The height myth

[Azul]

Are we too short now? All because Talia, one player, is 6cm taller than Lucas?

I'm not suggesting we shouldn't use our remaining 4 rookie spots on a couple of tall players. Just asking for some calm and perspective.

Let's for the sake of the discussion, define tall as 191cm+.

our departures:

Cloke 196
Hartlett 196
Edwards 193
Fevola 191
Bannister 190
Bentick 184
Stevens 180

Total 13.30m

our arrivals:

Jacobs 202
Henderson 196
Davies 191
Lucas 188
Kerr 184
McLean 184
Joseph 180

Total 13.25m

Wow, our list is a whopping five centimetres shorter!

Hartlett, Edwards and, to a lesser extent, Cloke is spuds. So the way I look at it, we've lost one champion tall in Fev and gained 3 promising ones.

(And I wouldn't underestimate the value Jacobs brings. If he and Warnock can play a total of 22 games - it means Kreuzer/Hampson can channel Simon Madden at full forward.)

 

[goreds]

It is a myth....

Half the people on this forum are still having FEVOLA withdrawl...

For people to be complaining about our current talls is just ridiculous...

Why do we need Talia when we have Henderson?

The question that needs to be asked is, where are our goals going to come from?

Answer, at least 10 different sources.....!

 

[iRemember87]

It is a myth....

Half the people on this forum are still having FEVOLA withdrawl...

For people to be complaining about our current talls is just ridiculous...

Why do we need Talia when we have Henderson?

The question that needs to be asked is, where are our goals going to come from?

Answer, at least 10 different sources.....!

I can name 15

 

[Malifice]

Hartlett, Edwards and, to a lesser extent, Cloke is spuds.

Not you too!

 

[Azul]

Not you too!

Sorry, it's in the Carlton BF dialect now.

 

[HBF]

I've been spruiking this message for some time now. I really do believe our perceived lack of height is a myth, that has been started in the media, and now seems to be an adopted theory by quite a large chunk of the footballing community.

I actually think the Cloke delisting was more of a strategic one more than anything. Should no other club pick him up, he comes back to us as a mature-aged rookie. There you go, another tall we can play forward. And who knows, which all the traffic not being directed through Fevola, he could quite easily kick 20 goals next season.

 

[Blue and Silver]

Officially we have the following talls (190cm):

Mark Austin (193)
Paul Bower (192)
Brad Fisher (192)
Shaun Grigg (190)
Richard Hadley (190)
Shaun Hampson (201)
Lachlan Henderson (196)
Sam Jacobs (200)
Micheal Jamison (193)
Matthew Kreuzer (200)
Setanta O'Halpin (199)
Bret Thornton (192)
Jarrad Waite (194)
Andrew Walker (190)
Robert Warnock (206)

15 players

Of those 3 are most definitely midfielder/tall flankers (Walker, Hadley, Grigg)

Then there are four ruckmen (Kreuzer, Warnock, Hampson, Jacobs)

There are 5 key backs (Bower, Waite, Thornton, Austin, Jamison)

There are 4 key forwards (Henderson, O'Halpin, Waite, Fisher)

The forwards look the most inexperianced and shorthanded at first glance but if Setanta can recapture his mid season form before he got crashed then I think our talls don't look that atrocious.

Honestly judging by some posters comments you would think Fevola was the only player above 191cm on the list

 

[BLUE BLEEDING]

Definately a myth which really irritates me.

Our key defenders for the next five years who possess some hope are: Bower, Jamison, Austin, Thornton and Waite. I see them all as good players with the first three in for great careers and are all but young. You can only four of them at once really and it's unfair that one does miss out; so bringing in a Talia for instance, would it really help?

Our key fowards for the next five years who possess some hope are: Henderson, Kreuzer, Waite at times and Hampson or Warnock resting and stretching out defences. A very talented group of names I believe. Only two can play at once because three is too tall and lumbering and just doesn't work- look at Reiwoldt, Koschitzke and Gehrig's statistics when playing together for an example. Recruiting a Black would have pushed Kreuzer out most likely and consequently would be placing Warnock or Hampson into the Bullants and that is not right.

I know I'm speaking as if all are injury free but that group of nine only need seven at most playing at once leaving good space for injury.

Yes it would be nice to have some more depth in these areas and I'm not about to even consider Fisher, O'hAilpin and the like because they will not be able to contribute to our next premiership contending team as teams as such simply don't have players of that standard. But I am not willing to see a drafting purely based on needs and overlook someone of Lucas' standard who will fill equally as important positions just because they are tall and add depth.

As for the later picks in Davies and Kerr. I think they are the picks that should be based on best available the most. What are the chances we would pick a gun KPP at 59 anyway, especially one that would impact or even be ready to play immediately? Probably near zero. May as well make those picks count.

Midfielders and medium sized players control the game nowadays and we have a very powerful cohort forming whereas CHF's have been said to be becoming un-needed in today's game. And for those fretters, we still have two drafts coming up and a trade week next year in which we reportedly have a 'warchest' for.

 

[CUG81]

I think we have a good group of talls who are versitile...looking at waite and setanta for example, both can play either of the ground.

As long as next season we start to see the structure down the guts settled and consistent each game, i think we have a lot to look forward to.

