Player Watch Reef McInnes

[LuckyLee]

He’s a leader on field through training. Like Murphy was, he directs players where they need to be. Very vocal.

Huh? Are you saying that Reef is directing team-mates’ positioning - despite being a complete newby to AFL level defence?

I’d have thought guys like Moore Maynard Howe Crisp Pendles should be doing the directing and Reef should be doing the listening.

(Or is that just old-school thinking? )


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[sr36]

Huh? Are you saying that Reef is directing team-mates’ positioning - despite being a complete newby to AFL level defence?

I’d have thought guys like Moore Maynard Howe Crisp Pendles should be doing the directing and Reef should be doing the listening.

(Or is that just old-school thinking? )


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Those on the last line are in a better place to see the holes in positioning - the forest from the trees

Murphy wasn't a senior veteran when he was directing players. He was fantastic in 2023, but that was a big rise - he was a fringe player before then, considered likely to lose his spot in the 2023 team if Frampton was the goods.

 

[manicpie]

Apart from that, he's a walk up start for OR.

True but let's see if he plays more than just opening round. Playing opening round doesn't mean he's a lock for the year. I'm happy to wait and see how his year pans out.

 

[Carlthetruth]

Huh? Are you saying that Reef is directing team-mates’ positioning - despite being a complete newby to AFL level defence?

I’d have thought guys like Moore Maynard Howe Crisp Pendles should be doing the directing and Reef should be doing the listening.

(Or is that just old-school thinking? )


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What a strange observation, only some team-mates should talk to each other and others should not, you need to rethink that.

 

[Apex36]

Huh? Are you saying that Reef is directing team-mates’ positioning - despite being a complete newby to AFL level defence?

I’d have thought guys like Moore Maynard Howe Crisp Pendles should be doing the directing and Reef should be doing the listening.

(Or is that just old-school thinking? )


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Old school thinking. Part of the reason Murphy worked so well in defence so quickly was because he was very vocal. Reef is doing exactly what his coaches and team mates would want him to be doing from the sounds of it.

 

[jmac70]

Forwards are going to fear The Reefer.

 

[Jen2310]

Reef running down Bobby

There has been a big focus on pressure and tackling this pre-season

 

[Think Goodly]

Not sure if I am making things up but Reef seems to have more of a strut in his step in a lot of the videos

 

[Vicky Park]

Really hope the resurrection of Reef is not a mirage.

I’m still burnt from believing in too many other ‘March’ champions, although with the earlier start to the season, it should probably be ‘February’ champions.

 

[Pistol Night]

Forwards are going to fear The Reefer.

All apart from Willie Rioli

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Really hope the resurrection of Reef is not a mirage.

I’m still burnt from believing in too many other ‘March’ champions, although with the earlier start to the season, it should probably be ‘February’ champions.

Gault for 100 this year

 

[Jen2310]

Really hope the resurrection of Reef is not a mirage.

I’m still burnt from believing in too many other ‘March’ champions, although with the earlier start to the season, it should probably be ‘February’ champions.

Hopefully he can translate his form into games. But have faith. It's something you've got to see to believe. If he can solid a spot down there, it'll be for the benefit for him and for the team. But the signs are optimistic.

 

[LuckyLee]

What a strange observation, only some team-mates should talk to each other and others should not, you need to rethink that.

Of course the defensive unit needs to communicate very well together - I just find it odd that the least experienced and most unproven player would be doing much instructing. Would that happen in your workplace?

Anyway, it’s no biggie. We’ll see how it plays out over the first few rounds. Hopefully young Reefer kills it. [emoji106]


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[Jen2310]

Of course the defensive unit needs to communicate very well together - I just find it odd that the least experienced and most unproven player would be doing much instructing. Would that happen in your workplace?

Anyway, it’s no biggie. We’ll see how it plays out over the first few rounds. Hopefully young Reefer kills it. [emoji106]


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From what I'm told it's nothing new. It's something he has been doing over the last 12 months. Speaking up, taking leadership and trying to be as vocal as possible. Not just on field, but inside the club, in meeting etc.
It's what you want to see from a young player.

 

[Scodog10]

The love in for Reef really would shock me if I wasn’t feeling this overwhelming sense of déjà vu. For some reason it feels exactly the same as when Jen has pumped up Macrae, Eyre, Chugg, Briskey and C Brown.

I know it won’t happen, but it’d be awesome if as a collective we tempered our expectations of a 20 gamer, 5 years in, playing a new role, who hasn’t actually had a competitive senior hit out in the role yet? Maybe he makes it in the new role, but it’s much more likely he’ll be out of the senior line up by Rd 5 with the opponents he’ll likely face across the first 4 matches.

 

[Scodog10]

Of course the defensive unit needs to communicate very well together - I just find it odd that the least experienced and most unproven player would be doing much instructing. Would that happen in your workplace?

Anyway, it’s no biggie. We’ll see how it plays out over the first few rounds. Hopefully young Reefer kills it. [emoji106]


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You were bang on. He’s never played a senior minute in the role yet he’s organising the grid? That’s concerning. It took Murphy 2 years of continuity to nail that and we’re expected to be winning premierships in that period. For me it highlights how big the miss on Keane was more than anything.

 

[Jen2310]

The love in for Reef really would shock me if I wasn’t feeling this overwhelming sense of déjà vu. For some reason it feels exactly the same as when Jen has pumped up Macrae, Eyre, Chugg, Briskey and C Brown.

I know it won’t happen, but it’d be awesome if as a collective we tempered our expectations of a 20 gamer, 5 years in, playing a new role, who hasn’t actually had a competitive senior hit out in the role yet? Maybe he makes it in the new role, but it’s much more likely he’ll be out of the senior line up by Rd 5 with the opponents he’ll likely face across the first 4 matches.

