Training Pre Season

[BrutThough]

If it's true that Hughy has she'd the kilos and and is far more athletic then before, I could see him taking Gilbert's role over. A tall athletic utility that can pinch hit in the ruck. But I could just be talking crap. I would just like to see Hugh be a really tough match up anywhere on the field

Definitely talking crap there.
Hugh is a key position player and wouldn't have capacity to float around the ground with the running capacity and tackling ability that Gilbert has.

 

[majortinkle]

Definitely talking crap there.
Hugh is a key position player and wouldn't have capacity to float around the ground with the running capacity and tackling ability that Gilbert has.

Acres would though. Battle may do - or may in the future.

If we don’t give acres time in the mids I’d like to see him take Gilbert’s role over a purely forward role

 

[BrutThough]

Acres would though. Battle may do - or may in the future.

If we don’t give acres time in the mids I’d like to see him take Gilbert’s role over a purely forward role

I could see Acres playing that role easily - he is very versatile, great runner and has a good heigh to be opposing in most positions. Also has that slight lag of awareness that Gilbert has.

Battle has the running ability, but is definitely suited to an attacking position rather than a position where you need to defend. He could definitely play that Riewoldt wing role in a few years.

Goddard, however, is a completely different type of player.

 

[stavro#4]

Acres would though. Battle may do - or may in the future.

If we don’t give acres time in the mids I’d like to see him take Gilbert’s role over a purely forward role

Acres will become a full-time mid who rests forward. Easily getting 30 odd touches a game in his prime

Battle. Serious potential. Very pleasing how far he has come in 12 months. Could be jack gunston or Lynch at the crows good. But I think he could be even better. I see all 4 of Paddy Bruce Membrey and battle playing forward in time. 3 of them have massive tanks which would support Paddy and could really stretch opposition teams.

Explains the emphasis on transition for us when you know we have a real strength in covering the ground.

Also don't be surprised if we line up with alot of intercept marking in our back half. Carlisle robbo coffield. All great kicks of the footy too.

Lastly Billy longer is in fantastic shape. Lost a few kilos and moving well. Hickey might find it hard to get a game.

 

[The Delusionist]

No worries mate, he's about 193cm and has elite or very good endurance and is strong overhead and a very good kick, so going forward he is likely to be able to take marks inside 50, as a marking/leading target, or also play more of a Tom Lynch (Crows version) type role up the ground, being a link between the backline and forward line, covering lots of ground.

At Heilebury he's been mentored by Matthew Lloyd for the last 2-3 years, and he's going out with Fev's step-daughter, so he's also got Fev in his corner, and at St Kilda last year he had Roo mentoring him, so he's been learning his craft from 3 of the best of the last 20 years!

Can't like this post enough!

Is there another recent St Kilda pick up who has also been mentored by Lloyd?
I feel like I've definitely read about that somewhere, but Battle doesn't sound familiar.

Roo, Fev and Lloyd. Not a bad start to a career!
Wasn't Fev always a fan of the Saints as well?

 

[Mstr Strokesman]

Can't like this post enough!

Is there another recent St Kilda pick up who has also been mentored by Lloyd?
I feel like I've definitely read about that somewhere, but Battle doesn't sound familiar.

Roo, Fev and Lloyd. Not a bad start to a career!
Wasn't Fev always a fan of the Saints as well?

Clavirino was at Haileybury with Battle but at different campus
Lloyd does skills work with the firsts
Interesting to note Crawford and Judd’s kids also go to Haileybury
Would think they will have an involvement as they get older

 

[gringo2011]

No worries mate, he's about 193cm and has elite or very good endurance and is strong overhead and a very good kick, so going forward he is likely to be able to take marks inside 50, as a marking/leading target, or also play more of a Tom Lynch (Crows version) type role up the ground, being a link between the backline and forward line, covering lots of ground.

At Heilebury he's been mentored by Matthew Lloyd for the last 2-3 years, and he's going out with Fev's step-daughter, so he's also got Fev in his corner, and at St Kilda last year he had Roo mentoring him, so he's been learning his craft from 3 of the best of the last 20 years!

