Time for brodie smith to play in the midfield

[1970crow]

You're more optimistic than I am on Brodie. I agree he can hunt the ball, but it doesn't explain how his effectiveness reduces to negligible when close checked, and why his disposal turns to s**t in pressure situations.

He's primarily a defender. When the ball is coming at the backline group, he can hardly just hope we win it and sprint forward. Being tagged while being a defender would be the hardest form of tag to break in the game. Sloane can run forward, sideways or go wherever he wants and his man will dutifully follow him. When we're in control of the ball Smith has a tag, when we lose control Smith is a defender and he's not actually a very good one. People need to forget his AA gong at half back, it had nothing to do with defensive work, it was all the work he did up the ground. When we're getting beaten and especially the way we get beaten, he's concentrating more on shutting down than his opponent. It's pure stupidity to keep him at half back. Regarding his disposal, he's always been good for a clanger or 2. I'm not sure his is much worse relatively than most players when under pressure compared to no pressure. He's pretty constructive when in traffic with hands, but we don't see it much because he's always being dragged away by his opponent. I wonder why.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I reckon we'd be better off with more pace tbh. Keep Smith on HBF and bring Seed in on the other side. Or have them both play as defensive wingman. We need more than one option to run it out of D50

Agree, we must end the tall experiment & bring in Seedsman & Knight to give us more running options. Means we can rotate Smith/Seed/Laird/Douglas through HBF/midfield.

Means we can rotate midfielders through HFF.

We are at our best when we have speed, including the manpower to run out games better with increased midfield options.

 

[rezagun]

They could atleast try it.

 

[marty36]

We looked at our best when Lever, Cheney and Brown were taking the game on from defence, leaving only Talia and Hartigan as the 'lockdown' players.

I'd stop playing Brown as a rigid lockdown defender and give him license to rebound, which he is capable of. Get rid of negative meters gained specialist Jake Kelly in favor of a player like Seedsman or Doedee who could actually rebound. Or both. Lever to play his natural game. Laird to distribute from the pockets to aggressive disposers in Brown, Seedsman plus Smith and Atkins rotating through there

B Laird - Talia - Lever
HB Brown - Hartigan - Seedsman
C Smith - Douglas - Atkins

Having those nine players rotating through half back would make us dangerous. (The center line on notice due to their inability to perform in pressure games)

Cheney needs to be back in as soon as his body can handle it, big loss from last years team


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[Scorpus]

Cheney needs to be back in as soon as his body can handle it, big loss from last years team


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If he can provide rebound, sure, otherwise if he's just doing what Kelly is doing, he can stay in the SANFL

 

[marty36]

If he can provide rebound, sure, otherwise if he's just doing what Kelly is doing, he can stay in the SANFL

I actually don't mind Kelly he has intent but cheney has mongrel a little bit of the hawthorn unsociable about him at least both Kelly and cheney aren't soft


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[Mike Smyth]

They could atleast try it.

This is the thing. Smith tagged out of the game. Sloane tagged out of the game. Try something. Move them forward. Move smith into the midfield. Are we that rigid in our game plan?

 

[Mike Smyth]

I heard that Kelly has mongrel but I'm yet to really see it. Has he been "Adelaide".

 

[hey shorty]

I heard that Kelly has mongrel but I'm yet to really see it. Has he been "Adelaide".

He does have it, but he's a very limited player. 20 touches at 95% and he had metres lost !!!

He's competitive, far moreso than most of our guys but he's just not very good.

 

[TheLeftFist8]

He does have it, but he's a very limited player. 20 touches at 95% and he had metres lost !!!

He's competitive, far moreso than most of our guys but he's just not very good.

Is that a record?!

Tagger or bust.

 

[Murray2503]

Said a few weeks ago that we need Laird in the midfield and Smith on a wing along with Sloane on the other wing. Would play Keath in for Hartigan. Would play Cheney back and lets see if the Doedee pick was a failure or not. We need to find out. Time for sauce to have a little rest. O'brien was signed for game time, not a backup. Get him in.

 

[TheLeftFist8]

Said a few weeks ago that we need Laird in the midfield and Smith on a wing along with Sloane on the other wing. Would play Keath in for Hartigan. Would play Cheney back and lets see if the Doedee pick was a failure or not. We need to find out. Time for sauce to have a little rest. O'brien was signed for game time, not a backup. Get him in.

It will be one or the other at most, unless we actually rotate more guys through the midfield!!

