List Mgmt. The midfield - past, present and future.

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Sam_Malone

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We have been discussing this predicament across a number of different threads, so, let's discuss the elephant in the room.

How can we get better productivity out of out current midfield?

In the past, we would have left the midfield clearances to an aging Scott Thompson who's body is breaking down and much, muc closer towards the end than it is toi the start of his career and the Geelong Cat's new guy in Patrick Dangerfield. Now, unless you have just come back from the moon - we no longer have Dangerfield to rely on and the past 2 weeks, Thompson has had 2 shocker against 2 quality teams.

Therefore we can not rely on those 2 players anymore and now the pressure and enormously high expectations gets dumped onto Rory Sloane, Richard Douglas and the 2 Crouch brothers shoulders to march us through another season.

IMO, this isn't sustainable as the Crouch brothers are still young and Douyglas doesn't have the ablity to be the number 1 man in a top 4 midfield. That leaves Sloane and the longer we place that pressure and workload on him, the shorter his career will be. We need to recuit, develop or draft some help. But who?

This weekend, out starting midfield will look like this

C: Cameron ~ Thompson ~ Atkins
R: Jacobs ~ Sloane ~ Douglas

IMO - that isn't very inspirational. That midfield doesn't scream, look at me and watch out we are coming to get you. It doesn't scream, we are a top 4 midfield. It screams, apply a small bit of pressure as we will roll over.

C: Smith ~ Thompson ~ Seedsman
R: Jacobs ~ Sloane ~ B. Crouch

This still isn't very inspirational but it does give you a glimmer of hope it can become a top 4 midfield in 2 or 3 years time. Then you add Milera, Atkins, Cameron and M. Crouch playing their roles on the half forward and midfield we are slowly adding depth.

This is not a "let's tank" for a high draft pick thread as we have enough jigsaw pieces already to build for a top 8 die, now we just need to put them into the right place to allow that combination to grow. Then if we can add 1 or 2 mature bodies with 1 or 2 quality draft picks, we then have the depth to grow fior the future and look beyond the next 24 hours.

Premierships are won 36 months before the game, not 22 games before hand. It's about getting all the right pieces in the right place. We don't have that anymore.

So, I guess my question is -

1) how can the midfield get better?
2) What player characteristics do you want to see in a midfilder to help our midfield improve?
3) what sort of player do we need to recuit or draft?
4) Are any free agent midfielder available and would they automatically help for the now?
5) who should we build a midfield around?
 

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mattymac

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Douglas only has a year or two left in him as well and had been 7 shades of s**t recently.

It's Sloane and the Crouch boys, who have both been dropped.

We're in a world of s**t. Poor planning for the loss of Dangerfield extended only as far as "just give Scotty Thompson another year and hope for the best".

The only solution is to try to fill the gaps this year with Smith and Cameron moving into the middle. Smith has been s**t off half back anyway lately and was a natural in the middle before his concussions last year. The two of them will bring spread and pressure that a Lyons and a VB just won't buy.

Then actually get off our delusional arses at the end of the year and poach a decent couple of midfielders from interstate.

Would also be nice if Riley ****ing Knight would pull his finger out and get serious
 

Sam_Malone

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Would also be nice if Riley ****ing Knight would pull his finger out and get serious

What makes you say that?

He had an ankle injury during the pre season and now injured at the wrong time. However, I feel VB was coming bacxk into the side regardless of his or other players form.
 
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IF we managed to get Neale

Sloane - M.Crouch - Cameron
Jacobs - Neale - B.Crouch

- I would use Cameron on the wing this season so he can used to that role.
- Brad Crouch , didn't have a preseason as he had the injuries which has hurt his progress this season. If he manages to me injury free , he will valuable for next season.

We will need another big midfielder. Hopefully we can lure one in the FA
 

earlsta

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I'm thinking we're a little stuffed in the midfield.
Luckily we've drafted Milera who I think will be a jet throughout the midfield in a few years time.
Hopefully Menzel comes on too & Hampton.
 

Tex200

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Does anyone think Atkins is capable of more than pure wing? Could it be that we are easing him in to the midfield via his current role?

