Our forward line is the problem!

[wednesdaywarrior]

We've talked a lot about the needs to bolster our backline and midfield next year but in today's HUN there's a breakdown using Champion Data which has our midfield ranked 1st (which I don't agree with); Backline is 5th and overall as a team for next year we are placed 5th. Encouragingly we are the most exprienced team in terms of game time with I think the 4th or 5th youngest list - which is a credit to our list management & should make us a threat in the coming years. However - our forward line was 14th (!)

This is making sense to me. This year we recruited 3 utilities - Martin, Kennedy and Broomhead who all run hard, deliver accurately, mark strongly for their size and hit the scoreboard. I'm thinking this was no coincidence.

How do people see our forward line next year in the post-Dawes era? Will we improve on 14th? Where will the improvement come from?

 

[jonbe54]

We've talked a lot about the needs to bolster our backline and midfield next year but in today's HUN there's a breakdown using Champion Data which has our midfield ranked 1st (which I don't agree with); Backline is 5th and overall as a team for next year we are placed 5th. Encouragingly we are the most exprienced team in terms of game time with I think the 4th or 5th youngest list - which is a credit to our list management & should make us a threat in the coming years. However - our forward line was 14th (!)

This is making sense to me. This year we recruited 3 utilities - Martin, Kennedy and Broomhead who all run hard, deliver accurately, mark strongly for their size and hit the scoreboard. I'm thinking this was no coincidence.

How do people see our forward line next year in the post-Dawes era? Will we improve on 14th? Where will the improvement come from?

I'm hoping and daring to believe the days of bombing it long on top of Cloke and Dawes head are gone. With better users upfield, not only the recruits but also Balls return freeing up Beams and Pendles we should see a really sharp upturn in quality forward entries this year.

 

[joefootylover]

Being post Dawes will help for a start. Krakouer over his knee and Didak over his adductor will help too. Another year of development into Fasolo as well.

HF: Didak Lynch Fasolo
FF: Krakouer Cloke Blair/Goldsack

looks better than 14th for mine.

Beyond that Grundy looks like he could go thru there and be dangerous year one, as does Kennedy. Elliot, Sinclair and Mooney all have that debut year under their belts now, and one or more of them could have a breakout year. Macaffer is another who was a quality forward for us until injuries cut him down.

We have bigs: Cloke, Lynch, Grundy, Gault
We have "mediums": Goldsack, Paine, Macaffer
We have smalls: Krak, Dids, Faz, Elliot, Sinclair, Mooney, Kennedy

We also have a midfield group who can do damage rotating thru, Bemas, Swan, Thomas and Pendles can all kick goals...

When you consider the number of games Sinclair, Elliot and Mooney ended up playing in 2012, it is pretty clear that we had an unsettled forward line this year. Hopefully that is behind us in 2013.

I also reckon that it is vastly more important to have the best midfeild and the best defence come finals. of course we should be aiming at having top 4 in all three areas.

 

[blaze036]

Swap dawes for lynch, add in cloke in better form

add in KRAKOURRR back

add in all our young forwards (mooney fasolo elliot sinclair paine) get another year of improvement in them and i don't see how our forward line won't be significantly better next year

 

[BEEG]

Dawes and Krak were our main issues

Fasolo Cloke Blair

Krak Lynch Macaffer/Goldsack

 

[tazzawazza]

I completely agree with you. But I actually think our midfield is the best in the competition, I can't really think of another team with as much depth as our midfield. For our forward line, we desperately need another Cloke in our forward line. Power forwards at the moment are rare and as a result very expensive, so we can't afford another. This means we have to simply make another. So I think we really need Paine/Gault or even Witts to step up and play a bit more as a tall power forward. For our small forwards, next year we should be looking at Fasolo and Krakouer as our main small forwards and maybe 1-2 newbies also playing as small forwards (kennedy,elliot,sinclair). If Fasolo has a breakout season next year, I think our small forward component would be great. With out medium forwards, I don't think we have any. The only medium forward we have is Macaffer but I don't think at this stage he could get into our team straight away. Our previous medium forwards were Beams and Sidebottom but obviously are playing in the midfield more. Since our midfield depth is so big, I think we should drop a midfielder and place him in the forward line, I was thinking maybe Dale Thomas?

So in my opinion,
We need 1 more tall power forward
We need our small forwards (fasolo,krakouer,sinclair) to play consistent football
And we need a stevie j like medium forward

ALSO, why do we have a Carlton Scum as the head coach of our forward line? ;\

 

[Rusty22]

14th wow, yeh now dawes is gone , we should jump up to 5th

 

[BEEG]

I think we might still lack that medium forward who can put defensive pressure on thats why Caff was so good plus he is a great 1 on 1 mark

 

[iGNITER]

Had a few injuries last year and our structure was off. Krak was a loss for most of the season.
Fully fit our structure could look like this -

HF - Thomas Cloke Goldsack/McCaffer
F - Krakouer Lynch Blair

No way this is ranked 14th

 

[blaze036]

Had a few injuries last year and our structure was off. Krak was a loss for most of the season.
Fully fit our structure could look like this -

HF - Thomas Cloke Goldsack/McCaffer
F - Krakouer Lynch Blair

No way this is ranked 14th

Fasolo way better than macaffer goldsack thomas blair in the forward line, been our top 3 highest goal kicker in his first 2 years and will improve even more next year.

 

[iGNITER]

Fasolo way better than macaffer goldsack thomas blair in the forward line, been our top 3 highest goal kicker in his first 2 years and will improve even more next year.