It's not just me though (multiple players have said the same thing)? Anyone that has gone to training this pre-season and seen him week in and out. Nothing wrong with being optimistic, and has given fans great hope this role change is the one that can spring his career into form.
The coaches obviously see it too, which has given him confidence. I'm sure it won't be smooth sailing but we can only take it one week at a time, and for now, he's at the top of the pecking order. He'll get a decent run of games and then we'll see how he has adjusted to the role.

Of course the truth will be in the pudding and for him to translate this form into games. But can only judge on what I see, though, yeah?

 

[LuckyLee]

From what I'm told it's nothing new. It's something he has been doing over the last 12 months. Speaking up, taking leadership and trying to be as vocal as possible. Not just on field, but inside the club, in meeting etc.
It's what you want to see from a young player.

Yep, I suppose so. We’ll know soon enough. Much of the pre-season commentary about Reef sounds awfully similar to what was being said about Fin a year ago. It’s only when the real stuff starts that we find out the truth.

Fingers crossed for Reef coz we certainly need to find some more AFL level defenders.


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[Jen2310]

Yep, I suppose so. We’ll know soon enough. Much of the pre-season commentary about Reef sounds awfully similar to what was being said about Fin a year ago. It’s only when the real stuff starts that we find out the truth.

Fingers crossed for Reef coz we certainly need to find some more AFL level defenders.


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Its hard to compare given the different roles. And there is more of a role down back where Reef can make it his own. Can only judge what we see, and hopefully he can translate it in games.
It's obviously easier to be a defender than a forward at a young age, and he might find it better to see the game in front of him. Lets hope it works out. He did look good down there in the last 3/4 of the year without a pre-season so they obviously saw enough to decide thats where they would put him, and probably enough to see it was worth not recruiting another defender for.

Its all about which one of Frampton, Dean or Reef can work best with moore. The other two struggled with the connection so they are probably hoping third time's the charm. They're giving him first crack at least and see what he can make out with it.

 

[Harry O]

GWS will be an interesting test case -

If they select Hogan Cadman Stringer and Callum Brown as their tall forwards plus their mosquito fleet and 1 ruck

How would we structure the defence ?

GWS will try all game to get Hogan on Reef Do we stick to our structure or make Moore follow Hogan everywhere?

Reef giving away a lot of size to Cadman but would he go there ?

Maynard and Howe to rotate through the Stringer / Brown mid size forwards ?

Or would Reef take a small forward given his pace

 

[Jen2310]

GWS will be an interesting test case -

If they select Hogan Cadman Stringer and Callum Brown as their tall forwards plus their mosquito fleet and 1 ruck

How would we structure the defence ?

GWS will try all game to get Hogan on Reef Do we stick to our structure or make Moore follow Hogan everywhere?

Reef giving away a lot of size to Cadman but would he go there ?

Maynard and Howe to rotate through the Stringer / Brown mid size forwards ?

Or would Reef take a small forward given his pace

Lets see what Fox footy thinks.

No Brown. Maybe he'll play on Cadman or Stringer?

Moore/reef has been rotating between FB and then higher up the ground

 

[Vicky Park]

Gault for 100 this year

I believed in Gault! In March

 

[Harry O]

Bedford on Nick Daicos will be an interesting test for Nick

If GWS go with that forward line the match ups might be
Moore - Hogan
Howe - Cadman
Quaynor - Toby Tax
Maynard - Stringer
J Daicos - D Jones
McInnes - B Daniels

Or Perryman plays defence until Houston returns
Could do with Noble on Daniels Jones H Thomas etc

 

[LuckyLee]

Its hard to compare given the different roles. And there is more of a role down back where Reef can make it his own. Can only judge what we see, and hopefully he can translate it in games.
It's obviously easier to be a defender than a forward at a young age, and he might find it better to see the game in front of him. Lets hope it works out. He did look good down there in the last 3/4 of the year without a pre-season so they obviously saw enough to decide thats where they would put him, and probably enough to see it was worth not recruiting another defender for.

Its all about which one of Frampton, Dean or Reef can work best with moore. The other two struggled with the connection so they are probably hoping third time's the charm. They're giving him first crack at least and see what he can make out with it.

Yes, that’s right - and pray Moore doesn’t go down injured coz the thought of our tall defensive posts being filled by two of Frampton, Dean and McInnes for any length of time would end any Premiership hopes. (We really should have outbid Hawks for either Battle or Barrass.)

Watching Reef play as a forward, I was always struck by his lack of natural game reading ability - he didn’t instinctively know where to run to get the ball and consequently averaged very low possession numbers. At least in defence, it’s much more structured and system-based, with Reef’s opponent mostly leading him to the ball. There’s still the issue of knowing when to leave an opponent to help a teammate - which Murphy was BRILLIANT at - and that might take Reef a while to figure out.


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[Jen2310]

Yes, that’s right - and pray Moore doesn’t go down injured coz the thought of our tall defensive posts being filled by two of Frampton, Dean and McInnes for any length of time would end any Premiership hopes. (We really should have outbid Hawks for either Battle or Barrass.)

Watching Reef play as a forward, I was always struck by his lack of natural game reading ability - he didn’t instinctively know where to run to get the ball and consequently averaged very low possession numbers. At least in defence, it’s much more structured and system-based, with Reef’s opponent mostly leading him to the ball. There’s still the issue of knowing when to leave an opponent to help a teammate - which Murphy was BRILLIANT at - and that might take Reef a while to figure out. [emoji1696]


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It’ll prob take some time. He’s new at this time, but the more experience he gets down there and forming connection with the back 6 hopefully he’ll find the synergy that was lacking down there and he becomes comfortable
We will get a sense in the next few weeks with the practice games at least before opening round