Analysis Small Forward

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

One of the major areas I believe we struggle is our player choice for small forward.

We require an electrifying dynamic goal kicker not a resting mid or a player that just tackles hard.

I think McCarthy,Lang & Gregson are all ok players but they don't seem to be goalkickers.
We'd need an old fashioned 'Hungus'

The better sides have Ballantyne,Rioli,Betts,Wingard there has been a predictability and sameness about our selections.

Ronnie Burns had more flair than all of players put together and I think you can just be a one trick pony.

Now that we have the good key targets they should be getting the crumbs and banging them home.

All of the opposition small shave pace,smarts,creativity and defensive Skills.

Perhaps a Bates if he ever gets on the park or Cockatoo playing deeper may help we can't keep getting 10 possessions from Lang,Gregson & McCarthy and be satisfied with no goals or any shots on goal .

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

It wouldn't matter... We're poorly coached.

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

It wouldn't matter... We're poorly coached.

It would have to help

 

[JUBJUB]

It wouldn't matter... We're poorly coached.

How about putting Stokes up forward near Hawkins & Clark ?

 

[Footy Smarts]

Small forwards are very over-rated, particularly for a side in transition. It's the easiest way to get games into young players without completely compromising the team's competitiveness. Lang and Gregson have both been nervous and fumbly but because their mistakes have been made up forward they haven't been found out as much.

Once we're a fully developed, mature team we'll be playing stay at home small forwards more but for the moment we need those spots for youngsters rather than throwing them to the wolves from the start in midfield or down back. It's also why Smedts should stay as a defender. Sure he could pay as a small forward and probably look better than he is now but he'll learn so much more in his current role and be a lot better for it.

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

How about putting Stokes up forward near Hawkins & Clark ?

Stokes could be an option

 

[Partridge]

Stokes could be an option

His last season as a small forward (2012) he kicked 15 goals. He can't kick 40 metres now, and has lost pace as well.

 

[Lana]

His last season as a small forward (2012) he kicked 15 goals. He can't kick 40 metres now, and has lost pace as well.

Besides the goal tally the same applies to Johnson, he wouldn't be an effective midsized forward. We just need to find a kid who is an actual small foward rather than a future midfielder.

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

Besides the goal tally the same applies to Johnson, he wouldn't be an effective midsized forward. We just need to find a kid who is an actual small foward rather than a future midfielder.

I think sometimes we coach the X factor out of players due to team structures etc make them hungry for goals we are more interested in goal assists it seems

 

[SJ]

I know it's been said before, but Chapman could have easily played this role for us in 2014-2015.

 

[Footy Smarts]

I know it's been said before, but Chapman could have easily played this role for us in 2014-2015.

Great. We can also take 40-odd games off guys like Lang, Cockatoo, Gregson, McCarthy, Hartman, Thurlow, Bews, Murdoch, Horlin-Smith and Smedts.

 

[SJ]

Great. We can also take 40-odd games off guys like Lang, Cockatoo, Gregson, McCarthy, Hartman, Thurlow, Bews, Murdoch, Horlin-Smith and Smedts.

How many of them have played as a small forward in the 24 games since Chapman left the club?

By the way, here are the players who have kicked ten goals or more in over a season of footy (2014-present):

Player | Games | Goals | Roles
\ Hawkins | 26 | 72 | Key position forward
\ Bartel | 24 | 27 | Medium forward/midfielder
\ Duncan | 26 | 24 | Midfielder/resting medium forward
\ Selwood | 26 | 24 | Midfielder/resting medium forward
\ Murdoch | 23 | 22 | Medium forward/half-forward
\ Motlop | 18 | 18 | Wing/resting small forward
\ Johnson | 20 | 17 | Midfielder/resting medium forward
\ Horlin-Smith | 22 | 14 | Midfielder/resting medium forward
\ Caddy | 18 | 12 | Midfielder/resting medium forward
\ Walker | 7 | 11 | Key position forward
\ Kersten | 9 | 10 | Key position forward

 

[JUBJUB]

I know it's been said before, but Chapman could have easily played this role for us in 2014-2015.

