Analysis Riddle me this Bigfooty brothers and sisters.

[Norm De Guerre]

As we approach the mystery of a new season. I have 1-2 or 26 questions that have been gnawing away at the peanut taking up space inside my skull.

Some of these arise out of my observations of last Fridays training session.

Some are spun out of the pre-season thread.

Some may've been covered already and some may be eye rollingly stupid.

If you can be bothered. Perhaps you could have a crack at answering them for me.

I will send an autographed 8x10 headshot of myself to whoever has the correct answers.


How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?

What is our best starting centre square combination?

What position will Bailey Smith play?

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?

Where will Jason Johansson play?

Where will Bailey Williams play?

What will we do with Josh Bruce?

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side?

If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line?

Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?

Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff?

Who will take their game to another level this season?

Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?

Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season?

Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?

 

[theAthenian]

caleb playing up the ground
delivering inside 50 more often - make it happen

 

[BulldogMuscle]

How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?
McLean, Garcia, West

What is our best starting centre square combination?
English, Bont, Macrae, Libba

What position will Bailey Smith play?
Rotating inside / outside

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?
Midfield / HFF

Where will Jason Johansson play?
Forward

Where will Bailey Williams play?
Wing/Defense

What will we do with Josh Bruce?
Swingman, front or back, currently training with the back group

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?
Sparingly, two interrupted per-seasons, give him time.

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?
He'll be right, still on track for round 1

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side?
Yes. Jones on Gorillas, Gardner on second, Keath on intercept

If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?
Duryea, Richards, we need to put development time into Cleary and Gallagaher

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?
Yes, Richards, Dale + whoever else we develop

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?
Crap, we're gonna see a rotating door their this season, between Baz, Scott, Williams, Roake and whoever else can run all day and hit targets.

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?
Dale could be good but currently training with the backs during the pre-season so not sure entirely if he'll be rotated to the wing.

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?
Yes

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?
Mold him into a Papley type, limited bursts in the midfield, he did it in juniors, he can do it again at AFL level.

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?
Weightman, West, McNeil, VDM, Hannan, JJ,

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line?
Two way running is what we need out of our mids, never been worried about their scoring power.

Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?
Yes

Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?
Yes

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff?
No one, I don't wish ill on any of our players

Who will take their game to another level this season?
West, Garcia, JUH, English, Baz

Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?
Can see Oskar Baker and Charlie Clarke cementing best 22 spots

Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?
Darcy if fit

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season?
This is my biggest worry, coaching. Not sure what to expect but I would of liked to have seen another experienced coach come on during our off season, not happy with just one.

Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?
I hope so. Seem to be training the 'happy handball' game at Skinners the last few weeks

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?
Outside 5 at all areas on the ground.

 

[Here we go dogs]

I’ll have a crack

How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?

Rather generic response but the entire mid group needs to improve defensively to cover the loss of Dunks. IMO jack Macrae and Bailey smith are the 2 main ones that need to improve their accountability.

Also think added depth and additional rotations through the midfield will help. Expecting Garcia and McLean to play mid minutes. I’ll wait and see on west noting he is coming back from injury.

What is our best starting centre square combination?

English, Bont, Libba and Smith.

What position will Bailey Smith play?

Mid and wing. If his preseason is really hampered then more likely to be foward and wing.

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?

Defence

Where will Jason Johansson play?

Forward

Where will Bailey Williams play?

Wing

What will we do with Josh Bruce?

Think he will be a back up for most the year given the quantity and quality of talls.

Think he plays both ends.

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?

He will play a max of 5 games in the 2s at the start of the year. His form will be to good and will play seniors for the rest of the year.

I think he will probably start back. Long term i see him as a ruckman.

I think he could be the best key position player in the afl good as early as 2024.

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?

We should be very cautious with Treloar’s return to football.

I think we should try nurse him through the first half of the season and prepare him for a big end to the year.

I’m confident he will get his body right at some point. He is diligent in his preparation.

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side?

Yes, By all reports Keath has slimmed down dramatically.

I expect him to play as a interceptor.

If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?

Duryea for now.

I hope Cleary comes on this year but have my reservations based on the training reports. Sounds like a 2024 proposition.

