Preview Round 1, 2020: North Melbourne v St.Kilda - Marvel Stadium, Sunday 22nd March, 1:10PM AEDT *HILL 150TH, KING DEBUT*

[Premium]

I know you love your genuine talls but there is still no proof that 200cm plus players make star or even very good forwards or backs. The best still seem to be around 194 to 196 mark. Im sure you will find one to prove that it works for the fair few who don't. To even say Ben King has it all over Battle as a back is genuine guess work. Not even sure he has played an AFL game there where as we know Battle had a bloody good year as a key back last year. We don't need him anyway. We have Brown and Marsh as tall forwards and backs.

Tony Lockett was 1.91m so being 2m doesn't really prove a thing if they are not a great overhead mark - back to the Battle , I feel Ryder should of been left out of the side , but then again I hope he plays a ripper on Sunday.

 

[SufferingS8INT]

Battle is too great a talent to not be playing. Put him at half forward.

I called it on Marshall and Long.

‘Talent is secondary to how confident a player is’ - quote by someone I can’t remember who Jack Gibson maybe?

 

[Phoenix_9]

I haven’t read over the thread, but I think the team‘s perfect to play North. Thought they’d rush Carlisle in, but glad Paton is getting his shot. The rest of the emergencies are very close, and will get games soon. Especially Battle.
So keen to see how they all go now that it is round 1!

 

[L_W_P]

Tony Lockett was 1.91m so being 2m doesn't really prove a thing if they are not a great overhead mark - back to the Battle , I feel Ryder should of been left out of the side , but then again I hope he plays a ripper on Sunday.

I'd be happy to 'rest' Ryder vs the following teams -

Adelaide
Brisbane
Carlton
Port Adelaide
Sydney
Western Bulldogs


The rest all either have a very good #1 rucks who I would like us to double team, or are middle of the road in the ruck but with enough midfield talent that we should use 2 rucks to try and dominate the advantage.

 

[pebblesofsand]

I know you love your genuine talls but there is still no proof that 200cm plus players make star or even very good forwards or backs. The best still seem to be around 194 to 196 mark. Im sure you will find one to prove that it works for the fair few who don't. To even say Ben King has it all over Battle as a back is genuine guess work. Not even sure he has played an AFL game there where as we know Battle had a bloody good year as a key back last year. We don't need him anyway. We have Brown and Marsh as tall forwards and backs.

Simply matter of statistics - more people are in the 194/6 range than 198cm+ so its a simple fact that more of them will play AFL and therefore there is a greater chance more will become better players.

As for TALL forwards - a very good TALL forward is - guess what - a very good TALL forward. So Tom Lynch, Tom Hawkins, Ben Brown and Joe Daniher etc etc say hi. Even a bog ordinary TALL forward like Mason Cox has a place.

As for defenders well - Dougal is 199 and Jake is 200cm - must be something in this height thing..

Harsh truth though is that if Battle is so good he'd be playing - perhaps you're not looking hard enough at him to figure that out - perhaps he lacks something?

Might be that he's not tall enough to be a key position player or not fast or agile enough to play as a med/tall. Great endurance but the turning circle of QE2.

 

[plugger66]

Simply matter of statistics - more people are in the 194/6 range than 198cm+ so its a simple fact that more of them will play AFL and therefore there is a greater chance more will become better players.

As for TALL forwards - a very good TALL forward is - guess what - a very good TALL forward. So Tom Lynch, Tom Hawkins, Ben Brown and Joe Daniher etc etc say hi. Even a bog ordinary TALL forward like Mason Cox has a place.

As for defenders well - Dougal is 199 and Jake is 200cm - must be something in this height thing..

Harsh truth though is that if Battle is so good he'd be playing - perhaps your not looking hard enough at him to figure that out - perhaps he lacks something?

Might be that he's not tall enough to be a key position player or not fast or agile enough to play as a med/tall. Great endurance but the turning circle of QE2.

Why do some of those say hi? They don’t know me and I doubt they are all 200cm or more. As I saiid you have a fascination with really tall forwards. You even wanted to play longer there when resting with another ruckman. Obviously never happened. Obviously battle lacks something this year and that was his inability to play as a utility. I think you may have mentioned he could play on the wing. Well he can’t. We better tell the reiwoldts they aren’t tall enough. Jake isn’t playing by the way. Maybe he is to tall. Anyway I’d rather battle than a replica of someone we already have. You can have the replica but I will be barracking for our player. The other guy plays for the Gold Coast. Was kent recruited for depth? Where is brown and marsh. Seems they used the 2 proper practice matches to pick our side. Who would have thought.

