Our Most Important Player

[greatgatsby]

I dont think its defeatist talk i just think it being sensible and realistic. Its probably fair to say that not many on our board really has that much of a clue what is going on at other clubs to say we have the best depth in the league. I'm sure every other club is saying that their draftees are building as well and creating pressure for spots.

Wasn't talking about draftees (although I think we drafted well). Just natural improvement of our younger players, the addition of Sylvia and Gumbleton, and the likelihood - at this stage at least - that our better players are having a stronger preparation than they have had in recent years.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Wasn't talking about draftees (although I think we drafted well). Just natural improvement of our younger players, the addition of Sylvia and Gumbleton, and the likelihood - at this stage at least - that our better players are having a stronger preparation than they have had in recent years.

Plus, Danyle Pearce will absolutely scorch the earth this year.

 

[Wigarus]

Gav Are you questioning me .

Ballas and Walters mate WTF
Who else gets close

Ballas is not the second best small forward in the league. We might have ONE OF the best small forward combinations but there is no way that Ballantyne is the second best in the league.

As for who comes close, just off the top of my head: Rioli, Breust, Betts, Thomas, Garlett, LeCras, Wingard...

Take off the purple glasses.

 

[Righteo]

He clearly meant best small forward combo and it's true, most teams don't even have one quality crumbing forward.

 

[Wigarus]

He clearly meant best small forward combo and it's true, most teams don't even have one quality crumbing forward.

That doesn't seem that clear to me...

With the recruitment of Gumbelton we now have a 2 pronged attack and the best 2 crumbing forwards in the league .

 

[Righteo]

That doesn't seem that clear to me...

Sorry I only looked at the part that you quoted directly above my post, I tend to skim coulda's posts

 

[theGav56]

Ballas is not the second best small forward in the league. We might have ONE OF the best small forward combinations but there is no way that Ballantyne is the second best in the league.

As for who comes close, just off the top of my head: Rioli, Breust, Betts, Thomas, Garlett, LeCras, Wingard...

Take off the purple glasses.

Yeah. And one of my personal favourites, Motlop, and makes a great combination with Christensen. We have a great combination, maybe the best combo, but not the best 2.

 

[Righteo]

Your point just demonstrates to me Gav how murky the "best small forward" waters are to begin with, both of those guys play significant midfield time. Then again Walters is tipped to do the same this year.

 

[theGav56]

Your point just demonstrates to me Gav how murky the "best small forward" waters are to begin with, both of those guys play significant midfield time. Then again Walters is tipped to do the same this year.

Indeed they do, Christensen moreso. As does Ballantyne. They also have Stokes who does ok.

 

[Patty_Moz]

What's that based on? All three players had injuries that kept them out of last year. Are you suggesting that McPharlins calf injury wouldn't have happened if he was rested in round 15?


If they are in any way at obvious risk of injury there is no way the club would play them but team balance and form and winning home and away matches would be at the forefront of the match committees mind I would think.

Everyone points to teams like Geelong for examples of players being rested but they really did nothing different to what we did this year in giving players with niggles the game off. I don't consider that resting of players really.

What its based on is that Mcpharlin has never completed a full season his entire career and his durability has never been a strong point, he has struggled at the business end the last 2 seasons and is now 32. What I'm saying is by reducing his workload during the season we give him the greatest chance of making it to the finals fit and firing.

Pav probably doesn't need to be rested as much but I'd give him a couple of games off mid season to keep him fresh for the second half. Sandi is an unknown he hasn't played anywhere near a full season since 2010, he carries around 120kgs and is 31 again I think by reducing his workload we increase his chance having him fit for the finals.

I'm not pointing to Geelong, I'm suggesting we do this on our own accord. Implemented correctly this is the sort of thing that will change the way older players are managed throughout the league. Chances are you're right and it won't happen but hopefully the old lads make it through the season.

 

[Alfonz]

Given the recent injury form of the big 3, the likelihood is that they miss a chunk of the season by being injured anyway.

The problem with resting players is that while we would be favourites in most games, it is difficult to say many games are absolute lay down miseres.

The following are the easiest of the bunch on paper, and I reckon we'd easily win them all if we had our whole midfield fit, but none of the big 3. But when it comes to consciously resting players, only really the Rd 14 & 17 games are certainties. Some of the others look fairly certain ... but when an away game is involved it makes things trickier ... for example Brisbane beat Geelong at the Gabba last year.

Round 2 v Gold Coast at Patersons Stadium - Saturday March 29 4:40pm (Home)
Round 10 - Bye
Round 11 v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium - Sunday June 1 3:20pm (Away)
Round 14 v Brisbane Lions at Patersons - Saturday June 21 5:40pm (Home)
Round 16 v Melbourne at TIO Stadium - Saturday July 5 7:10pm (Away)
Round 17 v GWS Giants at Patersons Stadium - Sunday July 13 2:40pm (Home)
Round 18 v St Kilda at Etihad Stadium - Saturday July 19 4:40pm (Away)
Round 22 v Brisbane Lions at Gabba - Sunday August 24 1:10pm (Away)

Home games against the likes of North, Port, Carlton, Adelaide ... you would think we would account for these sides easily. But you never know (see Richmond last year), and you would be loathe to deliberately rest players.

