Candiru
Premiership Player
- Jan 27, 2018
- 3,373
- 4,603
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Banned
- #1
Setting aside the s**t sandwiches of injury, what will be the single biggest factor in us improving or at least holding our ground and contending again in 2019?
Having a reasonably fit list is a given - I'm thinking more from a personnel/tactical point of view here. For example, if I had to look at 2018, I'd say the single biggest factor was finally getting the balance right in the midfield, as evidenced by a greater spread of contested possession. I think we had four guys going at more than 10 per game, along with someone like Gaff going from totally outside to adding a contested facet to his game. That was huge. It meant we were no longer so dependent on a turnover game. And if you really boil it down, that was overwhelmingly about Redden and Yeo stepping up and becoming big-bodied engine room mids. First and second in the B&F accordingly. That was the big improvement, complemented by some guys who hadn't played a lot of senior football or were fringe players 12 months ago. And of course the very solid standard from the senior, established guys. But Yeo and Redden were the big changes, IMO. They played those roles in a way that changed the way the team could play.
For 2019, here are some options:
Having a reasonably fit list is a given - I'm thinking more from a personnel/tactical point of view here. For example, if I had to look at 2018, I'd say the single biggest factor was finally getting the balance right in the midfield, as evidenced by a greater spread of contested possession. I think we had four guys going at more than 10 per game, along with someone like Gaff going from totally outside to adding a contested facet to his game. That was huge. It meant we were no longer so dependent on a turnover game. And if you really boil it down, that was overwhelmingly about Redden and Yeo stepping up and becoming big-bodied engine room mids. First and second in the B&F accordingly. That was the big improvement, complemented by some guys who hadn't played a lot of senior football or were fringe players 12 months ago. And of course the very solid standard from the senior, established guys. But Yeo and Redden were the big changes, IMO. They played those roles in a way that changed the way the team could play.
For 2019, here are some options:
- Getting Naitanui back in June/July and getting some half-decent level of matchplay into him
- Some of the guys who haven't yet played 80 games taking the next step and becoming top-liners (Sheed, Duggan, Barrass, Cole, Rioli etc)
- Is it finding another goalkicker?
- Does it rely on getting a certain standard of contribution from Hickey/Vardy?
- Or is there a kid who comes from nowhere to be influential? One of the Allens or Brayshaw? Or Venables breaking out?
- Or is there a single player already there who goes to the next level? I reckon Rioli to the midfield could be one