, rather than having Miller who doesnt present or chase. He is just useless and has been for the past 5 years but he still makes the side

****ing terrible

 

[Dez!]

Despite the all around terrible performance yesterday, i cant help but wonder why our forward line lacks depth

It is clear we miss Jurrah a hell of a lot, Not to mention Watts and Sylvia

However i maintain Brad Miller should not be getting a game.

We should have used pick 11 on a Key forward like Talia or Black and then they could have developed throughout the year, rather than having Miller who doesnt present or chase. He is just useless and has been for the past 5 years but he still makes the side

****ing terrible

I don't agree with the bit in bold, it's no use selecting a KPP as high as 11 if they don't warrant it and our recruiting staff saw more than we did with the recent draftees.

Not to mention we may have found a gem in Gysberts but we won't know until he plays.

Don't forget that we selected Fitzpatrick, who I believe was selected with the idea of developing him into a KPF.

 

[Darksidepoints]

How can we be missing Watts? - The kid has played a handful of games and is a long way off being the go to man in the forward line.

 

[RandB]

Any discussion about our forward line with respect to how we drafted last year is futile. This does not mean that our forward line is not a sorry state of affairs it simply means we drafted with both a strategy to boost our midfield (which we had to do) and (as Dez said) the club didn't rate any of the talls available besides Butcher with the earlier picks.

Our forward line problem is a result of 2 things.

1) Poor long term recruiting and insufficent talent stocks. Relying on Neita being a 1 man show all those years and then Robbo to play above himself has left us in a bad state.

2) Over emphasis by the current coaching staff on where we want to be in the future (ie young kids "saving the day") rather than respecting what we have to be now in order to acheive that (ie a consistent forward structure and using senior players to their strengths).

I am all for the way Bailey and co have recruited and their long term goals and the whole youth drive (it is crucial) but I fear they may be jeopardising our situation and putting too much pressure on the kids if they don't make us accountable accross the board - not just the middle. It is not so much the game style as such as I expect that to improve but it is more his emphasis that worries me.

 

[Crusty Demon]

In a couple years time our forward line will consist of a bulked up Watts, a fit Jurrah and Wonamerri, Petterd, Bate, Maric and hopefully Fitzpatrick. We'll have Sylvia and possibly Gawn spending time down forward plus any other KPF we may pick up in the next year or two. And don't forget about Tappscott who promises to be a very good aquisition to our half forward line! And if our conditioning team does there job correctly, we should have a more bulked up Morton hopefully causing trouble as a potential half forward target. I'm not terribly worried about our forward line. Yes, there are a lot of what ifs, but i believe there is enough potential there for it to be a force in the coming years. Miller does not come into future calculations as he's simply not good enough. But for now while we have injuries and young players who aren't quite up to AFL level, we have to play him. What I'm more worried about is the delivery into the forward half. Over the last few years we have lost players who can deliver the ball into the F50 with pinpoint precision. Yze, Johnstone etc have moved on and Green plays a different role nowadays. This leaves us with players like Moloney, Jones, Scully, McDonald etc who like to bomb the ball into the F50 instead of pinpoint passing. The pressure our players are under when delivering the ball has been a concern as well. We aren't helping our ball carriers enough. If Davey gets shut down or is injured, our Forward line simply does not work because the delivery is poor. We could have the best two forwards in the comp in our F50 and they would struggle at the moment. Our midfield needs to work harder and our defense needs to run and carry. Strauss, Benell, Bruce, Frawley, Garland, Bail(surely he must get a game soon) all must run and break the lines. Take chances and back in there kicking ability. All these players can hit a target, so they must take the game on. With our midfield also working harder on pressure and finding space, we should see a more functioning forward line. Over to you Dean Bailey....

 

[Darksidepoints]

Sick of hearing this crap about 'having no-one else and having to play Miller'.

Utter BS. The guy is no good. He has never been any good. He has had season after season chances to prove his worth - and has never delivered.

We kicked 1 goal in a half of football. 1 goal. People are so quick to forget that these are professional athletes that are paid extremely well.

Anyone would be better than Miller ATM. Would rather see a young kid in their getting smashed, who actually puts in effort and tries to rectify his mistakes.

 

[ManWithNoName]

You just lacked a target to kick too, until Green came back on. Time and time again your blokes in the middle worked their rear ends off to get the ball forward, and all your forwards were playing Under 12s style, all up at the 50mt arc trying to get their hands on the ball. It just leads to the (much better) Hawthorn defenders being able to work as a group to spoil and run the ball out of the 50 in a matter of seconds. Happened time and time again in the first half.

As young as Watts is, he'll at least provide a leading target for the midfielders to kick too. Which you sorely lacked yesterday.