 

[theGav56]

If players were to be managed by giving them a game off, ideally that would be away games, and rounds 16, 18 and 22 look well placed for doing this, assuming that where we want to finish at the end of the season is not going to be compromised. Getting players fresh heading towards finals is good player management and there would have been discussions about some of our older, key players (and their potential replacements) I would think. We may be looking fit and full of depth right now, and sure we all expect that a finals berth is ours for the taking, but it all has to be earned.

 

[GilG]

Our most important player? Ryan Crowley. Debate it if you want, but God forbid if he goes down, who tags the opposition's best player? "Ryno" is simply the AFL's best tagger.

 

[clogged]

I imagine Lyon will go into this season with plan to manage the big three through the season.

 

[ozzie69]

I imagine Lyon will go into this season with plan to manage the big three through the season.

Or at least have contingency plans, should the unfortunate happen.

 

[Okinakashi]

Actually, I've changed my mind - our "most important" player, isn't a player. If RTB goes down, we're completly stuffed...

 

[Purple Maverick]

Actually, I've changed my mind - our "most important" player, isn't a player. If RTB goes down, we're completly stuffed...

Well if we are going down this road, the Steves are the most important. If they go down, and we get inadequate replacements, we will lose Bondy and Lyon and we will be back up sh*t creek with out a paddle.

 

[Wigarus]

I definitely don't agree that Ryan is our most important either. Mzungu, De Boer, Menagola and probably a couple other players could fill in Ryans role and do an adequate job. Also I would rather lose Ryan than Fyfe any day of the week and I'd rather lose Fyfe than Pavlich.

We have a good enough midfield that one good midfielder from the opposition getting off the chain isn't going to destroy us. Mzungu and De Boer often play run with roles during games as well.

I would order our most important players like this (based on Last years performance):

Pavlich
McPharlin
Mundy
Fyfe
Johnson
Walters
Ibbotson

Then it probably gets a bit muddy as far as who is most important from there.

Anyone wondering why there was no Sandilands in there, my reasoning is that last year we lost Sandilands and still competed well in the middle, won clearances and stoppages all around the ground, Griff goes down and Clarke comes in and we still won clearances and stoppages against good ruckmen. Admittedly this isn't necessarily the case now, with Griffin and Clarke possibly not ready for Rd 1.


As much as I like Hannath, how much better served would we have been with the likes of Keplar or Gumbleton up forward instead? He came in as a replacement for Bradley if I remember correctly.

 

[mattis117]

Now this is the real answer to this question!

It depends who we are playing! For example, if we are playing Gold Coast, the only guy we need is Crowley to shut down Ablett. However if we are playing West Coast, Crowley can play at full back and it doesn't matter. In fact he can go eat some popcorn behind the goals because we will still pump em by 10 goals.

In those particular games the best player is.... i dont fricken know - kind of a ridiculous question now that I think about it.

Freo play as a team and that is all that is important.

 

[clogged]

Last year the side beat Collingwood without Pavlich, Sandilands, Fyfe and Hill, and drew with Sydney without Pavlich, Sandilands and Hill. On both occasions Fremantle went in with the less experienced side.

I'm not saying that there should ever be a situation where the side deliberately rests more than one of the top over-30 players at a time, but if you can't get it done against one of the bottom 10 sides without one of them, then you're not going to get it done against the top four sides with all of them.

 

[Schauermann]

Our most important player? Ryan Crowley. Debate it if you want, but God forbid if he goes down, who tags the opposition's best player? "Ryno" is simply the AFL's best tagger.

Had similar thoughts a few days ago. Luckily it is unknown how we do without him...

 

[Xanman]

Has to be McPharlin, his rebound along with Duffield is a dangerous weapon to goal. These guys set up a lot of goals from the back line. If they can string a full season between them we have the quality to finish at the other end we will be unstoppable. Just my two cents.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Last year the side beat Collingwood without Pavlich, Sandilands, Fyfe and Hill, and drew with Sydney without Pavlich, Sandilands and Hill. On both occasions Fremantle went in with the less experienced side.

I'm not saying that there should ever be a situation where the side deliberately rests more than one of the top over-30 players at a time, but if you can't get it done against one of the bottom 10 sides without one of them, then you're not going to get it done against the top four sides with all of them.

Plus Walters went off injured in the third and I think it was Spurr who got hurt as well. We were a man short in the final qtr. ( Sydney game ).

 

[Bulldocker]

Mundy...... easily.

As for people's thoughts on our veterans - I have a strong suspicion that the backline may be tweaked a little this year. And Macca may spend a lot more time forward (his body may last longer as a deep forward). Thereby bringing on someone new as a regular like Smith as a defender. A major headache for oppositions would be three or four talls (Pav, Macca, Gumby, Mayne) with Ballas and Walters and dangerous offensive midfielders like the Fyfernator and Sylvia drifting through as well. Pressure on the aging Macca and Pav to perform would be reduced. MDB may be looking to find another position. Now we have a very strong defensive unit, it's time to look at kicking bigger scores to put games away much earlier.

 

[pokerspiv]

I still think the #1 KPI is centre clearances, so for that reason our most important players are Fyfe, Barlow and Mundy in that approxiamate order.