Small forward firepower

[Bluthy]

Boy we've suddenly built up an incredibly strong list of classy players who can do the small goal kicking forward role:

* Billings
* Gresham (rated very high for kicks on goal in testing)
* Lonie
* Sinclair

I could see us using a really strong rotation model as you wouldn't want too many small guys playing on ball. Billings, Gresham and Steven rotating through the midfield and resting forward or on wings. Lonie and Sinclair could swap pushing up as the spitters or sliders or whatever they are called around the footy. We've certainly invested a lot in smaller but very classy players.

[avid]

Minchington has class too in that category.
Wonder if he'll get a chance to show it.

[Kernal75]

Minchington, Curren, Murdoch, Templeton and Saunders (already rookies) are all on borrowed time IMO. Next year is critical to all of these players as if they don't show something they could well find themselves in the firing line!

[freely]

Armo said Templeton's already impressed him at training last week. Fingers crossed.

[loris]

Armo said Templeton's already impressed him at training last week. Fingers crossed.

And Richo said he would give him permission to grow his hair again if that assists his football development!!!

He says words to that effect on the Banter video with Ollie Geals (????) on saints.com.au

[Con Gorozidis]

Minchington, Curren, Murdoch, Templeton and Saunders (already rookies) are all on borrowed time IMO. Next year is critical to all of these players as if they don't show something they could well find themselves in the firing line!

I pretty much agree with you. Would be good to at least give Minch an opportunity in the midfield this season. I just say that because of that monster VFL game he had at the end of the season. What was it? 27 contested and 12 clearances? Something crazy like that.

[coopergrech]

Minchington changed his career around last season was a beast!

In my opinion, he is in our best 22!

[Bluthy]

What is getting me excited is that we are building good depth, redundancy and competition into our squad. Lonie and Sinclair had great first seasons - much better than anyone probably hoped. But you can't be sure they will stars based on one season. We saw with Templeton that form can drop with injuries or lack of confidence. Billings and Gresham look like they can play as genuine onballers as well as small forwards and Gresham could play as a defensive small as well. Lonie and Sinclair look more suited to the forward line and also pushing up around the ball. Minch could be an onballer/winger. Steven can play onball and wing and give us some dash out of defense. Curren could be tagger/small forward/onballer. Weller could be a tagger/onballer/forward flanker.

Richo and selectors will have lots of options which is exactly what you want. It will foster a great sense of competition pushing players to develop or be left behind and give us flexibility according to the oppo. You want the selectors to have headaches at the selection table going into the finals. I think we lacked that at our last stab at flag.

[White Winmar]

Armo said Templeton's already impressed him at training last week. Fingers crossed.

I think Eli might be the surprise this year. The kid can seriously play. The fracture to his arm was so serious, it was feared it was career ending. That takes a lot of getting over, both physically and mentally. Worst case of second year blues, ever! (apologies to Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons)

[BigMart]

Dunstan - second year blues IMO

Or do we just overrate a kid in their first year because of the expectation level is low??

Michington can play

[BigMart]

I'm not sure have a lot of a certain amount of players who play limited positions is a great idea?

Especially heavy investment into 1 area on the ground

[To the top]

Those drafted will have the year to show the signs they can contribute at the top level in a top side - and the days of Milne being exclusively a small forward are gone. You have to be able to contribute to the mid-field rotations.

I agree that the likes of Templeton, Curran, Murdoch, Saunders and Minchington are under immediate pressure because they have not consolidated to date in a developing side down near the bottom of the table.

So, to date, not good enough.

I would add Savage, Geary, Delaney, Membrey and Shenton to the list who will need to show something exceptional this year.

In other words, our bottom 10 needs to improve significantly to put pressure on out top 20.

If they can not, see you later.

It is time to turn - and turn again until we find the class we need.

[Bluthy]

Dunstan - second year blues IMO

Or do we just overrate a kid in their first year because of the expectation level is low??

Michington can play

I don't understand this bagging of Dunstan about last year from many here. He is playing smack bang in the hottest part of the kitchen against the biggest, baddest and most talented in the game - Kennedy, Watson, Fyffe, Hodge, DAngerfield, Lewis, Selwood et al. Apart from Armo who else is helping him right in there? He should be surrounded by much more experienced big, bodied midfielders but he isn't. He's actually freed up Armo to play a more outside link up game. I admit he wasn't great around the ground but that's cos he's burning himself up trying to the win the footy against tough odds without a top ruckman shoving it down his throat. Dunny pulled his weight last year - averaging 17 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles, 3 clearances, 7 contested possessions and kicked 12 goals . Pretty good for a 35 game player.

[Johnny Favier]

Dunstan - second year blues IMO

Or do we just overrate a kid in their first year because of the expectation level is low??

Michington can play

I don't understand this bagging of Dunstan about last year from many here. He is playing smack bang in the hottest part of the kitchen against the biggest, baddest and most talented in the game - Kennedy, Watson, Fyffe, Hodge, DAngerfield, Lewis, Selwood et al. Apart from Armo who else is helping him right in there? He should be surrounded by much more experienced big, bodied midfielders but he isn't. He's actually freed up Armo to play a more outside link up game. I admit he wasn't great around the ground but that's cos he's burning himself up trying to the win the footy against tough odds without a top ruckman shoving it down his throat. Dunny pulled his weight last year - averaging 17 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles, 3 clearances, 7 contested possessions and kicked 12 goals . Pretty good for a 35 game player.

I agree. Well said. The parallels with Lenny's start to his career are uncanny.