Despite being a fanbois of his, I'm not certain whether he has that capability or not. Just putting it out there
 
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I'm thinking we're a little stuffed in the midfield.
Luckily we've drafted Milera who I think will be a jet throughout the midfield in a few years time.
Hopefully Menzel comes on too & Hampton.

I don't think we are stuffed we need to be developing Milera , Crouch bros , Knight and Cameron throughout the midfield. Whilst trading in players and use the money from Dangerfield and Thompson to lure top mids.
 

Sam_Malone

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Does anyone think Atkins is capable of more than pure wing? Could it be that we are easing him in to the midfield via his current role?

Despite being a fanbois of his, I'm not certain whether he has that capability or not. Just putting it out there

Not sure he can be an All Australian inside full time midfielder but I'm sure he can do more than what he doing now.

I'd love to see him make the right wing his own. Average 25 possessions a game with 2 goals and a dozen or so inside 50's a game would see him become a star.
 

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mattymac

Why no midfield crowz?
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What makes you say that?

He had an ankle injury during the pre season and now injured at the wrong time. However, I feel VB was coming bacxk into the side regardless of his or other players form.

Regardless of preseason injury he has gone backwards.

2 kicks against Richmond was terrible.

But you make excuses if that's your thing
 
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What I don't really understand is if our midfield coach doesn't really rate CEY, Grigg or Lyons then why are they here and why is CEY contracted for next season as well?

These are supposedly the ones who have been developing in the reserves behind our current brigade and getting significant midfield time. Seems a waste.
 
Would also be nice if Riley ****ing Knight would pull his finger out and get serious

I agree, the kid really should get serious instead of experimenting with ankle injuries.
 

Sam_Malone

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Regardless of preseason injury he has gone backwards.

2 kicks against Richmond was terrible.

But you make excuses if that's your thing

Who is making excuses?

Yes or no - does he have an ankle injury right now?
Yes or no - he did have an injury interrupted pre season?
Yes or no - Van Berlo wa coming in this week regardless of his or other players form?

They are not excuses, they are facts.

2 kicks against Richmond? I didn't see the game but was his selection justified by form? Therefore, maybe the selectors should take some responablity for picking him.
 

mattymac

Why no midfield crowz?
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I agree, the kid really should get serious instead of experimenting with ankle injuries.
Did he have an ankle injury against Richmond when he had his chance to cement his spot in the senior side?
 
Did he have an ankle injury against Richmond when he had his chance to cement his spot in the senior side?

Has he had an interrupted pre-season and lost close to half of 2016 so far to injuries?

That said, one game doesn't mean much in the long run. We probably should of stuck with him much like we stuck with Atkins when he had a quiet patch, or McGovern though.
 

mattymac

Why no midfield crowz?
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Who is making excuses?

Yes or no - does he have an ankle injury right now?
Yes or no - he did have an injury interrupted pre season?
Yes or no - Van Berlo wa coming in this week regardless of his or other players form?

They are not excuses, they are facts.

2 kicks against Richmond? I didn't see the game but was his selection justified by form? Therefore, maybe the selectors should take some responablity for picking him.
Came off a 4 goal SANFL game. His form was fine. He choked at the step up. There's no excuse for 2 kicks for a player of his quality
 

Sam_Malone

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Did he have an ankle injury against Richmond when he had his chance to cement his spot in the senior side?

Do you understand how difficult AFL football is?

You just can not come in and dominate from day 1 and then add a limited pre season.

This season the match committee needs to take responsabity for both Crouch and Knights form for picking them too early.

Drugs Are Bad Mackay? makes a very good point with CEY, he was the player who should have been picked as he was in form.
 
Does anyone think Atkins is capable of more than pure wing? Could it be that we are easing him in to the midfield via his current role?

Despite being a fanbois of his, I'm not certain whether he has that capability or not. Just putting it out there

I dunno, there is something about him that really could excel as a full-time midfielder. Just his agility and ability to create time and space could be devastating in the role. Would be an interesting thing to try out.

At worse, he just becomes a more rounded wingman from it all.
 
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I don't see why they just don't substitute those 13 extra players or whatever that were supposedly a net gain from the loss of Dangerfield into his old role.
 

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