James Aish

[mistylake]

???

Lever is THE perfect option for you 3rd tall. Reads the game brilliantly, takes intercept marks, great agility and speed for someone that's 195cm, cool under pressure, can create off half back and looks to have a very tidy kick on him. 3rd tall spot is locked away for 10+ years, provided nothing unexpected happens.

It's Talia that needs a partner in crime, and desperately too.

Could we try putting Kardie back in with lever aswell? Last week GWS had 3 big forwards then laird, brown and Cheany or maybe Smith or even Danger? For stints

 

[Bicks]

Players look faster when they can use their pace better, after they have played more games they gain better awareness of how much time they have and when they can take the game on. Also they gain fitness from multiple pre-seasons, increased fitness allows them to have more repeat efforts and run at a higher pace for longer. Kids in their first couple seasons are usually already puffed from running into space just to get the ball. Their body also matures an 18 year old has an adult body but they don't have mature adult muscles yet to move that body at it's full potential, athletes keep getting faster until 23/24. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't make it magic.

Does this really apply to Aish though??

He'd been playing and training with men for 2 years in the SANFL prior to being drafted I believe??

Some kids mature before others too.

Given Aish's 2 years playing and training with men could this mean there wasn't as much upside with him as opposed to other talented youngsters that hadn't experienced senior footy prior to the draft?? My gut feeling is on the score of upside it would??

I'm not necessarily saying it's so but it is certainly a possibility.

 

[LC40]

???

Lever is THE perfect option for your 3rd tall. Reads the game brilliantly, takes intercept marks, great agility and speed for someone that's 195cm, cool under pressure, can create off half back and looks to have a very tidy kick on him. 3rd tall spot is locked away for 10+ years, provided nothing unexpected happens.

It's Talia that needs a partner in crime, and desperately too.

Absolutely agree with everything you wrote here,Lever the third up, we definitely need another key defender.

 

[LC40]

I would love it if things went a bit like this:
-We end 7th, trade pick 12 +30 for Aish and 21
-Draft best outside speed or KPD prospect with 21
-OR ontrade 21 to Carlton for Yarran.

Aish and Yarran would go a long way to fixing our speed problem.

To get the best outside speed player or a KPP prospect like Lever you want to keep that pick 12.

 

[azza77]

Could we try putting Kardie back in with lever aswell? Last week GWS had 3 big forwards then laird, brown and Cheany or maybe Smith or even Danger? For stints

I wouldn't be opposed to it. Against an 8-0 Freo and a hapless carlton, what could go wrong.

It's been proven game after game that we have a big hole in our defence. It's Talia ______ and then Lever. Can't expect Lever to play on the big men just yet, and I don't want to see him play on the big men regardless, because it's not what he excels at. We HAVE to stop putting Cheney up to the task as well. Need another tall and until Sam Shaw is deemed fit enough to be given a run, Hartigan is our only option.

I'm more interested to see what happens to Kelly if Hartigan does play. Not sure that we can afford to play both Cheney and Kelly in the same backline along with 3 talls. That's just getting ridiculous and we will have no run and carry. Kelly has been fantastic so far coming off the rookie list no doubt, but he would probably have to make way if that were to happen.

Obviously no one wants to see a valiant Kelly dropped for a maligned Hartigan, but I would like to see us attempt to actually structure up correctly just once. No more going into a game and giving up 4-5 goals to the big forwards straight off the bat.

Our midfield was poor on the weekend and goals need to be prevented from their turnovers, but it's quite clear extra height is needed.

 

[azza77]

Tell me more about this 'James Aish'

Hmm nevermind. Just saw on my afl app he only got 8 touches this week.

Forget him, he's shit.

 

[macca23]

???

Lever is THE perfect option for your 3rd tall. Reads the game brilliantly, takes intercept marks, great agility and speed for someone that's 195cm, cool under pressure, can create off half back and looks to have a very tidy kick on him. 3rd tall spot is locked away for 10+ years, provided nothing unexpected happens.

It's Talia that needs a partner in crime, and desperately too.

I agree with this. Lever would be the next Ben Hart if allowed the luxury of being the 3rd tall. Barring injury he'll have an excellent career wherever he plays, but like Ben Hart he has the agility to play on a small or medium small as well as a tall. The perfect 3rd tall.

 

[Long Shanks]

Why the hell have we got half a team of 3rd tall defenders?

 

[Mike Smyth]

We do need KPP's, but geez, after the glimpses that GWS showed through their midfield on Saturday, we really need some elite level pace and skill through there. That quick, clean ball movement hitting players running in waves at top speed was just scary. We're going to need players in the middle that can counteract that. If we can't do that, it won't matter what KPPs we have on the field.

Spot on was also highlighted in the bulldogs game. We have alot of holes before we become a top team.

 

[Mike Smyth]

Why the hell have we got half a team of 3rd tall defenders?

Trigg/Reid.

 

[azza77]

If we can get him at a reasonable price. We really need a second KPD. If we were going to offer overs to someone I'd prefer we tried to extract a KPD from somewhere.

Haha I was being a little sarcastic with that comment, but do agree no doubt that we should now be looking for a better deal for Aish and save our first for a KPD.

 

[Cap]

Haha I was being a little sarcastic with that comment, but do agree no doubt that we should now be looking for a better deal for Aish and save our first for a KPD.

If we are that despwrate for a kpd, id hope that 1st was part of a trade to get a good one.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Why the hell have we got half a team of 3rd tall defenders?

