What I would like to see in 2011

[BigMart]

Jason Gram fit
Jack Steven 15-20 games
Clinton Jones
Ben McEvoy 5kg heavier 20+ games
Zac Dawson Stronger
Lenny Hayes with some help
Steven Baker retired
Leigh Montagna replicate
Nick Riewoldt with some help
Adam Schnieder to replicate
Jarryn Geary 22+ games
Michael Gardiner retired
Raph Clarke traded
Nick Winmar debut
Brendon Goddard keep the bar at the same hieght
Sam Gilbert become a swingman
David Armitage either played or traded
Nick Heyne 5-10 games
Farren Ray continue to be solid
Justin Koschitzke as a back up ruckman
Sean Dempster unable to make the side regularly
Sam Fisher replicate
Nick Dal Santo improve a bit
Jason Blake struggle to get a game
Rhys Stanley 20+ games
Tom Lynch 15-20 games
Brett Peake struggle to get a game
Andrew McQualter unable to get a game
Jimmy Gwilt replicate
Adam Pattison unable to get a game
Tom Walsh debut
Will Johnson unable to get a game
Alastair Smith 10-15 games
Robert Eddy unable to get a game
Paul Cahill delisted
Archer, Hutchings not so sure
Stephen Milne fighting to keep his spot
Luke Miles 20+ games
Tom Simpkin 5-15 games
Blake McGrath not sure, perhaps persist
Steven Gaertner Delist

Automatics
Gram, Hayes, Montagna, Riewoldt, Schnieder, Goddard, Gilbert, Fisher, Dal Santo, Gwilt

the rest must step up a level in order to improve as a team.

[spert]

I think our current top 5 after this finals campaign performances is: Goddard, Hayes, Gwilt, Fisher, Zac -they showed the extra something in intensity and coolness needed for finals footy. The rest of the list now has to prove something in 2011

[Animal Enclosure]

I dont always agree with you but I do 100% this time.

Lists & 'best 22's' can improve pretty dramatically & we do have some talented kids that now need to be played.

One or two smart trades and the team can rejuvenate itself pretty quickly.

The good thing is that most of our young guys have a bit of toe (Stanley, Lynch, Smith, Winmar & Steven). Take out the plodders & put a few of them in & it will make a huge difference.

[cwrcyn]

Pretty much the way I feel about it.

It is critical to the near and mid-term future that Simpkin, Smith, Walsh, , Miles, Stanley, and Steven play a big chunk of 2011, even at the risk of dropping a couple of games.

These guys will hopefully replace the likes of McQualter (Steven), Peake (Smith), Dempster (Miles), Eddy (Walsh)


I would like to see the following team cemented by mid-2011

Miles Dawson Fisher
Gwilt Simpkin Gilbert
Smith Hayes Gram
Schneider Stanley Goddard
Walsh Reiwoldt Milne

McEvoy Jones Montagna

Inter: Koschitzke Ray Armitage Steven

Emerg: Heyne Geary Blake Baker



I have barely seen Lynch ór Winmar play, so I can't make any judgement on them. What I saw from Smith during March was very impressive, and Simpkin looks a real prospect. We must play Walsh. He will stagnate at VFL level very quickly, and with his size, speed, physique, and attack on the ball, he is bound to give us a whole lot more than the likes of Eddy and McQualter. Miles is super quick and is an attacking type. He showed that he can cut it at AFL level.




.

[saintsRrising]

Michael Gardiner retired
.

This will only be of benefit for 2011 IF we secure another quality ruckman.

Kosi cannot ruck.

Ben will still be developing (though playing him as No 1 will stand him in good stead, and particularly for 2012.)

Patto is not good enough.

King has retired.


However the new interchange rule may count against Gardiner in 2010 if he is not deemed capable of TOG of 70%.

[meher baba]

BM

Interesting and thoughtful post, as always.

A few points of amplification/mild disagreement

Clinton Jones: you didn't make a comment, but I believe it is imperative that he is limited to playing the sort of tagging role that Baker played in the mid 2000s. Having him play in a position in which he is likely to frequently end up with the ball in his hands is sub-optimal and cost us big time in both GFs.

Lenny Hayes: it's hard to know where the help is going to come from. I'm sure you will agree with me that the best help we had available for him was Luke Ball, but he's gone. So we will need to manufacture someone to play in the hard stuff. Could Geary play this role? He seems to be superfit and is presumably tough enough.

Nick Riewoldt: the help for him is surely going to have to be Rhys Stanley, who has all the basic attributes that are required, but is extremely raw. Walsh remains a long shot IMO: more likely than not to end up back in Ireland.

Michael Gardiner retired: I don't agree (and apparently it isn't going to happen). Ruckmen like him, if their bodies are up to it, are always worth hanging onto.

Raph Clarke: capable of so much, far better value than Dempster down back, so - given that I wouldn't imagine we'd get anything much for him, I reckon he's worth trying for one more year

Heyne: not expecting much from him on what we've seen. But, who knows.

Lynch: ditto

McQualter: if he can go back to his 2009 form, he'd be in our top 22 every week. Something was wrong with him this year. If it can be fixed, then he's good value.

Blake: disagree, I'd add him to your list of definite inclusions. He's not perfect, but he's the sort of player you want to have.

I agree with most of the rest, although I think the mathematics don't quite work: if all the younger guys get the numbers of games you want to give them, we might need to have 24 first team spots!!

[meher baba]

Kosi cannot ruck.

I reckon Kosi is going to be ok as a second ruckman. The way the game is evolving, not too many teams are going to select two pure ruckmen: especially if the interchange rule is going to be changed.

