Goddard's Best Position

[Old Mate]

Is he a career utility or will he find a permanent spot in one position?

We've seen him play the majority of his career as a half back flanker, usually playing loose behind the ball. Last year he really came to notice from the opposition and was usually tagged.

At times he finds himself in the midfield but IMO he's not suited in the trenches winning his own ball off the deck. In the air it's another story.

He's had some success playing as a medium marking forward however hasn't been given that much opportunity due to his requirement behind the ball.

I do like seeing him kicking the footy into the forward 50 setting up play however I would like to see him given more opportunity in the forward line, not just resting there.

For Goddard to be released we really need someone with good skills to step up and play that medium defender with a good tank who can use it well. With Hayes coming back into the midfield Dal Santo is a possibility to play on the back flank and free Goddard up in the forward line.

IMO our forward line is our biggest concern. Even with some big names in the forward 50 we seem to lack cohesion and do not have the right setup. Goddard may be the guy to bring it all together.

[Cairnsman]

F*** my brown dog. 1449 posts since 15 June 2011. You are either retired or unemployed. It's Christmas for crying out loud and you are still having deep thoughts about a football game.

Forget about Goddard, he is gone. Happy Christmas.

[Old Mate]

LOL

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Is he a career utility or will he find a permanent spot in one position?

Considering Watters reportedly wants everyone to have at least two positions, I'd say that is extremely unlikely, especially since he's so well suited to playing in so many different areas.

As for the rest of your argument, I've been wanting to see him play forward more for a long, long time (actually since Hamill started missing lots of footy, as I always thought Goddard would be ideally suited to the role Sammy was playing) and next year is no different, especially once Lenny and Gwilt are back, which will reduce the need for Goddard to play back, or mid, as much. That could also be helped if Saad does well forward (which could free Schneider up to play midfield more, where his ball use is well suited) and if Farren Ray (who could play Goddard's roaming half back role) gets back to his best.

To me, in the times he's played forward, he's generally looked extremely natural there and it hasn't surprised me at all when he's kicked bags of goals in short periods there. I've always thought (especially since he started doing really well) that he would be able to kick 60+ pretty easily if he played deep forward on a permanent basis. Considering he's kicked bags of goals despite not being used to playing forward (or the team being used to where and how he leads, etc) I'd love to see how he actually went if he was actually used to playing there and they were used to where and how he led, etc. His leading is fantastic, we all know he can take hangers and we saw in the game he played forward against North, a year or two ago, especially, that he is very capable of taking contested pack marks. His kicking is also fairly handy.

I would have especially tried him there in 2009 and if he had been there I'd say there's every chance we would have won that flag, as we had no trouble getting the ball forward in the GF, but had all sorts of trouble converting, once we did. (In fact it took a Goddard set shot from 50 to put us on the scoreboard in that game, from memory).

Again, at least until the likes of hopefully Siposs and Markworth are ready to play there full time, I think we could benefit enormously from him playing forward a lot more next year, as long as he's back to his best form. If he was, he would kick a lot of goals. (We have others who are capable of playing the other roles he's played very well, but there are precious few who are capable of kicking the goals that he kicks when played forward.)

If he's not going all that well, then the backline is his most likely regular spot, as it was pretty clear this year that when he's out of form he finds it easier to get a kick there (as most probably would).

[mr six o'clock]

Should be played on the ball more , could potentially be as good as judd or ablett.

[plugger66]

His best 2 positions are HBF and on the ball and I also think those are his best 2 positions to help the club improve. All great sides have great running HB and great onballers but not all have great forwards but still win flags.

[SainterK]

CHF

[kosifantutti23]

On the Premiership dais with a medal round his neck.

[MCG-Unit]

HBF and/or on the ball

[hungry for a premiership]

IMHO his two positions should be:

1.) half back/sweeper - the role he's played for most of his career, enabling him to set up the play with his beautiful disposal,

2.) As a lead-up marking forward - we've seen, albeit in brief patches, how devastating he can be in short periods of time with his marking ability and precision kicking. A gun forward is worth its weight in gold.

[borderbarry]

Cairnsman, no wonder your brown dog bites you!

[matrix]

HBF
if we need to change things up for whatever reason, he goes to the square and around the 50

he can also go on the ball if we need 'something' in there too

basically i think he plays HBF each game at teh start and then we use him where ever he is needed

GUN
captain
saint for life

[saintbrat]

On the Premiership dais with a medal round his neck.

after being ON the playing Field wearing Red White and Black.

[fugazi]

Love to see him as a permanent forward, deadly from 50M and can create for others....hit Roo and Milne up from 60m.

[Old Mate]

While I agree that premiership winning teams have gun midfielders I don't think Goddard is a gun midfielder himself. He struggles to win the ball off the deck when playing out of the square. It would be interesting to see how his stats stack up with clearances and contested possessions. Not that good I'd reckon. He would win his share of contested possessions in a marking situation though.

I think Goddard could be Steve Johnson plus some up forward. I guess where would Goddard be more required for us? Averaging 25 touches a game and playing as a sweeping HBF'er and setting up play. Or being a 50 goal creative forward not getting as many touches however capable of playing up the ground when he's not getting a lot of delivery (like S Johnson).

