Forward Setup?

[andrew_embley]

With the dissapointment of trade week how do Eagles fans see our forward setup for next season?
Will Embers and/or Gardy have to spend more time down there to boost our goal scoring potential? I would hope not. They play unique posistions for us and are pivitol in our drive forward.
Thougths on the setup????????

 

[no1bankteller]

Originally posted by andrew_embley
With the dissapointment of trade week how do Eagles fans see our forward setup for next season?
Will Embers and/or Gardy have to spend more time down there to boost our goal scoring potential? I would hope not. They play unique posistions for us and are pivitol in our drive forward.
Thougths on the setup????????

Personally I think that McDougal Matera and say Sampi (with Sampi swapping in the midfield with Judd, assuming his pre-season fintess program commitment is upheld).

HF Staker Lynch Embley (Embly rotating throught the midfield with Jones)

Note Staker would also be a great half back flanker. Some may argue that the following set up is very top heavy however Embly and Staker are excellent below their knees and would force mismatches. Also our midfilders are very good at streaming throug the half forward line, collecting crumbs and kicking goals.

 

[Mead]

Hmm, I'll go for

Cox/Seaby/Matera
Jones/McDougall/Sampi

Thoroughly convinced that Seaby should be tried from round 1 as a full forward, and that Cox needs to start to function as third tall if he has a future with the club. Sampi does his best work in the play across HFF, since he has an absolutely booming kick for a guy his size, and gets a lot of goal assists.

That'd probably be our most likely forward line given other commitments, but if we were going to stack it with great players to the detriment of elsewhere-

Matera/McDougall/Chick
Embley/Gardiner/Sampi
Phear us

 

[Frodo]

Matera on his own (occassionally with Gardy, CoX or Jako)
Chick, Gaspar, Sampi with Gardy at CHF occasionaly)

Midfield stacked with Judd and Embley playing wing all season.

Doogs to CHB


But I'll wait til the presean games to see how younger player have developed before firming up

 

[Streaker]

Matera / McDougall / Jones
Embley / Gaspar / Sampi

Basically Matera is an opportunist crumber, not a leading forward, so he needs someone who leads and can jump to crumb off of.

McDougall is quick on the lead and can take a good pack mark.

Jones has great hands and is a good kick. He is also great defensively.

Embley is great at creating space and is good at creating goal scoring opportunities.

Gaspar is the Key to it all. Strong, mobile and a great kick.

Sampi is all of the things the rest of them are plus explosive.

 

[cartman]

the back line worries me more but i would go with

seaby mcdougall matera

sampi gaspar chick

 

[vicki]

Forwards

I agree with McDougall at FF and Gaspar at CHF - but where does that leave the backline?? Glass at FB but who at CHB??? Jak when possible, but when the matchups are against him,then who do we go with? (And don't anyone say Lynch ) Perhaps Jak at CHF and Gaspar at CHB.

 

[no1bankteller]

Re: Forwards

Originally posted by vicki
Gaspar at CHB.

I really like that idea. Running stright at the ball, not having to turn as much and not having a pack collapse on him may limit the amount of injuries he has.

 

[Sera]

Re: Re: Forwards

Originally posted by no1bankteller
I really like that idea. Running stright at the ball, not having to turn as much and not having a pack collapse on him may limit the amount of injuries he has.

I agree. And he is also the only youngish guy on our list with the size to play on people like Tredrea

 

[Jabber]

Gaspar would have to be #1 in line for the CHB spot. Jako will probably spend time at CHF again, but hopefully Lynch can force his way in during the preseason.

I don't think there's room for Gardiner, Cox & Seaby in the same side, so there is probably going to be a fight between Cox & Seaby for game-time, which can only be good in the long term.

I'd like to see

Cox/Seaby - McDougall - Matera
Sampi - Lynch - Jones/Embley

Not likely though as that is probably 1 big man too many for Woosha.

 

[no1bankteller]

Originally posted by Jabber

Cox/Seaby - McDougall - Matera
Sampi - Lynch - Jones/Embley

I have changed my mind...I really like the above forward set up, it works well and Embley and Jones can play both small and tall roles.

 

[eagleskickass]

Originally posted by Jabber
[B

I don't think there's room for Gardiner, Cox & Seaby in the same side, so there is probably going to be a fight between Cox & Seaby for game-time, which can only be good in the long term.

[/B]

Theres only one way for the 3 to be in the same team, one would have to give up rucking. Gardiner is always going to be a ruck and out of Seaby and Cox Seaby for mine would be the better forward, so he should perhaps focus on his forward play (as he has been practising it with WP all year) to try and grab one of the KPP forward positions.

Just a thought.

 

[jod23]

Matera McDougall Sampi
Jones Jakovich Embley

Jones and Embley of course will rotate through the midfield with Chick and Judd moving to half forward. If Sampi does in fact be given more of a run through the midfield then Cousins can always switch to a forward pocket when tired. Better than taking Cuz from the ground all together.

