Analysis The Matt Taberner effect

[Deathly]

The problem is Kersten can't read the game to save his life and McCarthy really doesn't have footy smarts. So why are they playing over a player who can at the very least make every contest a 50/50.

 

[FreoMonocle]

No player is indispensible... Cox played instead of Tabs and for a first game it was okay in a situation where there was stuff all ball for a forward. But I'm not convinced that he gave us better than Tabs would have if he played.

But crikey, if not marking in the forward line is a cardinal sin, in all fairness we have some other forwards that should be relegated to WAFL as well.

 

[meima]

No player is indispensible... Cox played instead of Tabs and for a first game it was okay in a situation where there was stuff all ball for a forward. But I'm not convinced that he gave us better than Tabs would have if he played.

But crikey, if not marking in the forward line is a cardinal sin, in all fairness we have some other forwards that should be relegated to WAFL as well.

cam Mac and Kersten deserve to be relegated.

 

[Kunna17]

Cam got absolutely reemed by Andrews ... But if Tabs plays, Andrews goes to him.
I really like Tabs in if we're to persist with McCarthy/Kersten as the other two options but for christ sake they need to start playing to their strengths. Working up and around the ground, and using mobility to get free rather than trying to outmark bigger, stronger blokes, who read the ball better than they do.

I just posted in the changes thread a team without both Tabener and Kersten, but in that I assume Fyfe + Mundy to spend very large amounts of time forward and had Cox there as well (Would play Tabs over Cox normally but thought Cox deserves another go after a fairly formidable performance)
Mundy for me would essentially play Kerstens role, but too greater effect despite his physical disadvantage as 1) He works harder 2) He has the nous to lead up at the ball. Cox I am hoping can provide what Tabs does and at least consistenly half contests whilst Fyfe is a genuine aerial threat.

Essentially, I don't think you can play with Kersten and McCarthy as your targets. Cox I'm unsure of as of yet, but Tabs, can 100% be a focal point for a forward line - he may not be the best at it. But he can do it and play a basic role. His Value to our side is very under-rated by our board, and I see Fyfe as the only other player on the list who is capable of matching/upping his output as the focal point. (Maybe apeness/Cox/Stranadica can in time)

 

[Demons09]

49 pages dedicated to an average footballer.

 

[Superkoops]

The thing with Tabs and getting dropped was that his ruckwork was bog average in his last couple of games. This added to Griffin being just bog average in general. Tabs as a ruck relief worked ok when Sandi was around but otherwise we just get slaughtered in the middle.

Tabs should be played at FF and could indeed be played instead of McCarthy/ Kersten. All three have sucked of late but the bigger issue is the midfield/ ruck. Griffin/ Tabs getting slaughtered and our midfielders struggling to touch the ball.

I agree that Tabs makes a decent contest and he should play at FF. His centre square ruck-work is terrible...jumps early is ourbodied etc. He can ruck in the forward half but not in the centre.

I think they missed an opportunity to give Darcy a crack. Yes his fitness is not up to scratch yet but his tap work is next level good. Griffin is so bad around the ground it wouldn't matter if Darcy just planted himself a kick behind the play (or forward of the play in our case) at CHB/FB.

I would bring Tabs in for Kersten. Kersten needs a run at Peel to find some form.

Tabs is to me the opposite to Zac Clarke. Remember him being towelled up by Darren Glass in Derby's of the past and Brian Lake in the 2013 GF and just about any half decent KPD since. But he is quite a good ruckman when not half cooked with his knee. Tabs is just s**t in the ruck I'm afraid. Apeness sitting on the pine injured for best part of 3-years and having dodgy knees has been a killer for the club.

 

[Rob]

I would bring Tabs in for Kersten. Kersten needs a run at Peel to find some form.

No brainer. Taberner, for all his faults, competes in the air for the ball.

Kersten thinks the way to compete in a marking contest is to push his opponent square in the back.

 

[ydraw]

Tabs is to me the opposite to Zac Clarke. Remember him being towelled up by Darren Glass in Derby's of the past and Brian Lake in the 2013 GF and just about any half decent KPD since. But he is quite a good ruckman when not half cooked with his knee. Tabs is just s**t in the ruck I'm afraid. Apeness sitting on the pine injured for best part of 3-years and having dodgy knees has been a killer for the club.

You must be watching a different Apeness because he was even worse than Tabs in the ruck.

