Re: Football Department Review
Reply #1247 –
I have grave doubts any coach can construct a game plan under the current 6-6-6 and Stand rule that will slow down play enough for Cripps to keep up and be fresh enough to play like he did 3 seasons ago, even if he does overcome all his injuries.
It's not that Cripps can't play, it's that fans are not considering the effects of the rule changes, they are massive and have more of a negative impact on Cripps than perhaps any other player in the AFL.
So the only alternative for Cripps is to become more a KPP marking target to make use of his size, but so far he has struggled to take and hold marks. Let's face it he is not great overhead and given his entire playing career it is probably unfair to expect him to become instantly better, marking has never been a big part of his game which is the irony of what he has to do now. He isn't at all natural flying for contested marks!
He can buy himself some time and space by getting better on his off-side, all players can, but it's a skill that is greatly diminished in modern AFL, all this outside the boot rubbish is bullcrap!
Finally, for a guy who wins so much contested footy, he's quite ordinary by hand, hopefully Diesel gets in a sorts that out and has him punching the pill like he's breaking through a brick wall before next season! Cripps is nearly a 200cm monster, he should handball like Fogarty kicks!