Next Pie midfielders

[BIG G PIEMAN]

Mick's comments after Saturday highlighted that we have no class in our midfield. With Didak and Holland out at the moment I think it showed that our next rung of midfeilders aren't up to it. My thoughts....

Licuria - Once a champion - Looks dreadful. Could be curtains
Rhyce - Not going to get any better.
Jonno - We love him but do I need to comment on his kicking?
Lockyer - Has been excellent in rounds one and two.
Burns - Keeps going and going. Worthy of a spot at the moment but age against him.
Cheesy - Playing OK without dominating.

I asked myself the question, who are our next mids? Pendle and Thomas aside, who is coming through? Davies hasn't been sighted, Nichols struggled on debut.

Can someone tell me about Stanley, Cook, Clarke, Isles, Wellingham, Cox. Are any of them in the picture? I think we need to pick 5 mids and a ruckman in the next draft

 

[Jimbeam]

Its a good question, i think we need class, pendles is class. We need maybe 1-2 more classy ball users, didak is 2 and thomas is 3. Thats 3 that are all class 2 have excellent foot skills. The others to make up the core are swan who is very good, and heath shaw who is also very very good. Its a solid midfield and in 2-3 years will be top5 in the comp. At the moment OB is just a ball winner, licca is a liability and monty is a pure champ that has almost run his race. Hard calls need to be made, i think MM should start blooding the kids right now to ensure they are a solid unit in 2-3 years..

 

[BIG G PIEMAN]

Correct Call from you I feel. We need to see Stanley, Cook and I think Marty Clarke, before the year is out. Need to see more of sammy Isles too. I like the look of him. Where is he? Thought he was a soda for a spot in round one!!

 

[AsianWithAFro]

Yeah I don't expect to this win the premiership or even get into the top 8. It would be good if we could get in there but we might just miss out this year. I think Harry needs a couple of games in the mids his an excellent and natural running of the ball and he seems restrictive in the backline. Illes needs another shot he showed glimpses and an in and under midfield and Defiantly Cox, Toovey, Cook and most of all Moneybags need a debut this season.

 

[daics cousin]

Apparently,brad ****,ben reid,wellingham,marty clarke is where the new crop of star midfielders will come from.Although reid is very tall ,he loves playing in the midfield and has speed to burn and a beautiful left foot kick.

 

[Frederlick]

What is happening with Clarke, has he been playing Willy etc? Never seen anything like his 'hackysack' thing he does with a footy or his on the run pickup with feet only! Has potential to be almost 'Pele' like with ball control if he can apply that during a game. That type of skill was one of the most heartening things I saw during the pre season as skill and fitness are all very well, but that showed a real 'love' for the sport, which is sometimes the difference between good and great.

 

[doppleganger]

ben johnson has improved his kicking considerably to the point where it is now a strength

he along with heater are our line breakers, they get it run and then have a penetrating kick

swan runs but then usually does chip kicks

pendles is more of a chip kick type also

 

[Lonie_from_50]

The obvious indication from Collingwood is that the attacking half-backs are the ones that can make it in the midfield.

Nathan Buckley and Scott Burns have been champions in the midfield for the club since moving from half-back, and the next group have already proved well, in Ben Johnson and Dane Swan.

Heath Shaw is definately going to be a midfielder in the next two seasons, despite his damaging play out of defence. He has toe and can find it.

Obviously Pendlebury and Thomas (moving from half-forward) have already shown capabilities. With Shaw and Johnson moving closer to the midfield roles, Toovey and Iles are capable of starting their careers as backmen.

Brad Dick is another who is likely to play a running midfielder type. Has sublime skills and pace, just needs to get a little tougher frame. Be good to see Dick in a Shaun Burgoyne mould one day, oh, that would be awesome.

 

[ralu]

I think our midfield future looks very bright. Pendlebury looks at home there and should only benefit from a full season. Daisy will be a speedy onballer, maybe 70% in the middle. Heath will eventually play a full time role in the middle. MM is correct by leaving him on a back flank for the time being. He will add more pace in the centre. Johnno will be and nearly is an elite onballer, and i think his kicking has improved out of sight and is not noticed anymore. D/ck will add speed in future years. What we need is a tough onballer with a hard body like bucks, burns and licca did in 2002/03. Somebody like a brock mclean(off limits i dare say) who can bust open packs with strength. Does anyone agree???? and if so who could we chase in trade period or go for in draft????

We will be a pacy side in future years but maybe we will need some pure strength just like we have in previous and current years. Comments

 

[Palmer Stoat]

H Shaw, Swan, Pendlebury, Thomas, Holland, and Johnson will be the nucleus of the next good Collingwood midfield. We still need greater depth and class, though.

Outside the seniors, the cupboard is pretty bare. Brad Dick is the obvious newbie with midfield potential. If Wellingham can be a player, then things look quite a bit more positive because, like Dick, he has exactly what we need: pace and skills.

No doubt, midfield (ruck and runners) will be a priority in the upcoming draft.

 

[MarkT]

No doubt, midfield (ruck and runners) will be a priority in the upcoming draft.

No doubt? I have doubts that ruck will be a priority ever under MM. Midfield is likely but FMD this was coming a long back and it can’t possibly have just dawned on MM!

