Player's best position

[rgauci]

Quite a few of our players seem to be played in a variety of positions. Some have successfully varied their game. Others haven't.

I think the Mundy to midfield experiment is failing. He was a great backman. Personally i'd return Mundy to the backline.

Tarrant as a backman is 1st class. But mentally im not sure he'd be happy continuing his career with us as a backman in a bottom of the ladder team. Tough choice.

Schammer went from midfield to back pocket and now back to midfield. Not surprisingly, back in the midfield he is playing his best footy. Our 2nd biggest possession winner so far this season.

Crowley, HFF, tagger, HBF...the best taggers in the business can get the ball themselves. Crowley just doesn't seem to have that ability. His skills don't allow him to be a good link player. Its worrying where his future lies unless he can reinvent himself. If everyone around him improves he could probably stay in the team as our number 1 tagger. Though with continued poor team performance his role will become more and more suspect.

Michael Johnson. Plays his best footy in defence as the loose man. Didn't have a great game against Saints but im willing to forgive and forget. I'd continue to play him as the spare man. Peter Burgoyne has made a career from it. Johnno skills are good. They just seem to have desserted him for the moment. Though with Mundy playing back, with Hayden and Suban helping out. The kicks out of defence start to look good.

Pavlich...forward. I was all for the midfield experiment before the season started, but teams have planned for the Pav midfielder and he's far less damaging than when forward. I'd still give him stints in the midfield but his primary role should be forward.

McPharlin. Tough one, at the moment he just can't kick straight. Which kills us up forward. He's equally serviceable forward or back. He's actually in pretty poor form at the moment. He use to nail most shots despite his wierd kicking action. He's actually underperforming as a backman in comparison with Tarrant. In saying that, he seems to be outperforming Grover. Personally i'd play him forward with Pav and tell him to sort the kicking out. With Johnno, Mundy, Grover, Tarrant all playing back. I think he's better utilised up forward.

 

[Chris25]

McPharlin has to play at FB. He was named in the preliminary All-Australian squad as a defender, and there is a very good reason for that. He is an ok forward, but despite his average start to the season, he could be the best full back in the AFL if he stays down there.

 

[Rob]

McPharlin. Tough one, at the moment he just can't kick straight. Which kills us up forward. He's equally serviceable forward or back.

No, he's not. He's a champion key backman and an ordinary key forward.

Didn't have a great game last week, but is generally one of the best stoppers in the league, a reliable mark and reliable kick.

As a key forward, his value is really only in the surprise element.

 

[rgauci]

No, he's not. He's a champion key backman and an ordinary key forward.

Didn't have a great game last week, but is generally one of the best stoppers in the league, a reliable mark and reliable kick.

As a key forward, his value is really only in the surprise element.

So that begs the question. If McPharlin is great as a backman, Tarrant is also great as a backman. Where does that leave Grover who is also great as a backman?

Our backline is far too tall....Add Johnson, Mundy (should be played in the backline).

 

[ohhhBigMalcho]

paul duffield as a midfielder not as a HBFlanker. he should be used as a wingman or possibly a tagger

 

[estibador]

This is probably the thing that annoys me most about Harves' coaching. It's fine to have a bit of flexibility but our structure is all over the shop at the moment. It's robbing players of confidence and preventing the team from building any chemistry.

Look at all the great premiership teams and they all have set structures where players all know their roles and are confident in what their teammates around them are going to do. How are we supposed to develop that sort of understanding when our players are all in different positions every week?

 

[Rob]

So that begs the question. If McPharlin is great as a backman, Tarrant is also great as a backman. Where does that leave Grover who is also great as a backman?

Our backline is far too tall....Add Johnson, Mundy (should be played in the backline).

I guess you've got a team balance issue - so it depends on the opposition.
This week i'd be more inclined to play Tarrant in the forward line if Hall doesn't play.

I know one thing though - Grover isn't a forward's bootlace and if he can't fit into the backline somewhere then he's going to struggle to get a game.

 

[Shaymuhz]

while i agree that johnno should deefinitely head to the backline i wouldnt mind seeing mundy get a run in the midfield for a while longer yet. he has shown good signs at the clearances and if he can get his hands on the footy *should* be able to deliver it into the forward 50 well. as for the others have pav in the forwardline, taz, mcpharlin and grover as the 3 tall backs and leave pav in the forwardline ffs

 

[Lach72]

Hayden Tarrant Broughton
Mundy Mcpharlin Suban

I would argue thatt Tarrant has been our best back

 

[Clay Davis]

McPharlin isn't a forward's arseh*le.

 

[Nodgey]

I think that's a bit harsh, gravy, but I do endorse the general gist of those sentiments.

McPharlin is best FOR US in the backline. Pavlich is most damaging FORWARD. Ibbo is NOT a tagger, or a defender. Duff is a midfielder. Gilmore is not a defender. Murphy is only a FF.

Hell, even Steve Silvagni said he preferred to play forward (as did Ashley McIntosh) but they were better as defenders, so that's where they were used.

We simply must settle our players into their best positions and work from there. The constant changing is unsettling our players and contributing to our current situation.

 

[prattsta]

I guess you've got a team balance issue - so it depends on the opposition.
This week i'd be more inclined to play Tarrant in the forward line if Hall doesn't play.

I know one thing though - Grover isn't a forward's bootlace and if he can't fit into the backline somewhere then he's going to struggle to get a game.

Fremantle definitely have a balance issue. With the back line being the most obvious example. A lot of guys are being played because of their talent rather than being the best option in a certain position. That's why our team seems to be full of utility players.

MJ for instance should be played in a KP, or not at all. Rather than having to fight for a KP spot he seems to get played on the 5th/6th opposition forward or as a loose man. On ability he is one of our better players (sometimes...). He's about 4th or 5th in line as far as the position he should be playing goes though.

This is how I'd line up the back line most weeks-

B Hayden - McPharlin - Broughton/Grover
HB Mundy - Tarrant - Suban

I Grover/Broughton

One of Grover or Broughton to start on the bench depending on match ups. Mundy would possibly have to rotate onto the third tall every now and then. Grover would also need to cover the first/second forward occasionally as well. Tarrant is the variable as well, NOT McPharlin.

Just on Grover, everyone seems to like getting stuck into him because he isn't your prototypical KPD. At the end of the day he does a shut-down job on the opposition's key forwards better than most of our players, if not all of them.

 

[Polly]

Just on Grover, everyone seems to like getting stuck into him because he isn't your prototypical KPD. At the end of the day he does a shut-down job on the opposition's key forwards better than most of our players, if not all of them.

Totally agree, I would think Grover is one of the first picked every week.
McPharlin should be a permanent resident down back:

Broughton-Grover-Hayden
Mundy-McPharlin-Suban
Ibbotson-Hasleby-Tarrant
Mayne-Pavlova-Johnson
Ballantyne-Murphy-Peake

Foll: Palmer,Crowley,Sandi
I/C: Hill, Schammer, Duffield, Clarke

Dodd, Hinkley, Soloman and Bradley unlucky!

Thats my two pennies worth, injuries permitting!