Thats why I said could look like this. Wouldnt mind swapping Fasolo to the HFF and playing Goldy deeper. TBH doesnt matter either way IMO any of these players are capable if the structure is right.

 

[Trojan Pies]

Be interesting to see how we structure up if we don't take a Grundy/Witts/Paine into each game when Jolly goes to bench and Lynch to ruck. Leaves Cloke as sole KPF and Goldy as the next tallest forward... Given we weren't exactly the most spritely group of small forwards going round this year it would make for an interesting set up. I would've thought we need one more big in there for the Kraks, Fasolo's and other crumbers to feed off.

 

[Old Spice]

Be curious to know where Cats ranked in forward line around 2007 and 2009.

 

[vjknight]

champion data rankings - used well for a variety of purposes, but i cannot see their relevance for determining where a segment of a team is compared to other teams, let alone how that team rates overall.

have a look at the rankings of some other teams - OMG where did they get these ideas.

media fodder only. im taking no interest in what it apparently means.

our recruiting tells a better and more accurate tale.

 

[ipswichpies]

The Collingwood midfield with all players fit and firing is the best in the comp and our depth in there is also very good,our defense up until last season was also very good.

I think up until last season we were also a very high scoring team and I think we can be again,over the pre season I do not think many clubs have strengthened their list as well as we have done but that is only my opinion and I think other fans from other clubs are thinking the same way.

I don,t think I am going to listen to a word the media is saying about us we have Wilson on the 1 hand with her rubbish and now others are telling us we are ranked 5 or 6 and don,t bother turning up next year,well F--- them all I for 1 feel more positive about next season.

If these were a fair analysis would they not take in all our problems and difficulties from last season,I think we can improve on last season and I expect us to do so and F--- what the media say about us.

Cloke,s future is now decided and he has no more distractions and Krakuoer will give us a boost,Lynch,Swan and Thomas can all kick goals and I think that is the key to any successful team the more avenues to goal the harder it is to defend against.

 

[ipswichpies]

I completely agree with you. But I actually think our midfield is the best in the competition, I can't really think of another team with as much depth as our midfield. For our forward line, we desperately need another Cloke in our forward line. Power forwards at the moment are rare and as a result very expensive, so we can't afford another. This means we have to simply make another. So I think we really need Paine/Gault or even Witts to step up and play a bit more as a tall power forward. For our small forwards, next year we should be looking at Fasolo and Krakouer as our main small forwards and maybe 1-2 newbies also playing as small forwards (kennedy,elliot,sinclair). If Fasolo has a breakout season next year, I think our small forward component would be great. With out medium forwards, I don't think we have any. The only medium forward we have is Macaffer but I don't think at this stage he could get into our team straight away. Our previous medium forwards were Beams and Sidebottom but obviously are playing in the midfield more. Since our midfield depth is so big, I think we should drop a midfielder and place him in the forward line, I was thinking maybe Dale Thomas?

So in my opinion,
We need 1 more tall power forward
We need our small forwards (fasolo,krakouer,sinclair) to play consistent football
And we need a stevie j like medium forward

ALSO, why do we have a Carlton Scum as the head coach of our forward line? ;\

Last season we only had 1 power forward and Krakouer made a big difference when he came back I feel confident about next season no other club recruited as well as we were able to in the off season.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Our forward line isn't Top 4, but 14th is laughable. Kick you in the face, punch you in the nuts, rip your arms off laughable.

 

[SnakePlisskin]

Forwards can't do much with crap delivery either .

 

[mattys123]

Our forward line isn't Top 4, but 14th is laughable. Kick you in the face, punch you in the nuts, rip your arms off laughable.

Yep, proof once again that Champion Data and fantasy stats are about as accurate as Mitchell Johnson's bowling.

 

[HFF]

Champion data rankings are a joke.

Hawthorn ranked the second best defence in the comp? Carlton the 2nd best forward line?

Give us a spell.

 

[Pies Tattoo Gun]

we can`t take this to heart.. yes we have a few forward line issues & aren`t the best going around but it is still very potent & strikes fear through the majority of other clubs plus they have the Bulldogs ranked the 10th best forward line in the comp even ahead of us??? like seriously they don`t have any key forwards, haven`t recruited any, they struggled all year to score so that just makes a mockery of this whole Champion data rankings system

 

[mattys123]

Another fun little champion data stat;

Collingwood has the most experienced senior list (AFL senior games total).

 

[lozza63]

With Bally (hopefully raring to go) back in the mids i would like to see Nathan more than tinker (iirc he did this on a few occasions) with Swanny as a "power" type forward - splitting his mid/for time 60/40.

A starting forward line such as this:

HF Fasolo Cloke Krakouer

F Macaffer Lynch Swan

Just packs so much pure power and almost impossible to macth up on for most defences!

My opinion based on last year is that we ranked 9-10 in forward lines - it became dysfunctional at times during the year - moreover our inside 50s dropped significantly from previous 2 years.

I guess with a stable structure we can expect to rank top 5 for sure!

 

[the mighty T]

I think on those stats Melbournes forwards are ranked ahead of ours... Before I completely descend into lulz, some simple Maths.

Cloke > Clarke
Lynch > Dawes
Rest of our forward line > anything else Melbourne has.

 

[mattys123]

I think on those stats Melbournes forwards are ranked ahead of ours... Before I completely descend into lulz, some simple Maths.

Cloke > Clarke
Lynch > Dawes
Rest of our forward line > anything else Melbourne has.

Jeremy Howe is better than, or at least has the potential to be better than Dawes, and maybe even Clark, he's the one you're forgetting about.

Other than that though I can't name another quality Demons forward.