Discussion Thoughts on full back

[hayes]

We drafted Lever in 2011 didn't we? I think we give him a one year contract next year and if he isn't ready to go in 2014 then it's time to move him on. I don't want him clogging up the list while he's still trying to discover what food is.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

We drafted Lever in 2011 didn't we? I think we give him a one year contract next year and if he isn't ready to go in 2014 then it's time to move him on. I don't want him clogging up the list while he's still trying to discover what food is.

He's got a year to play before anyone needs to make that decison.
I hope Markworth will be kept.
Lever and Webster don't necessarily have to get to AFL level, but they will surely be given goals they need to meet.
The rookies will ALL need to show something, though I'd think that Curran and Ferg are pretty safe.

 

[Manimal_Dunstan]

Pendlebury, 26, has informed the Pies he will leave the club after five seasons, including three as skipper.

The brother of superstar midfielder Scott, Pendlebury was overlooked again in this year's drafts, despite some interest from Collingwood and St Kilda.

I wonder if Rookie List wasn't cut if we may have Taken Kris? No a KPD i don't reckon at 190cm. But apparently has did a good job on Barry Hall and Brendan Fevola.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...-years-afl-draft/story-e6freck3-1226539968929

 

[hayes]

Bugger it, rest Roo in the NAB Cup and have Lee, Stanley and Wilkes fight it out for 2 forward line spots. Loser plays back.

 

[maverick eoe]

Bugger it, rest Roo in the NAB Cup and have Lee, Stanley and Wilkes fight it out for 2 forward line spots. Loser plays back.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Bugger it, rest Roo in the NAB Cup and have Lee, Stanley and Wilkes fight it out for 2 forward line spots. Loser plays back.

Ha ha, I like it, it's like the juniors!

Seriously though, the thought of having either Rhys or Lee playing that Fletcher-type role, in the back pocket, with a license to impact as many nearby marking contests as he can (thanks to his height, especially in Rhys' case, speed and leap), is really growing on me.

In the past few years we've regularly had the likes of Gwilt, Fisher, Dempster, Raph, Blake, Gilbert doing it (coming in 3rd or 4th-up), but the tallest any of them are is 194cm or so (Gilbert), while the rest are between 188cm and 192 or so and aren't necessarily as athletic as Rhys or Lee (or even close), so either one of them could be very valuable in that role. Gilbo used to be bloody good at in back in 2008/2009/2010, but we've really missed that in the past couple of years, when his marking has dropped off a cliff and/or he's been played in the midfield more.

With BJ gone now he'll probably be needed on the wing (where BJ spent a huge chunk of this year- which I have confirmed when watching the replays of our games on Foxtel in the past couple of months- he basically played in or around the midfield for the great majority of this year and actually had a lot more stints in the guts than I realised- and very few down back, so we are definitely replacing a "mid" from this year's team) even more now (and maybe even for stints in the guts, where Sam's been OK in his very brief stints in the past, where his big body might be an asset), so him going back there again permanently probably isn't an option, especially now that we have Lee and Stanley as potential alternatives there.

It will be very interesting to see how we line up in the NAB Cup, especially up forward. I dare say the club will be very keen to see both of Lee and Hickey in action and Rhys will be in the team somewhere (if fit, as with all of them) and you'd think/hope after the way he finished off this year that Beau will get a good crack at it, so that's already 4 of them and then you've got Roo and Kosi.

Nick, as you say, could be eased into it and could sit out the first round or two, which could be really good for him and get him super-keen to play and could give us the chance to see the others, but what about Kosi? Does he get banished from the NAB Cup and have to try to work his way into the team by playing well in the VFL early in the season, after the way he finished off this year? Or does the club overlook the 2nd half of this season by both he and Beau and give Kosi preferential treatment in the NAB Cup and send Beau back to Sandy, despite him finishing off the season far better and also looking much more likely to be able to play longer term?

Twill be very interesting.

 

[Defacto]

As cool as it would be, Patton is never going to get here.

Although, if Stanley becomes a KPD, a future forwardline of Lee, White, and Patton would be.... handy.

