Hartly's radar

[Judge Roughneck]

Small Midfielders

1. Chris Newman - 183cm 81kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 9
Goals: 5
Veteran midfielder and defender who offers stability and leadership to the side. Has been tried further up the ground as he won’t be around forever so we can develop a back 6/7 for the future but has the versatility to go back and help out when required. Newman is a very good kick of the footy and makes good decisions.

5. Brandon Ellis - 181cm 81kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 8
Goals: 2
Another very good first round draft pick for the club. Ellis has a huge tank and is an absolute running machine and the week he goes out of the team we have no run. We need him back in the side as quick as possible. Ellis offers a lot more than just his run though. He is capable of playing through the back line as well as through the midfield, in particular off a wing. He usually makes good decisions and uses the ball very well which was rewarded with being given the opportunity to take the kick outs in his first season. He is still prone to the odd mistake as any other second year player is. Ellis was fantastic racking up 39 possessions, which was equal most for a teenager in the last 20 years. For a little guy he is reasonably strong over head and also very courageous, evidenced by him going back with the flight to take strong contested marks. One area I’d like to see him improve is his ability to kick goals more regularly when playing on a wing.

22. Sam Lonergan (Rookie) - 182cm 81kg (1st year rookie)
Games: 2
Goals: 0
Mature aged rookie who is tough as nails, wins a lot of contested ball and can be a tackle machine. His downfall is his kicking and versatility. If he’s not playing in the centre square, he doesn’t really have any impact so we shouldn’t be picking him and playing him as a half forward flanker. With our game plan being based around good kicks I can’t work out how he got a game last week as he is a liability unless handballing. I was a supporter of us targeting him as a rookie for injury back up but in my opinion his form didn’t warrant a call-up over some younger more skilful players.

41. Nathan Foley - 178cm 79kg (contracted until 2015)
Games: 4
Goals: 0
Foley has been very injury prone over the years and hopefully he can stay on the park this time. Not expecting anything special from him this year but just hoping he can stay on the park all the way until the end. Fully fit, he gives us an injection of speed that we lack in the side. Foot skills at times can be a bit iffy but makes up for it with his contested work and line breaking ability. Slowly getting back into form at AFL level.

44. Matthew Arnot - 180cm 86kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 0
Goals: 0
Tough nut kid who is dominating VFL level and will hopefully get a game soon. Came to the club being very good in contested situations and has developed the ability to spread and win easy ball. The biggest areas he needs to work on are his discipline to not give away stupid frees or get suspended as well as his kicking skills. He offers a lot in the way of his tackling and all out attack on the ball and his opponent. In my opinion Arnot has earned a game at AFL level and as he comes out of contract this year we need to find out if he can play at the level. Otherwise move him on and draft a new kid to try.

SUMMARY: We have 5 smaller midfielders but a few could go in the not to distant future. Personally don’t see Lonergan being around next year and Arnot could be gone if he can’t get a game or perform soon. Neither kick the ball well and Arnot has no real physical development left so needs to be banging on the door for selection or find someone else. Foley I think could be worthwhile trade bait to a club who needs a mature midfielder like the Demons. His work rate at training is second to none and he offers some leadership they need. Would want their pick around 20 otherwise we'd keep him. Could afford to draft some smaller midfielders as we aren’t really the midget brigade we used to be.

Medium Midfielders

3. Brett Deledio - 188cm 88kg (contracted until 2017)
Games: 10
Goals: 7
Our most damaging midfielder when on song. Breaks lines with his speed and run and carry game. Deledio can pretty much do anything he wants. His kicking is elite, his speed is elite, he can play inside and outside, can play midfield, back or forward and is a very strong contested mark for a midfielder. One thing the club needs him to do is cut out the bad games. We need others to help him break the tag. He can’t do it on his own so help him out because when the opposition get the better of him we struggle.

4. Dustin Martin - 187cm 89kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 10
Goals: 12
Fair chance to be leading our B&F at this stage of the year. Elite kick of the footy and like Deledio can play anywhere on the field. His strength is unbelievable and at times looks like he’s playing by himself. (no one can tackle him) I think it’s a bit of a myth that he doesn’t play 4 quarters, he has been very good from round 3 onwards. Hopefully continues to build his tank as well as use his pace to break out of packs rather than running into packs to use his don’t argue when it’s not required.

