We need another Key Forward

[HighFlyer]

if they are so reluctant to give him a go down back and for the life of me i cant fathom why, why not give him a job as a fast leading tall ff with size out of the square.

I can't figure out this either ... or at least send him down back and put Astbury forward , Im sure he was drafted as a forward.

 

[paccraig]

I kind of apologize for writing this in advance, but nontheless yesterday in WAFL: JON had 23 disposals, 5 tackles and 6 goals

http://prowess.com.au/live/wafl/index.php?comp=WAL10

I for one reckon AFL clubs too often pull the trigger too early.

 

[T4P]

If you need a star FF/CHF or FB/CHB combo, how do you explain West Coast, Sydney, Port Adelaide?

WC had Glass...........
Sydney had Hall, O'Loughlan, Barry
Port in '04, can't remember that team

You win

 

[Deledio2Conca]

I kind of apologize for writing this in advance, but nontheless yesterday in WAFL: JON had 23 disposals, 5 tackles and 6 goals

http://prowess.com.au/live/wafl/index.php?comp=WAL10

I for one reckon AFL clubs too often pull the trigger too early.

Great effort but by the looks of it they were playing the blind school.......winning by 117 points kinda takes the shine off that for me. Good on him though.

 

[coke_zero]

because I believe Griffiths is a gun and Astbury may even be better.

How good has Astbury pack marking been? Once his body is bigger he will be a star. How good was it that we got him with our 3rd round draft pick.

 

[Madtiger2006]

How good has Astbury pack marking been? Once his body is bigger he will be a star. How good was it that we got him with our 3rd round draft pick.

He needs to time his jump and bulk up to improve in one on ones. This will come and he'll get his confidence up more and more. But he's been great in defence. Has really good skills. Think we have more than enough young talls. Post and Griffiths will be good in 12 months imo

 

[coke_zero]

He needs to time his jump and bulk up to improve in one on ones. This will come and he'll get his confidence up more and more. But he's been great in defence. Has really good skills. Think we have more than enough young talls. Post and Griffiths will be good in 12 months imo

Astbury's timing for jumping for a mark isnt to bad. He has made it alot better playing in defence because at the start of the year he could not get in a spoil. And now he is getting one in most of the time its kicked long to him in defence. Griffiths how ever could do with a bit better timing atm.

 

[tiggywigs]

Astbury made it clear on the RFC website today that he is slotted for the CHB role and pretty happy with that. It's also clear that Griff is slotted for CHF (if his shoulders stand up to it). Therefore, at this stage, Gourdis and Post are vying for the swingman role. We do need a second marking target up forward at present. I'm surprised Polak hasn't been included for structural reasons. But I don't see a huge need for any early KPP draft pick given the promising signs from Astbury and Griff.

Morton and Taylor are the missing part of the puzzle IMO. Both are good third marking options. I would not be surprised if Morts gets rotated through the forward line in the coming weeks. Taylor is a work in progress.

 

[folester41]

what is the common occurence between every premiership side? they all have gun midfields!

we have two potentially gun midfielders in cotchin and martin. we have another who is a gun but who knows if he can get back to that level (foley).

 

[docko911]

Love us to go all out for Tom Hawkins.

You want a forward who can't kick goals at Geelong.

How about we just stop ****ing around with astbury down back and move him forward permanantly he is our best prospect other than griffiths.

 

[Bazzar]

You want a forward who can't kick goals at Geelong.

How about we just stop ****ing around with astbury down back and move him forward permanantly he is our best prospect other than griffiths.

That’s because he isn’t a full forward, he is a natural chf/ruck and that’s where he was playing in the 3 or so weeks before he was injured and was fantastic. It’s those three weeks that would make Geelong re think his future and if a trade was to be made he wouldn’t come cheap.

And Astbury has shown he is a natural back, and should stay and hopefully dominate there for us for a long tome to come. And Griff will be a gun, but those shoulders are looking a bit fragile. So we really do need to look for a replacement "just in case" he dosnt come good.

 

[docko911]

That’s because he isn’t a full forward, he is a natural chf/ruck and that’s where he was playing in the 3 or so weeks before he was injured and was fantastic. It’s those three weeks that would make Geelong re think his future and if a trade was to be made he wouldn’t come cheap.

And Astbury has shown he is a natural back, and should stay and hopefully dominate there for us for a long tome to come. And Griff will be a gun, but those shoulders are looking a bit fragile. So we really do need to look for a replacement "just in case" he dosnt come good.

He is a natural Full Forward who has been used as a utility because he's not good enough at full-forward to keep his job. We don't need a utility as vickery can and will play forward well when he gets more muscle. Astbury is playing well down back but long term should move forward. He is only having more success down back then up forward because there is more opportunity down there.

Besides what on earth would you be trading for tomahawk a first round pick?

He would only be a viable option if he was free.

 

[MightyTiger]

Astbury has said a couple times that his preffered position is down back, also said that the coaching staff see him permanantly playing down there.

 

[courtjester]

WC had Glass...........
Sydney had Hall, O'Loughlan, Barry
Port in '04, can't remember that team

You win

You dont need a set formula, just a good combo of big, strong mobile guys who can kick well...

WC had Glass, but also (from memory) Hunter. But they also had the most outstanding on ball divison i've seen in Cousins, Judd, Kerr and Cox.

WC are probably the team to have done it without the gun big guys.

Sydney had Hall and O'Loughlin (great combo). Also Goodes, O'Keefe and Barry.