 

[manboob]

We need to do what Bomber did and start the midfielders in the forward pocket play them there and give them spells in the middle. When they've earned it or want it bad enough then they can "graduate". IMO this is the reason why a lot of our midfielders, past and present, were decent at sniffing out a goal.

 

[Bobby_]

It wouldn't matter... We're poorly coached.

Not all his fault though.
I think our recruiters like Stephen Wells need to stop drafting in the best available talent and start drafting in the best talent needed for the team's structures.

We have needed key position defenders for a while now but we continue to skip that one. We have needed a ruckman for a long time but prefer to skip that one too.

I'm not going to complain though as Cockatoo is going to be future champion but at the same time, I certainly wouldn't have had any issues if we targeted a ruck last year.

 

[Willo_]

My issue a little is the blokes we do have don't get to the right spots, or go at the wrong time.. yesterday I watched Gregson lead at one point when it was obvious we were going long.. he then got himself out of position to hit the feet of the contest. He is a 2nd gamer so I'm happy to cut him slack it was just an example. You just need to see how many goals Bruest gets from hitting the contest at the right time, 1 second longer in the Hawks game yesterday and him doing it would have won them the game.

We have Hawk and Clark deep, we need a Gregson/Lang/Cocky/SJ etc to be around their feet... not pushing up to the wing

 

[The rabbi]

Could try Cocky as a small forward.

 

[Willo_]

Could try Cocky as a small forward.

He's got the speed, seems to have the like for a contest and ability to finish. less pressure than dropping him into the middle as well

 

[manboob]

Could try Cocky as a small forward.

 

[fpm84]

Seems pretty clear McCarthy was earmarked for the role this season. There were a lot of positive noises from the club when he made it on the field last season and he was rated highly enough to get a gig in a final. I reckon he would have played 15+ games this season if fit and his injury threw a spanner in the works.

 

[Willo_]

Seems pretty clear McCarthy was earmarked for the role this season. There were a lot of positive noises from the club when he made it on the field last season and he was rated highly enough to get a gig in a final. I reckon he would have played 15+ games this season if fit and his injury threw a spanner in the works.

Would be nice if we had a few options instead of putting all our eggs in the 1 basket

 

[Bobby_]

Could try Cocky as a small forward.

lol
now why would Scott do something as silly as that when he could try and turn him into a small defender like we saw him do with Varcoe, Kelly, Bartel and now Smedts?

 

[bulletproof]

Someone like Walters would be ideal. None of our forward pockets since Chapman and Johnson (when they played there) have carried a goal threat.

It has been missing.

However, I don' think that is the real problem, our forward 50 entries are so low, we could have the best small forward in the game it would not make a blind bit of difference.

We have arguably the best key forwards in the league and they are not even getting into the game so I think a small forward would suffer the same problem as well.

Main priority is fixing the midfield woes as our forwards are starving and our backs are over worked.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Main priority is fixing the midfield woes as our forwards are starving and our backs are over worked.

Bingo! It all starts in the middle and that would at present be our biggest weakness imo.

 

[Bobby_]

Bingo! It all starts in the middle and that would at present be our biggest weakness imo.

we won plenty of the ball against Fremantle when the game was there in the balance and every time we pumped it inside fifty, Hawkins and Clark gave us literally nothing. I know some will whinge about that but it's a fact. Watch the replay in the second and third quarter. Caddy, Selwood, Guthrie were winning the ball so it's not solely a midfield issue. Our forward line setup is bloody shizenhousen!
It's been that way for years.
You think back when Hawkins had a back back and he was left there to try and be the single key forward target when there were clearly options available so something is breaking down between the coach and the forwards coach, or whoever sets up that half of the field.

Also, Bartel has never, not once shown he is capable of becoming a goal kicking forward so who orchestrated that one?
Why not try someone who is very agile and quick off a standing start a go?