Lever was recruited as a key defender , no one at 18 yrs can play 1st or 2nd KP other than hogan who is a freak, he will go fine as a 2nd key by the time he's 23 yrs old, we need Hartigan to lift until then and to recruit someone else ......now i would spend less on another key def than I would on a key fwd and outside mid but a lot people don't agree .... Would be great to nail another trade for a fringe player (taller than Cheney) that proves fruitful when it comes to a key defender just not sure who

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Defence... we're like the soccer team who lose 18-0 and blame the goalie

 

[Mattrox]

Why the hell have we got half a team of 3rd tall defenders?

Same reason we had a team of slow inside mids.

 

[Lawrst]

Same reason we had a team of slow inside mids.

It's really baffling to me how many utility players and inside mids we have on our list.

 

[DangerSloane]

Carlisle will likely get a 2 year ban from WADA. Henderson isn't the type of forward we need.

Dixon, Day, S.Reid is the type we need.

Lucky Hendersons best work comes as a 2nd tall defender...exactly what we need.

Also... SAM REID!?

 

[DangerSloane]

Hmm nevermind. Just saw on my afl app he only got 8 touches AGAIN this week, along with 4 frees against

Forget him, he's shit.

EFA

 

[Mattrox]

It's really baffling to me how many utility players and inside mid we have on our list.

We knew defense was going to be a weakness. We had 2 good smalls and Talia. Hartigan was supposed to be a KPD. picked up Kelly. Still no tough medium defenders, trade for Cheney. Draft Lever, may be a KPD later but is genuine 3rd tall as he develops.

Kelly comes on quickly and Cheney produces the goods. Neither are 3rd Talls.... both tough as nails and are asked to do really tough jobs.

Hartigan needs to develop or he will be depth indefinitely.

Do we hang out until Lever fills out or get a KPD?

I think we are developing good options in defense. A choice of defenders is a good problem to have.

This recruiting is in the shadow of Shaw being perennially injured and Otten have 2 ACL ruptures.

The slow inside mids arise out of drafting best available talent. Apart from Crouch who was targeted.

 

[anonymous Derik]

Lever was recruited as a key defender , no one at 18 yrs can play 1st or 2nd KP other than hogan who is a freak, he will go fine as a 2nd key by the time he's 23 yrs old, we need Hartigan to lift until then and to recruit someone else ......now i would spend less on another key def than I would on a key fwd and outside mid but a lot people don't agree .... Would be great to nail another trade for a fringe player (taller than Cheney) that proves fruitful when it comes to a key defender just not sure who

Robbie Tarrent is the one

 

[footy4ever]

Hmm nevermind. Just saw on my afl app he only got 8 touches this week.

Forget him, he's shit.

Watch the game. He was scary bad.

 

[LC40]

Lever was recruited as a key defender , no one at 18 yrs can play 1st or 2nd KP other than hogan who is a freak, he will go fine as a 2nd key by the time he's 23 yrs old, we need Hartigan to lift until then and to recruit someone else ......now i would spend less on another key def than I would on a key fwd and outside mid but a lot people don't agree .... Would be great to nail another trade for a fringe player (taller than Cheney) that proves fruitful when it comes to a key defender just not sure who

Lever's value is that he'll take a punt and go for the intercept mark. In two games already he shown that he's prepared to fake a handball or run between players.
This lad will give us drive and an X factor back there and the more confident he becomes the better our rebounding will be. There is a cost to that enthusiasm. While he's taking a risk, his man can sneak out the back or get away on a long lead. Lever isn't going to be the closet checking defender in our team. I'm sure I've commented on that aspect of his game before. He needs to learn that balance, if he gets burnt too much Walsh will remind him.
This is why I think we need a big lock down defender like Rutten, who does the disciplined things. Plays man on man on his opponent and allows Lever that licence to roam a touch.
Hartigan could be the answer (Just don't give him the ball)but right now he's bereft of confidence and Walsh isn't playing him. Cheney is under sized .A big bodied player to me is a must to complete our defensive spine.
We have a lot of deficiencies in our team and forward is just as important. A big KPP fwd or back should be on our shopping list but the good ones or potentially good are normally picks in the first round. Hogan, Riewoldt, Wright,Boyd,Patton,Durdin.
We need to keep that pick!
Sure we can trade for a fringe player that's tall but how many teams are in the market for them, and in demand players don't look at Adelaide first?

As you also stated an outside mid is also a requirement. I'm refining that to an outside mid with above average speed and an elite leg (don't mention Aish as IMO he nowhere near fits that description) and they don't come cheap either.

Lever's eventual worth to the team will be as that third tall. I would hate to see he's creative flair reined in by playing a key position I don't think utilises his strengths.

 

[DoubleBlue2]

If his name wasn't Aish or he wasn't from SA we wouldn't even be looking at him. To me that very strongly suggests that we shouldn't bother as we will be paying overs regardless. The performances he puts in at AFL level aren't really good enough for the contract and trade costs that have been suggested. If we can get him for a low second rounder AND on a cheap contract then lets do it, if we have to pay any more, or offer him a fair chunk of our salary cap then that is just bad business.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

We looked at Polec. Aish's situation is no different.

Any SA-born first rounder who hasn't settled at their original club would be on the radar.

 

[CrowinNT]

Why the hell have we got half a team of 3rd tall defenders?

If you squished them all together they may just resemble a TRUCK