What’s going on with Owens?

[Moods]

Probably my most disappointing player this year only behind King. After Rd 2 I was as excited as anyone as to what this kid could produce this year.

People keep saying, play him in the midfield. As if he’ll magically start getting 25 possessions a week. I actually reckon he’s more of a backman than a forward. He runs in straight lines and is uncompromising in packs when leaping for balls, he’s not a great kick and he’s not overly creative. Has trouble finding the ball or reading the play it appears.

I reckon he and King are the two main reasons we can’t score heavily. Midfield delivery is an issue but the key forwards have been poor all year

[bigcarl]

Probably my most disappointing player this year only behind King. After Rd 2 I was as excited as anyone as to what this kid could produce this year.

People keep saying, play him in the midfield. As if he’ll magically start getting 25 possessions a week. I actually reckon he’s more of a backman than a forward. He runs in straight lines and is uncompromising in packs when leaping for balls, he’s not a great kick and he’s not overly creative. Has trouble finding the ball or reading the play it appears.

I reckon he and King are the two main reasons we can’t score heavily. Midfield delivery is an issue but the key forwards have been poor all year

Midfield, well we don’t know, do we, because it’s never really been tried. It should have been, imo, but it hasn’t.

Defence? Yes, I think he could do that, but I’d prefer him to get a decent trial in the middle first.

I’m still convinced he’s going to be a terrific player for us long term once he really hits his straps.

[CURLY]

Think he's got to heavy. He also gets the second best lock down back each week.

[nostalgicsaint]

Think he's got to heavy. He also gets the second best lock down back each week.

The downfall of Membrey hasn't helped his case that is for sure.

I'd like to see us settle on our marking forwards for a 3 or 4 week block.

i.e. choose three of

King, Membrey, Hammer, Sharman, Marshall and Owens and back them in for a period of time to build some cohesion.


Emotion of drop/trade King aside I'd go with the below if they're going to back King as the 2nd Ruck.



Higgins, King/Marshall, Sharman
Henry, Owens, Butler


Back it in for a month. Then change one of the talls if you're not happy.

[Scollop]

Is that the reason we drafted Owens? To be a forward. Specifically a 3rd tall option like an Oliver Henry or Tim Membrey?

What did his NAB AFL draft profile say? I'm pretty sure it said he was a wing/utility/midfielder.

Why do we want Mich to be a permanent forward?

I see him more like a Jake Stringer or a Matt Kennedy. A strong, tough and relatively tall mid who is also good in marking contest and can drift forward and kick multiple goals.

Stringer is used in the centre at centre bounce. We only use Owens as a fill in ruck. We don't play him exclusively as an inside mid.

It's about time that we found out whether he can be of value in that role

[St Dave]

Yeah the problem is he is a mid playing as a second tall. I don't mind the idea of him playing down back a bit but he needs to improve his kicking or I will be getting flash backs to his speccie/turnover in the d50 against gws

[The G Train Legacy]

Second year blues (I know its technically his third), he's getting more respect from opposition.

[Vortex]

People keep saying, play him in the midfield. As if he’ll magically start getting 25 possessions a week.

I blame the internet.

[bobmurray]

Didn't an ITK say Mitch was too slow to play midfield.

He definitely looks slow when i watch him at training, time will tell where his best position is.

As long as it's not at another club.

[bigcarl]

Didn't an ITK say Mitch was too slow to play midfield.

He definitely looks slow when i watch him at training, time will tell where his best position is.

As long as it's not at another club.

Not too slow, but that his disposal wasn’t up to it.

[SteeleSaints]

Ross Lyon wont rotate him through the middle enough. The kid needs to be freed up and given a run in the midfield.

You dont look slow when you win the ball at stoppages and he cant be any worse than Hunter Clark.

[Killa]

Given this thread started on 1 July, did anyone actually listen to what the Coach said post match, including that Owens and Sinclair were deployed to the midfield with Clark back

Guess not

[bobmurray]

Given this thread started on 1 July, did anyone actually listen to what the Coach said post match, including that Owens and Sinclair were deployed to the midfield with Clark back

Guess not

I heard it but i didn't see it.

[shrodes]

Given this thread started on 1 July, did anyone actually listen to what the Coach said post match, including that Owens and Sinclair were deployed to the midfield with Clark back

Guess not

I posted in another thread

Owens 5% CBA
Sinclair 10% CBA

But as Ross noted there were not many centre bounces on account of not many goals getting kicked

Gotta say I did not really notice either significantly impacting the midfield in the last term

[Moods]

Given this thread started on 1 July, did anyone actually listen to what the Coach said post match, including that Owens and Sinclair were deployed to the midfield with Clark back

Guess not

Kind of my point. He doesn’t win enough ball to be a mid. I’ll stick my hand up and say I had no idea he was played in the midfield. Would anyone have noticed if we weren’t told?

