Analysis The Grunts

[theflea]

Since Round 12
Contesed Possessions: Selwood 84, Miles 83.
KE%: Selwood 62.4%, Miles 64.8%.
Clearances: Selwood 39, Miles 50
Free kicks: Selwood 14, Miles 24
Miles is seven ahead of anyone else in free-kicks this season, and all of those free-kicks were won in a contest.

And not playing for any of them.

 

[razaxp360]

Just watch now though, Miles will receive the hard tag around nearly all stoppages, his clearances will take a hit and with that efficiency will probably drop off. I have faith he can prove me wrong, make GWS really regret letting you go this week Anthony!!

 

[TheAnt]

Just watch now though, Miles will receive the hard tag around nearly all stoppages, his clearances will take a hit and with that efficiency will probably drop off. I have faith he can prove me wrong, make GWS really regret letting you go this week Anthony!!

Anthony Miles copped a tag against Port. My god if we can get one or two more players in the midfield that are damaging enough to earn a tag in their own right we are going to be so set.

 

[nut]

Anthony Miles copped a tag against Port. My god if we can get one or two more players in the midfield that are damaging enough to earn a tag in their own right we are going to be so set.

Hinkley did his homework and put Kornes on him

 

[Achilles Heel]

There is another thing I like with the make up of the midfield group as it stands and that is the size of them:
Lennon 190cm 83kg
Grigg 190cm 85kg
O'Hanlon 189cm 89kg
Gordon 188cm 86kg
Jackson 188cm 92kg
Deledio 188cm 88kg
Vlastuin 187cm 86kg
Martin 187cm 89kg
Williams(r) 186cm 86kg
Thomas(r) 186cm 87kg
Helbig 185cm 85kg
Conca 185cm 83kg
Petterd 185cm 85kg
Cotchin 185cm 85kg
Knights 184cm 84kg
S.Edwards 182cm 83kg
Ellis 181cm 81kg
Arnot 180cm 86kg
McDonough 180cm 84kg
Miles 179cm 78kg
Foley 178cm 79kg

Look at that group, not a skinny runt in the group. I believe that this has been part of the plan with the rebuild of the list by Hardwick. Solid hard bodied skilled footballers, not athletes who can run all day, but dislike contests. IMO this is why I think we worked hard on developing the contested side of our game over the summer and in the long run we'll really see the benefit of that when we do get back to playing finals footy.

If I was a betting man I'd be looking at kids in the draft pool that are around the 185-190cm/80-85kg when it comes to who we take with our picks. Not sure whether pace is something that we'll be big on but it wouldn't hurt to have someone with some toe about them.

Peptides

 

[Tiger71]

Hinkley did his homework and put Kornes on him

They beauty was when he tried to lock down Miles, Cotchin and our other mids became a lot more damaging. it forced Cornes to try to switch to Cotchin during live play and then switch to miles during stoppages. By the third quarter cornes ran himself into the ground, was a thing of beauty lol

 

[Mr Magic]

Was talking with some fellow fans yesterday about the change in our fortunes the last 2 months and the conclusion was that our midfield seems to have finally clicked as a unit. It's no surprise that the inclusion of Miles has played a big part in that but I'm of the opinion that there is a bit more to it.

Since round 12 when Miles came into the side the stats of our midfielders are:
Miles 25.3 disposals 11.9 contested possessions 3 marks 7.1 clearances 5.1 tackles.
Martin 28.1 disposals 8.5 contested possessions 4.7 marks 3 clearances 3.2 tackles
Cotchin 26.1 disposals 11 contested possessions 3.7 marks 4 clearances 3.7 tackles
Ellis 30.1 disposals 7.1 contested possessions 5.2 marks 1.4 clearances 2.1 tackles
Deledio 23.7 disposals 9.2 contested possessions 4.5 marks 3.1 clearances 2.7 tackles
Thomas 20 disposals 10.75 contested possessions 3.75 marks 3.5 clearances 4.75 tackles
Conca 18 disposals 6.4 contested possessions 2.5 marks 1.8 clearances 4 tackles
Foley 20.2 disposals 7.7 contested possessions 2.4 marks 3.8 clearances 4.4 tackles
S.Edwards 18.1 disposals 9.5 contested possessions 2.1 marks 5 clearances 3.5 tackles

Now compare those numbers to their season averages:
Martin -1.3 disposals -0.2 contested possessions +0.1 marks -0.1 clearances -0.8 tackles
Cotchin -0.4 disposals +0.5 contested possessions ~ marks -0.9 clearances -0.3 tackles
Ellis +4.2 disposals +0.6 contested possessions +0.3 marks -0.3 clearances -0.4 tackles
Deledio -0.9 disposals ~ contested possessions -0.4 marks -0.2 clearances +0.2 tackles
Thomas -1.4 disposals +0.6 contested possessions -0.15 marks -0.8 clearances -1.75 tackles
Conca -1.3 disposals -1 contested possessions -1.2 marks -1 clearances +1.7 tackles
Foley +3.1 disposals +2.2 contested possessions +0.3 marks +0.6 clearances +0.5 tackles
S.Edwards +1 disposals +1.2 contested possessions -0.4 marks +1.8 clearances +0.3 tackles

Looking at those numbers it shows just how important our lesser lights like Thomas Foley S.Edwards & even Miles are to the side moving forward. These guys are what I call our grunts, the blokes whose hard work at the bottom of packs and in traffic allows the likes of Cotchin Martin Deledio & even Ellis to get out in space and become much more dangerous.

When you look at that group and then consider that we have the likes of Vlastuin Lennon Jackson and even everyones favorite whipping boys in Grigg & Petterd to add to the mix the midfield group is in pretty good shape moving forward.

I know there has been plenty of calls for us to trade the likes of Deledio & Conca by some and even I've suggested the trading of Grigg & Jackson, but unless we really need to go down that path I'd probably prefer that we hold what we have and add a quality kid through the draft or if we can get a deal done spend just our first pick on trading for a ready to go kid who can really add something to the mix.

Ha ha, not even Miles, try only Miles. Why only Miles? Because as a battler he is a cut above and has a touch of poise, composure and smarts. BTW Miles has a rating by me a lot higher than Thomas, Foley and Jackson!!

RT you obviously like lesser lights, fine they have their place! Every team needs one or to. Miles is the big difference because he is better than a few others and he was not playing before. It is as simple as that. As for comparing stats, meaningless because different opposition and different team mix.

Apart from Miles any other difference is negligible and no point comparing them when you have guys like Dusty playing more in the forward line at times which usually means less disposals!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Miles is definitely a 'grunt' type of player with his inside work and winning contested ball/tackling etc. The thing is, he's going so well he could easily become one of our 'star' players and be regarded as one of the best inside midfielders in the comp if he can sustain/improve his output. Could easily become a top 10, possibly even a top 5 player at the club IMO.

 

[Mr Magic]

Miles is definitely a 'grunt' type of player with his inside work and winning contested ball/tackling etc. The thing is, he's going so well he could easily become one of our 'star' players and be regarded as one of the best inside midfielders in the comp if he can sustain/improve his output. Could easily become a top 10, possibly even a top 5 player at the club IMO.

I actually rate Miles as a terrific benchmark player. If you are older than Miles and can't beat him or not better than him in your role your not good enough.

If you are younger than Miles you are let off if your potential/projections suggest you may go past Miles.

Miles is definitely premiership team list material but as a battler he is a terrific example of the minimum standard required for a premiership team IMO!! Bit like Poppy at the Hawks

 

[TJTIGER]

As a side note Miles may be as good due to the competition/exposure, provided by players like Foley & Thomas. The value of threse players in training etc may never be known by those outside the club...

 

[Mogwai]

Loving the Selwood/Miles comparisons, but one must consider what opposition they were up against

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Loving the Selwood/Miles comparisons, but one must consider what opposition they were up against

I agree, I like the Selwood / Miles comparison , we would be a genuine chance of playing finals ATM if Miles was promoted rather than Thomas.

 

[_RT_]

I agree, I like the Selwood / Miles comparison , we would be a genuine chance of playing finals ATM if Miles was promoted rather than Thomas.

Reckon it would have worked even better if it was Thomas and Miles elevated instead of Stephenson.

 

[RunningBounce]

Looking at those numbers it shows just how important our lesser lights like Thomas Foley S.Edwards & even Miles are to the side moving forward.

I agree, although I'm guess you didn't use the word "even" in front of the name "Miles". Foley, Edwards, and even Thomas are in much better form than earlier in the year.

It's easy and a bit lazy to point to one bloke out of 22 and say he was the one that really made the difference. One of the things I most enjoy about Aussie Rules is that it needs a large number of player all contributing.

Foley had the equal highest number of effective disposals of any player on the ground against WCE. Martin and Cotchin kicked three classy goals in the rain to get us home, but they would have had the ball in the forward line if Foley hadn't been clean with his hands up the ground.

Edwards had 2 more clearances than any other player against Brisbane. Cotchin, Martin and Ellis had 103 disposals between them and looked dominant, but it was Edwards who got the ball out to them.

It's more of a team game than any other.

 

[RunningBounce]

Since Round 12
Contesed Possessions: Selwood 84, Miles 83.
KE%: Selwood 62.4%, Miles 64.8%.
Clearances: Selwood 39, Miles 50
Free kicks: Selwood 14, Miles 24
Miles is seven ahead of anyone else in free-kicks this season, and all of those free-kicks were won in a contest.