Tabs got towelled up in the ruck against Collingwood, but he had 12 HOs against Richmond which isn't too bad for a backup ruck. He didn't give away a lot of free kicks in the first 2 weeks he played either.

 

[fnerd]

49 pages dedicated to an average footballer.

Needed to be stated again for truth

 

[Kram]

So Pokers/ydraw was your wedding with Taberner a simply registry office thing or a full on church do with all the fruit?

 

[salim malik]

Tabs is average but Kersten is sub average. Not a lot to choose from ,average or below average.

 

[meima]

Both mark the ball like this

 

[Cobbler]

Tabs at least gets hands to his.

I think Tabs needs to play from now on. Like many have said we have 2 average talls in Kersten and McCarthy. By having 3 average talls we at least have an opportunity for the 3rd tall to have some sort of impact.

 

[fnerd]

My personal preference atm would be to play tabs deep, having a crumber in his near vicinity (and no not 1 that trys to out mark him) with mccarthy playing more up the ground as a mobile chf (playing to his strengths)with mundy the link in between. Kerstan to have a spell.
Stating the obvious but our current system atm certainly needs some tweaking

 

[ydraw]

Tabs at least gets hands to his.

I think Tabs needs to play from now on. Like many have said we have 2 average talls in Kersten and McCarthy. By having 3 average talls we at least have an opportunity for the 3rd tall to have some sort of impact.

The thing is Kersten isn't even a tall. He's the same height as Mayne. And we had the same problem when we played Mayne as our only other tall alongside Pavlich.

 

[Ysaye]

According to google:
Chris Mayne = 1.88m
Shane Kersten = 191cm
Matthew Pavlich = 1.92cm
Griffin Logue = 1.93cm

 

[Cobbler]

The thing is Kersten isn't even a tall. He's the same height as Mayne. And we had the same problem when we played Mayne as our only other tall alongside Pavlich.

I'm with you buddy, don't worry about that. I've been an advocate for Taberner for as long as I can remember. The match committee need to have faith in him. Across the league you see tall forwards get shut out completely, but remain in the side.

Taberner gives us flexibility and allows McCarthy and Kersten to become 2nd and 3rd forwards.

For team balance it's simply a no brainer. He had an absolute shocker against the Pies, but dropping him wasn't the answer, especially against Brisbane which was a chance for him to redeem himself.

I'm not against the idea of not playing him in the wet. He is atrocious in the wet, but our best 22 has him in it, whether fans like it or not.

 

[Silent Alarm]

You reckon Freo lost because Taberner wasn't there?!

Because he did so much in the few games after his five goals against a shit team.

You guys will end up realising he's no good just as others have realised, three years late, Sheridan sucks. Far out.


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[electricfeel]

Views on Matt Taberner are incredibly polarising on this board. Last week people were calling for his delisting now they think we would've won with him in the side. Its like reading that 100 page Priddis thread on the wce board

 

[Kram]

It's how much discussion such a bog ordinary footballer has created, guess it shows how desperate we are atm.

 

[electricfeel]

It's how much discussion such a bog ordinary footballer has created, guess it shows how desperate we are atm.

Very desperate. I've always been willing to give Tabs a go and thought he was gradually improving. But he just doesn't show enough aside from one or two awesome games per year. I dont think hes going to last much longer

 

[freo_leo29]

49 pages dedicated to an average footballer.

Yet we seem to be a much better team whenever he is in the side, case in point with this thread.

People on this board have very little patience with Taberner for some reason, just let him keep playing and stop dropping him after he plays in games where its tipping down.

 

[ydraw]

Very desperate. I've always been willing to give Tabs a go and thought he was gradually improving. But he just doesn't show enough aside from one or two awesome games per year. I dont think hes going to last much longer

The thing is that this thread isn't just about Taberner. Its about our forward structure in general. If we had other key forwards we could try then everyone would be happy to see that happen. The fact is at the moment Taberner is the only key forward on our list. So until we recruit someone else he has to play.

 

[Unique Name]

Tabs' being in wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game. We lost the game because our midfield played like shit.

But the few times it did go forward Kersten and McCarthy got outsized, outmuscled and weren't even able to half the contest. Tabs for all his faults still gets to the contest and at least causes a spill. Maybe we could have kicked an extra few goals from spillages and maybe he marks a few due to his height/reach.


Also Tabs is for the 2nd year running our most accurate goal scorer.

 

[samFFC]

Another 2.0 in the WAFL this weekend.