The Graveyard

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I feel a bit for our small forwards.

It is a difficult role. No easy ball to be won, opportunities are fleeting, no attacking system is designed around you.

When our forwards are clunking them there's no football for you.

Need to stay out of the talls' way so you don't drag your opponent into their space or the contest... but somehow also be there to pick up the crumbs.

Consistent small forward is an oxymoron. By its nature it's a hot and cold position.

So how are our trio faring? Rowe, McHenry and Murphy.

All have had their moments but if you look at their overall output (on the surface) it's probably not quite enough.

However... are they showing enough progress and enough glimpses for us to persist?

Would shunting someone else into their difficult role just pass the difficulty and inevitable inconsistency onto someone else?

Are the three of them long termers?

 

[Cap]

Rowe is for 6 games showing a fair bit, a couple of quiet ones but overall seems to have the footy smarts to make being a small forward his own.

I don't see Murphy and McHenry as just small forward though, Murphy seems to be playing a lot more up the field and doing more around the ball and I believe that's where they see McHenry.

At this stage Murphy is ahead of both, but should be given he's got 50 games under his belt.

Rowe's problem is that he will be susceptible to a player who does it better or can offer more if he doesn't expand his game.

I don't see McHenry being as good as Murphy at the moment, not is he as good around goals as Rowe

So in order of likelihood of being dropped I have them;

1. McHenry
2. Rowe
3. Murphy


I guess Newchurch is the guy that may put pressure on 1 of these guys, but I don't know enough about his to see who they would drop to allow him into the team.

 

[Deaneus!]

Rowe to go first
McHenry slowly getting there
Murphy doing very well

Newchurch to come in

McAdam is lucky to keep his spot

It's about hard work evn if you're not kicking goals

 

[maxlilly]

They don't call it the graveyard for nothing, it's a really hard position to play in the Crows team.
But I don't reckon these guys are getting enough crumbs off of marking contests, they never seem to be in the front and centre and you see the ball rebound quickly.
On the weekend, Murphy. 4 kicks 6 handballs ( 1 effective kick) no goals no tackles, 3 ground ball gets
McHenry, 2 kicks 6 handballs ( 2 effective kicks ) 1 goal, 2 tackles, 4 ground ball gets
Rowe, 6 kicks 2 handballs (1 effective kick) no goals, 2 tackles, 3 ground ball gets
Stats from AFL pro
It doesn't look like they are contributing enough at this stage

 

[jackster83]

Murphy and McHenry should be getting at least small stints on the ball, particularly later in games. Our lack of rotations (plus the failing Fog experiment) is costing us dearly in second halves.

 

[Firewalker]

Like I said after yesterday’s game, I’m severely questioning whether Rowe, Murphy and McHenry are the best they can honestly muster especially considering McAdam’s already up there providing SFA amount of defensive pressure. Murphy and McHenry’s pressure and defensive actions are a big reason apparently why they are selected yet opposition defenders are getting a virtual free ride against the Crows, some of the numbers already this season from them just waltzing out of the Crows forward line and the impact that Ryan and Jiath have had the last 2 weeks shows how big an issue it is becoming;

Round 2 Sydney:
Lloyd - 26 disposals, 8 rebound 50s
Campbell - 25 disp, 8 r50s
Dawson - 23 disp, 8 r50s, 5 inside 50s

Round 4 North Melbourne:
Hall - 33 disp, 7 r50s, 5 i50s
Ziebell - 27 disp

Round 5 Fremantle:
Ryan - 24 disp, 11 r50s
Aish - 22 disp, 4 i50s

Round 6 Hawthorn:
Jiath - 26 disp, 3 r50s, 4 i50s
Impey - 19 disp, 5 r50s, 3 i50s
Hardwick - 19 disp, 4 r50s

Seriously don’t know why the defensive forward tagger has not come back into vogue, the crows could seriously use one.

 

[marvin]

A couple of observations:

1) So far 2021 is the year of the big forward. 9 of the top 10 goal kickers are KPPs - the only exception is Toby Greene

4

Toby Greene

Age

32

Ht

182cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.7

5star

K

12.5

5star

HB

10.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.2

4star

D

17.5

4star

K

9.5

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.8

4star

T

1.0

2star

G

2.3

5star

D

26.6

5star

K

12.4

5star

HB

14.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.6

5star

G

0.0

1star

. It's not much different in the top 20. Whether that's the new rules meaning more marks inside 50, or the relatively decent March/April weather, or other factors is too early to tell. But there may not be too many little blokes who finish up with 40+ goals this season.

2) They play in quite different ways.

Jimmy is the classic "something from nothing" goalsneak. My (probably premature) concern is how much he appears to feed off the home crowd's energy, which makes him a potential liability when the white shorts go on. [SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AHEAD] 3 home games have yielded 6 goals, average 14 disposals, 23 contested possessions and 10 inside 50s; 3 on the road has meant 1 goal, average 9 disposals, 10 contested possessions and 7 I 50s.

