Koby Stevens

[magnifisaint]

He's there to do the grunt work with Armo. I'm sure Richo wants to protect Dunstan

[saintsRrising]

Why would we want a journeyman GOP?? This completely baffles me!! We offload someone like tommy curren already on our list, a solid depth player who was certainly 'up to afl standard' and then look at trading this bloke in! I'm stoked we have picked up Steele, and he is going to be a 3rd year player, so already more hardened than a 1st year player. All Stevens would do is deny opportunities to fringe young mids who could very well turn out to be much better than him. Cannot understand the thinking behind this one bit! will very dissapointed if we trade him in.

While Stevens may not be a star he is way better than Curren at AFL level.

Yes we need more elites no doubt. But we also need a full team and more depth, and certainly with respect to our midfield in particular. Stevens is a cheap (I am assuming that he will be a late pick, or swap of late picks) moneyball pick-up that can assist with in our midfield, and is a big bodied mid to boot.

I do not all think it is a get Stevens rather than a good to elite player. They are completely different things.

[saintsRrising]

He's there to do the grunt work with Armo. I'm sure Richo wants to protect Dunstan

I agree. I think Luke suffered injury wise from the hard negative blocking role that he played in our midfield this season. You could see the bigger bodied Koby being given this role to free Dunstan up.

[Saint wagga]

Why would we want a journeyman GOP?? This completely baffles me!! We offload someone like tommy curren already on our list, a solid depth player who was certainly 'up to afl standard' and then look at trading this bloke in! I'm stoked we have picked up Steele, and he is going to be a 3rd year player, so already more hardened than a 1st year player. All Stevens would do is deny opportunities to fringe young mids who could very well turn out to be much better than him. Cannot understand the thinking behind this one bit! will very dissapointed if we trade him in.

While Stevens may not be a star he is way better than Curren at AFL level.

Yes we need more elites no doubt. But we also need a full team and more depth, and certainly with respect to our midfield in particular. Stevens is a cheap (I am assuming that he will be a late pick, or swap of late picks) moneyball pick-up that can assist with in our midfield, and is a big bodied mid to boot.

I do not all think it is a get Stevens rather than a good to elite player. They are completely different things.

The idea that guys like Dunstan needs 'protecting' at AFL level next season...come on! He's a tank and will be a 4th year player next year as will Acres, We have Armo, we have Weller, Ross will be a 6th year player, Steele 3rd year player. These are all bigger bodied mids...We beat the dogs in the latter stages of the season and have heaps of upside for next year...why would steven's go from fringe at the doggies to fringe at us?!?! Just don't get it.

I agree we need a well rounded list with depth, but we have young mids on our list who will only improve with games and exposure to the top level. Guys like Minch, Sinclair, Lonie, Templeton, Gresham...all show signs of being able to into the middle and will only improve as their tanks improve. Throw in Freeman, our pick 10 and the 'big fish' we will hopeully land soon enough and i really dont see the need to bring in middle aged GOP depth players, no matter how low the draft pick because it could always be the next Sam Fisher

[Beno88]

Stevens has nominated St Kilda

[ace]

Stevens has nominated St Kilda

Story to be published soon on AFL.com.au is that Western Bulldogs midfielder Koby Stevens has requested a move to St Kilda.

[Bluthy]

Stevens has nominated St Kilda

If this dude is genuinely associated with AFL then looks true https://twitter.com/davo_media/with_replies

Do we have to trade for him? It stinks of top up to me but it does make sense about what I've been saying - we are going for it and officially entering flag assault mode. Getting Carlise in at 25 and in his prime, he is our premiership clock ticking right there. Having mulitple surgeries already we can't be sure how long his body will hold up - hopefully at least 5 years but who knows. We can't afford now to hang around 9th position again. We're pulling the trigger and maybe even hoping to do a dogs next year. Buckle in chaps and chappettes. Its going to get real now. Have we got the talent we need on board before we leave the station? Guess we'll find out.

