Here's a red flag for ya
IMPROVEMENTS:
- Contested work
- Strength
In our backline? Sounds like a taller Naish.
Areal worry and when you think about the severe needs we overlooked here with great options available.
Claw, personally thought Hobbs was a better call ….?
People really can not blame others for voicing concern over our greatest needs being ignored.
Okay another tall defender was a need but it was nowhere near as severe a need for tall fwds.
Just look at the situation
Tall defenders - Tarrant 32, Balta 22, Grimes 30, Miller 22,Nyuon 20 and now Gibcus.
It really was an area that could wait another season if need, be but the likes of Miller and Nyuon and the age of Tarrant and Grimes make it a need still..
We obviously rated Gibcus very highly and id say he was the best rated player on our list at 9. Personally i wanted Erasmus or Hobbs here. I have wanted Erasmus from a long way out. He went next pick and Hobbs who would have addressed our ability win ball went at 13 both must have been in the area for us.
Compare that to our KEY FORWARD SITUATION.
Riewoldt 33 and most likely in his last year
Lynch 29 and he has had his share of injury concerns. I worry about his longevity in this.
Why do supporters just keep on ignoring this.
JVR was available and Melbourne took him just two picks later. he like Erasmus was very much about where we could have taken him.
Fmd JVR was clearly the bigger need by a huge margin but again i can only surmise the club went by their list of ratings at this pick its one i dont agree with and i really do hope they have got it right.
And if people think being belted at clearance and contested possesion every weak is okay then good on em. If people think we don't need mids going fwd and we don't need to improve contested and clearance ball then they just are kidding themselves.
The state of our mids. VETS 29 plus
Edwards 33 - light bodied small mid with great hands inside and evasiveness. cmon people he is close to retirement. Imo we have his replacement in Bolton. The injuries are starting as well, he has missed a lot of footy the last two seasons. He is one of the better clearance and contested players we have and he is 33.
Cotchin 31 - will be 32 a week into the season. While his role has changed a bit he remains one of our better clearance and contested ball winners
In recent years the last three he has begun to miss significant amounts of footy. Surely we are looking for his replacement time seems to be catching up fast.
Martin 30 - He aint getting any younger imo its unfair to expect him to get better and more likely he will gradually decline as father time catches up. Also will more likely in the back end of his career spend more time fwd. He is another who we rely on to win his share of contested ball and clearances.
Lambert 30 - Missed a lot of footy this year is it a sign of the years creeping up? He is a runner for us, basically not a big clearance player and wins enough contested ball to not make him too outside.
Pickett 30 - Is not a huge possesion winner or clearance player and is not a huge contested ball winner either.
Caddy 29 - Hmm imo lucky to be on the list. Has not been a big possession winner for us with few clearances and not a lot of contested ball. has played only 17 games in two seasons.
Prestia 29 - In his 11 seasons he has managed just three where he has played every game. He has consistently had injuries and we only got nine out of him last year and nine this year. Imo our best inside player and hes hardly on the park.When hes not there we lose so much contested ability and clearances.With the injuries you would think the club would not be thinking he is going to play too far into his thirties.
Thats a list of our vets and outside of Bolton and maybe Graham not one of the remaining mids we have looks like they will get anywhere near some the above ATM.
MATURE MIDS 25 to 28
McIntosh 27 - 28 in early april. Just a very average player with poor touch and footskills and we play him on a wing. Have always maintained we can and should do better than him. He is the only Mature mid we have.
DEVELOPING MIDS 22 -24
Graham 24 - He to date has not been a big possession winner he wins few clearances and his contested ball winning has been just okay.To my way of thinking he is not going to dominate contested ball and clearances and the stats back this up to date.
Baker 24 - Has played more as a defender for us. This year played a lot more as a mid and showed he can get a bit of ball and win a bit of contested ball and play thru the midfield. to date has shown he is not a clearance player. Hate to be critical of this player because i love his tenacity asking him to compete inside with his size is just unfair. Imo not the answer to our inside problems imo.
Bolton 23 - Has tracked along nicely. He has transitioned from primarily a fwd to primarily a mid who spends a bit of time fwd.
The last two seasons his clearance work has lifted to a good level and he has started to win enough contested ball.
At 175cm and not a big nuggety frame like say Prestia we are not expecting him to be a bash crash inside player.As mentioned before i think he is our new Edwards type of mid without the superb hands.
Collier - Dawkins 22 - Imo his overall body of work has been underwhelming. He shows glimpses like just about every kid who gets drafted does at 22 i am not depending on him to become a top notch mid and im planning the list that way.Where are we at idf he actually doesn't make it? We cannot ignore that question forever. We will know this year i suppose.
Thats 4 developing players. that is juniors we have considered deserve more development and we think they are or will become decent at worst.
JUNIOR MIDS 18 -21
Ross 21 - Just 21 but in year four now. People may not agree but he showed more three years ago than he does nowBig concerns about him and he just has not come on imo. Gotta ask is he an answer going fwd and if so im asking to what level will he achieve.
Then there is Dow Martyn and Ralphsmith all 20YO.
Well hugo should be a future winger for us. Dow is he a clearance contested ball player im not sure. i think he is a skilled player who can get a bit of ball and win a clearance here and there.
Martyn not shown much in the two games he took the field in. god knows what he will become a few knocks on his pace from some but if he can win a lot of inside ball and get to a lot of contests im not overly worried about his pace. I just dont picture him becoming a top end inside afl player hopefully a servicable player. What we are lacking with the big question marks surrounding RC-D and Ross are elite inside ball winning and clearance players.For me with the many vets with age and longevity its just too few and questionable eggs surrounding quality inside players on the list and it bit us hard last year.
For what it is worth based on GREATEST LIST NEEDS imo we should have gone Hobbs at 9 although my preference was Erasmus and JVR again based on greatest need at 17.