 

[pebblesofsand]

Why do some of those say hi? They don’t know me and I doubt they are all 200cm or more. As I saiid you have a fascination with really tall forwards. You even wanted to play longer there when resting with another ruckman. Obviously never happened. Obviously battle lacks something this year and that was his inability to play as a utility. I think you may have mentioned he could play on the wing. Well he can’t. We better tell the reiwoldts they aren’t tall enough. Jake isn’t playing by the way. Maybe he is to tall. Anyway I’d rather battle than a replica of someone we already have. You can have the replica but I will be barracking for our player. The other guy plays for the Gold Coast. Was kent recruited for depth? Where is brown and marsh. Seems they used the 2 proper practice matches to pick our side. Who would have thought.

Did I say the Reiwoldt's weren't tall enough - nope - they have a big advantage over Battle - they have/had a lot more natural talent.

What I'm saying an "GOP" mid size tall is an "GOP" mid size tall and on exposed form Battle is about as close to a game as Marsh.

PS - Carlisle, Ben Brown and Joe Daniher are 200cm and Ben King was a defender until he had to play forward last year. Not that facts are that relevant.

 

[plugger66]

Did I say the Reiwoldt's weren't tall enough - nope - they have a big advantage over Battle - they have/had a lot more natural talent.

What I'm saying an "GOP" mid size tall is an "GOP" mid size tall and on exposed form Battle is about as close to a game as Marsh.

PS - Carlisle, Ben Brown and Joe Daniher are 200cm and Ben King was a defender until he had to play forward last year. Not that facts are that relevant.

Let’s start at the bottom. Has Ben king ever played back in the afl. I will say no so unless tac form is better than afl battle has him clearly covered as a back. Number 2. At least brown may play. The other 2 aren’t. One injured and one not picked. So the rest you mentioned weren’t 200cm. Ok. Battle was better than a gop in his last season. Marsh was clearly worse than a gop last season. Agree the reiwoldts are better than battle but king isn’t as good as battle as a chb.

 

[Dr Spaceman]

As for TALL forwards - a very good TALL forward is - guess what - a very good TALL forward. So Tom Lynch, Tom Hawkins, Ben Brown and Joe Daniher etc etc say hi.

Why do some of those say hi?

Surely they should say high

 

[Diehard Saint]

Surely they should say high

....as long as it’s not followed by a 🖐

 

[pebblesofsand]

Let’s start at the bottom. Has Ben king ever played back in the afl. I will say no so unless tac form is better than afl battle has him clearly covered as a back. Number 2. At least brown may play. The other 2 aren’t. One injured and one not picked. So the rest you mentioned weren’t 200cm. Ok. Battle was better than a gop in his last season. Marsh was clearly worse than a gop last season. Agree the reiwoldts are better than battle but king isn’t as good as battle as a chb.

Yeah you got me - Lynch is just a mid sized tall at only 199cm and Hawkins is a definite shorta*** at 198cm.

Simple facts are that Battle was the CHB is the 3rd worst defence in the league and averaged less than 15 possessions a game. Hardly stellar - closer to GOP.
I suppose that's why he hasn't been selected for Round 1 when better options are now available.

Feel a bit sorry for him and a few other players like Parker who will now have to wait for injury as there is no longer any chance for them to impress the selectors.

 

[BrutThough]

Yeah you got me - Lynch is just a mid sized tall at only 199cm and Hawkins is a definite shorta*** at 198cm.

Simple facts are that Battle was the CHB is the 3rd worst defence in the league and averaged less than 15 possessions a game. Hardly stellar - closer to GOP.
I suppose that's why he hasn't been selected for Round 1 when better options are now available.

Feel a bit sorry for him and a few other players like Parker who will now have to wait for injury as there is no longer any chance for them to impress the selectors.

Taking the stance that Battle isn't any good is a strange hill to so aggressively stand on.

 

[plugger66]

Yeah you got me - Lynch is just a mid sized tall at only 199cm and Hawkins is a definite shorta*** at 198cm.

Simple facts are that Battle was the CHB is the 3rd worst defence in the league and averaged less than 15 possessions a game. Hardly stellar - closer to GOP.
I suppose that's why he hasn't been selected for Round 1 when better options are now available.

Feel a bit sorry for him and a few other players like Parker who will now have to wait for injury as there is no longer any chance for them to impress the selectors.

Going for possessions now. You are better than that. He averaged about the same as the AA chb

 

[pebblesofsand]

Taking the stance that Battle isn't any good is a strange hill to so aggressively stand on.

Hardly aggressive - just responding that a player, who is not starting 22 in a side that finished 14th last year, probably isn't as good as some people claim.