Makes sense too why we are hunting for another KPD right now. Goddard I think still needs years to blossom as a big unit. If we are going for a flag now, with Demps and Fish on old legs we need someone else who can step up straight away.

[ace]

Stevens has nominated St Kilda

WESTERN Bulldogs midfielder Koby Stevens has requested a trade to St Kilda.

AFL.com.au understands the out-of-contract 25-year-old meet with Saints coach Alan Richardson last week and has chosen Seaford as his new home ahead of an attractive offer from Essendon.

Stevens played just 11 games this season after battling injuries and indifferent form, and he didn't feature in the Dogs' successful finals campaign.

The inside midfielder managed 63 games in four seasons at Whitten Oval, following just 11 games in three years at West Coast.

More to come.

[Bluthy]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/playe ... by-stevens

One of the key contributors to the Bulldogs turnaround in the first half of the year, Koby Stevens was on his way to his most damaging season yet.
Stevens stood up in the absence of Tom Liberatore, playing a hard, inside role in the Dogs midfield.
His best performance came in the round 14 win against Carlton, picking up 28 disposals, five marks and seven tackles.
Stevens was averaging six tackles and 20 disposals before a stress fracture in his foot sidelined him after round 15, with the 24-year-old not returning for the remainder of the year.
His ferocity at the contest was sorely missed, and he will no doubt be a welcome addition back into the side in 2016.

Stat that mattered:

Stevens finished 13th in the league for average tackles per game in 2015.

What they said:

“It was a good year, I probably played the most consistent footy I have in my career so it was a bit of a bummer to go out with a stress fracture in the end… I played as an inside mid whereas I’d previously played as an outside mid and just that continuity with the boys that are in there now.” – Koby Stevens, September 2015

“Koby’s probably the perfect mix of what Bevo wants. Someone that can play multiple roles. He’s really strong above his head and he’s a great athlete so he’s got the ability to be hard inside but also to run and break lines outside and when Koby’s on he’s using the footy really well so he was a player we really missed at the back half of the year.” ­– Steven King (Western Bulldogs Assistant Coach), September 2015
=============================================================================

Fits perfectly into Richo's style - will provide tackling power and inside strength that Richo feels is lacking. I remember against us in 2015 he had some good run to him so hopefully he can give us a bit more of that line breaking in the midfield. Maybe also indicates the club has serious concerns about Armo's body and ability to find his 2015 form. Hope we don't give up much in picks. Will certainly bolster our depth and put some real competition for midfield spots. Not sure he is the quality we really need though.

[samoht]

I think he has a handy side- step. Maybe that helps his outside game - to break lines - I'm not sure if he's quick?

[ace]

Dog gone: Bulldogs mid requests a switch to the Saints
Ryan Davidson October 13, 2016 10:34 AM

WESTERN Bulldogs midfielder Koby Stevens has requested a trade to St Kilda.

AFL.com.au understands the out-of-contract 25-year-old met with Saints coach Alan Richardson last week and has chosen Seaford as his new home ahead of an attractive offer from Essendon.

Stevens played just 12 games this season after battling injuries and indifferent form, and he didn't feature in the Dogs' successful finals campaign.

After playing the first six games of the season, the Gippsland Power product missed seven of the next eight games with an abdominal complaint.

Stevens, who averaged 22 disposals and five tackles a game in 2016, was dropped after the round 19 loss to Geelong, despite serious injuries to fellow midfielders Tom Liberatore and Jack Macrae.

He played out the remainder of the season in the VFL apart from the round 23 loss to Fremantle, as Josh Dunkley and Clay Smith were preferred ahead of him as high half-forwards.

A foot stress fracture and punctured lung prematurely ended Stevens' year in round 15.

The inside midfielder has managed 63 games in four seasons at Whitten Oval, following just 11 games in three years at West Coast.

Stevens becomes the second player to request a trade to the Saints this trade period, with Giant Jack Steele also wanting a fresh start at the club.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-13/d ... the-saints

[asiu]

i have a good feeling about this one.
... he'll be a good get imo.

