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The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread
Last post by DJC -If they lose a wicket chasing 19 runs it would take a bit of gloss off the win IMO.
The openers are always on a hiding to nothing in that situation. They both would have sighed in relief as Khawaja's last shot reached the boundary.
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The Sports Desk / Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread
Last post by Gointocarlton -4
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: How will we line up in 2025.
Last post by DJC -Whilst I concur, you do need to have someone physically capable of impersonating a missing player, no point having small Durds standing @ chb on Jeremy Cameron.
Big Durds and McDonald before him were adequate replacements but were both injured almost every time they were required…
Young on the other hand despite his shortcomings is at least durable and available.
Yes, but not if the player that comes in as the replacement has a different role. To put names to a scenario similar to that above:
- Weitering is suspended.
- Small Durds comes into the 22 as a forward.
- Silvagni goes to defence in Weiter's role.
- Williams takes Silvagni's third tall forward role.
- Our other playes adjust to a smaller forward line and a different defensive structure.
Even if Tall Durds or McDonald had been able to play, they wouldn't necessarily take Weiters' role and our defensive structures would have to change.
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Blah-Blah Bar / Re: The Music Thread
Last post by Lods -Sounding a bit Bowie like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABjYSxyUD98
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: How will we line up in 2025.
Last post by northernblue -I don’t believe we can have a proper backup up for Weitering, no Rolls Royce is going to sit in the magoos until Weiters goes down.
A backup will be someone with a bit of size who can play a role, hopefully…
The concept of back up players is bogus. As you say, a player capable of performing Weitering's role wouldn't be cooling his heels in the VFL. Furthermore, AFL list sizes, injuries and development or project players mean that it's simply not possible to have back ups for the "best 22".
Rather than a back up player, we will have strategies in place to cover the absence of key players. For example, if player A is suspended, we bring in player B from the VFL. Player B takes on player C's role and player C takes on player A's role. Players D and E have their roles tweaked to assist player C. Player F will also spend time in player C's role.
I remember hearing a Hawthorn player explaining during their premiership domination that every player in the 22 could move seamlessly into at least three other player's roles. If Hodge had to go off, someone else would immediately take his role until such time as Clarko made a more permanent positional change. We would have to have similar contingencies both for game day scenarios and at the selection table and they may even include Harry McKay to CHB
Big Durds and McDonald before him were adequate replacements but were both injured almost every time they were required…
Young on the other hand despite his shortcomings is at least durable and available.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: How will we line up in 2025.
Last post by DJC -It's probably as much about overall body size as weight.
May is only 193 but is over a hundred kilos.
Lever on the other hand is taller (195cm) but weighs less than 90 kg
The 'two big guys in defence' idea probably got a bit of a boost from the success of May and Lever.
But it was probably as much about how they work together as their size.
One of the teams where we could probably do with two big defenders is Geelong.
One thing that always surprises me is that when we play Geelong, Weitering takes Hawkins (or did), rather than Cameron. I'm wondering why...especially as Hawkins was in his 'twilight' in recent years and Weitering easily accounted for him.
We never have a good match for Cameron
There was one occasion this year when Binns was his direct opponent in a contest.
That didn't end well.
Young played in that game, so was probably Cameron's opponent on the day.
Where is the problem if Weitering takes Cameron?
I think that Sicily has shown that size isn’t everything. However, if a forward has an advantage in strength, reach, quickness off the mark, endurance, etc, they will try to exploit it. That’s where help defence should come in.
Most teams struggle to contain Cameron. A defender who can match him in a one on one contest in the goal square will be left floundering when he bursts through the centre.
Cameron’s opponents often switch when he goes into the midfield and that can produce a mismatch … like Binns.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: How will we line up in 2025.
Last post by Lods -I thought it's probably a speed, and maybe a mobility issue as well, as Cameron moves all over the shop.
Lever and May haven't been near as influential in recent times and I was talking more about the period when Melbourne were at their peak a few years back.
There is a point to all that though and it's that KPD's all have their strengths and weaknesses.
The measure of the Key defender isn't so much a height and weight issue as it is a skill issue.
A good leap can overcome a height deficiency.
Speed to the contest can overcome a cumbersome gorilla.
I think of some of our premiership sides and the mid sized key defenders who were more than a match for bigger forwards.
What we're all looking for is that elite combination of Fullback/ CHB, but more often you just have to settle for a really good one, and a support cast of solid players.
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: How will we line up in 2025.
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -It's probably as much about overall body size as weight.
May is only 193 but is over a hundred kilos.
Lever on the other hand is taller (195cm) but weighs less than 90 kg
The 'two big guys in defence' idea probably got a bit of a boost from the success of May and Lever.
But it was probably as much about how they work together as their size.
One of the teams where we could probably do with two big defenders is Geelong.
One thing that always surprises me is that when we play Geelong, Weitering takes Hawkins (or did), rather than Cameron. I'm wondering why...especially as Hawkins was in his 'twilight' in recent years and Weitering easily accounted for him.
We never have a good match for Cameron
There was one occasion this year when Binns was his direct opponent in a contest.
That didn't end well.
Young played in that game, so was probably Cameron's opponent on the day.
Where is the problem if Weitering takes Cameron?
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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: How will we line up in 2025.
Last post by Lods -May is only 193 but is over a hundred kilos.
Lever on the other hand is taller (195cm) but weighs less than 90 kg
The 'two big guys in defence' idea probably got a bit of a boost from the success of May and Lever.
But it was probably as much about how they work together as their size.
One of the teams where we could probably do with two big defenders is Geelong.
One thing that always surprises me is that when we play Geelong, Weitering takes Hawkins (or did), rather than Cameron. I'm wondering why...especially as Hawkins was in his 'twilight' in recent years and Weitering easily accounted for him.
We never have a good match for Cameron
There was one occasion this year when Binns was his direct opponent in a contest.
That didn't end well.
Young played in that game, so was probably Cameron's opponent on the day.
Where is the problem if Weitering takes Cameron?