No small forwards-forward pressure???

[cp3_jr]

Why did not focus on drafting a few small forwards last year considering we have none now the wiz has gone. Ballantyne is kind of a small forward but is injured and more of a lead up/mark type of player not a small nagging, crumber type.

We have seen that in both games we have had more inside 50's but the oppositions defence seems to run it out with ease. The pressure is atrocious and we have basically no hope of getting goals once it hits the ground-which is most of the time. Peakey has done Ok but more with his marking and he plays up the ground a lot of the time too.

I just think we should've made this a priority. Especially when the likes of Jeff Garlett, Neville Jetta, Robin Nahas, etc have already debuted this year and with the first two being from WA.

Along with the small forward draftees, I feel we need to make forward pressure a key to our team not a major weakness. Numerous times so far it seemed they didn't even chance and apart from Solly at times it was pitterful.

I mean Alwyn Davey laid 8 tackles himself in a winning side whereas our best forward was Peake with 3. I just dont get it.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

I miss the Wizard. Certainly a catalyst for our 06 run. If not for his indiscretions could still be playing into 2010.

 

[Lach72]

Michael Walters and Hayden Ballantyne

 

[Rob]

Short of picking up Yarran at pick 3 and given we picked up Walters, what should we have done then? Ballantyne I think will be a decent small forward, and it's hardly the fault of recruiters that he's injured.

 

[cp3_jr]

Ballantyne as I said is in the medhurst type as a lead up mark player not a fast, crumbing type who applies pressure. Walters has actually played most of the time in the midfield for WA and the Swannies, so neither really address the problem. We need crumbing goals and pressure ala farmer not these guys who address other needs IMO.

 

[Ogrebait]

It may not be the fault of the recruiters that Ballantyne is injured but certainly some of the blame lies with the medical staff.

Why did he have his wrist plate removed in the middle of pre-season? I'm not sure if he's had complications with it since but even when the operation was performed, the club said he'd have a later start to the season. Why not wait until our year was over? Was the plate affecting his ability to run, mark, lift weights? It didn't seem to hinder him too much last year. Common sense would dictate that he play the full year, learn how his team mates play, adapt to the pace of AFL and at seasons end have it removed to give him a long recovery period without missing games and valuable experience.

There must be something more to it.

 

[DOCKERZ]

There must be something more to it.

Think it's a hamstring related wrist injury isn't it?

 

[prattsta]

The decision to operate on Ballantyne's wrist was about the long term, not the short term. Besides he's out with a hamstring injury at the moment, it's nothing to do with his wrist.

When Mayne and Ballantyne are both available and in the side, our forward pressure will increase dramatically. They are both injured at the moment, which isn't the club/recruiters fault. In saying all that, defensive pressure starts with your key forwards, ours don't set a very high standard.

 

[Belnakor]

Pav doesn't seem to know what defensive pressure is.

Mayne getting back will be a big help, he is a real live wire.

 

[Ogrebait]

Yeah sorry maybe I wasn't being clear.

I know Ballantyne has a hamstring injury now but even before he sustained that he was not slated to come back until Rd.4 I think.

Would the club delaying the removal of the pin 'til the end of the season affect him long term? Consider that he had been playing with it already.

 

[Belnakor]

we should have told him we were going to pick him up half way through the season, and he could have had the surgery then, other clubs wouldn't have picked him up and boom, we get him for cheap in the draft.

 

[Ogrebait]

If we had known that we wanted him halfway through the season.

And it wasn't until after he was drafted that they knew the full extent of the problem, if indeed they even knew at all.

 

[Nodgey]

^^^^

The club say they WERE aware of the wrist issue prioir to drafting him.

But I suspect they are telling porky pies. This just smacks of your typical Freo ****-up.

 

[prattsta]

^^^^

The club say they WERE aware of the wrist issue prioir to drafting him.

But I suspect they are telling porky pies. This just smacks of your typical Freo ****-up.

Ballantyne's wrist injury was common knowledge.

The club simply made a decision at the beginning of, what they hope will be a long career, to fix something that could potentially cause him problems down the track. It wasn't a club **** up, or bad management. As I understand it they were worried about the bone eroding around the screw which had been inserted in order to repair a scaphoid fracture. This wasn't some kind of crazy operation, I'm lead to believe it's quite common.

 

[Ogrebait]

Good work prattsa. Thanks for the detailed explanation.

 

[Nodgey]

Yeah I know all that. And it does sound promising. And I will admit that I'm in a fairly pessimistic mood right now....

But I also recall the club saying that it was minor surgery and it wouldn't affect his preseason all that much. Yes, it was a minor setback, but it wasn't an overly big deal. And disregarding this latest hammy setback, it just seems to me that his absence has been a helluva lot longer than initially anticipated.

In any case, I just hope he's back to full fitness ASAP and showing the whole comp why he won the Sandover.