People seem to forget.

[cormick]

The role of "crumber" is from a bygone era and has no place in the modern team structure/role. If Edwards is going to 'make' it he will need to become part of the midfield rotation otherwise he will only ever play a part time role. Nowadays every forward (even Richo) is expected to crumb depending on how the game/play pans out and a permament member of the forward line needs more strings to his bow if he is to cement a place.

I dont reckon thats true...Browny is a crumber, even though he occasionally plays in the middle. Every team has one or two players who are predominantly crumbers (not that many are very good, but Edwards will change that)

 

[polakthetiger]

I dont reckon thats true...Browny is a crumber, even though he occasionally plays in the middle. Every team has one or two players who are predominantly crumbers (not that many are very good, but Edwards will change that)

Going by what I saw on those short clips, and considering it is his 1st year and will play likely as an off the bench forward, I think we will see Cotchin doing some good crumbing in the forward line. Of course you can't take too much from a few 5 secs clips, but he looked very comfortable and at home taking the pill from off the pack. Lets hope a few come off the hands of the other high draft pick R1!

 

[Chops18]

We finished last this year and now, because we've had a few months into the off-season, we will beat team x,y and z.

Why did we finish last? Not good enough skills and not enough hard bodies out on the ground. Who waved this magic wond and has swung this around? Because it surely hasn't happened over the last 3 or 4 pre-seasons. Now, we have the best forward line in the competition! YAY!

I'm one for optimism, sure, but lets be realistic.

We may have finished last but we are still a better outfit the dees even the hawks just had a bad year lost a lot of games that we should of won and a cpl injuries to key players this season will be a better year

 

[sante]

The role of "crumber" is from a bygone era and has no place in the modern team structure/role. If Edwards is going to 'make' it he will need to become part of the midfield rotation otherwise he will only ever play a part time role. Nowadays every forward (even Richo) is expected to crumb depending on how the game/play pans out and a permament member of the forward line needs more strings to his bow if he is to cement a place.

Have you seen the size of Edwards? I mean in 2008, he should be our crumber. Edwards cannot play midfield for a couple of years yet.

What do you mean the "crumber" is from a bygone era? Every team has one

Adelaide: Don't have one, so they drafted 2 in this years draft
Lions: McGrath/Hooper
Carlton: Betts
Pies: Davis
Bombers: Davey
Freo: Farmer

Get the idea?

Crumbers are usually young players who need developing and start off in ither a BP or FP.

 

[emperor]

good thread RFC some people need a good cold bucket of reality tipped on their heads every now and then

 

[emperor]

True RFC but the off-season is the only time of hope for supporters. When the ladder isnt involved and we can dream.

this is also true

 

[Benchwarmer77]

Agree to a point although the list is finally starting to take shape.
I find the Gourdis situation amazing.He,s come to us and now he,s all of a sudden a bargain.Errrrrrrrrrrrrr he missed the ND for a reason.
Still i expect us to improve but not enough to make the 8.Wont finish 16th

Are u serious ???

If i remember correctly..... Foley.... Missed the ND and so did Will T ????

so was there a reason why they missed the Draft ??????

 

[Rancid_Beasties]

Are u serious ???

If i remember correctly..... Foley.... Missed the ND and so did Will T ????

so was there a reason why they missed the Draft ??????

We've actually had more luck with the rookie list and extra late picks than first rounders looking at our current team.

Take for example the 03 draft. Tuck, Raines and Jackson after pick 50 and foley in the rookie, but roach and gilmore inside the 40.

Early draft picks often means big heads.

Late/rookie picks = hard workers.

 

[ToroHombre]

Good chance for Gourdis then. He slipped through to the preseason

 

[_RT_]

IMO, Our first 7 weeks will decide which way the season will pan out. We play:
Carlton (50-50)
Kangaroos (40-60)
Pies (35-65)
Fremantle (10-90)
Bulldogs (50-50)
Hawks (35-65)
Saints (50-50)
()- chance I give Richmond of winning is the first number.

If we can win the 3 50-50 games and pinch one other game then we would enter the first week off with a 3-4/4-3 record. Lose 5 or more of those games and we may as well play for the draft pick like Carlton did. For the simple reason that it will not get any easier with 2 games each against Geelong, Essendon, Melbourne & Adelaide, away games against Port, Sydney and WCE, a return match against the Hawks. Our home games against the Lions, Blues and Freo as probably our 3 best chances to get a win.

However if we can get to that first break with 3-4 wins to our name and the kids are playing with a bit of confidence then there is no reason we can't continue on and finish with a decent result, 8-10 wins. The way the season is set up with the 2 weeks off will give the kids a chance to freshen up unlike the last few years where you see the kids struggling by about round 12.

