Will Thursfield Get Selected???

[Dave Stevens]

Have I missed something? He's a backman in a team currently 1-5, leaking 100 points a game.

How out of form could he be? Or is he carrying an injury, or is it something else?

 

[Pasquali]

Thurstfiled is another skinny white version of Prestigiamcono...He is a spolier and that is it... McMahon, Raines, Polo, Bowden, Newman can run and produce some attack...

Our problem is forwardline...

 

[Madtiger2006]

Thurstfiled is another skinny white version of Prestigiamcono...He is a spolier and that is it... McMahon, Raines, Polo, Bowden, Newman can run and produce some attack...

Our problem is forwardline...

Every team need a spoiler. FB isn't really supposed to run up the ground are they

 

[Dave Stevens]

Agree on the forward line comment, but just wondered where he was at.

We were happy picking him last year. Thought him, Moore and McGuane made a useful back set-up.

 

[Pasquali]

Every team need a spoiler. FB isn't really supposed to run up the ground are they [/quot


Sorry, don't rate him...

Best backline for mine =

McMahon, McGuanne, Newman
Raines, Rance, Polo

 

[Madtiger2006]

Every team need a spoiler. FB isn't really supposed to run up the ground are they [/quot


Sorry, don't rate him...

Best backline for mine =

McMahon, McGuanne, Newman
Raines, Rance, Polo

Stuff raines and mcmahon. You'll be giving away 5 goals a game with those 2 together . Here's a real backline:

Tambling Thursfield Mcguane
Moore Rance Newman

Play Polo in the middle

 

[tigerT]

Thurstfiled is another skinny white version of Prestigiamcono...He is a spolier and that is it... McMahon, Raines, Polo, Bowden, Newman can run and produce some attack...

Our problem is forwardline...

nothing wrong with having 1 spoiler in the side, nearly every side has one. Presti has served the pies well for yrs

Thursfield is a better pure FB than any other prospect in our side. Should be in

 

[Dave Stevens]

Stuff raines and mcmahon. You'll be giving away 5 goals a game with those 2 together . Here's a real backlins:

Tambling Thursfield Mcguane
Moore Rance Newman

Play Polo in the middle

Like it.

 

[dothebowdenshuffle]

Like it.

Me too

 

[kainokaino]

Polo is doing good in the backline but he is a natural on baller and plays his best footy there, everyone else seems to be getting a go on the ball except for polo, maybe its because wallace dislikes him (like we all seem to believe) or it could be the fact that he has probably been our best small defender over the last month and they cant afford to take him out of defence, whatever it is i really hope he gets a chance to prove himself in the midfield sometime this year.

Mcguane, thursty and moore in the same team just doesn't seem to work, and now with rance in the team i don't think there is room for the three of them. Don't know whats going to happen there, last year thursty and moore were everyone's choices and mcguane was "the kid to trade to gc17" this year he is the only one that has played consistent football out of the three, unfortunately moore looks to be a one hit wonder and thursty doesn't seem to have the run and carry for the modern game.

 

[beaver fever]

Will Thursfield a pure FB eh? Hmm let's see, just how many "pure" FBs in the competition weigh less than 86 kgs?

 

[tiges1]

Stuff raines and mcmahon. You'll be giving away 5 goals a game with those 2 together . Here's a real backline:

Tambling Thursfield Mcguane
Moore Rance Newman

Play Polo in the middle

OMG Tambling in the back pocket ,? holy crap -- we do want someone who just might lay a tackle in a game or back into a pack


.

 

[Big Bad Buddy]

Dean Polo might turn out to be the next Luke Hodge across the halfback line? Played a good solid game against the Swans.

 

[tigerT]

Will Thursfield a pure FB eh? Hmm let's see, just how many "pure" FBs in the competition weigh less than 86 kgs?

never affected him in the past when he was sub 80kgs. Never really got smashed and is by far our best defender on the leading fwds. He'll be about 90kgs next season, evolving well enough. I think ppl read too much into rebound and the like.

I stand by my statement, there is no defender at richmond better than him playing on leading full fwds.

 

[mitch richmond]

Tambling Thursfield Mcguane
Moore Rance Newman

I like this back 6 and would play McMahon when Tambo goes on the ball.

 

[Ruanaidh]

Stuff raines and mcmahon. You'll be giving away 5 goals a game with those 2 together . Here's a real backline:

Tambling Thursfield Mcguane
Moore Rance Newman

Play Polo in the middle

Agree with all of the above

 

[Dave Stevens]

Will Thursfield a pure FB eh? Hmm let's see, just how many "pure" FBs in the competition weigh less than 86 kgs?

Dustin Fletcher played most of his 300 as a FB, and while there might be a fair gap between what Dustin has achieved and what Will is capable of, he has shown than his body shape has probably contributed to his success, not hindered it. His mobility is a definite asset.

As the AFL moves increasingly to legislate against old style body contact between FF and FB, and tries to manufacture increasingly uncontested footy, a bloke with Will's physique arguably stays more relevant to today's footy.

He's a good stopper, and while we're conceding 16 goals a game, I'd be selecting anyone who might cut that by 2 or 3.

While our forward line is certainly struggling, it is not our forward line that is conceding 6-7-8 goal quarters every week.

Pick him.

 

[Azzleberry]

Agree. Thursty is definately in our best 22.

