our midfield 2019

Remove this Banner Ad

G

gungho

Club Legend
Veteran
Dec 31, 2013
2,470
4,217
AFL Club
Fremantle
Looks to be lacking depth and is a bit of a worry for 2019 - or am I jumping the gun?
Let's have a look at these players.

Nat Fyfe - Best in the competition when up and going but hasn't had an injury free season since 2015. (Even missed a few games that year to be honest) Absolutely critical for the medical staff to get him to play at least 20 games this year. This is a marathon and not a sprint.
David Mundy. Had a great year last year and I reckon this guy needs to go back in the midfield. Has never been quick so has not lost anything athletically but is such a good footballer and great user of the footy.
Connor Blakely - Potentially the most important footballer on our list post Neale departure. Pound for pound looms as the closest replacement to him and is the age and experience bracket to have a great year. It is so important this guys stays injury free next year.
Stephen Hill. Has been a good footballer for a long time but if I was to take off my rose coloured glasses he has not had a good season in about 3 or 4 years. Is a great user and still be very good if injury free??
Brad Hill. Best and Fairest winner of the first year but then played silly buggers with Perth bouncers ect. Is important to the team but needs to put into the club on and off the field.
Ed Langdon Had a break out season last year but is not a big bodied inside mid. Still very important to the team and is of the right age and experience to have an impact.
Bailey Banfield At this stage has been used more as a stopper than anything else. Could he be a surprise packet next year.
Adam Cerra. Highly skilled but I don't think is yet of the age or experience bracket to have a real impact next year. (Probably a controversial view as he had one amazing break out game but did fall off badly for the rest of the season and doesn't have the body size - yet - to go with the bigger AFL stars in the middle.
Andrew Brayshaw. Very controversial view after a good first year but I don't know if I'm seeing it with this guy. Don't get me wrong - he more than likely will be a 200 game player but I'm just not sure he has the elite disposal, strength or killer instinct to be a star. Would love to be proved wrong. In any case, he's not of the age or experience bracket to have a huge impact next year.
Darcy Tucker - Is of the right age and experience bracket but am not sure where this guy is at. i can't actually remember him playing one break out game if I'm honest. Just doesn't impact games enough.
Giro Probably too harsh but too small, young and experienced to have a real impact in the middle next year.
Crowden. Probably also harsh but too small, young and experience to have an impact next year.
Conca - Is of the right age and experience but from all reports is not going to be the saviour of our midfield in 2019.
* Have not included Walters because we desperately need a really good small forward who can kick goals and think he is better served in that position next year.

So there you have it folks - we either have guys that are possibly too old (Mundy, S Hill) or possibly too young (Brayshaw, Cerra, Crowden)
And our one star never seems to stay on the park for long enough.

My question is.....where is the improvement going to come from? Is there anyone I've missed that could be the x factor (Logue, Bennell?) and what is Ross going to do about our midfield next year?

I don't want this to be a negative post a day after getting Lobb and Hogan to our forward line but also am a bit concerned about us in the middle next year so want to hear from others about what they think.
 
gungho said:
Looks to be lacking depth and is a bit of a worry for 2019 - or am I jumping the gun?
Let's have a look at these players.

Nat Fyfe - Best in the competition when up and going but hasn't had an injury free season since 2015. (Even missed a few games that year to be honest) Absolutely critical for the medical staff to get him to play at least 20 games this year. This is a marathon and not a sprint.
David Mundy. Had a great year last year and I reckon this guy needs to go back in the midfield. Has never been quick so has not lost anything athletically but is such a good footballer and great user of the footy.
Connor Blakely - Potentially the most important footballer on our list post Neale departure. Pound for pound looms as the closest replacement to him and is the age and experience bracket to have a great year. It is so important this guys stays injury free next year.
Stephen Hill. Has been a good footballer for a long time but if I was to take off my rose coloured glasses he has not had a good season in about 3 or 4 years. Is a great user and still be very good if injury free??
Brad Hill. Best and Fairest winner of the first year but then played silly buggers with Perth bouncers ect. Is important to the team but needs to put into the club on and off the field.
Ed Langdon Had a break out season last year but is not a big bodied inside mid. Still very important to the team and is of the right age and experience to have an impact.
Bailey Banfield At this stage has been used more as a stopper than anything else. Could he be a surprise packet next year.
Adam Cerra. Highly skilled but I don't think is yet of the age or experience bracket to have a real impact next year. (Probably a controversial view as he had one amazing break out game but did fall off badly for the rest of the season and doesn't have the body size - yet - to go with the bigger AFL stars in the middle.
Andrew Brayshaw. Very controversial view after a good first year but I don't know if I'm seeing it with this guy. Don't get me wrong - he more than likely will be a 200 game player but I'm just not sure he has the elite disposal, strength or killer instinct to be a star. Would love to be proved wrong. In any case, he's not of the age or experience bracket to have a huge impact next year.
Darcy Tucker - Is of the right age and experience bracket but am not sure where this guy is at. i can't actually remember him playing one break out game if I'm honest. Just doesn't impact games enough.
Giro Probably too harsh but too small, young and experienced to have a real impact in the middle next year.
Crowden. Probably also harsh but too small, young and experience to have an impact next year.
Conca - Is of the right age and experience but from all reports is not going to be the saviour of our midfield in 2019.
* Have not included Walters because we desperately need a really good small forward who can kick goals and think he is better served in that position next year.

