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Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #15
#3 - Matthew Watson
Seems to have kicked it up a notch and becoming more confident in his abilities. We desperately need big blokes to stand up and he (and Andrejs) appear to be doing that which leads me to...

He desperately needs 5 exceptionally reliable back man working with him. No speculative players, no maybes. Jammo, Touy, Walker, Simpson, Henderson.   No Scotland, no Buckley, No Yarran, no Everitt (further up the ground).

Watson can work........if.

Ideally, i reckon the back 6 would look something like this.

Simpson Jamison Tuohy
Walker Watson xxxx

Now xxxx would depend on who we were playing against and what kind of setup they had. If they had an extra tall we could use McInness/Everitt....or Hendo/Waite if we get desperate.
If they had an extra small it could be Gibbs/Buckley/Curnow/Scotland/Carrazzo who would all change through the middle at stages too.

If Watson can prove himself to be reliable at CHB, then he could be THE most important player on our list when it comes to structures. Without him, we have to completely alter our lineup.


Agree on Watson ...like I have said on the Port match thread he has to make it as a KP defender and allow henderson to partner Waite up forward and give us an edge........
McInnes is very much the negative defender...gives no drive and I'm starting to think Simon White who at last has some grunt and muscle might be the better man as your 3rd tall defender...

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #16
Nup White too much of a brain fade specialist even more so than McInnes.
Ignorance is bliss.

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #17
McInnes is very much the negative defender...gives no drive and I'm starting to think Simon White who at last has some grunt and muscle might be the better man as your 3rd tall defender...

Given who else is around in that backline, do we need to rely on McInness to give us drive??

Simpson, Walker, Tuohy....find me 3 players from any other side who will provide more run and carry! Won't be able to do it. McInness can stay at home. ;)

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #18
Quote
[2] Everitt: I am not quite as convinced as you yet, but he is doing at least as well as he did when he started at Sydney. If he can find the form he had late last year, and it looks likely, we have made a great pickup with him.

Will be a gun imo.

Biggie issue for me is when will Matt Kreuzer start to deliver something a #1 draft pick should deliver....?

Another season of 'he would have/could have but for injuries'.... and I would look at trading him.

25 in May and 100 games under his belt now - he needs to become a Mike Sheehan top 20 list player.....

Time for Special K to live up to his moniker?

x 2

x3

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #19
#3 - Matthew Watson
Seems to have kicked it up a notch and becoming more confident in his abilities. We desperately need big blokes to stand up and he (and Andrejs) appear to be doing that which leads me to...

He desperately needs 5 exceptionally reliable back man working with him. No speculative players, no maybes. Jammo, Touy, Walker, Simpson, Henderson.   No Scotland, no Buckley, No Yarran, no Everitt (further up the ground).

Watson can work........if.

Ideally, i reckon the back 6 would look something like this.

Simpson Jamison Tuohy
Walker Watson xxxx

Now xxxx would depend on who we were playing against and what kind of setup they had. If they had an extra tall we could use McInness/Everitt....or Hendo/Waite if we get desperate.
If they had an extra small it could be Gibbs/Buckley/Curnow/Scotland/Carrazzo who would all change through the middle at stages too.

If Watson can prove himself to be reliable at CHB, then he could be THE most important player on our list when it comes to structures. Without him, we have to completely alter our lineup.


Agree on Watson ...like I have said on the Port match thread he has to make it as a KP defender and allow henderson to partner Waite up forward and give us an edge........
McInnes is very much the negative defender...gives no drive and I'm starting to think Simon White who at last has some grunt and muscle might be the better man as your 3rd tall defender...

With you there, EB1. McInnes is a very good 'negater' and really puts in. But White also offers this plus better grunt, takes a good grab and can pinch hit up forward. Very flexible. I suspect this bloke will only get better and surprise.
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #20
It's only pre-season, reckon we look a little underdone, thats just my two cents.

Not making any calls based on 3 practice games.
"We are a club in a hurry"

#united #reset

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #21
McInnes is very much the negative defender...gives no drive and I'm starting to think Simon White who at last has some grunt and muscle might be the better man as your 3rd tall defender...

