Our Team

[The Shev]

In my other thread, I pointed out some of the reasons why we are struggling at the moment. Off field problems, lack of leadership, young and inexperienced team, an average coach and a big loss of good players in recent years were the main reasons.

But I didn't point out that despite all this, we still have a good team for the future and potentially I think it could win a premiership. Yes the team is young and doesn't look too good right now, but we have a couple of stars which at their best can match it with anyone and some great youngsters who have been rated highly and once they get a chance they can show us what their worth.

So let's start with our current squad and lets look at the midfield. I think there is a lot of class in there, but the problem is not enough tough players. The first category is skillful players and the second is your tough players.

Yze, Johnstone, Heffernan and Bruce are similar type players. Classy midfielders with a tonne of skill who can kick goals. None of them are in-and-under pack players and need these players to support them. If they do have them, then these 4 have the potential to run riot as we have seen over the last few years. Yze is the oldest of these four at only 26, so they have many years left.

Godfrey, McDonald and Rigoni are our tough nuts in the middle. They win the ball, tackle hard, burst packs and tag opposition players . Only Rigoni has the potential to kick goals and they don't have as much skill as the above four. But they are very important to the team. Rigoni doesn't have long left but proved this year he is still capable. Godfrey and McDonald are yound and hopefully will develop over the years. With top draft picks this year, I'm hoping one of them is dedicated towards a tough, future champion midfielder or even one who can possibly start right away.

I've left out 3 midfielders on purpose. One is Scott Thompson, a tough youngster with a bright future. I wanted him to play more this season but it wasn't the case. He has the potential to be one of the best tough midfielders in the league.

Steven Armstrong is the next player. He fits into the first category of midfielders, the classy type. But I excluded him beca use he is still young. He along with Thompson didn't get much of a run but proved themselves when they did. Look out for them two next year.

The third one is Luke Williams and the jury is still out on him. He is still young (24) but isn't in either the first category or second category. Averaged 12 possessions and was a good link player from the backline to the midfield. But I don't think he had a big enough impact and is far down the pecking order. He should be kept because he is still young, but I don't see a good future for him.

I like the midfield because potentially it is great. This year it wasn't, but in previous years we were reknowned for our great run and skillful midfield.

Heffernan, Armstrong, Johnstone, Yze, Thompson can be the starting midfielders with Bruce, Godfrey, Rigoni and McDonald ready to replace them. We also have a few small defenders who can play in the middle when things are desperate.

In our reserves is the young Nicholas Walsh, Cameron Hunter, Adam Fisher, Michael Clark and Daniel Bell. Bell looks the best of that group and is should step in to the team one day. The others may struggle.

 

[lamby29]

What we need is a tough inside midfielder with good skills. I think Brock McLean fits this category, and we should recruit him with the #3 pick.

I think the most interesting midfielder we have is young Bell. He has the strength of Godfrey, the skill of Johnstone and the pace of Williams. Obviously he won't become the best midfielder in the League by the end of next year, but I think he may surprise a few in 2004.

Not many players have skill, speed, strength and poise. Bell has them all. He can also play as a key forward or key defender.

 

[lamby29]

And I have no doubt that Cameron Hunter will become a 100+ gamer for us. He has a fair way to go, but he is a special talent. Fisher is also promising. You can forget about Clark and Walsh, they don't have what it takes.

 

[The Shev]

Clark was delisted by us last season and picked up again and Walsh is another Irish experiment. Don't know much about Fisher and have hardly seen Hunter play, perhaps you could fill me in on them a bit. As for Bell, I have heard very good things about him. What type of midfielder is he? You said he can play as a key forward or back, does this mean he is in the mould of a Kouta or Pavlich?

 

[The Shev]

Now on to our forward line. This year it was awful, the set up mainly and this was due to the coaching staff who couldn't figure out a successful system. We need it to change otherwise we will continue to go nowhere and we also need a good centre half forward.

In the goalsquare is Neitz, who is a monster and one of the best forwards in the game. The last two years he has kicked 147 goals which is great. But it could be more if he is used better. Neitz battles his ass off every match but the delivery is usually sloppy and when we look for him every time, it becomes predictable and easy to stop. Neitz is 28 (29 next season) so he isn't on the younger side anymore. We need to develop a team quickly so that we can still use Neitz while he's young.

Our other forward options include Robertson, Green & Vardy. These players are fairly similar in my mind, medium sized forwards who can all take a good mark and kick a good goal. Unfortunately, Vardy was injured but he knows how to play. He is experienced, underrated and reliable. I think Vardy is a great player and if he can stay injury free then he will certainly kick 30-40 odd. However, he is 28 and if he doesn't get some full seasons in then he could disappear. Robertson had to play out of position, attracting the second best and biggest defender every week. He had a good year despite this difficulty and was very consistant, a chance for the B&F. He is agile and athletic, known for taking screamers but can be a very good goals sneak. Green had an off season but has potential. He had a stint in the midfield whihc worked out well. He will never be a champion goalkicker because of his size, but he can be an very effective second forward. None of these players burst through packs or outbody mammoth defenders. But they are all clever players with great skills and are pretty handy.

Miller made his name this year with some solid performances at centre half forward. If he can play a full season there nmext year then he will develop into a good key position player and hopefully the one we have been looking for. Miller can also play down back but he is most effective up forward and we really need a key player there. If Miller is the one, then our forward line all of a sudden takes a massive step forward. With another big body to kick to, the likes of Robbo, Green, Vardy, Bruce, Armstrong and Yze can work off him and this also takes the pressure of Neitz.

Armstrong and Bruce are others who have played up forward for us. I see Armstrong's future in the midfield, although he can play as a handy small forward at times. Bruce is a utility who can play off the forward line (similar to Robbo and Green), he can play midfield or tag and he can play off the half back line.

Moorcroft will probably get delisted after an unsuccessful season. He is a small forward who is inconsistant but on his game can be very dangerous. However, he doesn't look like the right one and will probably leave. Poyas is another who I expect to be delisted. A small forward from richmond who hasn't been used at all for the Demons this year. Breese has been at the club for three years and suffered from injuries. He hasn't played a senior game and doesn't looke lik doing so. I'd expect him to make room for a younger player. taken at no. 62, he never really looked a good prospect.

Rivers is a young tall who made his debut this year. He did not make an impact and will be given another year in the reserves to develop. A strong mark and a hard runner, he looks versatile but will need a bit of luck to secure a spot in the future. Rogers is a similar player to Rivers. Young, tall key position player who is still battling in the reserves. Not sure if he will be in the team anytime soon. Smith is a highly rated prospect who can play centre half forward or centre half back. Played 3 games with little effect but should feature in the team in future years.

So there we are. Basically, if Miller steps up he will be a good solution to our centre half forward problem but if he doesn't, then maybe we should look at other clubs. However, Smith is a talent. We need to utilise Neitz better and with class players liuke Robertson, Green and Vardy, the forward line has a lot of potential.