But, again, I hope anyone isn't serious about this. We're starting to sound like Carlton re: BJ.

stranger things have happened. agree though, very long shot.

 

[hayes]

Barring catostrophic injuries Kosi doesn't come into calculations at all for mine. I'm not just talking key forwards either, I'd be trying the mediums and the ruckmen we've aquired over the offseason before putting Kosi in there. Been a loyal servant but he's cooked. I loved how mobile our forward line was from the moment Kosi was subbed off against Geelong, we almost looked like a completely different team.

Having those guys fight it out for forward spots should make the NAB a lot more interesting as well.

 

[hayes]

He's got a year to play before anyone needs to make that decison.
I hope Markworth will be kept.
Lever and Webster don't necessarily have to get to AFL level, but they will surely be given goals they need to meet.
The rookies will ALL need to show something, though I'd think that Curran and Ferg are pretty safe.

It would be nice if he was at least be playing in the senior Sandy team next year so we can get some sort of idea how he's traveling. I'd hate to wait another three years only to find out he's no good.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Barring catostrophic injuries Kosi doesn't come into calculations at all for mine. I'm not just talking key forwards either, I'd be trying the mediums and the ruckmen we've aquired over the offseason before putting Kosi in there. Been a loyal servant but he's cooked. I loved how mobile our forward line was from the moment Kosi was subbed off against Geelong, we almost looked like a completely different team.

Having those guys fight it out for forward spots should make the NAB a lot more interesting as well.

It depends. Are we a chance for finals?
Kosi was one of the best in the AFL at kicking goals at the start of the season, and I wouldn't mind having a Kosi in that form available for finals.
We'd have to give him some games to keep him in form, then give him a massive break ( like another pre-season ) after mid year.

While we are throwing up anyone who is half tall as a prospective defender, what about Hickey. Surely an ex-volleyballer can get a fist to it.

 

[Manimal_Dunstan]

It depends. Are we a chance for finals?
Kosi was one of the best in the AFL at kicking goals at the start of the season, and I wouldn't mind having a Kosi in that form available for finals.
We'd have to give him some games to keep him in form, then give him a massive break ( like another pre-season ) after mid year.

While we are throwing up anyone who is half tall as a prospective defender, what about Hickey. Surely an ex-volleyballer can get a fist to it.

The team think we can make finals, We could have made the top 4 last year if it wasn't for us losing them 1 kick or so games.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

It would be nice if he was at least be playing in the senior Sandy team next year so we can get some sort of idea how he's traveling. I'd hate to wait another three years only to find out he's no good.

I agree. Barring injury surely he needs to crack the seniors if he wants a contract.
If we were looking at drafting a 20year old tall, we'd wouldn't be looking at getting a guy from the reserves of a state side.

Talls can be slow to develop but they still need to be developing.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

The team think we can make finals, We could have made the top 4 last year if it wasn't for us losing them 1 kick or so games.

So do I. Thats why I think we need to keep Kosi primed and in top condition. He's hopless if he's only slightly injured.
I'd love to see him kick 5 against Collingwood one more time, maybe in finals.

 

[aussierulesrules]

The team think we can make finals, We could have made the top 4 last year if it wasn't for us losing them 1 kick or so games.

Exactly. Most seem to forget that we were 4 one-kick (or in the Richmond game 8 points) games away from a top 4 spot and that we were highly competitive against most of the very best teams all year (even interstate) and that we were completely dominant against Sydney at times in our games with them this year and yet they went on to win the flag.

I was watching the replay of our first encounter with them on Foxtel last night and the way we played compared to them, it would have been us you'd be betting on out of either of those teams to win the flag, not them. We absolutely demolished them in the middle couple of quarters and then, later in the year, we had something like 36 inside 50's to 14 for the second half, at the SCG, up until the final few minutes.

We weren't that far off it (unless the teams that just beat us were taking it easy against us, which I doubt was the case).