Given who else is around in that backline, do we need to rely on McInness to give us drive??

Simpson, Walker, Tuohy....find me 3 players from any other side who will provide more run and carry! Won't be able to do it. McInness can stay at home. ;)

Don't forget the Yazz Krudds!
Finals, then 4 in a row!

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #22
McInnes is very much the negative defender...gives no drive and I'm starting to think Simon White who at last has some grunt and muscle might be the better man as your 3rd tall defender...

Given who else is around in that backline, do we need to rely on McInness to give us drive??

Simpson, Walker, Tuohy....find me 3 players from any other side who will provide more run and carry! Won't be able to do it. McInness can stay at home. ;)

Don't forget the Yazz Krudds!

I'm not forgetting, he just plays further up the ground. The other 3 play almost exclusively in the backline and generate the run from there. Thus, why McInness doesnt need to worry about running.

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #23
But does he, will he?
Finals, then 4 in a row!

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #24
It's only pre-season, reckon we look a little underdone, thats just my two cents.

Not making any calls based on 3 practice games.

The pre season is a bastard. If we do well it's a curse, yet if we fail alarm bells ring.
IN WADA WE TRUST

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #25
With you there, EB1. McInnes is a very good 'negater' and really puts in. But White also offers this plus better grunt, takes a good grab and can pinch hit up forward. Very flexible. I suspect this bloke will only get better and surprise.

He is shight and he's 26 this year. If we're relying on him to be any more than a backup player we're forked the guy goes to water under any sort of decent pressure.
Ignorance is bliss.

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #26
I think MM ideally would like a McInnes or White to play the deep 3rd tall in defence allowing Walker and Everitt to play between half-back and half-forward and also not ask an undersized Tuohy at 187cm to play that role or a lumbering Rowe at 198cm to be that man. Might depend on who we play and the like but its a tough one because we don't want to 'carry' blokes either though structure is very important too.

The HB/HF's we have of quality is great and probably a real strength of ours - guys such as Walker, Simpson, Everitt, Yarran, Tuohy. Dynamic. Could add an understudy in Buckley there we hope this season along with the new Docherty too.

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #27
We ve learned that our skills by foot and hand havent improved, and that we re still going to have massive issues with Key position forwards.

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #28
So, to answer my original questions:
[1]   Our chances do not look good, as a number of teams appear to be very much on the rise. Our better players are one year older and we appear to be a mid round team at best.
[2]   We do not appear to have improved significantly in the areas we really needed to. Our forward line and key defensive posts look suspect and we appear deficient int he centre square.
[3]   While our kids look a little better at this point than last year, they do not appear as yet to be the answers to our prayers.

I will be heading to Etihad next weekend with a lot of foreboding. I'll be shouting my guts out and willing us to do well. But my expectations at this point are low. I really hate that.

You've saved me a lot of words there crash.....100% agree with what you've written above. Feel as though we're treading water, whilst others overtake us & those above us continue at their higher standard. Sick of hearing the likes of Kreuzer, Murphy & Gibbs described as "Very good players who haven't developed into the players they were expected to become....." - sick of hearing it, 'cos it's 100% true.

Another 'meh' year beckons.....
Football is life, there is nothing else....

Re: What have we learnt from this preseason?

Reply #29
With you there, EB1. McInnes is a very good 'negater' and really puts in. But White also offers this plus better grunt, takes a good grab and can pinch hit up forward. Very flexible. I suspect this bloke will only get better and surprise.

He is shight and he's 26 this year. If we're relying on him to be any more than a backup player we're forked the guy goes to water under any sort of decent pressure.

Not sure 'goes to water under any sort of decent pressure' is fair. Especially when you factor in his neck injury then seeing his commitment in hard contests since. Seen him often be very physical at the contest and bring some hurt to opponents. Not sure Bootsma will ever deliver hurt in a contest... unless he squirrels someone  ;) :)
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17