Smith or McDougall at FF?

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

What do you will be our best option with these guys up forward?

Smith can only play at FF, while McDougall may be more versatile.

What do you think? Where could we rotate McDougall if Smith does the job at FF?

Is it realistic to expect McDougall to stand up across HF? Riewoldtesque pushing up the ground from a flank while Gardiner plays at CHF?

 

[coasting]

Who to play at FF? Whoever plays the best. McDougall getting injured in the preseason has certainly opened the door for Smith. McDougall can play in a number of positions but I think Smith is strictly a FF so I think its possible to see them both in the team at the same time, but unlikely on a long term basis. I think McDougall is the better player and is the future of the team but atm Smith is probably the better option for a number of reasons. McDougall is inconsistent and injury prone, he still needs to mature just a little more before coming our fulltime FF. Woosha likes competition in the team for positions and I think McDougall had a bit of a free ride at times because there was really no one Woosha could replace him with. If he plays badly, that won't be the case this year.

 

[Eagles4Ever]

With the time and effort the club have put into Dougs at FF i doubt he will lose his place unless he's injured. We will probally see Smith at FF in the Wizza, and maybe early in the season if Dougs is not recvered from his hip op, but the club always looks to the future and believe they will persist with Dougs at FF.

 

[thecoastingcoaster]

Smith is a natural FF and therefore the logical choice.Suma reckons he would kick at least 60 goals if played at FF all year, which you would take any day of the week.
It's nothing against McDougall. I think he would be a gun CHF using his athletism around the park and with his long kicking, ability to leap and potentially take good contested marks.Which would allow Gardiner when ready to move into the ruck and continue to win matches for us.
I know they put a lot of time into McDougall for FF but that was basically time for him to get used to being a key forward, so in fact was'nt a waste of time.

 

[UNIT]

Id hate to see McDougall lose his spot (and confidence) with the club and its supporters wondering 'what if?'....He was and is a highly rated talent and i really think if he is given more time to develop he could be what the club is looking for a FF. The knowledge that Smith is behind him should spur Dougs on to fight and work harder.
Having said all that i voted to have them both leading out of the goalsquare, with Samps and Fido feeding off the crumbs...

 

[thecoastingcoaster]

Sydney Eagle what's the deal with you being so pessimistic having on the poll an option with Gardiner injured?

 

[UNIT]

All these people having a crack at the WC Fwd line amaze me to be honest. It struggled last year no argument. Traditionally we always have struggled to kick big scores. But in 2003, we were the highest scoring side in the comp...and that fwd line is still there...With Gardy pushing up, Phil and Ashley Samp crumbing and McDougall and Brad Smith leading from the square, plus running midfielders like Cousins, Kerr and Judd coming on from the midfield i dont see why we cant have a feared forward line.

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

Sydney Eagle what's the deal with you being so pessimistic having on the poll an option with Gardiner injured?

It's pessimistic to even acknowledge it as a possiblity?

 

[SYDNEY_EAGLE]

Which would allow Gardiner when ready to move into the ruck and continue to win matches for us.

If Gardiner's fit enough to ruck, I don't think there will be too much conflict about moving him away from CHF.

 

[simo]

All these people having a crack at the WC Fwd line amaze me to be honest. It struggled last year no argument. Traditionally we always have struggled to kick big scores. But in 2003, we were the highest scoring side in the comp...and that fwd line is still there...With Gardy pushing up, Phil and Ashley Samp crumbing and McDougall and Brad Smith leading from the square, plus running midfielders like Cousins, Kerr and Judd coming on from the midfield i dont see why we cant have a feared forward line.

Traditionally we have struggled to kick a big score but with the midfield getting
stronger, and the back line having played along side each other all last season, getting the ball to the FF should be more on target than it was last year making the task of the forwards less difficult,a top midfield should be able to find the forwards bang on the chest lets hope Brad Smith leads well which in turn should lead to more goals. (we do have a top midfield)

 

[Mead]

Who to play at FF? Whoever plays the best.

I think that pretty much sums up 9/10 of what can be said on this issue- would like to see Smith in action against AFL quality defenders before saying what he will or won't do- for that reason I hope he ends up playing on Glass today.