I don’t reckon his skills are good enough for midfield anyway. Someone compared him to Jake Stringer. But Stringer can kick the ball 60m and is a beautiful kick. Owens is simply a poor kick by AFL standards. 2nd year blues, or is it he’s getting exposed in areas no one was paying attention to beforehand.

I love his effort and intensity around the packs and often feel like he helps us win possessions by sheer willpower.

[B.M]

Isn’t that what an inside bull does

Outside of Dusty

Are there any other inside bulls that are good kicks
Cripps - no
Danger - no
DeGoey - yes
Petracca - 50-50
Dunkley - no
Oliver - no
Yeo - 50-50
Tom Green - no

If you wanted to hide poor kickers - inside mid is the place to do it.

HB and outside mids need to be your best kickers
Sinclair, Hill, Wanganeen and Henry

[St Dave]

Given this thread started on 1 July, did anyone actually listen to what the Coach said post match, including that Owens and Sinclair were deployed to the midfield with Clark back

Guess not

Kind of my point. He doesn’t win enough ball to be a mid. I’ll stick my hand up and say I had no idea he was played in the midfield. Would anyone have noticed if we weren’t told?

I don’t reckon his skills are good enough for midfield anyway. Someone compared him to Jake Stringer. But Stringer can kick the ball 60m and is a beautiful kick. Owens is simply a poor kick by AFL standards. 2nd year blues, or is it he’s getting exposed in areas no one was paying attention to beforehand.

I love his effort and intensity around the packs and often feel like he helps us win possessions by sheer willpower.

I don't know if anyone has more detailed stats but you didn't notice him in the mid because he was only there for some portion of the last quarter and only for long enough to attend 1 (of 3) center bounce, but he did get 6 of his 9 disposals over however long he was in there.

He was elite for contested ball around the start of last year (when we were playing our best footy) as that mobile second ruck, it is just unfortunate he is being left to rot in a forward line that barely sees the ball.

[Moods]

Isn’t that what an inside bull does

Outside of Dusty

Are there any other inside bulls that are good kicks
Cripps - no
Danger - no
DeGoey - yes
Petracca - 50-50
Dunkley - no
Oliver - no
Yeo - 50-50
Tom Green - no

If you wanted to hide poor kickers - inside mid is the place to do it.

HB and outside mids need to be your best kickers
Sinclair, Hill, Wanganeen and Henry

That’s a reasonable point you make. I will pull you up on the Dusty part though. Ask any knowledgeable tiger supporter and they will concede that Dusty has never been an inside player. Rarely tackles. His one wood is his incredible vision, ball handling and creativity with the ball, combined with elite power and strength. He’s a rich man’s Jake Stringer.

As for the others, I’d still argue that they are all significantly better kicks than Mitch, apart from maybe Dunkley. Cripps and Green are quite effective shorter kicks and whilst Danger and Oliver spray the ball around, they can launch it.

Trac has/had improved his kicking this season. Spent ages on it because he knew it was holding him back. He’s actually a lovely kick

[B.M]

At his peak, Dusty was a clearance mid, who used his power and fend off to explode out stoppage

Similar to what Harley Reid and JHF

They are the most valuable players in footy

Inside/outside power mids who push forward

Bontempelli, DeGoey, Petracca, Fyfe

They are not in and under mids, not defensive mids, not accumulators. They are explosive!

[saintbob]

He's sitting on starvation corner week in week out, not sure whether he's a 2nd ruck, 3rd marking option or a mid, so I'd imagine that as we all are he's a little bit confused about WTF he's meant to be!!

[B.M]

A third forward

[B.M]

He played ok in the same role in 2023

Only difference possibly is less ruck time

[bigcarl]

A third forward

I think he is destined for greater things than that. Let’s hope it is with us

[B.M]

That’s a position- not a measure of performance

You can be great in any position

I see him as an Aaron Hamill type, was hoping for a Nat Fyfe type but he doesn’t look to have the running capability

[Scollop]

I call bs on the comment that Ross 'tried Owens in the midfield'. How long was he tried for? Why didn't he line up as a genuine mid from the opening bounce.

You gave their mids energy by playing the same old line up that the opposition was expecting. You gave them energy by asking your mids to tag.

Why not try your biggest, strongest and fastest beast in the middle head to head against JHF? What have we got to lose?

If Ross Lyon tells us he 'tried Owens in the midfield' it's just Ross deflecting and trying to give the media and St Kilda fans the impression that he's got everything covered.

You're not on top of anything Ross!!

Why play it safe and conservative against their best players? Remember we were 2 goals down at 3/4 time so he threw the caution to the wind - in a low scoring affair 2 goals probably felt like 4 goals.

If Owens is good enough to be given a go as a mid when the game needs to be won in the last quarter...then he should be good enough to play there from the start.