Big men rolling into September

[Calais]

At the moment in our team were playing 4 talls in Kosi, McEvoy, Stanley and Gardi rotating through Ruck and the forward line.

Obviously with Roo coming back it'd be too top heavy with him, Rhys and Kosi. We've also got King returning from Injury. Does he come in for McEvoy or is he passed it? Do we drop Stanley for Roo? What would you like to see happen? Who plays come finals time.

[plugger66]

Baring injury Stanley I would think will not play and it will probably be a toss of the coin between Ben and King if King can get a few games into him before the finals. I dont care who plays for the future. I want them to pick the best player that will hopefully get us a GF win.

[Saint Bev]

Baring injury Stanley I would think will not play and it will probably be a toss of the coin between Ben and King if King can get a few games into him before the finals. I dont care who plays for the future. I want them to pick the best player that will hopefully get us a GF win.

I actually agree with Plugger

[plugger66]

Baring injury Stanley I would think will not play and it will probably be a toss of the coin between Ben and King if King can get a few games into him before the finals. I dont care who plays for the future. I want them to pick the best player that will hopefully get us a GF win.

I actually agree with Plugger

It is the best way of being right.

[Bernard Shakey]

Stanley will be the future and must stay till Roo gets back, which will give him a great springboard into the future. Once Roo is back Gardiner, McEvoy and Kosi will get the job. King is only a back up now.

[SainterK]

Baring injury Stanley I would think will not play and it will probably be a toss of the coin between Ben and King if King can get a few games into him before the finals. I dont care who plays for the future. I want them to pick the best player that will hopefully get us a GF win.

I actually agree with Plugger

It is the best way of being right.

I agree too

Ben has still been good around the ground, but maybe struggling a little in the hitouts?

Competition for spots isn't a bad thing though.

[battye]

Baring injury Stanley I would think will not play and it will probably be a toss of the coin between Ben and King if King can get a few games into him before the finals. I dont care who plays for the future. I want them to pick the best player that will hopefully get us a GF win.

I actually agree with Plugger

It is the best way of being right.

I agree too

Ben has still been good around the ground, but maybe struggling a little in the hitouts?

Competition for spots isn't a bad thing though.

I agree SainterK. I thought McEvoy may have turned the corner (still a few corners to turn still though before he becomes an integral part of the team) - in his work around the ground, he presents more and takes more marks, kicks more goals than King. But you're spot on, he is really struggling in the hit outs.

So if RL wants a ruck/forward type player, McEvoy will be retained. But if we want a genuine proven ruckman (which is important against the likes of Sandilands, King was very good against Fremantle earlier this year due to his experience) then King will slot back in.

As you say competition is a good thing, it's a good position to be in.

[BigMart]

Is King better than McEvoy ATM??

Ben
Average
Games 7
Kicks 3.0
HB 5.6
Dis 8.6
M 3.3
Goals 0.3
Beh 0.3
Tack 2.1
HO 8.4
FF 0.4
FA 0.6
47.7

King
Games 6
Kick 3.7
HB 4.3
Disp 8.0
Marks 2.3
Goals 0
Beh 0
Tack 1.8
HO 13.7
FF 0.8
FA 2.0
DT 42.5

[bobmurray]

I hope they dont go into the finals with the exact same team as last year,i hope Ross and co are savvy enough to keep some of the new guys in.....

I want the Saints to win it this time......if we make it of course....

[dcstkfc]

Baring injury Stanley I would think will not play and it will probably be a toss of the coin between Ben and King if King can get a few games into him before the finals. I dont care who plays for the future. I want them to pick the best player that will hopefully get us a GF win.

I actually agree with Plugger

It is the best way of being right.

I agree too

Ben has still been good around the ground, but maybe struggling a little in the hitouts?

Competition for spots isn't a bad thing though.

Myself too

[Calais]

If Kingy was fully fit and the GF was played this week I'd play Him over McEvoy

[rexy]

For mine it would be Gardiner Macevoy Kosi and Roo, but at the end of the day the side should be picked on form and match ups, King and Stanley very important as they provide the option that gives us choices.

One things for sure we cant afford to be conservative at the selection table IMO, would hope that Lynch, Heyne, Armo, Steven, A Smith and J Smith all get a run in the next 10 rounds as well as obviously Roo and Gram get back.

[Bernard Shakey]

If Kingy was fully fit and the GF was played this week I'd play Him over McEvoy

He's another year older and slower.

[Calais]

If Kingy was fully fit and the GF was played this week I'd play Him over McEvoy

He's another year older and slower.

..and wiser

[Bernard Shakey]

If Kingy was fully fit and the GF was played this week I'd play Him over McEvoy

He's another year older and slower.

..and wiser :P

Wisdom doesn't help if you can't get to the ball, and he already has a GF medal.

[Calais]

If Kingy was fully fit and the GF was played this week I'd play Him over McEvoy

He's another year older and slower.

