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The Forward Line

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we do look to have a brilliant future but i think the only problem we have is key position forwards and backs. although not a bad problem to have i just a little worried. hurley neagle gumbleton pears hooker daniher fletcher still. still would still have a while to develop but with neagle and gumby up forward and pears and or hurley also with fletch who probly has 1 or 2 seasons left not to mention daniher its gonna be tough to get a game for sme of them. also with hille and ryder but i still think we have a huge 10 seasons ahead of us.

HF: Monfries Gumbleton Hurley
FF: Davey Neagle Williams
but that 3 tall forward line does look a little worrying. it didnt work last year with riewoldt koshitski and gehrig. i think the next 2 seasons is just what gumby needs to prove that he can play and stay healthy. he has a lot of potential but if he cant get his body right i think hurls can slip into that CHF postion nicely but i hope it dosent come to tht.
 
HoJuGoose said:
HF: Monfries Hurley Davey
FF: Williams Neagle Ryder/Hille

Gumbleton chilling on a wing.
Click to expand...

This. I'd rearrange the positions slightly, but that's the front 6 I'd go with.
 
Gumbleton
Williams
Monfries
Neagle
Ryder
Hille
Davey
Jetta
Still
Hurley
Monfries
Daniher
Zaharakis
Reimers

Plenty of forward options there. For a starting forward line, I'd have (providing the fitness of players):

Williams - Hurley - Hille/Ryder
Monfries- Neagle - Davey

But there is no need to have Neagle in the forward line if he isn't performing.

Zaharakis - Hurley - Hille/Ryder
Monfries - Williams - Davey

As stated in many threads, Gumbleton could be roaming the wing. That leaves us with: Neagle, Daniher, Still, Jetta. Still would be a few years off and Daniher can play forward/back. A fully confident Jetta could be damaging in the forward line and a fully fit Neagle is a powerful FF. A fully fit Reimers could provide a much needed X-factor in the forward line.

Hille, Williams and Neagle are possible full forward which adds flexibility to our line up, compared to last year when we were reliant on LLoyd, then Neagle to hold down the FF position.

Exciting times ahead.
 

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Actually, we don't have to nail any of the spots down. The big plus is that we now have three forwards : Monfries, Hurley and Williams who can lead and mark. Then we have several others depending on their fitness, and we also have a couple where Knights could place where he thinks they are needed at any stage of a game. This takes a helluva lot of pressure off the coach to find somebody to play inside 50. It also puts more pressure on opponents' defenders.

Now we need a gung ho player to help Jobe in the centre. The way the game is these days, the centre/pack players seem to need to be replaced every 5 to 7 minutes for a rest on the bench.
 
Did I hear Knights correctly - I believe he said Williams would free up Monfries? to me, this means his thinking is Williams takes Monfries role in the forwardline, and perhaps Gus will get the K's drilled into this summer and perhaps becomes a midfielder?

12 months ago we said we wanted a 3-4 pronged, tall attack. That really doesnt work.

I feel Zakka is our most natural pure crumber, his game against hawthorn was fanatastic - great positioning and if it wasnt for bad kicking would have snagged 5-6 goals.

the forwardline may look something like:

Reimers KEY2 Zakka
Williams KEY2 Davey

With the keys being 2 of Neagle, Gumby, Hurley or Ryder at any given time.

Reimers and Zakka will have stints upfield, with the likes of Monfries, Stanton, Longergan and Winders also playing forward.

it gives us a much better balance of lead up options, speed, key position strength and crumbing. Williams, Reimers and Zakka can all play the lead up role and add bite/x factor at ground level as well.

Something like that, anyway.

It was our worst area last season, and probably the one specific region which will cop the most attention this off-season.
 
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/ne...a-midfield-role/2008/02/21/1203467283502.html

"What I'm trying to do this year is step up into that midfield role and get out of half-forward, and by playing on some of the better guys there you just learn where they run and how they get ball.
Click to expand...

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/ne...a-midfield-role/2008/02/21/1203467283502.html


http://www.essendonfc.com.au/team/player.asp?id=91

Monfries has also been rotated through the midfield and would be looking to spend more time in the middle in 2009.
Click to expand...

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/team/player.asp?id=91


I think Williams was definitely drafted to free up Monfries.
 
Spikey said:
It seems like Monfries has been moving into the midfield since 06 though
Click to expand...

And each time he does it so well, they decide he's too good and will make the other midfielders jealous so them put him back in the forward line again.

Ah, another off season another barrage of articles mentioning Monfries' desire to play midfield.
 
Skeeta Olly said:
Looks like it.

Either he is too valuable not to be in the forward line, or he's too slow for the midfield.
Click to expand...