Potentially Roark Smith could do this role if Bev is prepared to swing the magnets. Might be reluctant to give this a go considering we are light on for wings.

Toby McLean is also capable of playing this position imo.

Still wish Lin Jong wasn’t so injury riddled, I think he could’ve done this job.

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?

Yes. Richards, Dale and Daniel are all brilliant ball users and will be dangerous on transition.

Keath’s also a reasonable ball user.

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?

Team selection needs to be consistent. Need to stop running so many players through there. And if they are dropped actually play them on the wing on the 2s.

I would go with Bailey Williams and either Mitch Hannan, Roark Smith or Anthony Scott. I’d probably go for Mitch Hannan as he leg speed and good in the air.

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?

I don’t think so. His creativity out of the backline is to good. His also a more penetrating kick that the other backman, so I prefer him on kick in duty.

I would rather use Bailey William and run with an aerobic beast on the alternative.

Bailey Williams foot skills are dynamic enough on the wing. I guess his pace could be an issue.

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?

100%. May take time for the three to gel.

I don’t think we lose much when the ball hits the deck. Naughton is good at ground level and JUH will be good in time (trusting his built his tank).

Weightman need to stay down. The small forwards are my concern with the front half.

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?

Game dependent.

I think ideally he will be full time forward.

However if his quiet or we are playing poorly he will get a look in the mid. I wonder if he could play a Dalhouse role. We forget how important he was in prior to 2017.

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?

I’m going with with Weightman, JJ and Vandermeer.

I think Clarke gets game time also. If his pressure is maniac he will play every week.

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line?

Yes, I expect 20 goals from Bont and 15 from Smith.

Also McLean, Garcia and West will contribute goals.

Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?

Yes, I don’t see this changing though.

Ironic he probably kicked the most important goal in club history.

Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?

If you including a Ruckman in your count of 7, Yes. We could even go for 8 depending on whether the interchange is 4 or 5.

I wouldn’t look at Keath (if his 7 kgs leaner) or Naughton as traditional key position players though. They can both do the things smaller players can.

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff?

I don’t think anyone’s career will fall off a cliff this year (all established players will be good enough).

However the most susceptible to falling behind are Bruce, Treloar, Duryea and Darcy.

I think this is most likely going to be due to Team Balance, improvement from youth and system rather than their ability rapidly declining.

Who will take their game to another level this season?

Naughton, Lobb, VDM, B Smith & Garcia.

Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?

Darcy, Buku, Bendendo & Hannan.

Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?

Clarke & Gallaghar both play.

I’ll go with Gallaghar though. He sounds like he isn’t far from the pace by track watches.

I expect Clarke’s first year to be similar to Weightmans first. A couple of low possession games with flashes of brilliance.

If Clarke’s tacking pressure is maniac I will quickly change my mind.

Busslinger will be more a project. Hopefully he shows positive signs in the vfl.

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season?

I expect positional changes.

One in game change I’d like to see if we are struggling is to run Naughton on ball. Think he could be utilised similar to Jeremy Cameron.

Also expect more of a kick mark game plan with the bevy talls we no have.

Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?

Expect a healthy mix.

However kick and mark is probably playing to the list strength so I think we will see more than last season.

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?

Hasn’t changed since 2021 which is disappointing. Slowing down opposition run on driven by the 6-6-6 rule. I hope lobb can help this if English is getting towelled up.

 

[Boyd oh Boyd]

How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?
Relying too much on one player never ends well. We can't fall back on that so it'll be up to everyone to put in a little more.

What is our best starting centre square combination?
English, Bont, Libba, Macrae

What position will Bailey Smith play?
Same as this year. About 60% mid, 30% forward

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?
He might get a few goes in the middle every game but the majority still in defence

Where will Jason Johansson play?
Forward, maybe some time on the wing

Where will Bailey Williams play?
Wing

What will we do with Josh Bruce?
Forward depth. Will see some games, either through injury or form

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?
Development year. Play the forward/ruck role the whole VFL season

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?
He's cream. Can bring a lot but there are more important ingredients in the cake.

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side?
Yep. Jones FB, Gardner CHB and Keath as the interceptor.

If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?
Duryea and Richards

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?
Yep. Dale and Daniel as our mains, Richards and Duryea are good users as well.