 

[boodsyboy]

 

[smokey_58au]

Have you seen the size of Edwards? I mean in 2008, he should be our crumber. Edwards cannot play midfield for a couple of years yet.

What do you mean the "crumber" is from a bygone era? Every team has one

Adelaide: Don't have one, so they drafted 2 in this years draft
Lions: McGrath/Hooper
Carlton: Betts
Pies: Davis
Bombers: Davey
Freo: Farmer

Get the idea?

Crumbers are usually young players who need developing and start off in ither a BP or FP.

Name me one team that has a crumber that is specifically picked for that role, plays every game (barring injury) and is successful/integral to team balance?

Of your choices above:

Adelaide - will be looking for their draftees to become midfield/forwards.
McGrath - spasmodic, unreliable and has no future in a successful Lions team - he will be a stop gap measure until bypassed. (No more strings to his bow)
Hooper - plays a running role out of defence and through the midfield, only bobs up in the forward line through hard running from downfield.
Betts - see McGrath but insert "Blues". (No more strings to his bow)
Davis - see McGrath but insert "Pies". (No more strings to his bow)
Davey - is playing forward while being introduced to a midfield role. Will wither and disappear if he doesn't produce as a midfield rotation member. (No more strings to his bow)
Farmer - as close as you get to a crumber and is now finding himself to be a dinosaur as he couldn't adapt to a midfield role and is watching the game pass him by. (No more strings to his bow)

I stand by what I stated in my original reply - if a player does not have more strings to his bow than just being an opportunistic crumber then he will not have a long-lasting and/or successful AFL career. The modern game demands much more from every one of the 22, pure crumbing is a luxury from a bygone day.

Get the idea?

 

[boodsyboy]

that is the moutain Tigers have got to climb go hard Tigers

 

[Tiger67]

Have you seen the size of Edwards? I mean in 2008, he should be our crumber. Edwards cannot play midfield for a couple of years yet.

What do you mean the "crumber" is from a bygone era? Every team has one

Adelaide: Don't have one, so they drafted 2 in this years draft
Lions: McGrath/Hooper
Carlton: Betts
Pies: Davis
Bombers: Davey
Freo: Farmer

Get the idea?

Crumbers are usually young players who need developing and start off in ither a BP or FP.

I agree with you that all teams need a crumbing forward but I think that for the RFC Connors would be suited to this role.
I watched a lot of his junior football and from about age 12 he has had an uncanny goal sense, he reads the play really well and has the Daicos factor about his finishing when he is in goal scoring distance.
Get a copy of the Coburg semi final against Geelong and you will see it all on display.

 

[Rayzorwire]

IMO, Our first 7 weeks will decide which way the season will pan out. We play:
Carlton (50-50)
Kangaroos (40-60)
Pies (35-65)
Fremantle (10-90)
Bulldogs (50-50)
Hawks (35-65)
Saints (50-50)
()- chance I give Richmond of winning is the first number.

If we can win the 3 50-50 games and pinch one other game then we would enter the first week off with a 3-4/4-3 record. Lose 5 or more of those games and we may as well play for the draft pick like Carlton did. For the simple reason that it will not get any easier with 2 games each against Geelong, Essendon, Melbourne & Adelaide, away games against Port, Sydney and WCE, a return match against the Hawks. Our home games against the Lions, Blues and Freo as probably our 3 best chances to get a win.

However if we can get to that first break with 3-4 wins to our name and the kids are playing with a bit of confidence then there is no reason we can't continue on and finish with a decent result, 8-10 wins. The way the season is set up with the 2 weeks off will give the kids a chance to freshen up unlike the last few years where you see the kids struggling by about round 12.

35% chance against the Pies? We've had the wood over them for years mate.

 

[_RT_]

35% chance against the Pies? We've had the wood over them for years mate.

I realise we have a good record in the last couple of years but 5-5 in the last 10 meetings is hardly having the wood over a side.

 

[Rayzorwire]

Three out of four over the last three years during the Wallace era is good enough for me to say we have the wood over them RT.

Before that we were a different side with a different coach. It's no coincidence we have such a good record against both Malthouse and Matthews during the Wallace era. They've been outcoached almost every time.

 

[Stripes666]

We finished last this year and now, because we've had a few months into the off-season, we will beat team x,y and z.

Why did we finish last? Not good enough skills and not enough hard bodies out on the ground. Who waved this magic wond and has swung this around? Because it surely hasn't happened over the last 3 or 4 pre-seasons. Now, we have the best forward line in the competition! YAY!

