The midfield squeeze

[soho]

with the addition of luke ball, does collingwood have too many small midfiled players, who offer similar options...

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/90444/default.aspx

That might make Saturday’s clash somewhat of a trial for many players - especially Collingwood’s talent-laden midfield. Youngster Dayne Beams will play VFL this weekend while fellow 2008 draftee Steele Sidebottom will enjoy a week’s rest ahead of the season. That pair will add to the selection squeeze ahead of round one.

lets take a look at the extended midfield:
pendelbury
swan
ball
wellingham
obree
johnson
beams
sidebottom
buckley
didak
thomas
davis

are collingwood too small in general?

is there room for guys like johnson and obree?

what worries me is that all the second tier guys are tiny... sidebottom, beams, wellingham etc...

we dont seem to have ever recruited bigger bodies, which IMO are needed come september...

 

[Zahki]

Beams has bulked up quite a bit. But yeah we have a bucketload of midfielders to pick from, you even missed McCarthy and Barham. It's a good problem, not a bad one though. Unless some of the players who can't push into the seniors start thinking about moving clubs.

 

[Old Spice]

Also missed the Caff. Is training with the forwards I believe but can definitely move in there, as can Medders, Shaw perform cameos. Don't forget the power of Cook too.

 

[twaters]

are collingwood too small in general?

what worries me is that all the second tier guys are tiny... sidebottom, beams, wellingham etc...

we dont seem to have ever recruited bigger bodies, which IMO are needed come september...

'Tiny' may describe Blair at 174, but Pendles is 191 and JMac is 189 and both are powerfully built. Swan and Beams are around 185/6 and not string beans. Some of the younger ones will need time to flesh out. Others make up in skill for what they may be lacking in height. It seems a good mix. Pace may become an issue rather than height?

 

[Ed D]

You'd say out of that lot Ball, Swan, Pendles and O'Bree are the only ones who get consistent hard ball gets/clearances. When you divide it up like that it doesn't seem like we have too many, a good number to keep the pressure on players to keep their spots.

 

[prestiisalegend]

Also missed the Caff. Is training with the forwards I believe but can definitely move in there, as can Medders, Shaw perform cameos. Don't forget the power of Cook too.

Think it's unlikely Medders and Shaw would play midfield. Way too valuable in their normal positions (well, assuming Medders' form turns around)...

I'd say Johnson's run his race - and Beams is an absolute gun already and has already cemented his place.

 

[Swooop]

with the addition of luke ball, does collingwood have too many small midfiled players, who offer similar options...

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/90444/default.aspx




lets take a look at the extended midfield:
pendelbury
swan
ball
wellingham
obree
johnson
beams
sidebottom
buckley
didak
thomas
davis

Good thread. I think you could/should take didak and davis out..they play better as forwards and our forward line needs elite crumbers with top rate disposal to compliment the tall forwards.

Johnno especially and O'Bree to a lesser extent, perhaps should be phased out in favour of the younger guns, who should spend as much time with Luke Ball as possible, enriching their apprenticeship.

However, they have both earned MM's respect over the years and may well be persevered with, maybe longer than par, on this account.

Buckley may or may not make it as a mid, but is likely behind the others at this stage.

Similarly, Daisy doesn't appear best suited to the midfield IMHO for endurance reasons ( I really hope he's been screened for low grade exercise induced asthma)

But certainly, an embarrassment of riches...wow just think back to three or so yrs ago when we were so thin in the midfield!!

 

[OniAu]

upside to our midfield is how dangerous most of them are if they go forward for a bit.

Leon,dids,thomas,swanny and pendles are all capable up forward. pendles being the lesser of the mids in that sense, but he can still take a decent grab. Then you also have ball, from memory always use to even go up forward a bit against us and give us a caining.

I dont think height is a major problem or size or even pace (biast pies supporter much lol?). Consistency from some of those flashy mids like dids leon and thomas needs to get better if anything.

 

[tackleberry]

If youre talking about midfielders going forward then dont forget Beams is averaging 1 goal per game.

 

[Lockyer24]

Only 1 of the following 3 will play Round 1 I'm tipping: Beams, Sidebottom McCarthy...Beams has to play for mine

 

[sr36]

Only 1 of the following 3 will play Round 1 I'm tipping: Beams, Sidebottom McCarthy...Beams has to play for mine

I really hope that all three play.

The way I see it our best team for round 1 is:

Permanent forwards:
Cloke, Medhurst, Anthony
Permanent defenders:
Presti, Reid, Maxi, Shaw, OBrien, Toovey
Ruckman: Jolly and Fraser if fit, or Brown if he's not.

Everybody else is either a midfielder or a utility

So it's 11 spots, which I'll try to prioritise:
1. Swan
2. Pendlebury
3. Didak
4. Davis
5. Ball
6. OBree
7. Tarkynn
8. Thomas

These 8 are certainties if fit, even if you don't agree with OBree and Tarkyn, they will play round 1 if they are fit.

That leaves 4 spots available for the likes of:
L. Brown (if Fraser is fit)
Goldsack
Wellingham
Macaffer
Johnson
Beams
Sidebottom
Macarthy
etc
I'd hope these guys rank in this order:
Beams
Sidebottom
Wellingham
Macarthy
Macaffer
Goldsack
etc

 

[hellfire]

Swan, Pendlebury, Davis and Ball are all "big" enough in terms of muscle and strength. Beams has the frame to get there, and will pretty soon. Obree isn't big, but he certainly holds his own in the clinches.

Thomas, Didak, Wellingham and Johnson provide some legs through the middle, don't really need much size on them. The rest are rotations or depth.

Having such depth is a blessing.

EDIT: Sorry I just realised you meant small in terms of height?

 

[TradeDraft]

Well be intrestring what happens to the Excess at seasons end

 

[soho]

EDIT: Sorry I just realised you meant small in terms of height?

both height and 'strength'... guys like judd are good because they're tall/strong...

hawthorn/geelong midfields of today and the brisbane/west coast midfields of old, are all full of big bodies, no skinny dale thomas/wellingham types... while ablett may not be a giant, he's quite thick/muscular...

probably comes with age, but i think 70% of our team needs to hit the gym... guys like toovey and goldsack could be quite imposing if they had the bodies...

 

[ralu]

its not so much height size that matters.

the most important is core strength. have a look at little garry. hes only small in stature, but never gets pulled to the ground. this is why obree holds his own in tight

 

[Bay Pie]

In todays game, most teams have 2 followers with the ruckman (Jolly), 3 centre players & most likely 3 mids on the bench with a tall (Fraser).

So that is 8 mids that doesn't include guys who will play forward at times as well as midfield. Back 6 remains fairly much the same: Presti, Maxwell, Heater, Toovey, Harry O and probably another tall (Reid/L.Brown, N.Brown).

Forwards would be Trav, JA & Medders with 3 rotaters through the middle/FP/HFF. So all up you'd be looking at 11 mids/rotaters.

That leaves 11 of this 13:

Swan
Pendles
Ball
O'Bree
Lockyer
Beams
Sidey
Wellingham
McCarthy
Didak
Davis
Thomas
Macaffer

Tough to leave out 2 of these guys, which will be 3 once Brad Dick comes back and takes a spot up forward leaving 1 less rotater through Forward/Midfield.

Then you have Buckley, Johnson & Barham as back up.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

I can't see the need in having O'bree and Ball in the same side. Beams and Sidebottom should both play round one.