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?
Probably so cross our fingers and hope it doesn't matter

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?
Yes but we won't try it

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?
Yes

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?
Maybe in a pinch, but probably better off forward

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?
Weightman and an assortment of mids

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line?
Feed those hungry big boys, yum yum.

Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?
Hey as long as he kicks the winning one in a prelim every now and again I'm fine with it

Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?
Yes

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff?
Probably Keath

Who will take their game to another level this season?
Naughton, somehow, will get even better

Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?
Roarke, as always seems the case

Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?
Clarke will get 5-ish games and show some good signs

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season?
No

Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?
Maybe

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?
Team defence. Too reliant on a few players to defend and the rest to attack. I'll full circle this thing and say if everyone puts in that little bit more defensively we'll do very well

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?

The return of McLean will really help, I think we have forgotten how valuable he is, and showed he hadn’t lost it in the final against Freo.

What is our best starting centre square combination?

Big Chilly, Bont, Libba and McCrae

What position will Bailey Smith play?

Wing/Mid/

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?

Mainly defence, with a run through the midfield occasionally to shake things up, or if we have an injury.

Where will Jason Johansson play?

Forward

Where will Bailey Williams play? Wing


What will we do with Josh Bruce?

Defence, with stints in the forward line, really looking forward to seeing what he will bring this year, we missed him last year.

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?

Cameo appearances, building up his build and fitness in the VFL.

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?

Yes, a happy Treloar plays well, I also hope the loss of Dunkley won’t effect him too much.

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side? Yes



If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?

Duryea, Richards

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?

Yes, Bailey Dale, possibly Bedendo and Cleary

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?

Rotate different players through there, Hannan, Williams, Roarke,

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?

No, need his long kicking out, hopefully less blunders this year.

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?

Yes, hopefully they will be coached to not get in each others way

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?

A good move is to give him a stint in the midfield to get him involved in the game. Opposition supporters are going to be screaming at him and McLean‘s free kick count

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?

Weightman, Vandameer, possibly Clarke to get a few games

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line? Feed the big boys


Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?

Let him do what he is good at, a tough player who gets it to our forwards, no need to kick goals himself.

Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?
Yes

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff? Treloar

Who will take their game to another level this season?

Weightman, he didn’t get handed our most famous jumper for nothing. English, now he has a proper stable mate, not just a pony

Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?

Cleary or Bedendo

Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?

Clarke

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season?

Players in multiple roles, not really an innovation as this has always been Bevo’s mantra.

Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?

Hoping, we do but also play to the strengths of having a lot of talls with good kicking.

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?

The stand rule and how we dealt with it. Either improve what we were trying to achieve or get rid of it.

 

[BrisDog]

Sam Darcy - play him forward pocket all year in the senior team. That 2 minute burst against Hawthorn that turned the game was enough evidence for mine.

With the other talls up front it guarantees a height mismatch nearly every forward entry. No team could cover Naughton, JUH, Lobb and Darcy for height.

Flea and Garcia/West at the giants feet.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?
Predominantly this needs to be a team-wide effort & improvement. We were too soft in too many areas of the ground last year and individual players are not going to fix that, especially with one going out. We will also need some improved form from some of West/McLean/Garcia etc to cover the midfield loss.

What is our best starting centre square combination?
English, Liberatore, Bontempelli, Macrae, B. Smith +1.

What position will Bailey Smith play?
Will split time as +1 at the contest and wing.

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?
Still half back but with more midfield rotations than we're used to seeing.

Where will Jason Johansson play?
Forward.

Where will Bailey Williams play?
Wing, but will be used as a genuine utility.

What will we do with Josh Bruce?
Will spend much of the year down back at Footscray depending on injuries. I expect he plays a handful of games, with a mix of forward and back roles.

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?
He will continue his development playing predominantly down back at VFL level. Will play a handful of AFL games.

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?
I think there are two things that Treloar brings: speed and power, and that inside ball-winning ability (which has obviously taken an extra hit with Dunkley out). Both are important attributes to us and I am a little concerned about his injuries and how we cover them. I've expanded on the grunt stuff in Q1, but in terms of speed, we really need some of Jones/Vandermeer/Baker/Hannan/Bedendo/JJ to find some strong form.