I'm one for optimism, sure, but lets be realistic.

why be realistic? If I were realistic I would spend the whole year miserable as opposed to the whole season. LEt us who have only seen two finals series enjoy the bulk that our yoiunger players have put on and look forward to the youngsters coming through

 

[NQTIGER]

Have a look at our end to the season- 2 wins from our last 4 games.
Against a finals bound collingwood and an emotionally charged "farewell Sheedy and Hird" essendon.

No one at the start of 07' expected Hawthorn or Magpies (or PA or Geelong for that matter) to do any well...but Hawthorn got confidence from their last few games of 06' and came into 07 with Confidence.

Barring injury, our defence on paper is better than Hawthorns, as is our ruck division, and our forward line is pretty close to theirs (Richo > Buddy), so its only our midfield that isnt quite as good as theirs...but another PS into Lids, bling, Axel and the rest, plus the introduction of Cotchin and we should be fighting up near the 8.

Add in Simmonds and Browny and Coughlan and Polo, and we're lookin in reasonable shape.

Which carlton dick gave u a red?

 

[Truetiger]

IMO, Our first 7 weeks will decide which way the season will pan out. We play:
Carlton (50-50)
Kangaroos (40-60)
Pies (35-65)
Fremantle (10-90)
Bulldogs (50-50)
Hawks (35-65)
Saints (50-50)
()- chance I give Richmond of winning is the first number.

Vs collingwood should be 70-30 our way. We beat em every year and we will continue to do so

 

[Madtiger2006]

Carlton (50-50)-pretty even, but I feel confident
Kangaroos (50-50)-at G in 2006 we won easy. roos overachieved last year
Pies (65-35)-we love playing pies usually
Fremantle (40-60)-we always push freo over there
Bulldogs (50-50)-best chance in a couple of years to beat dogs
Hawks (35-65)-hawks should be the hardest game of first 7 round
Saints (50-50)-best chance in 3 years to beat Saints

I think we should win at least 2 of the 50-50 games, I'd expect to lose to Dogs if we win the first 2. I think we should beat Pies and hopefully Saints. We will push Freo as usual and we really could have won our last 3 or 4 games against them at Subi. I expect us to at least 3 wins and am hopeful of 4 wins with pretty competitive losses to Freo, Hawks and Dogs. But then again we may beat Freo and Dogs. I'd be very disappointed if we have won less than 3. I am confident we can have 4 wins. If we had 5 wins I'd be quite pleased, but we are not without a chance

 

[Roger Dodger]

Why talk about all the hypothetical games we might win? How are we going to beat Carlton round one, perhaps without the strong line-up everyone is raving about?

Don't expect us to be at full strength. Anything can happen to our players before then. The same applies to every other team.

Carlton have higher hopes then us. They will expect to win. Anything beyond round one is irrelevant. There will be 80+ at the G. If past history is anything to go one all we can expect is a shocker.

What are the RFC gonna do about it this year? A statement needs to be made out on the ground. Statements on this forum don't count.

There better be blood.

 

[Wallaby]

I agree with you that all teams need a crumbing forward but I think that for the RFC Connors would be suited to this role.

The 'crumber' position is dead. The old time - "Kicks long to the full-forward, roved by the crumber, he snaps..." isn't planned for by any team. Most goals are kicked by
a) Teamwork running the ball into the 50
b) Marks inside 50
c) picking up a loose ball inside 50 and then passing it around until someone gets a shot on goal.

Of these c) is by far the rarest because sides always flood and have more defenders than the opposition attackers. When the ball hits the ground inside 50 my guess is the defending team gain possession 70-80% of the time - and if the attacking team do get it, they are outnumbered and get swamped.

Yes, you need small, clever, quick players in your forward line - but not to 'crumb the spillage from the pack'. They need to make space in the forward line to receive the ball brought inside 50 by the midfield,

The crumber has been replaced by the small forward who leads - Pettifer is a good example.

I bet even Farmer gets most of his goals from marks.

 

[PLSC]

their is still a spot for crumbers in afl footy they just need to be able to run in the midfield nowadays

guys like krak are dinosaurs and thats why are "dead"

there will always be a place for the davey bros, hooper etc and i wouldnt call them small "marking" forwards at all

 

[Wally Matera]

Yeah people seem to forget we had injuries to most of our most important senior players and we were left with alot of promising kids with minimal experience. We were not far off winning several more games. Expect us to get back to 2006 results because we have a fully fit list and our kids are alot better 1 year on. Our full fit list is much better than 4 wins. Anyone with half a brain should know this

Anyone with half a brain knows that we OVERACHIEVED big style in 2006. Every team has injuries, it shouldnt be seen as an excuse. St.Kilda have been decimated by injuries for years, Essendon havent had there skipper for 2 years and Hird off-and-on, West Coast have had no Cousins for 1/2 a year... really, we shouldnt be complaining about injuries.