..and wiser

Wisdom doesn't help if you can't get to the ball, and he already has a GF medal.

He doesn't need to get more than 10+ disposals to be effective. Yeah around the ground he wont offer us much but his tap work is great, something McEvoy has not yet mastered. What does his previous medal have to do with anything? Maybe it'll mean it'll make him hungrier as he knows this is his last year?

[dcstkfc]

If Kingy was fully fit and the GF was played this week I'd play Him over McEvoy

He's another year older and slower.

..and wiser

Wisdom doesn't help if you can't get to the ball, and he already has a GF medal.

He doesn't need to get more than 10+ disposals to be effective. Yeah around the ground he wont offer us much but his tap work is great, something McEvoy has not yet mastered. What does his previous medal have to do with anything? Maybe it'll mean it'll make him hungrier as he knows this is his last year?

I'd play him against Geelong, he throws Blake off his game.

And yes if Big Mac misses out that'll make him hungrier next year.

[Bernard Shakey]

If Kingy was fully fit and the GF was played this week I'd play Him over McEvoy

He's another year older and slower.

..and wiser :P

Wisdom doesn't help if you can't get to the ball, and he already has a GF medal.

He doesn't need to get more than 10+ disposals to be effective. Yeah around the ground he wont offer us much but his tap work is great, something McEvoy has not yet mastered. What does his previous medal have to do with anything? Maybe it'll mean it'll make him hungrier as he knows this is his last year?

Last year was his last year. He stayed on for backup and as ruck coach.

[Teflon]

Is King better than McEvoy ATM??

Ben
Average
Games 7
Kicks 3.0
HB 5.6
Dis 8.6
M 3.3
Goals 0.3
Beh 0.3
Tack 2.1
HO 8.4
FF 0.4
FA 0.6
47.7

King
Games 6
Kick 3.7
HB 4.3
Disp 8.0
Marks 2.3
Goals 0
Beh 0
Tack 1.8
HO 13.7
FF 0.8
FA 2.0
DT 42.5

Ive always felt King gives away a lot of frees......now I know he does....

[dcstkfc]

Super Coach: McEvoy 49 ave King 37 ave

[dcstkfc]

Super Coach: McEvoy 49 ave King 37 ave

82 of King's 221 SC points (37%) for the season are from his hitout work, the highest percentage of any ruckman in the league who has played more than one game for the season.

This suggests that he does pretty much nothing around the ground, but some his tap-work is still sublime.

[bigcarl]

Justin Koschitzke

[ThePunter]

Certainly McEvoy over King. Remember McEvoy has played 19 games for 18 wins.

Someone raised an interesting point.

We could go with Gardiner & McEvoy in the ruck, and Kosi and Roo in the forward line. I like this model because it allows Kosi, Gardiner and McEvoy all to rotate through the ruck, the forward line and the bench. King cannot go forward.

But what if we chose Stanley ahead of McEvoy, and played Kosi more in the ruck?

Against Geelong, we could play Kosi in the ruck only against Mark Blake, with the remit to run Blake all over the ground, so Kosi is almost a fourth midfielder, exposing Blake's lack of any talent other than being tall. Then Gardiner would take Simpson/West/Hawkins.

This would leave Stanley and Riewoldt forward, which will confusing for the fans, would enable Kosi and Gardiner to give him a rest ont he bench, replacing him for short bursts forward.

Also, don't expect Riewoldt to play his 100% game time for a while yet.

[#1GILL]

Certainly McEvoy over King. Remember McEvoy has played 19 games for 18 wins.

Someone raised an interesting point.

We could go with Gardiner & McEvoy in the ruck, and Kosi and Roo in the forward line. I like this model because it allows Kosi, Gardiner and McEvoy all to rotate through the ruck, the forward line and the bench. King cannot go forward.

But what if we chose Stanley ahead of McEvoy, and played Kosi more in the ruck?

Against Geelong, we could play Kosi in the ruck only against Mark Blake, with the remit to run Blake all over the ground, so Kosi is almost a fourth midfielder, exposing Blake's lack of any talent other than being tall. Then Gardiner would take Simpson/West/Hawkins.

This would leave Stanley and Riewoldt forward, which will confusing for the fans, would enable Kosi and Gardiner to give him a rest ont he bench, replacing him for short bursts forward.

Also, don't expect Riewoldt to play his 100% game time for a while yet.

If we were going to give this a try, we would have to employ it as soon as Roo is back to give the players some time to get used to it..Kosi would have to work on his endurance running for this to work as well.

[WinnersOnly]

Would like to see STANLEY get a run in ruck before the finals.

IMO he and KOSI sharing the 2nd ruck and forward role would provide a lot more than McEVOY or KING. Given that McEVOY hardly wins the ruck taps and gives next to nothing around the ground I would like to see up try other options.

Mix it up a little as generally most teams are playing a mobile ruckman as there 2nd string and I think with KOSI & Stanley we could really cash in on there strengths.