Was big on him in his draft year, funny enough the knocks were his agility which when he plays looks above average. He gets lots of goals as a sneak rather than a marking target ...well at the TAC level anyway. He always claimed he's a slippery third tall with good endurance and liked to suggest he'd followed the way Gunston from the Hawks played and likes to emulate his game. Would love to develop him into a back man if we can't find a spot forward. His endurance and run are very good.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Yeah I've often wondered in the last 6 months whether Battle might end up being played down back if Paddy ends up establishing himself.

Apparently he spent some time down there in at least one game late in the season.

 

[DarkSaint]

Yeah I've often wondered in the last 6 months whether Battle might end up being played down back if Paddy ends up establishing himself.

Apparently he spent some time down there in at least one game late in the season.

If he turned out like James Sicily I would be pretty happy (including the flogness haha)

 

[CursingFijian]

 

[CursingFijian]

Ed Phillips.

 

[CursingFijian]

Ben Paton.

 

[Brains Trust66]

I completely missed this, sorry.
Thanks very much!
What a unit. For some reason he reminds me a bit of J. Blake.

Watching the highlights of Battle I’m amazed that he slipped through to us . I would have thought he would have been a top 20 pick or maybe even top 10 . Lucky us .


Can’t wait for 2018 season.

 

[StCicatriz]

Watching the highlights of Battle I’m amazed that he slipped through to us . I would have thought he would have been a top 20 pick or maybe even top 10 . Lucky us .


Can’t wait for 2018 season.

i remember coming away from his U18 game at subiaco oval, going WOW!!!! he had the best 5 minutes of any U18 i've ever seen. it was unbelievable. everything he touched turned to gold and it looked like him vs WA. i just remembered thinking, well there's no point discussing him anymore, he'll be long gone before our first pick

if you havent done so already, check out his highlights from that game, including his soccer from the pocket

 

[LeonardHayes87]

i remember coming away from his U18 game at subiaco oval, going WOW!!!! he had the best 5 minutes of any U18 i've ever seen. it was unbelievable. everything he touched turned to gold and it looked like him vs WA. i just remembered thinking, well there's no point discussing him anymore, he'll be long gone before our first pick

if you havent done so already, check out his highlights from that game, including his soccer from the pocket

I think you'd find that the saints had him a lot higher on their draft board and when he was still there at our pick he was too good to pass up. We're pretty well stacked for forward targets but I'm still excited we picked up - looks to have something special about him.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

i remember coming away from his U18 game at subiaco oval, going WOW!!!! he had the best 5 minutes of any U18 i've ever seen. it was unbelievable. everything he touched turned to gold and it looked like him vs WA. i just remembered thinking, well there's no point discussing him anymore, he'll be long gone before our first pick

if you havent done so already, check out his highlights from that game, including his soccer from the pocket

Back in 2016 Bishop had him as 23 in his power ratings, and 29th in his phantom.
Knightmare's earlier phantoms had him going to Richmond at 27th.
Twomey had him at 26.

Not sure why he slid to us at 39, maybe its because he was only viewed as being able to be a 2nd or 3rd tall forward due to his being 192 cm.

Matt Balmer said..
Josh Battle has one of the best ‘Footy IQs’ in the 2016 draft pool. Battle reads the play superbly inside 50 and his endurance is another one of his major assets when he gets up the ground on long leads. Battle can kick quick bags of goals and his fluid set shot routine means he kicks more than he missing, where he kicks the ball well through whether he is 20m or 55m out from goal. A Year 11 boy at Haileybury College will likely see him stay in Victoria wherever he is drafted to complete his schooling, similar to how Patrick Dangerfield and Jack Watts have done in the past. An ok mark overhead, but at 192cm it is unlikely he can play as a number one tall in an AFL environment. Can just be a straight line runner and will need to work on his agility.

Todd Marshall was generally rated more highly as a forward, but i think that was because clubs still have this fantasy of a two metre tall forward who can fill in the ruck. In reality a lot of these sorts of guys don't work out but looking at the stats below there seems to be something in it.


