List Mgmt. The KPP thread

Remove this Banner Ad

Kersten is closer to Mayne in height than he is to Tabs and isn't a big contested mark, so I compare them in that regard.

His weapon is real pace, I don't expect him to be a marking option.

He's 1cm shorter then Pavlich and will be playing as a third tall rather then key. I think he suits better with McCarthy and Apeness then a guy Taberner height anyway.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

If we are to play Apeness, Tabs, McCarthy, Kersten in the same forward line, probably the best team to compare is Adelaide. Their leading goal kicker is Eddy Betts, with
the two small forwards kicking over 100 goals between them.
Even McGovern kicked more than Pavlich in 2016, so I dont see Fremantle playing a shootout style of game.
Crows weakness is midfield defense, our strength in the past, and a team trait.
If anything I can see that we have even more contested strength, improved skills, and more forward options, we were close in 2013, 2015, lacking forward
options, having to play players out of position.
 
I'm loving where our list is going but I'm probably not as optimistic about our 2017 prospects mainly because I think our KPP stocks are still well under par and will need another season or two to reach where we need them to be...

FORWARD LINE

Somewhat scarily, of our tall forwards Taberner has the most games experience with 45 games (Kersten 37, McCarthy 21, Apeness 7, Strnadica 0). They've also shown minimal goal scoring capability to date with McCarthy having the biggest career average on 1.7 (2015), Kersten 1.1 (1.3 in 2016), Tabs 0.9 (1.1 in 2016) and Apeness 0.4 (0.6 in 2016). But all of them have been improving each year, so we should feel positive about the future. I suspect we'll add one of our new draftees/rookies into the key forward mix as well (Logue, Cox, Uebergang) as everyone won't fit down back at Peel.

Luckily, our tall forwards will be supported by some experienced and talented smalls in Walters (94 games @ 1.9g/g), Ballantyne (141 games @ 1.6g/g), hopefully Bennell (81 games @ 1.1g/g) and Fyfe (117 games @ 0.9g/g, 1.8g/g in 2016) when resting forward. But there are some question marks about them as well (will Walters spend time as a mid? will Ballas get some form back? will Bennell and Fyfe overcome their injury issues?).

I think it's going to take time for our forward line to hit its straps and Ross will likely need time to experiment a bit as how we structure is probably anyone's guess. I personally hope we try a few things this season and balance getting game experience into our young forwards. Also crossing fingers that the delivery i50 will be more frequent and higher quality than last year to give these guys a chance.

BACK LINE

If you thought our tall forwards were inexperienced then our back line is possibly even worse. Take Johnson (209 games) and Dawson (164 games) out of the equation as both might not be on our list in 2018, then Hamling is our next most experienced with just 23 games (APearce 21, Collins 12, Logue 0, Cox 0, Ueber 0). There is definitely plenty of potential but to expect it to be fully functioning this year is overly optimistic.

The other unfortunate thing for these guys is the small defenders supporting them are either on the decline (Ibbo 167 games, Spurr 104), have question marks whether they should be defenders (Sutcliffe 87, Sheridan 59), have only recently been used as defenders (Crozier 50, Weller 25) or are very inexperienced (Hughes 6, Ryan 0, Nyhuis 0, Duman 0).

Even more so than our forward line there is a great need to pump AFL experience in to our young KPDs. I personally don't think Peel/WAFL is particularly useful for developing KPPs and if they are AFL ready then they will likely develop much faster and better in AFL games. I'd also like to see our young half backs used in a variety of roles at Peel to get their hands on the ball more often - eg Hughes, Ryan, Nyhuis and Duman all playing in the midfield.

RUCKS

Unlike many others I'm not that concerned about our ruck stocks - I still don't get all the panic. When fit, Sandi is still one of the best rucks in the comp and I can't see him retiring this year so Darcy should get at least another year of mentoring. Having both Clarke and Griffin as backups is better than nothing. Darcy looks exciting, Apeness will be fine in time, and Strnadica is a great rookie prospect to have. Six guys on a list who can ruck is plenty imo. If things don't go to plan this year with their development then trading in another ruck option is far easier and less expensive than something like a KPF.
 
I still believe that a player wont get games under a Ross Lyon team unless he is accountable for his man, follows the
instructions, game plan to a tee.
That factor alone is enough for me to think Ross and the team will get their mojo back this year. Sure we lack experience
but the Bulldogs proved what is capable, and what a difference a good coach, belief can achieve.
That inexperience brings hunger, excitement to a team that was looking jaded after 2015. A new chapter is about to be
written in the history of the club with a fresh start, new abode.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top