 

[The Boar]

I like our team selection, opting for speed. It would be great if Parker and Hind were fit and in form on that note as Kent is rubbish IMO. Tough to see Battle out, I'd like to get him on the bench, likewise Coffield.

One more note on the shortened game, we need to start well more than ever, teams simply won't have the time to chase down a lead (see the Dogs). Home crowds won't spur a team back into contention, you must start well!! Love our new speed for that reason.

On Pixel 2 XL using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[plugger66]

Hardly aggressive - just responding that a player, who is not starting 22 in a side that finished 14th last year, probably isn't as good as some people claim.

You know why he isn’t playing. He was tried elsewhere and failed. The reason for that is we recruited talls and they always play until they fail. All I can go on is last years form and not one person would have said he was a gop. He was an up and coming very good player.

 

[luca77]

Hardly aggressive - just responding that a player, who is not starting 22 in a side that finished 14th last year, probably isn't as good as some people claim.

That sounds logical.
Except that Robbo and Howard (who forced him out) weren't in the side that finished 14th. In fact some of our forwards weren't in that side either. In fact some of our mids weren't in that side either.
So he's not missing the 22 in a side that finished 14th last year. He's missing the 22 in a significantly different lineup, and the season hasn't actually started yet so we don't know whether he'll be chosen in preference to other players in rounds to come.

 

[pebblesofsand]

That sounds logical.
Except that Robbo and Howard (who forced him out) weren't in the side that finished 14th. In fact some of our forwards weren't in that side either. In fact some of our mids weren't in that side either.
So he's not missing the 22 in a side that finished 14th last year. He's missing the 22 in a significantly different lineup, and the season hasn't actually started yet so we don't know whether he'll be chosen in preference to other players in rounds to come.

Or alternatively - you could say that the only reason he was in the starting 22 in the 14th worst team last year was that better players weren't available.

I'll quit now - I'm behaving too much like Plugger for my liking!!!!

 

[plugger66]

Or alternatively - you could say that the only reason he was in the starting 22 in the 14th worst team last year was that better players weren't available.

I'll quit now - I'm behaving too much like Plugger for my liking!!!!

Love it when you post but bring me into your post. You need to forget about me. I forget about the minute I comment on your posts

 

[bird_man]

Yeah you got me - Lynch is just a mid sized tall at only 199cm and Hawkins is a definite shorta*** at 198cm.

Simple facts are that Battle was the CHB is the 3rd worst defence in the league and averaged less than 15 possessions a game. Hardly stellar - closer to GOP.
I suppose that's why he hasn't been selected for Round 1 when better options are now available.

Feel a bit sorry for him and a few other players like Parker who will now have to wait for injury as there is no longer any chance for them to impress the selectors.

15 possessions for a 20 year old key defender seems like pretty good going to me.

Not sure what point you are trying to make there.

As for rating players on where the side finishes on the ladder, well I don't understand that either.

Most would agree that Battle played good footy last year, especially considering he had never played defence before.

The majority of talk from commentators and experts was praise and I don't remember any of them suggesting he was too small.

The coaches clearly want to turn him into a bits and pieces player with Howard and Carlisle and right now it doesn't seem to be working. Early days obviously.


On SM-A205YN using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Gosaints12]

Yep but based on the last year they both played we are losing a better player.

Big call. You’re also gaining a twenty year old Ben King. That’s better then Joshy Battle who can’t get a game currently.

 

[Gosaints12]

I'd be happy to 'rest' Ryder vs the following teams -

Adelaide
Brisbane
Carlton
Port Adelaide
Sydney
Western Bulldogs


The rest all either have a very good #1 rucks who I would like us to double team, or are middle of the road in the ruck but with enough midfield talent that we should use 2 rucks to try and dominate the advantage.

Might not be a bad idea.

 

[plugger66]

Big call. You’re also gaining a twenty year old Ben King. That’s better then Joshy Battle who can’t get a game currently.

I didn’t realise battle was nearly over the hill age wise. Sorry but I don’t see the point of basically having 2 identical players when neither have proven a thing yet. I’m very happy with battle and the coach will realise his ability very quickly if we actually play. Doubt we will play much this year

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

Or alternatively - you could say that the only reason he was in the starting 22 in the 14th worst team last year was that better players weren't available.

I'll quit now - I'm behaving too much like Plugger for my liking!!!!

jesus, move the goal posts some more

 

[Gosaints12]

I created a thread for the Josh Battle Argument?

Josh Battle - OOC 2020

List Mgmt. - Josh Battle - OOC 2020

With Battle unselected in the Saints R1 team it begs the question of wether he will want to stay at the Saints. I think we will certainly still want him at the club, but I think he will want to play consistent senior football after his year in 2019. A club like GC perhaps for Ben King in a...

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