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Great piece. Baum at his best. He's a much better writer when he's talking something up. Shame he's spent a lot of time recently sinking various boots in...
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Do believe the hype
Greg Baum | June 30, 2009
TAPED to the wall of the Essendon race for a match against the Kangaroos in 2001 was this stirring exhortation: "Measure your greatness by how mighty your enemy is." The sentiment will resound again on Sunday when Geelong and St Kilda at last come to grips on a new threshold for AFL football: never before have two teams remained unbeaten so deep into the season. For once, the blockbuster epithet holds true.
I found this paragraph particularly interesting:
"Conventional wisdom says that mostly, the premiership is won by the best defence. But in the past 10 years, only twice has the No. 1 defensive team won the premiership. Conversely, eight of those 10 premierships have been won by one of the best three attacking teams."
This is part of the reason I'd still be happy to try out one of Fisher, or Gilbert, on the forward flank (in the lead-up role- not playing inside forward 50, where Gilbo started on the weekend). Being the no. 1 defence doesn't mean as much as so many seem to think, as the above paragraph/stats show. This would give us a better balance all over the field and mean we're not so "top-heavy" down back. We would lose some of their run from down back, but that could be easily offset by putting someone like Farren Ray there to replace the one that goes forward.
With Max, Zac, the other one (Gilbert, or Fisher) and either Blake or Goose down there, there would be plenty of height and the run with Ray there would be pretty much the same as it would be if Gilbo and Fisher were both there. Our forward line could be much stronger, though with Gilbo, or Fisher as marking targets outside 50, leaving Roey and Kosi hopefully both one-out inside 50.
I'd love to see it tried, especially in games where we're way on top, and Gilbo and Fisher are down back, twiddling their thumbs.
You need the whole package people = front, back & middle, any weaknesses will be exploited. The team holding up the cup will have outscored and outdefended the opposition you can't have one without the other.
I've never seen a bad St.Kilda player - that's just how they are.
Gilbert on the forward line doesn't work.....he proves that every time he plays there,he's a different player completely when he plays down back...leave him there and find another 3rd tall option for the forward line.......
Season 2024 is where RTB is showing the footy world his grasp of the modern game.
bobmurray wrote:Gilbert on the forward line doesn't work.....he proves that every time he plays there,he's a different player completely when he plays down back...leave him there and find another 3rd tall option for the forward line.......
Agree. In the absence of James Gwilt, we seem to have opted to rotate the third "tall" in. I wonder how Sam Fisher would go on the forward line, since oppositions have taken to playing close to him. He could be part of the rotation I suppose.
bobmurray wrote:Gilbert on the forward line doesn't work.....he proves that every time he plays there,he's a different player completely when he plays down back...leave him there and find another 3rd tall option for the forward line.......
Agree. In the absence of James Gwilt, we seem to have opted to rotate the third "tall" in. I wonder how Sam Fisher would go on the forward line, since oppositions have taken to playing close to him. He could be part of the rotation I suppose.
i think raph could be effective there, plus he can be dodgy in defence when he's down on confidence.
bj's the best option by far, but, like gilbert and fisher, is likely considered too valuable doing what he is doing.
i'd start raph there and rotate bj in if we can spare him.
bobmurray wrote:Gilbert on the forward line doesn't work.....he proves that every time he plays there,he's a different player completely when he plays down back...leave him there and find another 3rd tall option for the forward line.......
I agree that Gilbert is a more natural back than forward, he is better suited to running at the opposition and setting up play in our direction, rather than in the forward line where you have to move both ways. He is having a "breakout" year as a running half back, why tinker with something that is working very well for us?
