Opinion (POLL) Match Committee 2nd Defender

[tiltraise]

Thought id post a series of Match Committee polls throughout the pre-season in an attempt to stimulate some discussion on who is deserving of having first crack at the varying positions in the round 1 team which will combine into the official BF North Board round 1 team as chosen by you.

I think we can all agree 3 positions pick themselves as follows (feel free to abuse me if you disagree)

1st Defender: Tarrant
Centre: Cunnington
1st Forward: Brown

This leaves 19 positions up for grabs and ill try and post one position each 5 days or so which should hopefully lead into the season proper.

Im starting off with the 2nd Defender position which is generally a tall and poll options reflect this.

Time to put your match committee hat on and voice who you think should get the job.

 

[tiltraise]

Ive gone with Durdin as he looks to have put on a little size in the off season and can also provide a pinch hitting ruck option should this be required.

 

[Grogg]

Yeah Durdin for me as well.

Realistically it will be Thompson, but it will be very interesting to see how the match committee handle this transition.

 

[tiltraise]

Yeah Durdin for me as well.

Realistically it will be Thompson, but it will be very interesting to see how the match committee handle this transition.

Thompson has played on med-small types in the past and having him as a 3rd defender provides some flexibility should Durdin go into ruck or for injury or even allows Durds to switch forward.

 

[Grogg]

Thompson has played on med-small types in the past and having him as a 3rd defender provides some flexibility should Durdin go into ruck or for injury or even allows Durds to switch forward.

My preference is for Neilsen and EVE as a 3rd. I doubt if Thompson will have enough speed to go on the smaller guys these days.

I'm not interested in Durds running around pinch hitting in the Ruck, tbh. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I want him concentrating exclusively on his primary role.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Durds and Taz to take the KPD spots both have the size needed and both athletic
Thompson third tall for 1 year then retires and EVW to take over

 

[Pykie]

McKay doesn’t have many mentions, he’s the biggest of the lot of them and has probably put on the most size in the last 6 months.

JLT will be telling.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

I’d be happy to go with either Durdin or McKay. Both showed considerable improvement last year while both have physically got stronger. Against weaker opposition I’d like to see them
Play on the number 1 key forward too.

Thompson to play third Tall/intercept role. If durdin or McKay is really getting slaughtered then we Thompson can always change roles! Neilson to come in and out of the side to rest both Thompson and Tarrant.

EVW can still play in the side on the smaller types.

 

[Egga]

I’d be very disappointed if Thompson was second defender. I don’t mind him so much as a third, where he can also play a mentoring role for whoever is #2. But we need to get games and experience into Durdin and Nielson, even if it results in the occasional bath.

It’s a bit pointless nominating one or the other as it will 100% come down to preseason/ JLT form. Personally, I think Neilson is a nose in front after last year, but I’ll nominate Durdin purely because id like to see him break out this year.

 

[Skiparoo]

Like most have already stated, we need to get games into Durdin / McKay for that 2nd big defender. Thompson is a 3rd tall defender now and I think is in our team for round 1. However, the position is there for either Neilson / EVW to make their own by the end of the year.

 

[Heaps of fun]

I think rd 1 it should be Thompson unless someone blows him away in the JLT. One of Durdin or Nielson fight for the 3rd tall position but they should have to take the 2nd tall spot off Thompson by merit; it should not be gifted.
Love your work btw tiltraise. Excited for this series.

 

[brettman135]

Durdin.

Any word if McKay has been training with the forwards or defenders to start the preseason?

 

[remfan101]

Williams - Tarrant - Thompson
Jmac - Durdin - Wright/Dec/Hibbo/Murphy

 

[Heaps of fun]

Williams - Tarrant - Thompson
Jmac - Durdin - Wright/Dec/Hibbo/Murphy

We'd be up shit creek again if he were playing Mountford on the HBF.

 

[the big lebowski]

We have three young genuine key defenders (inc both McKay and Durdin who could be forwards). Along with Neilson im hoping all three play as many games as possible in 2018.

What is the point of playing Thompson as a placeholder for one more year? The same can be said for Waite.

I'd rather go into the 2018 draft with a better understanding of our KPP outlook for the future.

IMO Neilson, Durdin, EVW and Williams is the future of our backline.

McKay being a forward.

 

[muttley45]

Voted for Durdin, but how many sides will be fronting up with multiple "Gorilla" KPF's next year ? 2nd defender needs to be pretty mobile at least.

 

[Harris 10]

We play GC

Lynch v Tarrant
McKay -Durdin v Wright

Possibly Sam Day back.

That's a lot of mobile height in their forward half.

 

[Snake_Baker]

It will be Thompson regardless of any polls.

 

[RobZombie]

It will be Thompson regardless of any polls.

I think the point is that we’d rather see Thompson as 3rd defender than 2nd, given he can play on smaller types. I agree, he’ll be picked and given more than enough chances.

Hanging out for the

Williams Tarrant Nielson
EVW Durdin Hibberd

to get a run.

 

[AGC]

A little will also depend on how the club thinks Dec Watson is tracking. Was very bullish on his pick and obviously the injury setback takes him out of any calculations here...but if the club think he’s going to be a long term fix down there I assume it’ll shape some thinking on where Durdin/McKay train.

 

[shimaburnsgrieg]

Voted for Durdin, but how many sides will be fronting up with multiple "Gorilla" KPF's next year ? 2nd defender needs to be pretty mobile at least.

Adelaide will, GWS, Geelong and probably the Dogs now also.

That said the trend to the Richmond approach of one tall forward will no doubt be tried by a few clubs.

I think Taz, Thommo and DN are more than enough to cover most tall forward lines - we wont be able to get much 'bigger' than that or we will sacrifice too much run.

It leaves McKay, Durds and EVW on the waiting list - which is great depth for us - but those youngsters will no doubt be wanting senior game time in 2018. I don't think we can leave them hanging all year.

 

[giantroo]

Buckets in the backline, Durds in the forward line.

 

[Donkey Chop]

It will be Thompson regardless of any polls.

Unless he was told the same thing as Swallow & Thomas and decided to stay anyway?

 

[kangaspurs]

We have three young genuine key defenders (inc both McKay and Durdin who could be forwards). Along with Neilson im hoping all three play as many games as possible in 2018.

What is the point of playing Thompson as a placeholder for one more year? The same can be said for Waite.

I'd rather go into the 2018 draft with a better understanding of our KPP outlook for the future.

IMO Neilson, Durdin, EVW and Williams is the future of our backline.

I absolutely agree with this. I love Thommo as a player and he's been a great servant but I find it baffling that we didn't ask him to look elsewhere at the end of this season. We have an abundance of young key backs on the list, almost too many if you include Watson, who are in desperate need of games. If we accept we're a bottom 4-6 team next year then we gain absolutely nothing by playing Thompson ahead of any of Durdin, Nielsen, McKay or EVW.

I'd like to see our backline look like this with Thommo playing a mentoring role and filling in when the others are jaded, injured or terribly out of form.

M. Williams - Tarrant - Nielsen
EVW - Durdin - Wright

It has a good balance of players that can play tall, medium and small, and most importantly it's stacked with players who have demonstrated composure and excellent skills under pressure in defence. It's the most important trait in a footballer and 4 of the 6 at the very least excel in this area. Perhaps it has a small speed deficiency, but this is easily solved by dropping Atley or MacMillan slightly deeper.

 

[Snake_Baker]

I love Thommo as a player and he's been a great servant but I find it baffling that we didn't ask him to look elsewhere at the end of this season.

Probably because we're not a shit club that discards stalwarts that are still in the best 10 players in the side.