[Griggsy]

Dunstan - second year blues IMO

Or do we just overrate a kid in their first year because of the expectation level is low??

Michington can play

Dunstan was solid I thought. I think the problem is people get that wow factor in the first season and keep expecting to experience that same feeling even though their standards expectations are much higher

[Linton Lodger]

What I love about the team Richo is building, something that IMO has been obvious since last year, is that they are building a team for the way the game will be played in the near future. They have anticipated that the AFL will continue to reduce interchange rotations and would scrap the Sub, returning to 4 interchange. This means that the game will slow down. So they have recruited smart footy players as opposed to aerobic athletes.

They're all good by foot, tough & love a goal. We can be quite confident about where our list is at and our Coach.

[Sainternist]

I have a good feeling we may have recruited an absolute star in the making in Gresham. His highlights reel was very impressive. Shades of Cyril Rioli! Although, I'm not sure how strong he is overhead. Will keep a lid on it for the time being.

[Wrote for Luck]

What I love about the team Richo is building, something that IMO has been obvious since last year, is that they are building a team for the way the game will be played in the near future. They have anticipated that the AFL will continue to reduce interchange rotations and would scrap the Sub, returning to 4 interchange. This means that the game will slow down. So they have recruited smart footy players as opposed to aerobic athletes.

They're all good by foot, tough & love a goal. We can be quite confident about where our list is at and our Coach.

a facet of this is developing Hickey and Longer to have a two ruck team but with the second ruck (Hickey) also an effective forward so he not only relieves the main ruck but also the two key position forwards throughout the match. our back up pair on this theory is main ruck Holmes and second ruck/forward rotation Pierce.

[BigMart]

Shades of Cyril... Will keep a lid on it???

I see almost zero besides height where I can compare the two?? He looks a straight out Rover to me... For a comparison
I would consider Marc Murphy a reasonable

Lenny
How is he even similar in skill set, body size compared to Lenny... They are like chalk and cheese?
He is very similar to Stephen Powell IMO a strong bodied slow accumulator with a shallow kick

And bagging him?

Saying his second year was underwhelming after the expectation following his first is pretty much the norm. That's not because his second year was terrible (it was average) but because we overrated his first year like with Siposs and last year Sinclair and we did with Templeton, and White
He average 17 touches a game in a part of the ground where 23-27 I is the norm... It's like a fwd averaging 8ppg he was just reasonable

We already overrate Murdoch and Acres as they have done nothing YET

[ripplug66]

What?

[Bluthy]

Lenny
How is he even similar in skill set, body size compared to Lenny... They are like chalk and cheese?
He is very similar to Stephen Powell IMO a strong bodied slow accumulator with a shallow kick

And bagging him?

Saying his second year was underwhelming after the expectation following his first is pretty much the norm. That's not because his second year was terrible (it was average) but because we overrated his first year like with Siposs and last year Sinclair and we did with Templeton, and White
He average 17 touches a game in a part of the ground where 23-27 I is the norm... It's like a fwd averaging 8ppg he was just reasonable

We already overrate Murdoch and Acres as they have done nothing YET

Lenny and Dunstan chalk and cheese? Time to get your eyesight tested BM. They both have that broad shouldered, muscular, triangle shaped body. Fresh out of the draft, everyone said Dunstan had a mans body. And like Lenny, Dunstan plays as a fearless, genuine inside mid who frequently gets bandaged up. Number 7 - Bingo!

Armo and Steven average high twenties possessions as seasoned players playing at their peak. Dunstan is exactly where he should be as a second year player esp doing the tough work playing as genuine inside mid. Ross avg 18, Newnes 20, Weller 17. I agree though we can get a bit carried away with one great season from a player. They've got sustain it over a long period which is harder. That's why I'm still a bit skeptical about Bruce for example. I'm curious to see how he will go now that he has put his head above the trenches and oppo teams will put a lot of work into shutting him down.

[BigMart]

Lenny... Taller, leaner, carried the ball more, more link possession, big side step, dual sided, big tackler, low piercing kick
Elite skills in most areas... Especially defensive

Dunstan ... Very one sided, Shorter, stocky, distributor, loopy shallow kick, slower and doesn't carry the footy much
Possibly elite extractor and by hand

Similarities
Strong over the ball, toughness

Again
Stephen Powell or Ben Cunnington are better comparisons... Even Armitage

[Con Gorozidis]

If Gresham is as good as Marc Murphy or Lewis Taylor I think we will have done well. They seem like the closest comparison.

[HitTheBoundary]

With the interchange reducing it will be interesting to see if the size of mids and players in general decreases to allow for greater running capacity.

Mosquito fleets used to be a lot more common.
Ashman, Sheldon, Buckley, Armstrong, Keogh, Marcou, Harmes, Johnston & Cattoggio used to go alright.

I'm not saying our current crop is of that class, but dependent on form, it'll be interesting to see how many small players our team can have.

[ripplug66]

With the interchange reducing it will be interesting to see if the size of mids and players in general decreases to allow for greater running capacity.

Mosquito fleets used to be a lot more common.
Ashman, Sheldon, Buckley, Armstrong, Keogh, Marcou, Harmes, Johnston & Cattoggio used to go alright.

I'm not saying our current crop is of that class, but dependent on form, it'll be interesting to see how many small players our team can have.

I don't think mids will get smaller but it will interesting if we have the same amount of talls in sides. It could easily go back to pure tall forwards but it could also go the other way where talls spend even less time being just a forward or back.