Murphy has added clearance work to his repertoire this year. 15 clearances in 6 games compares well with 14 in the first 44 games. He's still a bit keen to play the Eddie Betts memorial "I'm flying for this even though the only outcome is me giving away a stupid free" card, just like he's good for one "how the hell did he do that" goal per month.

McHenry 2021 is a substantial upgrade on Ned 2020. In my mind, his best historical comparison is 2006-ish Matthew Bode

Matthew Bode

Age

46

Ht

178cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.5

3star

K

7.6

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

2.4

3star

T

3.1

5star

G

0.9

4star

No current season stats available

D

7.8

2star

K

4.8

2star

HB

3.0

3star

M

1.6

2star

T

0.8

3star

G

0.6

3star

. Not a massive goal kicke, but he in a sacrificial role got to contest after contest and made defenders lives miserable. Needs to find the uncontested ball a bit more, and the umps need to stop treating him like they treat Toby Greene

4

Toby Greene

Age

32

Ht

182cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.7

5star

K

12.5

5star

HB

10.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.2

4star

D

17.5

4star

K

9.5

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.8

4star

T

1.0

2star

G

2.3

5star

D

26.6

5star

K

12.4

5star

HB

14.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.6

5star

G

0.0

1star

.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Rowes stats for his first 6 games compare well to Eddie Betts. I feel he will make more contests and lose his opponent better as his fitness builds. At this stage, is looking like a 25 goal a year small forward in his first season. Eddie showed not a lot in his first season. Barely 6 touches a game. Actually Rowe is statistically comparative to a 3rd year Betts with 50 games under his belt. But its too early to tell. Could use a couple games off as a rest but would bring straight back in.

McHenry is building. He has a few things to work on, but is doing more than last season. I for one like what I see. Can do some amazing things where he pressures and turns a ball over for us where not many others could. Other times gives a silly free away. Stats up on last year, but the games were shorter too.

Murphy is the one I am most concerned about. His output hasnt shown much improvement for 2 years, and now he has 50 games its time he should be showing progress to the next level. Needs to be getting the ball a bit more than 11 times especially when he is playing more up-field now.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

I think the main issue is we are really blooding 3 similar players at once. Maybe we should only have 2 of the 3 in the side at anytime to allow for an extra pure mid

 

[dogs105]

I thought this was a thread for the death of our new "no spin" approach, which lasted several weeks.

 

[Vhaluus]

Rowes stats for his first 6 games compare well to Eddie Betts. I feel he will make more contests and lose his opponent better as his fitness builds. At this stage, is looking like a 25 goal a year small forward in his first season. Eddie showed not a lot in his first season. Barely 6 touches a game. Actually Rowe is statistically comparative to a 3rd year Betts with 50 games under his belt. But its too early to tell. Could use a couple games off as a rest but would bring straight back in.

McHenry is building. He has a few things to work on, but is doing more than last season. I for one like what I see. Can do some amazing things where he pressures and turns a ball over for us where not many others could. Other times gives a silly free away. Stats up on last year, but the games were shorter too.

Murphy is the one I am most concerned about. His output hasnt shown much improvement for 2 years, and now he has 50 games its time he should be showing progress to the next level. Needs to be getting the ball a bit more than 11 times especially when he is playing more up-field now.

Rowe is a mature age recruit. You can't compare him to a green Betts

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Rowe is a mature age recruit. You can't compare him to a green Betts

Rowe had just turned 21 when he was drafted. Id hardly call it mature aged, not like he was JPod. Either way, Rowe at 21 is producing the same as what Eddie was at 21 right now

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Rowe had just turned 21 when he was drafted. Id hardly call it mature aged, not like he was JPod. Either way, Rowe at 21 is producing the same as what Eddie was at 21 right now

Rowe is the one who could fine a niche

I get that Murphy and McHenry perhaps have a more varied skillset but how much midfield time are they likely to get? With Sloane, Crouch and Berry to return plus Pedlar on the horizon.

Rowe is a pure goal sneak and nothing else. It's what we need and there's a spot there for him.

Bits and pieces players who are also fighting for some midfield minutes...?

 

[Mutineer]

Rowe is the one who could fine a niche

I get that Murphy and McHenry perhaps have a more varied skillset but how much midfield time are they likely to get? With Sloane, Crouch and Berry to return plus Pedlar on the horizon.

Rowe is a pure goal sneak and nothing else. It's what we need and there's a spot there for him.

Bits and pieces players who are also fighting for some midfield minutes...?

That's just it though with Lachie Murphy, we sought him out obviously off the back of a stellar TAC Cup for the Northern Knights where he played as one of their main midfielders along with Luke Bunker and Matthew Signorello who we eventually drafted. Bunker or Signorello didn't win the Knights M.V.P. that year Lachie did.