Port had C. Cornes, Tredrea, Brogan and Wakelin.

Even Geelong doesn't tick all the boxes, they lack a gun key forward, but they have an outstanding backline, outstanding midfield, and gun small-med forwards.

There are only a few teams i've seen without a (small) weakness on the ground:

Brisbane in the triple premiership years:
Michael---Leppitch---Brown---Lynch as the spine
and Voss---Black---Akermanis---Lappin in the midfield

Essendon in 2000:
Fletcher---Wellman---Lucas---Lloyd as the spine
and Hird---Misiti, Mercuri, Bewick and Long in the midfield

Hawthorn in the 1980s:
Langford---Mew---Brereton---Dunstall
and Platten---Tuck---Buckenara and Pritchard


I reckon Hardwick has us right on track. I'm a massive fan of this bloke. Has developed us further in -12months than Wallace ever did. I think this year he is working out who is going to play where for the footy club for the next 5-10 years. He is systematic, giving blokes a go in different spots, working it all out. He is setting us up for success.

 

[coke_zero]

So we really do need to look for a replacement "just in case" he dosnt come good.

Post can play there but looked out of his depth on saturday but so did many others. And Gourdis can also play down there. So we should not use a high pick on a KPP unless they have slipped through to us or they are best availble. We are going alright for talls. Now we just need some smalls in the forward line and some midfield depth.

 

[richoatthedisco]

We will use our first pick on a midfielder unless Sam Day is available, then you have to take him because he has superstar written all over him. Talk of getting Hawkins is nonsense.

 

[Barnzy]

Bazzar wants Hawkins. Why am I not surprised?

A) Geelong would want our first pick or our 2nd pick and a decent player. Just not happening.
B) He's just not that good. Has struggled having the ball delivered by one of the best midfields of all time.

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

That’s because he isn’t a full forward, he is a natural chf/ruck and that’s where he was playing in the 3 or so weeks before he was injured and was fantastic. It’s those three weeks that would make Geelong re think his future and if a trade was to be made he wouldn’t come cheap.

And Astbury has shown he is a natural back, and should stay and hopefully dominate there for us for a long tome to come. And Griff will be a gun, but those shoulders are looking a bit fragile. So we really do need to look for a replacement "just in case" he dosnt come good.

100% agree, we cant just hope that his shoulders come good, we need to think about having another bloke in our side to increase our depth.

 

[tiggywigs]

FJ has shown himself to be an excellent judge of tall talent (e.g. Riewoldt, Astbury). I am confident he will pot another one in the coming draft. But I doubt we will depart from the formula used in last year's draft. Best available talent with the first pick (tall or small) and then look at specific needs. Small forwards and midfield depth seem to be the major issues to me atm, but things will be clearer by the end of the home and away season.

 

[MinsonisGod]

Will Minson might be available if Roughead keeps playing well.

 

[THE_GUN]

nice sheesh there mate. i do think you agree with me.

people forget it has taken 4 yrs for jack to get to where he is now. griffiths post and astbury are very immature first and second yr players.

we actually rookied and promoted polak to fill the void in the other key position.
its been an unmitigated failure.

ya know atm we have some cover down back and have a kid in gourdis who was a very good junor key forward.
in fact he has all the attributes that our other forwards lack.
if they are so reluctant to give him a go down back and for the life of me i cant fathom why, why not give him a job as a fast leading tall ff with size out of the square.

mate i have been barking on about this for months & even mentioned it to hardwick 1 day. he's response was goo will be tried both foward & defence and the are just building his defensive game atm............................. when will this finally happen only 5 weeks left and the kid doesnt even get a run !!

 

[Deledio2Conca]

Will Minson might be available if Roughead keeps playing well.

Hiiiiii Will *waves*

 

[docko911]

Astbury has said a couple times that his preffered position is down back, also said that the coaching staff see him permanantly playing down there.

David Astbury
"Life as a forward is hard when you're not winning games [like] when I started at the club," he said at Punt Rd Oval on Tuesday morning.

"Now that I've moved back, I think it's a role that I'll find myself in long-term.

Clearly needs to harden the **** up. This is the big leagues mate it isn't meant to be a walk in the park.

 

[coke_zero]

mate i have been barking on about this for months & even mentioned it to hardwick 1 day. he's response was goo will be tried both foward & defence and the are just building his defensive game atm............................. when will this finally happen only 5 weeks left and the kid doesnt even get a run !!

Dont worry he will get games this year. Still can improve alot so could be anything which we have a lot of on our list. Morton and Connors have been much better this year still got a few more that have some problems or not getting it right.

 

[tigerdan]

Guys,

Recruiting is a never-ending conveyor belt. We will always need to fill every position on the ground. It's just that sometimes we need certain positions more urgently than others.

The other point about it being a conveyor belt is that it takes time to go from being drafted to getting a game. It took Riewoldt years to come to the fore. Very rarely does someone like Dustin Martin come along and blitz from day 1.

I'd be happy with another key forward for our first pick this year (provided it's not a dud year for key forwards). After that pick, by all means go out and draft midfielders and maybe rookie yet more ruckmen.

Weight of numbers suggests that there will be more gun midfielders in the junior ranks available to be drafted than gun key forwards. Yes it's also true that we need more midfielders in the team than key forwards, but the point being for me that our shortage right now is a gun key forward coming through than a gun midfielder. We can always grab a very promising midfielder with our subsequent picks.