Sure we've lost Goddard, Gram and Cripps, but we've also gained Lee, Hickey, Roberton and TDL (plus effectively Schneider) and will hopefully have a fitter Gwilt, Roo and Wilkes, for starters, plus more of the younger ones ought to be ready to step it up next year, especially the likes of Steven, Stanley, Siposs, Ledger, Ross, Dunell, Curren, to start carrying more of their fair share of the load.

If the older brigade see the writing on the wall (which they ought to, especially the likes of Kosi, after getting dropped at the end of this year) and realise that next year could be the very last year they have with all of Lenny and Milne and co. out there together, then they could pull out all the stops and have one last red-hot go, especially if some of the younger ones or new additions really come on and help to get their enthusiasm and excitement levels back up. That may be what they've almost been waiting for since 2010.

If that happens, who knows how far we'll go? Heaps didn't go well for us this year and yet we were four 4-8 point losses from a top 4 spot. A heap would need to go well for us to make say a top 4 spot next year, as other teams will improve and we do have to cover for the losses of Goddard and Gram, in particular, but it is certainly possible, as West Coast showed last year, coming from stone motherless last to a top 4 spot in one season.

 

[Kildonan]

I watched that match last night too - we didn't have McEvoy or Fisher - to add to your list of players replacing Goddard, Gram and Cripps.

 

[hayes]

I watched that match last night too - we didn't have McEvoy or Fisher - to add to your list of players replacing Goddard, Gram and Cripps.

+ Stanley. Good old Joe Blake was in the ruck.

 

[aussierulesrules]

We didn't have Rhys Stanley or Adam Schneider, either, although to be fair they didn't have that Goodes bloke, or Mumford. But I think Mac, Fisher, Stanley and Schneids at least cancels out Goodes and Mumford.

 

[Manimal_Dunstan]

We didn't have Rhys Stanley or Adam Schneider, either, although to be fair they didn't have that Goodes bloke, or Mumford. But I think Mac, Fisher, Stanley and Schneids at least cancels out Goodes and Mumford.

You could also say we didn't have Geary he got subbed early. And Goddard he hardly hit a target after watching the replay last night.

 

[hayes]

Either way it was a blowout, and it should've been more because our goal kicking was atrocious. I struggle to watch that game.

 

[aussierulesrules]

I found it quite ironic that Tommy Walsh got subbed off for TDL in that game, against us.

Either way it was a blowout, and it should've been more because our goal kicking was atrocious. I struggle to watch that game.

I guess there are quite a few games from this year that you struggle to watch then?

If we improve our conversion alone we could be 1-2 goals per game better next year. How many times did we dominate a quarter of footy (often the 3rd quarter) only to kick 1 goal 6, or 1 goal 8 (the Richmond game), or 2 goals 7, or something? We certainly pissed a few games away like that this year.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

You could also say we didn't have Geary he got subbed early. And Goddard he hardly hit a target after watching the replay last night.

He probably did what he's good at. If he goes to the zoo he'll be lucky to come back with his finger.

 

[Kildonan]

I get the point

 

[hayes]

No doubt we should improve next year, but lets not forget other teams will too.

In saying that though I'd be pretty disappointed if we didn't make the finals because that would probably mean the young guys didn't take the next step like we thought they would. I think this year will be good to get another 15-20 games into Stanley, Siposs, Saad, Milera etc then have a red hot crack next year. I'm aware that may or not be with Lenny.

 

[aussierulesrules]

There is certainly likely to be serious competition for a finals spot next year, that's for sure. The 3 teams that finished just below us (Carlton, Essendon and Richmond) will be expecting pretty much nothing less than to play finals next year, as will all the teams that were in the top 8 this year. There is going to be mighty competition for spots.

As for as I'm concerned, we've just got to make sure we're up there and that we don't relinquish our spot. The rest can then sort themselves out.

 

[tbarker]

He probably did what he's good at. If he goes to the zoo he'll be lucky to come back with his finger.

I spoke to an Essendon player last night (over several drinks). He said that Goddard is not fitting in at all. "Too arrogant for his own good" was the comment. Followed by "no wonder St Kilda let him go...now we have to put up with him telling us all how to play the game". As you might have guessed - I have moderated the language somewhat.