 

[gbatman]

we delisted tall players who DID NOT COUNT as they were crap players. We have gained so much more with Henderson, Labi and Davies. Not to mention that Austin, Waite, Jamison, Warnock, O'hAilpin may as well be new players as they hardly played last year.

We have taken some good steps in building a power house side.

 

[Dramoth]

we delisted tall players who DID NOT COUNT as they were crap players. We have gained so much more with Henderson, Labi and Davies. Not to mention that Austin, Waite, Jamison, Warnock, O'hAilpin may as well be new players as they hardly played last year.

We have taken some good steps in building a power house side.

So well put you had to say it twice.

But honestly... most of our goals next year are going to be coming from the small forwards and certain mids. The big guys will contribute a lot of goals but in the end, because we will have a wider spread of talls to kick to, the opposition is going to have to try and bring the ball to ground because they wont be able to double or triple team our power forward because if they do, they have striped defenders away from our other talls in the forward line.

Unstructured results in uncertainty in the opposition and greater opportunities for the smalls.

However, next year will be developing our new look forward line and while we might make the finals, there is just as much chance that we wont.

 

[Silvagnis]

Opposition flogs should watch the game against St Kilda if they don't rate our spine.

I took a look at one half of that match today.

Austin, Jamison, Setanta and Bower stood up and were counted in a game minus Waite and Thornton. Fev was smashed by Hudghton with just two goals, yet we lost by two kicks with Judd on and off the bench.

That was probably the best match Grigg has played for Carlton.

Grigg's kick in from the right back pocket to a contest was centimetre perfect and every bit of fifty metres.

If Grigga plays like that every second week, he's a gun.

Browne knocked Koschitzke off his feet with a beautiful bump, recovered and attacked another Saint to drive the ball out of bounds on their forward flank.

There are exciting times ahead if you can add Walker, Yarran, Henderson, Lucas, O'keeffe, Robinson, Warnock and Mclean to that team.

The sum far outweighs the loss of just Fevola and Stevens.

The scariest part is Kreuzer and Judd weren't on song in that game for one reason or another.

I took a look at parts of the Cats game last week.

Walker took off in that game, looked right, looked left, looked ahead, then hit a teammate lace out on the move. Setanta had three opponents on his tail, yet didn't have to move to mark the ball. Walker's kick was a bullet delivered low and hard off the side of his boot on purpose.

If we can improve our accountability and disposal, any mobile and competitive tall will be a threat.

They will have to hold six mobile and versatile targets next year, ahead of just one who could only sit in the square and on the bench.

Fevola was an albatross.

 

[Bluebear]

It is a myth....

Half the people on this forum are still having FEVOLA withdrawl...

Fev shouldn't enter this debate on KPP's........by all accounts he's too short at 191cm to be a genuine KPP.

 

[Sin City]

Austin, Jamison, Setanta and Bower stood up and were counted in a game minus Waite and Thornton. Fev was smashed by Hudghton with just two goals, yet we lost by two kicks with Judd on and off the bench.

That was probably the best match Grigg has played for Carlton.

Browne knocked Koschitzke off his feet with a beautiful bump, recovered and attacked another Saint to drive the ball out of bounds on their forward flank.

There are exciting times ahead if you can add Walker, Yarran, Henderson, Lucas, O'keeffe, Robinson, Warnock and Mclean to that team.

A couple of great points TG

Austin was fantastic that game, showed courage, commitment, great hands and quite good skill. Most clubs play three KPDs, yet we have five to choose from, and still we are too short

That was definately Grigg's best game for this season. Other times last season and during this pre-season he has shown a fair bit, he's been unfairly written off by a lot of people. The ankle injury that cost him four weeks early in the year was the same one that required surgery after the season, which is more likely the reason for his drop off in form.

B-R-O-W-N-E is a beauty, he'll attack every contest with everything he has. That was the game he showed he is quite capable overhead too.

This pre-season will be a great opportunity for some very talented, but inexperienced footballers to work on their deficiencies and get them AFl ready physically and mentally. Robinson, Yarran and Garlett will all benefit a hell of a lot from a full pre-season, look what a difference it made this year for guys like Aaron Joseph and Dennis Armfield.

 

[Pafloyul]

You guys crack me up. It's as if a wall of 'positive' posts will somehow help determine the truth of the matter. "Players de-listed were crap so they don't count" The logic is breathtaking. If they were still on our list then of course you blokes would factor them into the arguement. Now they are gone they don't count - staggering!

 

[Kramer1]

This is great stuff Azul...eagerly anticipating your follow up work on 'The length myth'.

 

[LemmingMaster]

You guys crack me up.

If it makes you feel better, most of your posts crack me up.

 

[Blue since 72]

You guys crack me up. It's as if a wall of 'positive' posts will somehow help determine the truth of the matter. "Players de-listed were crap so they don't count" The logic is breathtaking. If they were still on our list then of course you blokes would factor them into the arguement. Now they are gone they don't count - staggering!

As our squad stands right now the truth of the matter is we have enough height in the right areas.

 

[Aphrodite]

As our squad stands right now the truth of the matter is we have enough height in the right areas.

Spot on

We have 8 players 195cm or taller compared with seven on St Kilda's list.

 

[thylacine60]

This is great stuff Azul...eagerly anticipating your follow up work on 'The length myth'.

Er, that's hilarious (the post not the myth).