I remember watching him a couple of years back in some early season matches playing as a midfielder and he was killing it!

I remember talking to mates who support other clubs and even they were saying how good he was looking in the midfield...
The move to the midfield just never eventuated (probably out of necessity).
I think hes settled as a forward now anyway.

Need a massive pre-season from Neagle!!! Similar to what Watson did a few years back when he got serious and got in shape.

I hope Gumby can have as good a return from his back op as Winders did!!!:thumbsu:
 
I'll tell you what!! I have seen midfielders rotated out within less than two minutes of the start of a game. They have to work and run that hard that they come off exhausted. How many midfielders do we need in a game? This is a new game and I suppose we must adapt, and if there are guys who are willing to step up and put their heads over the ball, I can only say it's great.
 

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In the today's Sun Knights indicated that Hurley would play back next year.

It is exciting to hear just how much the club rates Gumbleton, they think he is good enough to send Hurley back after all Hurley has shown forward. Knights also confirmed that Gumbloton had been begging the club to play in the last month of the season when we became short of tall options. Scotty is fully fit and will commence full pre-season training on November 11 (which I think is our official pre-season start date).

Knights also seems keen to get one of the ruckman to rest forward.

It is going to be a very long summer just waiting for the next footy season :D
 
Gumbleton has a press article written (at least) once every off season.. pumping him up and preaching that he is the key/missing link/next big thing/ (isn't years theme here)..

I can't repeat enough that we should wait for this kid to get on the park and play before we start putting him in our starting 6 for the next 10 years. The last time Gumby played a competitive season it was against 18 year olds.. lets see how he goes against men..

Before then i feel sorry for all our other young talents who do not seem to get any press at all while every year Gumby is paraded out with Knights gushing forth on his virtue..

With Ryder showing his wares in the ruck I am looking forward to seeing Hille in the forward line a bit more this year.. he is a lovely mark and good kick for goal.
 
I see our foward line being like this for next year and many years to follow:
HF. Monfries - Gumbleton - Reimers
FF. Davey - Neagle - Williams

If this foward line could actually get on the park and play together I see it as being very dangerous with alot of X-factor. We all know how much talent Gumby and Neagle have they just need to get there body right. Williams and Monfries are the small lead up fowards a plus is that they both have great overhead and scoring ability. Then ofcourse Davey and Reimers running around at there feet getting a goal or two each game. Reimers will also be rotating with the resting midfielders as well as one of Hille or Ryder spending time up there to get a rest.

I don't see why so many people want Monfries to push up into the midfield, he's a proven small foward and a good one at that why waste him in the middle. We have enought players to rotate throught the middle in Watson, Prismall, Stanton, Welsh, Winderlich, Houli, Reimers, Zaharakis, McVeigh, why waste a spot by putting Monfries up there.

Lets just hope all can be fully fit and on the park next season!!
 
rines said:
Gumbleton has a press article written (at least) once every off season.. pumping him up and preaching that he is the key/missing link/next big thing/ (isn't years theme here)..

I can't repeat enough that we should wait for this kid to get on the park and play before we start putting him in our starting 6 for the next 10 years. The last time Gumby played a competitive season it was against 18 year olds.. lets see how he goes against men..

Before then i feel sorry for all our other young talents who do not seem to get any press at all while every year Gumby is paraded out with Knights gushing forth on his virtue..
Click to expand...

That is all true. It gets to me because it is Knights saying this. It is Knights raising the expectations and placing pressure on Gumby.

Surely a club wuld not do this to one of its players it if the player couldn't handle the pressure and/or is not capable of matching the expectations.

I repeat, it is very exciting that our club feels this way about Gumbleton.
 
Expecting such a raw forward line next season.. I wouldn't be surprised if knighta ends up chucking Hurley forward throughout the season in a bid to keep him familiar with the forward line.

HF: Monfries - Gumbleton - Winderlich
FF: Davey - Neagle - Williams
 
personal uninformed opinion only - if Monfries only question was his endurance, he would have been doing midfield stints of maybe 8 or 10 minutes a quarter
He played in there a bit in Sheeds' last 5 or 6 games in charge.
 

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My opinion:

HF: Monfries - Gumbleton/Ryder - Winderlich
FF: Davey - Neagle/Laycock - Williams

I think it'll depend on fitness and form. I don't think Hurley will feature at all in the forward line and will be settled as a key position back.

Hooker will be groomed into fletchers role.
 
Jivin Jackel said:
No Williams?

HF: Reimers Gumbleton Monfries

FF: Davey Neagle Williams
Click to expand...
Not too sure about Davey in there, his pressure is very good but he seems to rush it when he gets the ball and make some average decisions. I should probably have put Williams in there ur right
 

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