So there you have it folks - we either have guys that are possibly too old (Mundy, S Hill) or possibly too young (Brayshaw, Cerra, Crowden)
And our one star never seems to stay on the park for long enough.

My question is.....where is the improvement going to come from? Is there anyone I've missed that could be the x factor (Logue, Bennell?) and what is Ross going to do about our midfield next year?

I don't want this to be a negative post a day after getting Lobb and Hogan to our forward line but also am a bit concerned about us in the middle next year so want to hear from others about what they think.
Click to expand...

Our midfield has a lot of grunt, power and speed but the skills and class is a little thin. One key for me is playing one of the class disposers (ie. Mundy, Cerra) in the centre square in combination with Fyfe and Blakely or Conca/Banfield if we are going ultra defensive.

It is a strength of ours in that list to take defensively sit on key opposition mids and we should continue to do that.

I think having stronger forwards up forward will "improve the disposal and decision making" because if you look up and see Hogan or Lobb with half a chance it is a no brainer. To my mind, the only really bad kick in that list is Banfield, the rest are going to look like they improved next season.

I like Logue as x-factor into the midfield; I have him pinned to play HBF playing a slightly less accountable role. He has the skills to hurt but also a power factor. I think Cox should also go back now in a "McGovern/ Ibbotson" intercept role and can setup up play from half back with Wilson and Ryan.

The worry for me is the x factor at ground level in the forward part of the midfield. The known x factor is Walters but his kicking gets dodgy the more midfield he does and quite frankly from a team perspective I'd rather he played deep forward. I think Switkowski had the ability to play high half forward / mid but he is small and I don't think he is going to be strong in the air. I think the I am hoping we use one of our first picks on a trendy Hybrid forward / mid type who is a good shot at goal as well as field kicking but also has marking power through having a bit of height and leap.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

I think Langdon could move into the centre and play an Adam Treloar type role where he can win it at the coal face but also link up on the outside.

Blakely the same.

I think we will get belted by the really strong midfields if Sandi and Darcy are both out, the development of the young midfielders is crucial, if they can play their roles without going missing that will make a big difference.
 
Ysaye said:
Our midfield has a lot of grunt, power and speed but the skills and class is a little thin. One key for me is playing one of the class disposers (ie. Mundy, Cerra) in the centre square in combination with Fyfe and Blakely or Conca/Banfield if we are going ultra defensive.

It is a strength of ours in that list to take defensively sit on key opposition mids and we should continue to do that.

I think having stronger forwards up forward will "improve the disposal and decision making" because if you look up and see Hogan or Lobb with half a chance it is a no brainer. To my mind, the only really bad kick in that list is Banfield, the rest are going to look like they improved next season.

I like Logue as x-factor into the midfield; I have him pinned to play HBF playing a slightly less accountable role. He has the skills to hurt but also a power factor. I think Cox should also go back now in a "McGovern/ Ibbotson" intercept role and can setup up play from half back with Wilson and Ryan.

The worry for me is the x factor at ground level in the forward part of the midfield. The known x factor is Walters but his kicking gets dodgy the more midfield he does and quite frankly from a team perspective I'd rather he played deep forward. I think Switkowski had the ability to play high half forward / mid but he is small and I don't think he is going to be strong in the air. I think the I am hoping we use one of our first picks on a trendy Hybrid forward / mid type who is a good shot at goal as well as field kicking but also has marking power through having a bit of height and leap.
Click to expand...
Seems to me, Bennell is the missing link for class and skill. Too bad he can't get on the park.
 
It’s not that bad:

Inside: Fyfe, Mundy, Blakeley, Conca
Outside: B.Hill, Langdon
Gun Youth: Brayshaw, Cerra
Often injured: S.Hill
Others: North, Crowden, Giro
 
It seems strange saying "we've only lost Neale" but I'm confident we can minimise the impact next season and build to something better long term.

Blakely's shift to Neale's role is the starting point - we have other options to play off half back now and we need him in the middle more than back there now. I kind of felt the only reason he wasn't in there more last season was because Neale was there (they play similar roles - first possession winners with agility and lateral transition to the outside - you can't play two of those at the same time imo). Crossing fingers what we lose in Neale's attack on the ball we gain with Blakely being more accountable.

Ideally Bennell miraculously comes good and provides the classy inside player. But I can also see SHill spending more time on ball next season (some won't like that) and Mundy could be released into the middle to support more often with a far better forward line now in play. And I'm still keen to look at Marlion Pickett because he'd be another versatile senior body to add to the mix on ball with the versatility to play from half back to half forward.

Conca plays the Suban role we've been missing lately (even when Suban was there in his final couple of years). Banfield obviously the apprentice in this role as well. Fyfe will be so much more effective at stoppages when playing alongside a player who can block and cover for him.

Brayshaw, Cerra and Banfield will all be bigger, stronger and better next season. They'll understand their roles far better than they would have this past season. I think they'll all spend time in the middle but they'll also need to learn to play either at half back (Brayshaw and Cerra) or half forward (Banfield). North will be added to this group as well.

I'd like to see Crowden trained as a small forward next season. I really rate this kid and think we shouldn't rush too fast with him. He looked a bit lost so I think giving him a more simple role and then building up on it overtime will pay dividends (like Blakely doing his apprenticeship off half back). I'd probably pull back with Giro as well, he's got a good footy brain and is motivated but certainly has skill limitations.

If we draft a midfielder (other than Medhat) then it should be someone who can win the ball but also has speed/acceleration and/or skills.
 
I do hope that our approach is not going to be totally dependent on Fyfe. In 2018, we won 3 of 7 without Fyfe, including good wins over Port and the Crows, and 5 of 15 with Fyfe. This suggests to me that maybe there are things we do better without him and we need to get better value out of the great player that he is.
 
I think it'll be a work in progress. Blakely should do an alright job as a replacement but of course we've still ultimately lost out in the midfield which is already sitting at a very low base.

Cerra is going to be of vital importance with his kicking skills as Mundy (age) and Walters (should be in the forward line) probably can't be relied upon in the middle.

Could very, very easily fall in a heap if Blakely/Fyfe get injured and we're relying on a bunch of 2nd year players and a 34 yr old to win us games against midfields like Collingwood, GWS, Richmond etc. Think it's a year too early for us to breaking out of the bottom 6.
 
I reckon Walters could also be included in that midfield group. Obviously has his place in the forward line too, but runs through the middle and adds to our midfield depth.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Unfortunately with our side you have to name your 22 and then rob 2-3 in each patch of the ground (in fact it’s normally 4-5 in the midfield for us).

Biggest factors for me are Tom North getting on the field, with maybe a few leaps in ability from Crowden and Giro in addition to all the others listed remaining fit and firing.

Anyone factoring HB in the equation is kidding themselves.
 
Juggs Magnetic said:
I reckon Walters could also be included in that midfield group. Obviously has his place in the forward line too, but runs through the middle and adds to our midfield depth.
Click to expand...
With the height we brought in I want Walters to be at least 85 percent forward. we can't really play Mundy forward anymore so he has to be our leader up front and he now has good talls to crumb off of.
 
It's time to throw Brayshaw Cerra Blakley etc to the wolves. There might be pain next year but let them build comrardrie through adversity. When fyfe is 30 we want these guys formed as a tight group. Non of this wanting to leave bs just a group of guys wanting to tell a story together
 
On paper it looks OK, But we don't have the depth to cover a bad run of injuries without some of the younger blokes taking a step up. When you start relying on improvement it becomes a bit speculative. It might come off and we look fantastic, or it might not and we make no improvement up the ladder. Beware of the "second year blues" when trying to factor in natural improvement.
 
Look what WC did with what looks like a third rate midfield group on paper. And plenty of them had shockers in the GF and they still won. Coaching and organisation are key.

Fyfe, Hill, Hill, Mundy, Blakely, Langdon, plus the support and maybe Walters/Bennell rolling through ... If we can't produce good results with that then it is on Lyon and/or the medical staff.
 
With big forwards to feed off, Sonny should stay closer to goal. McCarthy will be better with them as well. He was, at best, third forward with Cameron and Patton, not a KPF. Sonny and Fyfe's overhead marking should worry most other sides when they push forward. Conca should be the blocker for the younger players to get them into space.
 
I see Sonny more as the "in between" forward kind of like Le Cras or Toby Green. He is a difficult match up for a defender with his overhead ability and agility. I'd give him a roaming commission from half forward to wing, and leave the crumbing to whoever earns the spot out of Ballas, Matera, Switta, Giro, Crowden and Colyer.

I think Walters is too good a play maker to have as the deepest small forward.
 
nurries said:
Do you think we will target a mature age midfielder or 2 with later picks?
Click to expand...
Jye Bolton? He’s great in WAFL. Deserves a chance. Why not with a fourth round pick.
We ll try to pick up a mature mid or two.
Fyfe is most important here. He can’t have any more clash injuries, or suspensions. Has to put together a 20 game season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Our bottom Six.
Replies
16
Views
526
pK75
pK75
dropbear101
dynamic midfield?
Replies
17
Views
744
pK75
pK75
FreoGirl
Toast It's time to celebrate Nat Fyfe and what he has done for our club
Replies
17
Views
806
FreoGirl
FreoGirl
DocT
Prediction Where will our Goals come from in 2023?
2 3
Replies
57
Views
3K
Joao
J
P
What if it was our club?
2 3
Replies
69
Views
4K
South of the Yarra
South of the Yarra
Falconista
Our away/clash jumper
2
Replies
34
Views
1K
BarbieITFC
BarbieITFC
Bigger
Our stand-in captain
Replies
4
Views
475
Descent
Descent

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top