[stevie]

Pretty much the way I feel about it.

It is critical to the near and mid-term future that Simpkin, Smith, Walsh, , Miles, Stanley, and Steven play a big chunk of 2011, even at the risk of dropping a couple of games.

These guys will hopefully replace the likes of McQualter (Steven), Peake (Smith), Dempster (Miles), Eddy (Walsh)


I would like to see the following team cemented by mid-2011

Miles Dawson Fisher
Gwilt Simpkin Gilbert
Smith Hayes Gram
Schneider Stanley Goddard
Walsh Reiwoldt Milne

McEvoy Jones Montagna

Inter: Koschitzke Ray Armitage Steven

Emerg: Heyne Geary Blake Baker



I have barely seen Lynch ór Winmar play, so I can't make any judgement on them. What I saw from Smith during March was very impressive, and Simpkin looks a real prospect. We must play Walsh. He will stagnate at VFL level very quickly, and with his size, speed, physique, and attack on the ball, he is bound to give us a whole lot more than the likes of Eddy and McQualter. Miles is super quick and is an attacking type. He showed that he can cut it at AFL level.




.

Um your team doesn't have Dal in it...

I said this in another thread, but I'll repeat it - Steven and Stanley must be given more games, even at the expense of losing a few games.

And I'll throw out my 'wild' idea again - Roo to CHB.

[SainterK]

Kosi cannot ruck.

I reckon Kosi is going to be ok as a second ruckman. The way the game is evolving, not too many teams are going to select two pure ruckmen: especially if the interchange rule is going to be changed.

Think Leigh Brown actually gave away 4 free kicks playing on Kosi GF1, think his body work makes them nervous...perhaps as a second ruck, his role will be physical than tap specialist?

[cwrcyn]

Whoops - yeah Dal is pretty hand. Put him on the wing





.

[saintsRrising]

Kosi cannot ruck.

I reckon Kosi is going to be ok as a second ruckman. The way the game is evolving, not too many teams are going to select two pure ruckmen: especially if the interchange rule is going to be changed.

Kosi has no body awareness, no spatial awareness...which are both against him ever being an ok ruckman.

Then in today's footy you also want a ruckman that can win contested ball, and lay a few tackles etc. With Kosi when the ball hits the ground you get a spectator and not a participant = numerical advantage to the opposition. If you cannot do that then you need to be an amazing tap ruckman, which Kosi is not.

...taking the occasional pack mark down back should not be confused with being able to ruck.



I have maintained the faith with Kosi up until this year. Unless something changes I think his time has come.

I hope that King has a magic wand to improve Kosi as a ruckman over Summer.

[saintsRrising]

Think Leigh Brown actually gave away 4 free kicks playing on Kosi GF1, think his body work makes them nervous...perhaps as a second ruck, his role will be physical than tap specialist?

Kosi bodywork is all bash and crash.

There is no science or skill in it. In one on ones even smaller opponents can out muscle him as they know when to make contact, whereas Kosi never seems to have learnt how to brace his body to absorb the impact.

Now Leigh Brown is a hopeless ruckman too...but he is a lot more capable around the ground than Kosi is. With Jolly as an excellent first ruck who can play ok TOG wise Malthouse is content to "sacrifice" time in the ruck to Brown as it allows him to rotate his mids more for the whole game.

[SainterK]

Think Leigh Brown actually gave away 4 free kicks playing on Kosi GF1, think his body work makes them nervous...perhaps as a second ruck, his role will be physical than tap specialist?

Kosi bodywork is all bash and crash.

There is no science or skill in it. In one on ones even smaller opponents can out muscle him as they know when to make contact, whereas Kosi never seems to have learnt how to brace his body to absorb the impact.

Now Leigh Brown is a hopeless ruckman too...but he is a lot more capable around the ground than Kosi is. With Jolly as an excellent first ruck who can play ok TOG wise Malthouse is content to "sacrifice" time in the ruck to Brown as it allows him to rotate his mids more for the whole game.

I think he has earned the right to have a go at it next year, before we deem him useless.

[Con Gorozidis]

Pretty much the way I feel about it.

It is critical to the near and mid-term future that Simpkin, Smith, Walsh, , Miles, Stanley, and Steven play a big chunk of 2011, even at the risk of dropping a couple of games.

These guys will hopefully replace the likes of McQualter (Steven), Peake (Smith), Dempster (Miles), Eddy (Walsh)


I would like to see the following team cemented by mid-2011

Miles Dawson Fisher
Gwilt Simpkin Gilbert
Smith Hayes Gram
Schneider Stanley Goddard
Walsh Reiwoldt Milne

McEvoy Jones Montagna

Inter: Koschitzke Ray Armitage Steven

Emerg: Heyne Geary Blake Baker



I have barely seen Lynch ór Winmar play, so I can't make any judgement on them. What I saw from Smith during March was very impressive, and Simpkin looks a real prospect. We must play Walsh. He will stagnate at VFL level very quickly, and with his size, speed, physique, and attack on the ball, he is bound to give us a whole lot more than the likes of Eddy and McQualter. Miles is super quick and is an attacking type. He showed that he can cut it at AFL level.


.

+ 1. also how i feel. thanks guys.

[gringo]

People that think Jones has poor disposal are a bit harsh. If he played the finals series with a broken foot he did ok.

He should be used less as a tagger and more as an in and under grunt player.

He is actually pretty good at winning the ball and is stronger than he looks.

He did well in the NAB cup without a player to tag. Maybe use him to bash and crash in tandem with Lenny.