6. Shaun Grigg - 190cm 85kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 10
Goals: 4
Really elevated his game in 2012 receiving 12 Brownlow votes for his efforts. He ran hard and owned the Southern Stand wing by himself. He also showed a remarkable improvement in his kicking ability. However, in season 2013 he appears to have got a bit comfortable in his playing and doesn’t run as hard to create and has gone back to kicking high floaters. Unfortunately, there is no one really left at Coburg to drop him for to give him the rocket he needs as he can clearly play at a high level but can’t afford to let any laziness creep into his game. Needs to work on his defensive efforts and tackling to take his game up another level from 2012. Is playing some good lock down roles at times (Liberatore/Shuey) to help develop this side of his game. At his best is a best 22 player but I feel in that outside midfielder role he needs to be upgraded with a speedy, more skilful player.

9. Trent Cotchin - 185cm 85kg (contracted until 2015)
Games: 9
Goals: 1
Down on form this year with his knee injury but overall he is the least of our problems long term. He is fantastic on the inside or outside, strong as an ox in contested situations and dangerous when resting in the goal square. Kicking still needs a bit of work in terms of consistency, in particular his goal kicking needs to lift to capitalise on his hard work. Only going to get better and better which is scary.

21. Shane Tuck - 189cm 92kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 5
Goals: 2
Tuck is our bull in the midfield. Does so much grunt work that often doesn’t get appreciated until he’s no longer in the team. Playing with a fractured shoulder blade showed his commitment to the team and his level of toughness. Not the most skilful player but super strong wins the ball and just forces it in our direction. We need to find a replacement for Tucky in the near future as he won’t be around forever. Hopefully will stay on another year or 2. Tucky is a free agent at the end of the year and needs to be signed up for another year as that big bodied midfielder until some more youngsters develop their bodies.

23. Daniel Jackson - 188cm 92kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 10
Goals: 3
Another of our mature players who can play a role but in the future needs to be upgraded with a player who uses the ball better. He can be a real momentum killer however, he provides protection for Cotchin & co. One thing I’d like to see is him given a job on the oppositions best midfielder every week and told to shut him down. Another who is a free agent and I’d think if someone saw some value in him as a tagger we would probably let him go and see if we could pull out a 3rd rounder as compensation.

30. Reece Conca - 185cm 83kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 4
Goals: 2
Tough and skilled young gun who was finally starting to show he belongs at AFL level before his foot injury. As part of that second tier midfield we are really missing him at the moment. Will likely develop with Vlastuin into our Tuck replacements as tough inside midfielders. For an inside midfielder he has good footskills and his lateral movement is very good. Needs to make a few adjustments to his game like trying to avoid diving on the ball and getting pinged holding the ball.

31. Nick Vlastuin - 187cm 86kg (contracted until 2014)
Games: 6
Goals: 6
Very good find at pick 9 in the draft. Vlastuin is very skilful for a big bodied inside midfielder and went at 92% efficiency against Melbourne. He already has a well-developed defensive game and really tackles with intent to bury his opponent. Still needs to keep developing his tank so he can make a move into the midfield full time. One thing that has really impressed me is his composure to be able to hit up targets going forward or be able to slot a goal when he gets the chance. His latest game with 3 goals has been his best so far.

32. Bradley Helbig - 185cm 85kg (contracted until 2013)
Games: 1
Goals: 0
Another who polarises opinion and I’ve seen a few who don’t rate him which is fair enough because he hasn’t done a lot. He needs to get some continuity in his football and stay injury free. In my opinion he’s a tough inside midfielder or tagger who can push forward. He really likes to put physical pressure on his opponent and tackles to hurt them. For an inside midfielder he also has pretty good skills, and so he should seems it’s part of the recruiting mantra at the club. One thing with Helbig is that when he has been given a chance at AFL level it has been as a small defender, which to me isn’t really his thing. Hopefully gets his chance soon as a genuine midfielder who can push forward to see how he goes. Needs to get regular games soon or he could be in trouble.

40. Cadeyn Williams (Rookie) - 186cm 86kg (1st year rookie)
Games: 0
Goals: 0
I think this kid showed a bit before his injury. He’s a really nice size, uses the ball well and can win his own footy. His junior career was injury plagued but when he got on the field he showed he could hit the scoreboard. Unfortunately his injuries have followed him to the Tigers and he is having shoulder issues again. Won’t be seen again this year but hopefully gets another year

[bojangles17]

My mail is that Adams is a lock to get to punt rd...just gotta get the deal done. Te intent is there though and thats a very good start

[magic17]

My mail is that Adams is a lock to get to punt rd...just gotta get the deal done. Te intent is there though and thats a very good start

Could you possibly be any more definitive!!!

Hope you're right though.