Go Saints.

[Zed]

I haven't seen a lot of him, but my memories of his games were that he was a ball butcher. Can someone please tell me otherwise?

[saynta]

I haven't seen a lot of him, but my memories of his games were that he was a ball butcher. Can someone please tell me otherwise?

I hope to hell he is better than the last doggie we signed.

[Vazelos]

I'm sure he will come relatively cheap and adds quality depth to our mid field which is what we are after.
He is a hard bugger with experience so whilst we are not bringing in the 'big recruit' Jack Steele and Koby Stevens makes our mid field much stronger.
With the natural improvement of our young Mid fielders I am happy with our list development.
Sure everyone wants a Jet but you need to sell half the farm to get these players and we don't have much to trade at the moment.
2017 is going to be a real interesting year!!

[saintspremiers]

I'm sure he will come relatively cheap and adds quality depth to our mid field which is what we are after.
He is a hard bugger with experience so whilst we are not bringing in the 'big recruit' Jack Steele and Koby Stevens makes our mid field much stronger.
With the natural improvement of our young Mid fielders I am happy with our list development.
Sure everyone wants a Jet but you need to sell half the farm to get these players and we don't have much to trade at the moment.
2017 is going to be a real interesting year!!

Cheap? Bloody well hope so. I'm sick of us either getting rheemed or barely break even at draft time

[Bluthy]

I haven't seen a lot of him, but my memories of his games were that he was a ball butcher. Can someone please tell me otherwise?

Richo won't mind. 80% of our team are average with the footy. A lot of our good ball users end up playing seconds. Pressure and this year ramping up the tackling are the keys for Richo. He hates that pesky "keeping control of the footy" thing. That means you can't get your pressure points up.

[freely]

Give it a rest, Bluthy.

[Bluthy]

Give it a rest, Bluthy.

Are your ideas Freely given as they are freely taken? A rest? Yes, a rest indeed. Let us all rest on our laurels and pat ourselves on the back in our own self-deluded dreams of glory and ignore cold brutal viscous reality. Yes this is what you crave. A simple world, a world without niggly doubts creeping in. A world where there is no dissension. A boring world. A world of death. I dream not of death but of glorious life! Live on pebbles in the shoes of the self-righteous "team players" who are fearful to look into the dark parts of our team!!! Now we have Steele, we should not be Iron Maiden

ps I was always angry we only had one Steven. Now we will be even Steven(s)

[Wombat15]

Ok i am a doubter of Stevens but thinking about our recruiting as a whole i can come around to the idea. if we can mold Stevens into a similar role of Mav i think there is something seriously brewing down at the club. thinking about the additions since Richo has come in; Membrey, Billings, Freeman, Acres & Dunstan (all 2013 class) Longer & Sav. Paddy, Goddard, Mckenzie and Steele (2014 class). then a 2015 class of Gresham and Carlisle (sneakily brandon white) then this year with 10 and Stevens there is some serious talent coming through the door just a matter of adding the right players to compliment them!! we have 4 draft picks from 2013 draft, 4 from 2014 all of which are top 25 prospects. so even though im a doubter i can come around to the idea of what he brings to the side.

[Kate]

If we nab Stevens it is going to be even more annoying when commentators get Jack Steven's name wrong.

[Kate]

If we nab Stevens it is going to be even more annoying when commentators get Jack Steven's name wrong.

[felix]

I haven't seen a lot of him, but my memories of his games were that he was a ball butcher. Can someone please tell me otherwise?

Richo won't mind. 80% of our team are average with the footy. A lot of our good ball users end up playing seconds. Pressure and this year ramping up the tackling are the keys for Richo. He hates that pesky "keeping control of the footy" thing. That means you can't get your pressure points up.

According to the AFL stats the saints are number 1 for disposal efficiency.

[saynta]

If we nab Stevens it is going to be even more annoying when commentators get Jack Steven's name wrong.

What about the six JACKS.

[Goose is king]

I'm not stoked with Stevens it all seems a bit like (top up) Richmond