small and medium forwads

stefoid

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Very interesting to see how this situation develops this year. I reckon Bev has dialled in 'mids to play mid and forwards to play forward' rather than the revolving door of mid/forwards we played earlier. I like this attitude. Goal-kicking mids will kick some from the midfield anyway.

This is my list of potentials, in order of most likely to cement a spot.

Dale - quick, opportunistic, versatile and accurate. Should only get better with confidence and continuity.

Lloyd - was a reliable goal kicker last year and hard to see him being pushed out

Dicko - The smarts and goal kicking talent is unquestionable, the significant worry is fitness. Given the competition for spots, if he is fully fit he plays, if he is half fit he doesnt.

Wallis - Has some ability to find space, take a mark and convert accurately, and gives 110%. Bev will like the options he provides if in the 22. (midfield minutes, possible tagger)

McLean - Finds himself competing with Wallis as an 'all rounder' who has something to offer in multiple positions that is slightly less than what the specialists in those positions provide.

Weightman - I dont see any need to rush this kid into the seniors unless he is bashing the door down, but it could happen.

Gowers - Plays taller than he is, and battled credibly as 'the man' in the forward line when first recruited, but we have moved on from that awful situation, thankfully. Finds himself competing with Wallis and Mclean. I for one think he is potentially better than his 2018/2019 roles showed - either a key forward (nope) or a physical spoiler (not his best work). With two big aggressive key forwards now, we dont need a spoiler, so given the chance, can he blossom into a medium forward in his own right? Its now or never.
 
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Surely Cavarra rates a mention here. He was recruited for exactly this role but his 2019 season was cruelled by injury.

He has now gone to the back of the queue but he probably has more pace than any of those mentioned in the OP, and pace is what we need inside 50. If he stays fit I could see him pushing for a spot, especially when there are injuries.

Greene seems to have dropped off most people's radar too. He's another whose year was ruined by injury in 2019 but showed some good signs in 2018. He needed to add some bulk but he's had 18 months to do that so perhaps he'll demand some consideration once the season gets under way.

Rhylee West and Richards are probably destined for the midfield or even half back so I guess we leave those out of the current discussion but their career could well develop for a year or so with some time in the forward half.

I do like the idea of a couple of dedicated small-med forwards. I know Bevo loves versatility but that doesn't mean you can't specialise in a particular role. Dickson has shown that he's versatile enough to chop out in defence when needed but he's still a specialist forward.
 

stefoid

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Totally forgot about Greene! (Actually can we call him Fergie because the name Greene makes me ill)

Dont watch the 2nds - dont really have a handle on him. I feel like he is most similar to Dale?

What are his chances?
 
I'd add Easton Wood as a potential medium forward. I could see him doing some damage up there if we ever wanted to bring in more marking power.

Baffles me why we haven’t tried this yet, it would be a guaranteed success
 

Yojimbo

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I'd add Easton Wood as a potential medium forward. I could see him doing some damage up there if we ever wanted to bring in more marking power.
If he is the fourth banana and is complimentary to the tall forwards why not, when this was tried we had no
key forwards of note, we have some possibilities now. Taylor Duryea played this role quite well when he was
at Hawthorn, they both have leg speed and aerial ability which could be a plus. I hope Beveridge has this
role marked down as the tag breaking position myself as Dustin Martin has done this to counter Matt De
Boer quite well very recently. Could Marcus Bontempelli be our link man forward fifty delivery beast ?
 

Mojorisin

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If he is the fourth banana and is complimentary to the tall forwards why not, when this was tried we had no
key forwards of note, we have some possibilities now. Taylor Duryea played this role quite well when he was
at Hawthorn, they both have leg speed and aerial ability which could be a plus. I hope Beveridge has this
role marked down as the tag breaking position myself as Dustin Martin has done this to counter Matt De
Boer quite well very recently. Could Marcus Bontempelli be our link man forward fifty delivery beast ?
Personally I hope bonts time forward this season is less then it ever has been
 

ivan rassmussen

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How ingrained is Bevo’s flexibility mantra though? We all know he loves throwing players around, sometimes in unlikely possies. Now we have genuine forwards, will that occur lessly? On Sat, most players on both teams were played to their strengths - but you know he was just probably trolling the whole football world...
 
Bontempelli: 96 kg
Dunkley: 90 kg
B. Smith: 86 kg
Macrae: 89 kg
West: 85 kg
Lipinski: 84 kg

96 kg same weight as Gardner, Keath and Schache, Naughton is listed at 91 kg always concerned by the
big beefers in the midfield.
Where did you get 96kg from? Bont has been 93kg for the last year or two and is still listed as that on the club website.
92-93kg seems about ideal for a tall mobile midfielder.
 

Yojimbo

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Where did you get 96kg from? Bont has been 93kg for the last year or two and is still listed as that on the club website.
92-93kg seems about ideal for a tall mobile midfielder.
Patrick Cripps is 195 cm and 93 kg, 96 kg in the football record for 2020 maybe they weighed him before
his morning cleanse or maybe it is wrong who knows. Tory Dickson is 90 kg which seems a tad heavy.
 
Patrick Cripps is 195 cm and 93 kg, 96 kg in the football record for 2020 maybe they weighed him before
his morning cleanse or maybe it is wrong who knows. Tory Dickson is 90 kg which seems a tad heavy.
Yep, Dickson is listed at 85kg on the club website and has been for several years. Maybe they are slack in updating it but Dickson usually looks much closer to 85kg than 90kg. Individual weight is quite variable especially after taking fluids or eating, or conversely, after prolonged exercise and sweating, but rarely would it alter by 5kg.

Perhaps Bont's man-bun weighs 3kg?
 

Mojorisin

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Bontempelli: 96 kg
Dunkley: 90 kg
B. Smith: 86 kg
Macrae: 89 kg
West: 85 kg
Lipinski: 84 kg

96 kg same weight as Gardner, Keath and Schache, Naughton is listed at 91 kg always concerned by the
big beefers in the midfield.
From the eye test wouldn't think macrea would be 89 either
 
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