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side?
The answer here depends entirely on Keath for mine. Pre-2022 Keath - yes. 2022 Keath - no. We need to see whether Keath has hit his wall or whether his 2022 form was more down to injury etc. I suspect we see this trio round 1, but that Bruce and Darcy will be hot on their heels for an opening.

If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?
Duryea/Richards. I suspect we see some Williams back as well.

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?
I don't have concerns about this, our setup ensures we create rebound regardless of the height of the defenders down there. As long as the trio are intercepting it will be OK. Ground-level defence is more of a concern.

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?
Frankly, we just don't have a solution right now. We need players to lift. I suspect this year will see another rotating door at the wings, depending on matchups. Side note, I would really like to see McLean start the year off as a defensive (not tagging) wing.

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?
Dale plays better in defence, where finding his own ball is less challenging. I am sure we see a bit of him on the wing but I don't think he's the leading candidate.

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?
Yes, it can. Lobb will play deep and Naughton will keep on the move to avoid the "Sam Collins treatment" teams have started working him over with. JUH will roam and needs to provide more defensively for this trio to work.

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?
Remains to be seen, I'm not opposed to him spending some time in the middle but I wouldn't overdo it. We have so few natural non-tall forwards that I'm loathe to take him out of that line.

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?
Weightman, Johannisen, and then resting mids. If Clarke can make an early impact that would be fabulous.

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line?
We need to find a way to get more dynamism out of the centre bounce for sure. I'm not too concerned about their scoring power, per se, but they need to find clear air better than they did last year. I suspect that a great deal of our focus will be on getting the ball to the talls as quickly as possible.

Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?


Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?
Yes.

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff?
I think there are some warning signs there with Duryea. Love him and is still clearly best 22, but I do think he's lost a step or two and it might be harder for him to offer what he has done for the last few years, particularly with a taller defensive setup that relies on him more for drive.

Who will take their game to another level this season?
English and Richards are poised for AA seasons.

Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?
Of course! I suspect Clarke/Bedendo are the most likely candidates. I feel weirdly positive about Hannan this season too but don't ask me why.

Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?
I hope Jones. I think structurally Lobb will change things dramatically, regardless of his actual output. In terms of draftees, I suspect Clarke is the most likely to impact, but I've liked what I've seen from Gallagher and Bev does like his fresh blood through half back.

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season? Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?
I'm sure there will be changes, but I don't think it will change in ways that fans can easily see. I expect our game to continue to be built on offensive drive from the back half and handball chains between the arcs. If Jones can impact our defensive system should adapt considerably.

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?
Leveling off the offensive/defensive balance. The aggressiveness of our ball movement and positioning exceeded the defensive capabilities of our backline last year, particularly from centre bounces.

Outside of coaching tactics, we need improved leadership, hardness, and intensity. Better ball use will help too.

 

[doggies ftw]

All good questions,

I’ll just say that I think the two biggest factors on our midfields defensive side this year will be McLean & Cody rotating through. Two absolute terriers who will bring great energy on the inside and let the likes of Bont, Baz & Treloar do their thing whilst they’re in there.

Also I’m not sure we’ll even need a defensive mindset in there with 2023 beefed up Libba, the bloke won’t lose a clearance/hard ball get this year

 

[Leon]

How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?

It is a loss. Liberatore and Bailey Smith will have to fill the void.

What is our best starting centre square combination?

English, Bont, Libba, Macrae

What position will Bailey Smith play?

Wing

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?

Why would we need to change him from half back?

Where will Jason Johansson play?

This is a bug bear of mine. Why have we been playing him forward? Has he ever kicked a bag or played very well there?

He won a Norm Smith (deserved or not) playing half back. His best asset - his pace - if effectively redundant playing in the forward line.

Send him down back.

Where will Bailey Williams play?

Wing.

Was a good move to send him there. His confidence playing down back was shot after the 21 GF.

Played well on the wing in 22 and should continue there.

What will we do with Josh Bruce?

Interesting one this.

Want to see how he goes in the backline if that‘s where we’ve been trialling him.

Felt sorry for him when he returned last year - looked very out of sorts.

Still every chance to come good again in the forward line or back line.

A wait and see.

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?

I would play him in the forward line at the moment.

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?

Too early to tell

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side?

Yes.