Yet when he lobs at the Crows SANFL he wins the Dean Bailey Medal playing as a small defender, then he gets upgraded to the AFL and we play him as a ssmall pressure forward. He's around the same size as Dion Prestia, Rory Laird, Dayne Zorko who all make a good fist of midfield so why not Lachie? Surely he's shown enough in his short forays on ball to at least give him some more opportunity in there. He's a way more "natural" midfielder than Fogarty that's for sure and you never see him take a backward step at a contest. Size should not be all defining as we've found with Rory Laird.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Rowe is the one who could fine a niche

I get that Murphy and McHenry perhaps have a more varied skillset but how much midfield time are they likely to get? With Sloane, Crouch and Berry to return plus Pedlar on the horizon.

Rowe is a pure goal sneak and nothing else. It's what we need and there's a spot there for him.

Bits and pieces players who are also fighting for some midfield minutes...?

Yeah I agree, Rowe has shown some pure sneaky crumbing skills.

I think Murphy may be squeezed out as McHenry and Rowe develop, but Murph seems to have stagnated for near 3 years. Newchurch could push him out, or if we magically land Rankine. Mid rotations have to be a focus, Sloane, Smith and Seed will be 33, 31 and 31 and likely gone in a few years and may end up pushed forward or out of the 22 the more the kids grow. Sholl, Schoenberg, Hatley, Hamil, Berry, Pedlar, McHenry, Milera, hopefully Horne and another drafted mid this year sounds promising but could leave Murphy as depth.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

That's just it though with Lachie Murphy, we sought him out obviously off the back of a stellar TAC Cup for the Northern Knights where he played as one of their main midfielders along with Luke Bunker and Matthew Signorello who we eventually drafted. Bunker or Signorello didn't win the Knights M.V.P. that year Lachie did.

Yet when he lobs at the Crows SANFL he wins the Dean Bailey Medal playing as a small defender, then he gets upgraded to the AFL and we play him as a ssmall pressure forward. He's around the same size as Dion Prestia, Rory Laird, Dayne Zorko who all make a good fist of midfield so why not Lachie? Surely he's shown enough in his short forays on ball to at least give him some more opportunity in there. He's a way more "natural" midfielder than Fogarty that's for sure and you never see him take a backward step at a contest. Size should not be all defining as we've found with Rory Laird.

Does he attend many centre bounces now? I cant say I have noticed

 

[Mutineer]

Does he attend many centre bounces now? I cant say I have noticed

6 games in 2021 15 Clearances, 3 centre clearances and 12 stoppage clearances for a bloke that only gets a very rare run on ball stacks up pretty well I would have thoughts. If you didn't notice on of his Centre clearances a while back you weren't watching closely...it was sublime.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

6 games in 2021 15 Clearances, 3 centre clearances and 12 stoppage clearances for a bloke that only gets a very rare run on ball stacks up pretty well I would have thoughts. If you didn't notice on of his Centre clearances a while back you weren't watching closely...it was sublime.

Not bad. Small laptop screen and watching late at night, I probably missed it. Hopefully he can continue in this area, might change my mind in thinking he will be squeezed out in a year or 2

 

[BRL121]

I just watched the game highlights on the AFL website and it was extremely revealing.
All of Murphy, Macadam, and McHenry were fairly prominent in our scoring chains: I wouldn't drop any of them.
On the other hand, Rowe was completely absent.

Out: Rowe
In: Stengle

 

[Peter Doherty]

I really think we are not far away from a Newchurch debut.

A lot of people had the slows on him last year, 'long term prospect', 'long way off it' etc.

He's showing enough in his first few games at SANFL level and I'm not sure if Rowe's form will justify him playing every game.

 

[Apsaalooke]

They all have good and bad points but do we really need 3 small forwards? I don't recall the Crows ever doing that before

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Murphy and McHenry should be getting at least small stints on the ball, particularly later in games. Our lack of rotations (plus the failing Fog experiment) is costing us dearly in second halves.

Very good point... particularly with Sloane out.

We have faded out in the 2nd half 2 weeks in a row now, whilst limiting our players through the midfield.

 

[Cap]

I just watched the game highlights on the AFL website and it was extremely revealing.
All of Murphy, Macadam, and McHenry were fairly prominent in our scoring chains: I wouldn't drop any of them.
On the other hand, Rowe was completely absent.

Out: Rowe
In: Stengle

I don't get the Stengle love. Rowe is an upgrade on Stengle without the addiction.

Let's not forget, Stengle is playing well in a good side after being in the AFL system

Rowe is the other way round

 

[Dudersaurus]

Meh. Thilthorpe started named at HFF. Did ok.

 

[Sanders]

Rowe to go first
McHenry slowly getting there
Murphy doing very well

Newchurch to come in

McAdam is lucky to keep his spot

It's about hard work evn if you're not kicking goals

agree with every word