2nds The SANFL Thread

[Mong]

If we don't have room to play them all regularly, then we should be happy for some of them to seek opportunities elsewhere - so we might actually manage to get some value in a trade.

No point having a bunch of good young midfielders on our list if we're not going to use them. May as well either trade in a player from a position we have more need in, or bank some draft picks since we're not going to get many good ones this year.

True. I guess I'm worried that on the basis that whoever left wouldn't have played much in two or three years on our list and we'd likely lose them for next to nothing. Players that leave for lack of opportunity rarely recoup a whole lot at the trade table.

 

[Sanders]

Isn't part of the problem we have such fierce competition for our interchange bench?

So much congestion to be the last man into the team?

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

That's right.

No doubt we have a very even list, especially spots 15-35.

But are they equally good or equally meh

 

[JP Sauce]

What's Johnston's speed like? That's the only real concern for me - I have serious concerns about carrying two slow talls in your forward line. Walker is slow. Jenkins is quick enough that he can work around Walker. What sort of pace does Johnston have? Would he be a liability defensively?

Sanderson has mentioned this a couple of times. Not specifically about Johnston, but about our ability to apply pressure in the front half if we go too tall.

Walker, Jenkins and McKernan will not be picked together, based on what Sanderson said (unless Jacobs doesn't play I guess).

I haven't seen enough of Johnston to know but I suspect he is closer to Tex in terms of defensive pressure than he is to Petrenko.

It's probably Porplyzia's spot that he would need to take, something I hope doesn't happen.

Spackles is correct - Johnston is much closer to Walker than Petrenko in terms of applying defensive pressure. I'd say he's a bit faster and more agile than Walker, but this is mostly to do with Walker being an enormous human rather than speed and agility being amongst Johnston's key attributes. He's certainly not out of the contest once the ball hits the deck, but he's much better when it's in the air. I definitely wouldn't want to see all three bigs playing within 30m of goal. But I think with Jenkin's agility and Walker and Johnston's excellent foot skills all three players could work up the ground when necessary to keep plenty of space in the forward line.

Assuming Sando wants a forward group roughly consisting of:
2 bigs: Walker and Jenkins
3 smalls: Petrenko, Douglas and one of Johncock/Callinan
And Porplyzia as the mid-sized player, then I agree with Carl that Porps is the one that would have to make room for Johnston, something I don't want to see happen either.

Something I'd prefer though is Vince (if he can't find form) making way for Johnston while Douglas and Porps fill the midfield gap left by Vince. A small reshuffle that wouldn't upset things too much in my opinion.

 

[Mong]

No doubt we have a very even list, especially spots 15-35. But are they equally good or equally meh

I don't know, except to say I don't ever recall AFC having so many young players dominating the SANFL so consistently. Pre-Rendell it seemed a miracle to even have one young player at a decent SANFL level.

 

[Elite Crow]

He's not going to get any faster though no matter how possessions he gets in the lower leagues

I've only seen him once this year but he didn't seem slow. His problem is we have too many inside one paced mids. But two points of difference is he is left footer and he's a great kick, something most of our mids are not.

 

[Jars458]

Did Smith play for centrals reserves?

 

[hugecannon]

What's Johnston's speed like? That's the only real concern for me - I have serious concerns about carrying two slow talls in your forward line. Walker is slow. Jenkins is quick enough that he can work around Walker. What sort of pace does Johnston have? Would he be a liability defensively?

He's definitely athletic he'd be quicker than Walker, but not as quick as Jenkins, I'd play him in Vince's spot, as he seems to be playing as a HF only these days.

 

[PyroCrow]

If only Jenkins could ruck...

I have nothing to base it on but I get the feeling that over his career he will end up developing as more of a running full time forward than a pinch hitter in the ruck (i.e. more Nick Riewoldt than Kurt Tippett). He isn't a great pack mark but he is great on the lead and he is one of the fastest big men in the league coming off the mark. I've seen him do a lot more running this year to work over his opponents and when he builds up his engine I feel that this work ethic combined with his running ability will become his calling card. What this means for Sauce or Smack I don't know, I get the feel that this is where he will end up. I've seen little to no improvement in his ruck work this year and while he has time on his side I just feel that he won't ever be good enough in this aspect of his game to become a dependable option. Then again maybe this is just my hangover talking...

 

[Dirty Bird]

And I'm saying this as a diehard Roosters fan who would kind of love to see Johnston never play for the Crows.

This, I hope he plays at a Daniel Stewart level.
15 touches a game, 4 goals or so.

Enough to be a good contribution to North, but not too good that he goes up to play AFL

 

[Mego Red]

Grigg would be line ball with the other mids. The question is does Sando see him as having that point of difference with his left foot.

Johnston done well, but to be fair Sturt were stretched down back. Their bigger defender most the time took Daniel Stewart who kicked 2. I also didn't realise how big a kick he was until today as well.

Sando made particular mention of needing left footed mids when speaking to the supporters after last weeks game.

 

[Mego Red]

I don't know, except to say I don't ever recall AFC having so many young players dominating the SANFL so consistently. Pre-Rendell it seemed a miracle to even have one young player at a decent SANFL level.

Might also speak of an increasing gap between AFL levels of talent and preparation and SANFL levels.