If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?

My starting back would be:

B - Gardner, Keath, Richards (hah - Keith Richards. Geddit? Geddit???)

HB - Dale, Jones, Daniel


Shutdown/rebound - Daniel, Dale and Richards

Shutdown - Richards, Duryea (when playing - feel bad leaving him out)

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?
If we play my backline - with Richards, Dale and Daniel - yes.

Also as suggested above JJ back to defence as a running HB option

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?
Williams and Bailey Smith as the main wingers

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?

Think Dale can play as HB and wing

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?
My forward line

HF - West, Naughton, Treloar

F - Ugle-Hagan, Darcy, Weightman


Lobb as the second ruck, can rest forward when not rucking- ditto English

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?
Not for mine.

A player like him you keep close to the goals where he’s most dangerous.

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?

Weightman and West

Usually like VanDerMeer, but had a woeful end to 2022, he can play forward, but needs to earn his spot back

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line?


The latter

Only mid we currently have that is capable of being an effective regular goalkicker is Bont anyway

He usually provides a decent amount


Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?

Yes


Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?

My preferred forward and back lines are as above

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff?

I was worried about Keath towards the end of last year.

I hope he proves me wrong, but he looked close to gone


Who will take their game to another level this season?

Bont will return to 2021 levels with a full pre season

JUH will also make further strides


Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?

Can’t see who at the moment


Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?

Do you mean our 2021 or 2022 recruits?

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season?

I’m hoping we now have enough options to actually play ruckman in the ruck instead of midfielders

Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?

Our handball happy approach isn’t really a worry for me

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?

a) Second ruckman

b) Poor key defence options


We‘ve at least made some effort to address these with getting Lobb for a) and Jones and Busslinger for b)

Whether or not they’re the right options remainds to be see, but am glad we at least have made an effort to rectify them

 

[ScragCity]

As we approach the mystery of a new season. I have 1-2 or 26 questions that have been gnawing away at the peanut taking up space inside my skull.

Some of these arise out of my observations of last Fridays training session.

Some are spun out of the pre-season thread.

Some may've been covered already and some may be eye rollingly stupid.

If you can be bothered. Perhaps you could have a crack at answering them for me.

I will send an autographed 8x10 headshot of myself to whoever has the correct answers.


How will we address the loss of last years BnF winners grunt around the ground?

What is our best starting centre square combination?

What position will Bailey Smith play?

Where will we play Caleb Daniel?

Where will Jason Johansson play?

Where will Bailey Williams play?

What will we do with Josh Bruce?

How will we handle Sam Darcy this year?

Given the point of difference that he brings with his speed. Should we be concerned about Treloars injuries?

Can we play all of Keith, Gardner and Jones in the same side?

If we do who will play as the small /medium shut down defenders?

Will there be enough rebound out of defence if we do go with three genuine talls?

What's the solution to our at times shambolic wing arrangements?

Could the answer be to risk losing Bailey Dales half back creativity and play him on the wing?

Can the combination of Naughton, JUH and a mixture of Lobb and English work in the forward line?

Are we better served with Cody Weightman as a full time forward. Or is he capable of having an impact through the middle of the ground?

Who will take the roles of small/medium forwards?

Can we get more scoring power out of our mids. Or will their main job be to feed the land of the giants shaping in the forward line?

Should Jack Macrae see a psychiatrist re: his goal kicking phobia?

Assuming a fit and firing squad. Will we really go into games with 7 genuine Key position players?

Which established players career will unexpectedly fall off a cliff?

Who will take their game to another level this season?

Will a player outside of most peoples best 22 will jump up and establish themselves inside the team by the end of the season?

Which if any of last seasons first year recruits will have the biggest impact this season?

Do you expect a tactical innovation(s) from the coaching box this season?

Or will we return to the handball happy manic pressure that Beveridge built his brand on?

What is the biggest tactical issue(s) from last season that the coaching panel need to address?

 

[dogwatch]

[/BigFooty]

 

[Norm De Guerre]

There's no excuse for that. Im now so demoralised that you would use that word salad using grifting campaigner to skewer me that I could cry.

 

[Bulldog rick]

I know who I want as gills replacement now. It must be the divine sovereign individual. Vote 1 Dr Jordan Peterson.