 

[Mick from Mt Eliza]

Mick's comments after Saturday highlighted that we have no class in our midfield. With Didak and Holland out at the moment I think it showed that our next rung of midfeilders aren't up to it. My thoughts....

Licuria - Once a champion - Looks dreadful. Could be curtains
Rhyce - Not going to get any better.
Jonno - We love him but do I need to comment on his kicking?
Lockyer - Has been excellent in rounds one and two.
Burns - Keeps going and going. Worthy of a spot at the moment but age against him.
Cheesy - Playing OK without dominating.

I asked myself the question, who are our next mids? Pendle and Thomas aside, who is coming through? Davies hasn't been sighted, Nichols struggled on debut.

Can someone tell me about Stanley, Cook, Clarke, Isles, Wellingham, Cox. Are any of them in the picture? I think we need to pick 5 mids and a ruckman in the next draft

Our midfield is not as bad, or slow, as everyone's been saying for three years, although I'm surprised the club didn't finish up one of Licca or Burnsy last year, considering it was the super draft, and the hierarchy made a clear call to rebuild the list. I'd just have loved ONE of those early picks to have been a Selwood or Boak type -- get us a gutsy, full-on midfielder to complement the more dashing types like Daisy, ****, Egan, Pendlebury, Shaw etc.Maybe Swan can be that player. He's got one great positive -- he's a goal kicker. Very reliable shot -- the safest in the team from anywhere inside 50. Anyway, our midfield would also look a hell of a lot better with a winning ruckman, which we haven't had since 1990, so I agree we need to draft better in this area. And as for those drafts of 01-04 -- well, you just can't afford to get it wrong on draft day these days, or you consign your club to half a decade of struggle.

 

[Coin_Toss]

C: Brad Dick, Scott Pendlebury, Heath Shaw

Damn impressive! Add Swan, Johnson, Thomas, Holland and Wellingham into the mix and it is beginning to look good. Shannon Cox, Chris Egan and Martin Clarke will rotate through there as well. A ruckman wouldn't go astray either.

Just imagine... Collingwood: 2010 premiers. It is definitely on the cards.

 

[goalpie]

Time will tell...

 

[Dj Chriss]

Why is everyone so against didak playing in the midfield? He's our best player, he has got to be where the action is and thats in the middle. Yes hes a very good half forward but he can be so much more if he plays in the middle

 

[Firestorm]

Daicos made a very successful transition to the midfield in his prime

Time for Didak to do the same, he is our Kerr

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Daicos made a very successful transition to the midfield in his prime

Time for Didak to do the same, he is our Kerr

Daicos started in the midfield and moved to the forward line when his body couldnt handle being battered any more.

Didak should definitely move into the midfield, at least in rotation, but he wont be a Kerr. Ever. Completely different style of player.

 

[Firestorm]

Daicos started in the midfield and moved to the forward line when his body couldnt handle being battered any more.

Didak should definitely move into the midfield, at least in rotation, but he wont be a Kerr. Ever. Completely different style of player.

Daicos did not start in the midfield, i watched his entire career, started in forwardline, spent prime in midfield and ended career in forwardline

And when I say our Kerr I mean perform the same function, not become the same player

 

[toommy]

Daicos made a very successful transition to the midfield in his prime

Time for Didak to do the same, he is our Kerr

daicos played his first game as a centreman against the saints had 28 possies .played all 1980 as a centreman and moved to the hff when mark williams came over.

 

[Firestorm]

daicos played his first game as a centreman against the saints had 28 possies .played all 1980 as a centreman and moved to the hff when mark williams came over.

Primarily a forward early in his career... jeez I wasn't that drunk on the hill

 

[Jason Wild]

Are you serious Big G Man. Paul Licka is one of the greats of our game/club. I say apologise right now to the great man for even thinking thats the end. Have a good hard look at yourself champ.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Primarily a forward early in his career... jeez I wasn't that drunk on the hill

You were drunk - he was a midfielder. He may have spent time in the forward pocket in his first few games when he was still in nappies, but they swung him into the centre very quickly.

 

[didaka]

We might know more after tomorrows game. But at this stage I would be looking at Thomas, Pendlebury to deffinately carry it, and then add the likes of ****, Swan, and hopefully a couple more players come along. A lot will rest on how Stanley and Toovey progress, and apparently Cox can run through the middle.

With Heath Shaw, I just think he is so effective in defence. I don't think he will ever become a full time midfielder.

I think in next years draft, depending on where we finish we need to pick up the best available natural on-baller. We take flankers like Egan and Thomas and hope to develop them into midfielders. We just need to get an out and out ball winner in the mould of say a Nathan Jones for Melbourne or another Dane Swan to compliment the kids like Thomas and Pendlebury who will both add different styles to the midfield in the years to come.

 

[Firestorm]

You were drunk - he was a midfielder. He may have spent time in the forward pocket in his first few games when he was still in nappies, but they swung him into the centre very quickly.

Nope... Timmy... I was there... and while the Dark Captain Morgan may have affected my balance at the time... he has not affected my memory

 

[toommy]

Primarily a forward early in his career... jeez I wasn't that drunk on the hill

he played centre in the 1980 grand final moved to half forward flank in 81 won the goal kicking with 76 then went back to on the ball as a ruck rover up until 89,90