CHF will probably be Jako's first up but Im sure a few players will get there chance including Lynch, Gaspar, Johnson, Seaby etc

 

[The Passenger]

I think we should try starting the season with three ruckman - Seaby, Cox, Gardiner.

But most of Seaby's time on the ground is spent as a FF. If that doesn't work revert to trying Lynch at FF, or we could play Doogs at FF with Gaspar at CHF.

Matera the forward pocket.

Move Sampi to a HFF, with McDougall at CHF (Gaspar starting at CHB but playing occasionally at CHF).

The other HFF would be a rotation of the midfielders with Cousins, Judd, Fletcher, Jones all getting time there.

Embley would play the role he played this year as a kind of extra on baller.........

 

[Mr Q]

Originally posted by eagleskickass
Theres only one way for the 3 to be in the same team, one would have to give up rucking. Gardiner is always going to be a ruck and out of Seaby and Cox Seaby for mine would be the better forward, so he should perhaps focus on his forward play (as he has been practising it with WP all year) to try and grab one of the KPP forward positions.

Just a thought.

That's true about how all three can be in the side together. However I don't agree that Gardiner will always be a ruckman; he is an outstanding ruckman yes, but I think he could be easily our best KPP as well (he may be less injury prone as well if he avoided the ruck).

Basically it all comes down to the development of Cox - as others have pointed out he's done as much at his age as Gardiner had in the ruck. Cox though is a pure ruckman, and as such has less versatility, but if he can hold down #1 ruck reliably it would not be a bad thing to have Cox in the ruck, Gardy at CHF and Seaby possibly backing the both of them up - plus it would give Seaby game time, something he desparately needs. If its not working then change it around.

I'm not saying that Gardiner should necessarily be moved out of the ruck, but that it is certainly worth investigating. After all KPPs are our biggest problem, and anything that could provide a good solution to the problem must at least be given due thought.

 

[The Passenger]

Our game plan revloves around the dominant ruck work of Michael Gardiner.

So until Coxy shows that he match that level of domination (and nothing short of it) than Gardiner needs to play trhe majority of gaems in the ruck.

 

[no1bankteller]

Originally posted by Mr Q
That's true about how all three can be in the side together. However I don't agree that Gardiner will always be a ruckman; he is an outstanding ruckman yes, but I think he could be easily our best KPP as well (he may be less injury prone as well if he avoided the ruck).

Basically it all comes down to the development of Cox - as others have pointed out he's done as much at his age as Gardiner had in the ruck. Cox though is a pure ruckman, and as such has less versatility, but if he can hold down #1 ruck reliably it would not be a bad thing to have Cox in the ruck, Gardy at CHF and Seaby possibly backing the both of them up - plus it would give Seaby game time, something he desparately needs. If its not working then change it around.

I'm not saying that Gardiner should necessarily be moved out of the ruck, but that it is certainly worth investigating. After all KPPs are our biggest problem, and anything that could provide a good solution to the problem must at least be given due thought.

I remember when Jason Ball first came to the club we had two decent ruckman at the time in Turnbull and I think Irving who whilst not being world beaters consistantly did the job. Malthouse at the time played Ball as a second tall on FF line next to Sumich and he was very effective in that role. As he developed he was moved into the ruck and given more responsibility. This type of development seems to have worked really ell for him.

 

[Mr Q]

Originally posted by Black Thunder
Our game plan revloves around the dominant ruck work of Michael Gardiner.

So until Coxy shows that he match that level of domination (and nothing short of it) than Gardiner needs to play trhe majority of gaems in the ruck.

I suspect you're right, although I think we could get away with Cox at 80% of Gardiner's rucking ability (I personally have a lot of time for Cox and think he could be as good as Gardiner in the ruck, although not around the ground).

The other thing that came to mind would be that Gardiner could do the ruckwork forward of center, allowing Cox/Seaby to only have to patrol a bit over half the ground, allowing them to tire much more slowly.

A third thing to consider, IMO is that to some extent our season started to go pear shaped when the forward structure collapsed. Now I know we were the highest scoring team of 2003's H&A, but I'd hope that most recognise that our inability to take our great pre-round 15 position through to the end of the season had a lot to do with an inability to get the ball between the sticks late in the season. After all the game against Port had all our stars in...

To some extent I think our midfield can function without Gardiner (as long as Cox doesn't play like he did against the Saints where he won a lot of taps and put them all to StKilda players). So I know moving Gardiner is a bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul, but I think the change in balance needs to be looked at.

 

[rockdog]

Possibel setup

HFF: Chick CHF: Jako/Mcdougall HFF: Sampi

FP: Ph:Matera FF: Jako?Q.Lynch FP: Staker/resting midfielder/Adkins

 

[GoEagles]

Possible Forward Structure:

FF. Sampi Lynch Matera
HF. Embley McDougall/Jakovich Jones/Chick