Let's be honest...the 'flexibility' BS of the pre season was exactly that if we can't swing these guys into the middle because 'they don't train with the midfield group'. I doubt either will get any meaningful midfield time.

Not sure Laird is the answer. He will be another slow accumulator with little hurt factor in his possessions. Despite his reputation he is prone to panicking and just slamming the ball forward as well. One thing he would do is win the ball so if the primary issue is losing the initial contest then yep get him in. If the issue is run and carry, penetration forward out of stoppage then get Smith into the midfield (not the wing).

Both Cheney and Doedee are excellent intercepters so would cover for the loss of Laird/Smith. Add Seedsman in for some run and carry, with some Sloane time off half back and suddenly we are far less predictable and far more dynamic.

 

[Thinker]

TAFKATMS Thinker

Is Smith to the middle fantasy land?

In my head no, but chances of it happening g are minimal methinks

 

[Schulzycrow]

Greenwood shows more fight than anyone. Drop every player then?

Heh, was a bit fired up when I wrote that, but not every player, just have to go back through the four losses this year and include the Sydney final, its pretty easy to see who goes missing or whose skills fall away under the pressure. Start dropping a few of these players back to the magoos. When was the last time Brodie got dropped....probably thinks he's bulletproof...a game back in the SANFL might be what he needs.

 

[Elite Crow]

In my head no, but chances of it happening g are minimal methinks

What's the mood of the club with the way they are playing? Surely there have to be concerns and the public face we see is just that.

 

[mattymac]

Has he been training with the midfield group?

Trained with the midfield group the previous three years but last pre-season trained predominantly with the backs.

 

[mattymac]

My main concern is that by playing him as a midfielder, he'll look worse than as a half back, thereby reducing his trade value.

This is an irrelevant concern. We're not going to trade Smith

I'm just curious, do you think he brings what we lack in the midfield?

He could hit a target now and then.

Also has some speed.

So yeah, in a one paced midfield* with limited footskills he could bring what they lack.



*I'm aware B Crouch has some toe, but its irrelevant because he doesn't use it to take the game on

 

[Cap]

Trained with the midfield group the previous three years but last pre-season trained predominantly with the backs.

Cheers.

Sounds like he is a back for good.

 

[Elite Crow]

Agree, we must end the tall experiment & bring in Seedsman & Knight to give us more running options. Means we can rotate Smith/Seed/Laird/Douglas through HBF/midfield.

Means we can rotate midfielders through HFF.

We are at our best when we have speed, including the manpower to run out games better with increased midfield options.

The last time we played the Hawks we had Mackay, Knight and Hampton playing.

They were replaced in this game with Greenwood, Beech and Lever.

Hampton and Greenwood balance themselves out but the other, well there in lies your problem.

 

[marty36]

The last time we played the Hawks we had Mackay, Knight and Hampton playing.

They were replaced in this game with Greenwood, Beech and Lever.

Hampton and Greenwood balance themselves out but the other, well there in lies your problem.

Think we all know last time we played the hawks Sloane destroyed it especially in his tackling with both betts and walker having good games

3 of our 4 most important players surprise surprise and it was an away win

Oh yeah and Mackay kicked those two crucial goals


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[Crow_Magnon]

Personally I dont think he will cut it in the midfield. He is a bit soft and doesnt like the tough stuff. Totally outside. Wing or HBF is his position.

I tend to agree...I don't think he's been quite right since he's had those couple of concussions, and I think that's why we play him off half back. The other key to being in the midfield is clean hands - I'm not sure we have anyone besides Greenwood and possibly MCrouch to a lesser extent. I can't recall how good Brodie is in this regard, but in general we have been extremely fumbly in our losses this year - Thurs night no exception.

 

[Crow_Magnon]

The other thing we should try is using Smith as the spare in defence. Lever is a much better defender, and can still provide an intercept mark, but leave Smith to be the runner out of defence possibly? Seedsman another option too as others have mentioned. Against Hawthorn it wasn't the midfield that failed necessarily, it was our slow, useless forward line who played from behind and dropped every mark possible, when they were free.

 

[TAFKATMS]

TAFKATMS Thinker

Is Smith to the middle fantasy land?

He would like it.

 

[Elite Crow]

He would like it.

Happy player better player.

Can you talk to Don for us?

 

[TAFKATMS]

Happy player better player.

Can you talk to Don for us?

Will do.