 

[Vader]

It is hard for me to imagine we'll ever have room for all of Riley, Lyons, Kerridge and Grigg to play regularly. I hope this doesn't force any to seek opportunities elsewhere. Two years without decent draft picks means we almost certainly won't have the same level of talent behind them so I think it's crucial we hang on to all of these guys for a while yet.

Why? These are the kids who still have their original trade value, or close to it. They haven't been on our list long enough for their value to be damaged by their inability to get a game in the seniors, while their SANFL performances would have them in reasonably good stead.

If you want to find some decent trade bait, then these players are basically it.

Given that we have a relatively young midfield, there aren't going to be many vacancies opening up in the next few years. Thompson & Johncock are pretty much the only mid-sized players approaching the ends of their careers - and Thompson probably has 2-3 left in him after 2013. This means that their chances are going to be limited if they choose to remain on the AFC list. Heading elsewhere may be the best thing for their careers - and by extension, for trading Adelaide into the upper end of the draft pool.

 

[Vader]

I don't know, except to say I don't ever recall AFC having so many young players dominating the SANFL so consistently. Pre-Rendell it seemed a miracle to even have one young player at a decent SANFL level.

That would be because Ayres refused to allow Fantasia to draft anyone under the age of 20.. players who had already been overlooked in 2 drafts and who weren't up to scratch when we drafted them 3rd time around.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

That's right.

No doubt we have a very even list, especially spots 15-35.

But are they equally good or equally meh

Sorry Vader I don't understand how you can "like" this post.

Don't get me wrong - building up likes is my sole goal, so thanks. But whenever it has been suggested that some of the players in the "even" part of the list get tried out to see if they are up to it you are adamant that Best 22 rules must apply and there is no way changes can or should be made.

If you agree with the comment that players 15-35 are quite even on our list then that opens up opportunities for new players without us compromising our quality in any great way.

 

[Jetwa5h]

Could Johnston play a Westhoff role although not sure still who he displaces.

 

[Vader]

Sorry Vader I don't understand how you can "like" this post.

Don't get me wrong - building up likes is my sole goal, so thanks. But whenever it has been suggested that some of the players in the "even" part of the list get tried out to see if they are up to it you are adamant that Best 22 rules must apply and there is no way changes can or should be made.

If you agree with the comment that players 15-35 are quite even on our list then that opens up opportunities for new players without us compromising our quality in any great way.

I think we have a lot of kids down the bottom of the list - maybe not from 15 onwards, but from 23-35 definitely - who are very close in ability (at least to an outside set of eyes). The truth is that we don't know whether they're equally good, or equally meh (as you put it), as most of them haven't yet been given a decent opportunity to prove (or disprove) themselves at the senior level.

I've seen what Jaensch, McKernan and Martin have to offer and they don't impress me much. I haven't seen the likes of Grigg, Kerridge, Lyons and Laird - or Johnston for that matter. I'd quite like to see what they have to offer, before they reach a point in their careers where they are stalling in the SANFL.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Could Johnston play a Westhoff role although not sure still who he displaces.

I dont really want that.
I want someone who shows up for 25 games a year
Not 1....

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

pretty big dilemma down at west lakes i think.

we have Kerridge, Lyons, Riley (when fit) Johnston and now Grigg and Laird as our talented youngsters demanding a chance at AFL level. Then we have Smith that will come back in, and Callinan who seems destined to return when he rediscovers his touch.

Then we have Lynch who is also playing too well right now to stay out (but for mine he's too vanilla to his chance) and Martin who i rate but is sadly a few years older than those listed earlier.

Who is going to miss out to give these guys a chance?

If Vince doesn't perform this week, I can see Kerridge coming in (Lyon isn't far off either).

Mackay would want to lift his output too!

Good to have some pressure, but also need to make changes if players are not performing for several games in a row.

 

[Glenno23]

That's right.

No doubt we have a very even list, especially spots 15-35.

But are they equally good or equally meh

Would love to see some of the kids get a shot at AFL and see if they can cut it in the big leagues

I think we know what Martin, Jaensch and co have to offer. And what they offer is serviceable. But i feel some of the youngsters may offer us more

 

[Cap]

If Vince doesn't perform this week, I can see Kerridge coming in (Lyon isn't far off either).

Mackay would want to lift his output too!

Good to have some pressure, but also need to make changes if players are not performing for several games in a row.

It does make you wonder what the AFC are looking for in these guys before they are selected.

Is it simply a matter of the incumbent is better or are their flaws that we are not privvy to that the club don't want exposed at AFL level?

 

[Punchy Bassett]

Grigg is surprising me, I didn't think he was up to it but going well so far this year.

 

[Mismatched]

I dont really want that.
I want someone who shows up for 25 games a year
Not 1....

I suggest you actually go back and look at his SANFL performances last year and then early this year. After the early stages of last year there was barely a game that he didn't kick 3-5 goals, then this year he's started in similar form, albeit a touch inaccurate till the weekend.

Would just need 2 or 3 games to settle then I think he would offer a lot as 3rd tall fwd.

 

[amer]

Grigg is surprising me, I didn't think he was up to it but going well so far this year.

This is great for us, given the elite kick.

 

[Crow-eater]

Johnston's 7 goals: