Our midfield is non-existent

[speedy]

In terms of average disposals per game we only have one player in the top 100......Boomer Harvey. It is no surprise that we get dominated in most of our games against quality opposition.We are just too inexperienced in the guts and until we get 50+ games into these young mids we are going to struggle.

I was dumbfounded at the start of the year when it was obvious that Rawlings was going to play down back. It was always going to leave us too inexperienced in the guts. But credit to Bon, he has bigger kahunas than I thought. It was a very gutsy move by him and hopefully it will pay off big in the long term.

 

[The Zebra]

It was a very gutsy move by him and hopefully it will pay off big in the long term.

It will.

There are a lot of impressive things about Scott, but nothing more impressive than the way he has backed in our young guys. There will be ups and downs, but you can see them growing in confidence and the results we have got this year so far are testament to that.

Getting close to finals is a further test for Scott, and no doubt the temptation is to revert to short term fixes. I hope he continues to hold his nerve.

 

[nickh32]

Can anyone tell me Andrew Swallow's contract status? Cause i want him bad even though you wouldnt give him without the top 5 draft picks.

 

[The Zebra]

Can anyone tell me Andrew Swallow's contract status? Cause i want him bad even though you wouldnt give him without the top 5 draft picks.

End of 2011.

 

[berniemccarthy]

In terms of average disposals per game we only have one player in the top 100......Boomer Harvey. It is no surprise that we get dominated in most of our games against quality opposition.We are just too inexperienced in the guts and until we get 50+ games into these young mids we are going to struggle.

I was dumbfounded at the start of the year when it was obvious that Rawlings was going to play down back. It was always going to leave us too inexperienced in the guts. But credit to Bon, he has bigger kahunas than I thought. It was a very gutsy move by him and hopefully it will pay off big in the long term.

You mean cojones

 

[The Filth Wizard]

We are just too inexperienced in the guts and until we get 50+ games into these young mids we are going to struggle.

"Well, duh" board.

Can anyone tell me Andrew Swallow's contract status? Cause i want him bad even though you wouldnt give him without the top 5 draft picks.

You'll have to give up Greg Inglis.

 

[RooHooDoo]

Big Kahunas

Big Cojones

 

[The Filth Wizard]

Go England.

 

[windsock]

come on england?

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

come on england?

Im sure someone would have.

 

[LB2Snake]

Im sure someone would have.

YouTube link?

 

[DarwinRoo]

In terms of average disposals per game we only have one player in the top 100......Boomer Harvey. It is no surprise that we get dominated in most of our games against quality opposition.We are just too inexperienced in the guts and until we get 50+ games into these young mids we are going to struggle.

I was dumbfounded at the start of the year when it was obvious that Rawlings was going to play down back. It was always going to leave us too inexperienced in the guts. But credit to Bon, he has bigger kahunas than I thought. It was a very gutsy move by him and hopefully it will pay off big in the long term.

Forgetting Rawlings?

 

[speedy]

Forgetting Rawlings?

I was only looking at our midfielders. Rawlings has been playing in the backline all year.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Have a word to the sub-editor - your thread title doesn't match the points you make!

Our midfield well and truly exists, and it has performed above most people's expectations, even though injuries have made their job even harder. It is just young and needs time and experience, which it is getting. Our boys are getting trusted with the tough jobs week in and week out, with very little help from older bodies to ease their load (even the priority pick kids have Heath Scotland to help them, not to mention Judd) - they and the coaches deserve huge credit.

 

[GarnerSmash]

It is a bit simplistic to be looking at the midfield only and comparing output based on numbers. Statistics can be kind of misleading as a lot depends on the type of game you play. Look at Geelong. They get a bucket load of possies in the midfield because they share it around a lot. This has probably got to do with the fact that teams tend to drop numbers behind the ball and the Cats players are patient enough and good enough to keep control of possession until they find a way through.

We on the other hand appear to play a more counter attacking game. When we win possession we try to run hard and direct, using the ball and a spread of players to generate an overlap. As most teams tend to beat us in the clearences at the moment we are in a beter position to counter attack as we win one on one contests more often then not. This means we don't need to share it around to try and work our way through a flood of players as we tend to have space to run into. Also when considering the importance of our backline in generating attacks at the minute we should also consider their output.

Midfielders

Harvey - 23.8
Anthony - 23.1
Swallow - 20.1
Bastinac - 19.7
Wells - 19.1
Adams - 17.9
Greenwood - 16.3
Garlett - 16
Ziebell - 15.4
Lower - 14
Cunnington - 13
Campbell - 10.4

Backs

Rawlings - 27.3
Firitto - 19.7
Grima - 17.2
Pratt - 16.2
McMahon - 16.2
Thompson - 15.2
Urquhart - 14.7
Wright - 12.1

I think the stats show that we have a pretty even spread of contributors, with our backline generating some decent numbers although some of them would be sideways kicks when switching play. An interesting statistic to see would be meters gained.

I also reckon that it is fair to say that once guys like JZ, Basta, Cunners, Adams, Garlett etc develop enough to allow us to win more of the clearances we will then start to rack up bigger numbers due to teams going defensive against us.

 

[RooHooDoo]

I think one thing that has been noticeable this year is we are getting it inside 50 more often. Disposal still lets us down, but surely that will improve as well once the guys get older and more experienced.