One thing I do reckon is that Smith/McDougall or McDougall/Gardiner would work better than Smith/Gardiner- that's a pretty heavy, cumbersome FF/CHF combination.

 

[thecoastingcoaster]

One thing I do reckon is that Smith/McDougall or McDougall/Gardiner would work better than Smith/Gardiner- that's a pretty heavy, cumbersome FF/CHF combination.

It doesn't matter if Smith and Gardiner is the combination because Matera will be there to chase.
Apparently Gardiner was one of the quickest Eagles over 10 metres (Well according to Mainwarring), and as far as I've seen he is moving about the same as before.

 

[Mead]

It doesn't matter if Smith and Gardiner is the combination because Matera will be there to chase.
Apparently Gardiner was one of the quickest Eagles over 10 metres (Well according to Mainwarring), and as far as I've seen he is moving about the same as before.

Its not so much a question of pace but of agility and ground level ability. I think a forward line can afford to have one big, strong beefy KPP (Gardiner) to dominate the aerial stuff, but two is really pushing the envelope- we'd effectively be two men down at the ground level contests, which would lead to a pretty quick rebound out of our forward line whenever the ball i spoilt. I'm not sure how Smith is at ground level but my perception is that he is very much a typical 'lead lead mark goal' FF- Cummings or Wilson with a better kick perhaps.

Matera can do many things, but I asking him to be defensively accountable for 3 defenders simultaneously is a bit much.

For that reason, I think McDougall is going to be required in at least one of the key positions- he has extremely good hands at ground level, is adept at wheeling around and snapping it, and althought it was a bit of weakness when he started, by the end of '04 he'd developed into a pretty accountable player who chases well- there was one time in the rd 22 game v Melbourne where he ran down a melb defender from after a 15-20m chase, and got the free kick and goal as a result.

 

[thecoastingcoaster]

Its not so much a question of pace but of agility and ground level ability. I think a forward line can afford to have one big, strong beefy KPP (Gardiner) to dominate the aerial stuff, but two is really pushing the envelope

You're right, but Port Adelaide managed to have two ruckmen playing next to each other with Wanganeen lurking and that seem to work.
Also I have seen Smith live and he is good at ground level for his height.

 

[UNIT]

Careful Mead...saying Dougs has good hands is likely to bring some sort of troll out of the wilderness.

 

[Reveler]

now who for FF in the gee whiz cup? hansen? might as well play steggles there

 

[Streaker]

now who for FF in the gee whiz cup? hansen? might as well play steggles there

We could play Jeremy Humm there and still kick your butts.

 

[larrikin]

now who for FF in the gee whiz cup? hansen? might as well play steggles there

Gardiner

Good luck

 

[Luke Logan]

McDougall still needs to prove himself

 

[Cro_Pavo]

Smith or McDougall at FF?
Neither at Full-Forward!

Quinten Lynch at Full-Forward
Ashley Hansen/Brad Smith at Centre Half Forward
Andrew McDougall at Centre Half Back

 

[Ruddiger]

Smith or McDougall at FF?
Neither at Full-Forward!

Quinten Lynch at Full-Forward
Ashley Hansen/Brad Smith at Centre Half Forward
Andrew McDougall at Centre Half Back

Lynch at Full-Forward is good - he's a big Unit and would be hard for any defender to dislodge.

 

[Skooks]

Well Smithy at FF is out of the question, i guess doogs is now our best option

 

[Vic Eagles Member]

Lynch at Full-Forward is good - he's a big Unit and would be hard for any defender to dislodge.

Yeah, that's another good option. Lynch can mark and kick goals from beyond 50. I for one would like to see him play there.

 

[simo]

Yeah, that's another good option. Lynch can mark and kick goals from beyond 50. I for one would like to see him play there.

Yes i think Lynch should play FF with Ashley Hansen in the whiz cup just to see how it works out.

 

[Vic Eagles Member]

Yes i think Lynch should play FF with Ashley Hansen in the whiz cup just to see how it works out.

Yeah, I like that plan, and if they play Gardiner at FF, the coaching staff must tell him to stay at home, rather than letting him lead out to the 50m line and therefore deprive ourselves of a tall target in the goal-square.