Goals per game in 2017. ( key forwards ).
Kennedy 1.96 3.6
Franklin 1.96 3
Ben Brown 2.00 2.9
Daniher 2.01 2.8
Jeremy Cameron 1.96 2.4
Taylor Walker 1.94 2.3
Tom Hawkins 1.98 2.3
Tom Lynch 1.99 2.3
Jack Riewoldt 1.95 2.3
Jarrad Waite 1.94 2.2
Cale Hooker 1.96
Josh Jenkins 1.99
Charlie Dixon 2.00
Jonathan Patton 1.97
Jesse Hogan 1.95 ( 2 per game )
-------------------
Jack Darling 1.91
Tim Membrey 1.88

We're defying the odds for any but Bruce to be a 50+ goal a year player, but hell odds are for defying, and if we end up with three forwards who kick 130 between them, that'll probably do it.

A single player kicking 19 in 10 games or 22 in ten games isn't going to change the outcome of a season.

 

[Joffaboy]

i remember coming away from his U18 game at subiaco oval, going WOW!!!! he had the best 5 minutes of any U18 i've ever seen. it was unbelievable. everything he touched turned to gold and it looked like him vs WA. i just remembered thinking, well there's no point discussing him anymore, he'll be long gone before our first pick

if you havent done so already, check out his highlights from that game, including his soccer from the pocket

Shifter Sheahan said he was the steal of the draft @ 39 if that means anything to anyone.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[cooperrules]

Shifter Sheahan said he was the steal of the draft @ 39 if that means anything to anyone.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

Leon harris said lonie was the steal of his draft

 

[Stewart66]

Acres will become a full-time mid who rests forward. Easily getting 30 odd touches a game in his prime

Battle. Serious potential. Very pleasing how far he has come in 12 months. Could be jack gunston or Lynch at the crows good. But I think he could be even better. I see all 4 of Paddy Bruce Membrey and battle playing forward in time. 3 of them have massive tanks which would support Paddy and could really stretch opposition teams.

Explains the emphasis on transition for us when you know we have a real strength in covering the ground.

Also don't be surprised if we line up with alot of intercept marking in our back half. Carlisle robbo coffield. All great kicks of the footy too.

Lastly Billy longer is in fantastic shape. Lost a few kilos and moving well. Hickey might find it hard to get a game.

Agree Stav think Battle, Paddy , Membrey , Bruce with Acres resting forward will be interesting combination
going forward..

 

[SufferingS8INT]

I like Lonie but he has to stop this playing for free kicks that has crept into his game . Time for him to get back to basics and work on his kicking . In his first year he was one of our most reliable kicks at goal from any angle from about 40 metres out . Last season he lost all confidence missing the easiest shots from right in front . I think he’s feeling the pressure from the words potential star that was thrown around during his first year .


Can’t wait for 2018 season.

Agreed, especially hate the playing for free kicks.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Agree Stav think Battle, Paddy , Membrey , Bruce with Acres resting forward will be interesting combination
going forward..

I'm not sure that there's room for all four.

 

[SufferingS8INT]

If he turned out like James Sicily I would be pretty happy (including the flogness haha)

Have you seen Sicily’s FB (fake)? Classic!!!

 

[aussierulesrules]

I'm not sure that there's room for all four.

Especially if Acres happens to be up there a lot still too!

When we didn't mark the ball it would fly back out of there so fast it wouldn't be funny.

 

[gringo2011]

Watching the highlights of Battle I’m amazed that he slipped through to us . I would have thought he would have been a top 20 pick or maybe even top 10 . Lucky us .


Can’t wait for 2018 season.

yeah he was talked about as a high pick but drifted out. He was a good get.

 

[Stewart66]

Especially if Acres happens to be up there a lot still too!

When we didn't mark the ball it would fly back out of there so fast it wouldn't be funny.

The game changes each year not saying they will , but will say this at training they are practising a lot
with Membrey & Battle featuring as being deep forwards whilst Paddy is out
Just my observation ......but
Teams that mark the ball inside 50 that kick straight tend to win a lot of games