 

[beaver fever]

Sure mobility is important. Dustin Fletcher has 15 kgs on Thursfield so nope no one could come up with an answer. I'll just rehash my thoughts on this from and old thread because I can't be bothered repeating itself:

Let's look at the quality.

Where are the big bodied tall defenders? You say Moore, McGuane and Thursfield, tell me which of these has the body size to compete with 95-100kg forwards? All of these guys are under 87kgs:

Kelvin Moore 190cm 84kg
Luke McGuane 191cm 86kg
Will Thursfield 191cm 85kg

Let's have a look at last years top 4 side's key defenders:

Hawthorn
Trent Croad 190cm 92kg
Stephen Gilham 192cm 92kg
Thomas Murphy 189cm 88kg if needed
Jarrad Roughead 193cm 102kg if needed

Geelong
Matthew Egan 196cm 101kg
Matthew Scarlett 192cm 94kg
Tom Harley 193cm 95kg
Harry Taylor 193cm 92kg

Western Bulldogs
Dale Morris 190cm 92kg
Brian Lake 195cm 104kg
Tom Williams 196cm 101kg

St.Kilda
Sam Fisher 192cm 92kg
Max Houghton 191cm 93kg
Jason Blake 191cm 88kg if needed
Have added Zac Dawson 195cm 95kg

Some of the leagues best key defenders:
Ben Rutten 192cm 102kg
Nathan Bock 193cm 93 kg
Dustin Fletcher 198cm 100kg
Luke McPharlin 193cm 93kg
Darren Glass 192cm 93kg

Notice a running theme here, they all (except Murphy who is a stop gap measure) weigh over 92kg, as in have big bodies. Most other sides have at least one big bodied key defender in their line up: Merrett, Thornton, N.Brown, M.Warnock, Hansen, Carlile, Roberts-Thomson and many others. Now you may argue that over time they may put on weight, but Moore is 25, Thursfield is 23, and McGuane turns 23 in December. They have had the time to build the body, and I'm not sure why they haven't, but at the end of the day their bodies are not big enough. Moore shouldn't be played as a KPD he is best suited to a rebounding defender role, and Thursfield is most effective on fast, leading mediums so putting on weight will reduce his effectiveness here. Only McGuane has the potential to play KPD full-time, but he has other deficiencies. We have 2 kids coming up with the potential to have big bodies in defence:

Alex Rance 193cm 90kg
Jayden Post 194cm 88kg

If these guys come on then we are ok, however that does not leave any room for failure. We still need to draft more in case that happens. As a result our depth and quality in this area for now is quite poor. Stop gaps in McGuane and Moore are necessary in the mean time.

 

[tigerT]

or thursty, Mcguane and Moore can put on some extra beef. for some ridiculous reason Moore was trained to lose weight, hes 84kgs this season, last season he was 87-88. If he beefed up a tad more he'd be 90-91 kgs and just about perfect. Thursfield and McGuane both had very skinny frames, but they are filling out, a big focus on beefing up which our current fitness/coaching staff dont believe in would take them both to 90kgs and more or less at the designated weight class.

 

[beaver fever]

Will Thursfield is a stopper and has so far shown nothing offensively. Why the love affair BF? McGuane and Moore are well ahead of him. Rance and Post are our answer to our key defensive issues if all goes to plan. We need to match it with the best teams in the competition and that means having at least 2 big bodied key defenders. If Thursfield is going to make it from here on in he needs to develop a rebounding game. He has the skills and poise to make it but he needs to learn how to find the football.

 

[tigerT]

Will Thursfield is a stopper and has so far shown nothing offensively. Why the love affair BF? McGuane and Moore are well ahead of him. Rance and Post are our answer to our key defensive issues if all goes to plan. We need to match it with the best teams in the competition and that means having at least 2 big bodied key defenders. If Thursfield is going to make it from here on in he needs to develop a rebounding game. He has the skills and poise to make it but he needs to learn how to find the football.

does every FB in the comp offer something offensively? no they do not. Nearly every team has a predominant stopper, doesnt seem to affect them too much. Its not as if he cant link up or gets doughnuts in the stats column every week.

Moore had 1 exceptional season but sorry this season he has been very poor. McGuane has buckets of mongrel and i love it, but he gives us some howlers back there and is responsible for a fair few goals this season.

Rance and Post may well be the future but personally even though Post has played most footy down back I think we'd be crazy not to utilise that marking ability in the forward line. Rance has the size but doesnt play like a KP and its time they started playing/grooming him in that type of role bc have you noticed how lost he seems in body on body work? Its not so cut and dried with those two. all 3 in mcguane, thurs and moore have shown they can play at this level, so bulk them up and take them to the next level think even cynics like u will be surprised

 

[beaver fever]

But that's just it, Thursfield is not big enough to play FB so being simply a stopper of 3rd talls does not cut the mustard. He needs to develop something more. He is 23 now, what stopped him from putting on weight? Doesn't seem to be a problem for Rance and Post and they are 4 years younger than him.

 

[folester41]

i agree with mad tiger, hes on the money.
swap polo and rance between defence and the middle/wing

 

[Bojangles17]

Kelvin Moore 190cm 84kg
Luke McGuane 191cm 86kg
Will Thursfield 191cm 85kg

.

how current are those stats, I would have thought all of those boys have put on a few KG