I am loving the shit out of Miles's 7 games, but before we give him the Brownlow:

Career totals (since 2010 anyway, FootyWire doesn't have the advanced stats prior to that)

Contesed Possessions: Selwood 1,280, Miles 146.
ED%: Selwood 74.6%, Miles 72.9%.
Clearances: Selwood 607, Miles 64
Free kicks: Selwood 442, Miles 37

I think he'll finish top 10 in the B&F, should get recruit of the year (if there was one), but it's only half a good season. He has another thousand or so contested possessions to win before the Selwood comparison becomes serious.

Other memorable players who have achieved half a good season include Jayden Post, Cleve Hughes and Shaun Hampson*. I'm enjoying Miles work, but I need to see him turn this great performance out for 50 games before I get too emotionally invested.

* Not in Yellow and Black

 

[a_fighting_fury]

I agree, I like the Selwood / Miles comparison , we would be a genuine chance of playing finals ATM if Miles was promoted rather than Thomas.

That hurts because it's probably true.

 

[CotchIsKing]

Nice to have a 'grunt' like Miles that could even be murmured in passing in the same company as Selwood

 

[TheAnt]

He has another thousand or so contested possessions to win before the Selwood comparison becomes serious.

It's not a serious comparison and it's going to be a bit difficult with Selwood having another seven or so years left in him.

 

[Spluff]

Reckon it would have worked even better if it was Thomas and Miles elevated instead of Stephenson.

There was no way we were going to go into the season without a back-up ruckman on the senior list. Stephenson was a must.

 

[_RT_]

There was no way we were going to go into the season without a back-up ruckman on the senior list. Stephenson was a must.

I get that but given we used Stephenson in one game before Maric came back, hindsight would suggest that we made the wrong call. We had Vickery Griffiths & Elton who could have carried the ruck for a week or 2. But it is what it is and hopefully we don't make the same mistake next time around.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

I get that but given we used Stephenson in one game before Maric came back, hindsight would suggest that we made the wrong call. We had Vickery Griffiths & Elton who could have carried the ruck for a week or 2. But it is what it is and hopefully we don't make the same mistake next time around.

Remember back then though we didn't know how long the Hammer injury would be for, Vickery was in horrible form, and Griff in the ruck was an unknown

Its an easy call in hindsight (Miles over Orren), but at the time it was the safe choice.

 

[DontArgue4]

 

[_RT_]

Remember back then though we didn't know how long the Hammer injury would be for, Vickery was in horrible form, and Griff in the ruck was an unknown

Its an easy call in hindsight (Miles over Orren), but at the time it was the safe choice.

Aware of all of that, and I agree it was the safe choice to make at the time. I think we all agree that the next time something similar happens we go with the 2 players that are in form rather than going to just in case option and shooting ourselves in the foot.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Aware of all of that, and I agree it was the safe choice to make at the time. I think we all agree that the next time something similar happens we go with the 2 players that are in form rather than going to just in case option and shooting ourselves in the foot.

if Hammers hammy was a 3 weeker though, you have zero contingency

its either ruck an injured maric or play a hopelessly out of form Vickery

Having Miles in our side would not have changed the result of the early games (which is what you are implying im assuming by advocating the risk taking)

 

[_RT_]

Ha ha, not even Miles, try only Miles. Why only Miles? Because as a battler he is a cut above and has a touch of poise, composure and smarts. BTW Miles has a rating by me a lot higher than Thomas, Foley and Jackson!!

RT you obviously like lesser lights, fine they have their place! Every team needs one or to. Miles is the big difference because he is better than a few others and he was not playing before. It is as simple as that. As for comparing stats, meaningless because different opposition and different team mix.

Apart from Miles any other difference is negligible and no point comparing them when you have guys like Dusty playing more in the forward line at times which usually means less disposals!

As I said in the OP which you have obviously missed is that Miles has played an important part in the turnaround, but he isn't the sole reason. There has been a flow on effect from the inclusion of Miles. Cotchin has gone from being at the bottom of packs to being the one receiving the ball from the likes of Miles Foley Thomas & Jackson. That means that Dusty & Deledio get to receive the ball in a bit more space as well and then there is Ellis is seems to have been the biggest beneficiary from Miles coming in as he has got back to being the hard running winger that he was becoming last year. As much as people don't like the idea I'm actually looking forward to Grigg coming back as he like Ellis is capable of being a hard running winger that links up between the back and forward lines.

You talk about sides needing 1-2 lesser lights, you need a lot more than that to become a genuinely good side. The reason is no side has 20-21 stars, they have 6-8 tops, the rest of the side for the most part are lesser lights. They are role players and supporting cast that allow the stars to perform at their best in their best roles. Miles is a good player, but he is no star, put him in a side where he doesn't have stars like Cotchin Deledio Martin taking the focus off of him he can perform at the level he is playing at. If those guys aren't around and he can be sat on by quality opposition, not VFL/NEAFL calibre, I doubt he'd have the same sort of impact. That isn't a slight on Miles, it's just explaining how the benefit of playing in midfield with quality can make life easier for someone.