Personally I think playing him in the forward 50 will be more rewarding for us. The issue is covering him in the back line. Hopefully someone like Cripps comes along. He has pace (which Goddard doesn't have) and played off the HBF in his junior career. Whilst he is a different player than Goddard he could still be used setting up play through the back half.

[gurubob101]

While I agree that premiership winning teams have gun midfielders I don't think Goddard is a gun midfielder himself. He struggles to win the ball off the deck when playing out of the square. It would be interesting to see how his stats stack up with clearances and contested possessions. Not that good I'd reckon. He would win his share of contested possessions in a marking situation though.

I think Goddard could be Steve Johnson plus some up forward. I guess where would Goddard be more required for us? Averaging 25 touches a game and playing as a sweeping HBF'er and setting up play. Or being a 50 goal creative forward not getting as many touches however capable of playing up the ground when he's not getting a lot of delivery (like S Johnson).

Personally I think playing him in the forward 50 will be more rewarding for us. The issue is covering him in the back line. Hopefully someone like Cripps comes along. He has pace (which Goddard doesn't have) and played off the HBF in his junior career. Whilst he is a different player than Goddard he could still be used setting up play through the back half.

Goddard averages 21 disposals a game which stacks up pretty well against most midfielders but he's always been at his most effective floating between the 50m arcs setting up attacks with his sublime kicking skills. IMO he's certainly capable of kicking the odd goal but he's not really ever looked all that comfortable as a permanent forward.

[jays]

should be ff imo

[St Lenny]

On the Premiership dais with a medal round his neck.

Totally agree on that one

[bigcarl]

CHF

Agree. CHF.

Hopefully we'll get on the front foot a bit more than we did under Lyin' ... play a few shots, kick some goals, take a chance or two.

[loris]

Should be played on the ball more , could potentially be as good as judd or ablett.

Potentially there's that word again!!!! IMHO he needs a hell of a lot of improvement before he can be compared with those champion mid fielders.
Goddard is generally bloody hopeless below his knees and when under pressure in a pack his handballs go to the feet of a teamate, putting them under extreme pressure.

Nah, IMHO he's proved himself a champ with his precision kicking and reading of the play as a lose man off half back to set up play. Then again there are many in the AFL that play that role extremely well. It was disappointing to see him not perform so well this year when he was maned up. Think he has to learn to either cope with a tag or be more accountable.

Just because he was a number one draft pick the tag of 'potential best player' can only last so long before he has to perform when not having the luxury of being lose man in defence.

I like what I see when he goes forward in bursts, yet to be convinced if he can perform constantly if he had close checking up forward. I hope to be proved wrong.

I think his value is running off half back, short stints on the ball and ditto stints up forward. Until he learns to adapt to dealing with close checking opponents I don't think he will be a permant on-baller or forward.

[Con Gorozidis]

Cairnsman, no wonder your brown dog bites you!

thats just gold.

i was laughing already when i read cainrsman comment. than this tipped me over the edge.

well played all.

as for goddard. reminds me of the gary ablett jr comment" man i wish i could play like breandan goddard loose in the backline"

i think a he is a genuine utility. but id like to see him fwd more and in the mid more.

he is very good in defence but lets be honest - loose man in defence is an easy spot to play. the reason we put him there is because he is such a good kick that we figure if we are going to have a bloke getting heaps of easy kicks in defence he may as well be a really good kick.

[skeptic]

IMO has to play forward...

why because he's one of only a few that can


Like Riewoldt... Nick could easily be one of the best CHB of all time but has to play CHF because he's good enough too.

Plenty of players can play as mids and running backs... few can play as forwards

[The Redeemer]

CHF

Agree. CHF.

Hopefully we'll get on the front foot a bit more than we did under Lyin' ... play a few shots, kick some goals, take a chance or two.

Nonsense.

Our game was built around filling up our defensive half when the ball was there and winning the turn-over and then it was on.

We would play the overlap going forward and it was both really successful and bloody impressive to watch.

We took chances however we worked our behinds off to get the ball back from our defensive 50.

[bigcarl]

IMO has to play forward...

why because he's one of only a few that can


Like Riewoldt... Nick could easily be one of the best CHB of all time but has to play CHF because he's good enough too.

Plenty of players can play as mids and running backs... few can play as forwards

Well said.

[bigcarl]

CHF

Agree. CHF.

Hopefully we'll get on the front foot a bit more than we did under Lyin' ... play a few shots, kick some goals, take a chance or two.

Nonsense.

Our game was built around filling up our defensive half when the ball was there and winning the turn-over and then it was on.

We would play the overlap going forward and it was both really successful and bloody impressive to watch.

Those days are gone and you will have to find a way to move on.

It's time for some fresh ideas, which will involve structural changes.

We had it half right under Lyin', who IMO did us a huge favour by jumping ship. It saved us from having to sack the miserable creature.

Hopefully we can now still defend well .... and score as well. And maybe have some strategies other than "kick it to Roo".