I think we’ve stuffed Battle

[SteveStevens66]

Wayne 42: "It's interesting that player development is still a huge issue even after we got rid of Richo, he copped a lot of flak for it, he's gone but the issue hasn't".

But we have really gotten rid of Richo. He was a failed coach and we appointed his assistant, who when asked if there'd be significant changes to the game plan said no.

And what we have is the result of yet another poor decision by the club.

[Yorkeys]

Fun fact: according to Team bios Highmore is same size as JB. Never would have thought, not sure why. Nothing to do with Josh being stuffed but who knows, one door closes another opens. Be really good if we could unstuff JB as he is a good size and we need that heft.

[Wayne42]

Maybe Battle doesn't like going to Moorabbin, too many coffee shops.

[mad saint guy]

I'd give him the rest of the season playing as a lead up forward. I suspect he'd do pretty well at it given his size, forward craft, endurance and contested marking. He's a terrible wingman but so are most key position players. Billings wouldn't do too well at CHB either and Sinclair would be a useless ruckman.

This would be my preferred lineup for the last couple of months of the season after we get a few injured players back.

B: Webster, Howard, Highmore
HB: Coffield, Wilkie, Sinclair
C: Hill, Steele, Billings
HF: Higgins, Marshall, Battle
F: Butler, King, Membrey

Foll: Ryder, Crouch, Jones
Int: Byrnes, Bytel, Clark, Ross

[repta]

I think he has enormous upside if we get him right.

I beleive the saints are confused over what to do with him. I beleive they thought he could be a Blicavs clone. Eg a big bodied midfielder.
He has talent. However
- He doesnt have the tank for midfield.
- Doesnt read the ball well enough for intercept CHB
- Isnt really required in the Forward line.

His role in the forward line is realistically taken by Membrey (mid sized marking forward). I dont believe his marking is good enough for that role anyway. We have Butler and Higgins as small forwards and Battle is not agile enough for that roll.

I believe he is more suited to a defensive wing / back flanker.

[mad saint guy]

- Doesnt read the ball well enough for intercept CHB
- Isnt really required in the Forward line.

I disagree on these two points. I think his ideal role is either as the third tall defender who is an incepting weapon or the Tom Lynch (Stk/Ade) style third forward. Membrey is versatile enough to play as a deep forward, a high forward who goes up to the wings or a high forward who pushes into defence when needed. I'd say Battle is a perfect complement to a forward line of King, Membrey, Marshall, Butler and Gresham.

My ideal 2022 team before any new recruits are factored in:

B: Paton, Howard, Highmore
HB: Coffield, Wilkie, Sinclair
C: Hill, Steele, Billings
HF: Gresham, Marshall, Higgins
F: Butler, King, Membrey

Foll: Ryder, Crouch, Clark
Int: Battle, Byrnes, Ross, Webster

Battle goes forward whenever Marshall is in the ruck, King takes a break or Membrey pushes into defence.

[magnifisaint]

Battle is too slow and is a dumb footballer. Needs to play in defence where he can read the play. When was the last time he kicked 3 goals?

[B.M]

Has easily got the tank, is an elite runner over distance… but is slow and on train tracks

Overrated for sure

[maverick]

3rd defender for mine

[B.M]

Isn’t Wilkie our 3rd defender

Wilkie >>>>> Battle

[SaintPav]

- Doesnt read the ball well enough for intercept CHB
- Isnt really required in the Forward line.

I disagree on these two points. I think his ideal role is either as the third tall defender who is an incepting weapon or the Tom Lynch (Stk/Ade) style third forward. Membrey is versatile enough to play as a deep forward, a high forward who goes up to the wings or a high forward who pushes into defence when needed. I'd say Battle is a perfect complement to a forward line of King, Membrey, Marshall, Butler and Gresham.

My ideal 2022 team before any new recruits are factored in:

B: Paton, Howard, Highmore
HB: Coffield, Wilkie, Sinclair
C: Hill, Steele, Billings
HF: Gresham, Marshall, Higgins
F: Butler, King, Membrey

Foll: Ryder, Crouch, Clark
Int: Battle, Byrnes, Ross, Webster

Battle goes forward whenever Marshall is in the ruck, King takes a break or Membrey pushes into defence.

I think Jones makes it. You probably forgot him.

[shanegrambeau]

- Doesnt read the ball well enough for intercept CHB
- Isnt really required in the Forward line.

I disagree on these two points. I think his ideal role is either as the third tall defender who is an incepting weapon or the Tom Lynch (Stk/Ade) style third forward. Membrey is versatile enough to play as a deep forward, a high forward who goes up to the wings or a high forward who pushes into defence when needed. I'd say Battle is a perfect complement to a forward line of King, Membrey, Marshall, Butler and Gresham.

My ideal 2022 team before any new recruits are factored in:

B: Paton, Howard, Highmore
HB: Coffield, Wilkie, Sinclair
C: Hill, Steele, Billings
HF: Gresham, Marshall, Higgins
F: Butler, King, Membrey

Foll: Ryder, Crouch, Clark
Int: Battle, Byrnes, Ross, Webster

Battle goes forward whenever Marshall is in the ruck, King takes a break or Membrey pushes into defence.

I think Jones makes it. You probably forgot him.

I think Jones will have a short career. 5 hammies in the last two years, and the SBS sticker. (Sold by Sydney)
Hope I am wrong..he's a bullock.

[footynut]

CHB

[mad saint guy]

- Doesnt read the ball well enough for intercept CHB
- Isnt really required in the Forward line.

I disagree on these two points. I think his ideal role is either as the third tall defender who is an incepting weapon or the Tom Lynch (Stk/Ade) style third forward. Membrey is versatile enough to play as a deep forward, a high forward who goes up to the wings or a high forward who pushes into defence when needed. I'd say Battle is a perfect complement to a forward line of King, Membrey, Marshall, Butler and Gresham.

My ideal 2022 team before any new recruits are factored in:

B: Paton, Howard, Highmore
HB: Coffield, Wilkie, Sinclair
C: Hill, Steele, Billings
HF: Gresham, Marshall, Higgins
F: Butler, King, Membrey

Foll: Ryder, Crouch, Clark
Int: Battle, Byrnes, Ross, Webster

Battle goes forward whenever Marshall is in the ruck, King takes a break or Membrey pushes into defence.

I think Jones makes it. You probably forgot him.

Yep correct I did forget about him. It's getting to the point where I'm not sure we can expect him to be available though. Probably more of a bonus if he can get on the ground. Since 2017 he's played fewer games in each following year.

[Saints58]

I would play battle as either a key forward which is where he played most of his junior career. Granted he is not that tall but he is mobile and is very strong.
Or I would play him as a midfielder now before you all stop laughing he has good running capacity but I don't think they have got him fit enough he would be a devastating mid with his strength and running.

[skeptic]

I would play battle as either a key forward which is where he played most of his junior career. Granted he is not that tall but he is mobile and is very strong.
Or I would play him as a midfielder now before you all stop laughing he has good running capacity but I don't think they have got him fit enough he would be a devastating mid with his strength and running.

No disrespect to the post but I feel like this is the kind of logic that IMO the club adopts far too often.
Battle has looked decent as a defender… and though he’s struggled up forward this season, he’s played well as a forward before.

The middle though. He’s had runs on the wing before and been pretty ineffectual.

Not knocking the suggestion, especially because I think the club will try this again…
But the idea that we should persevere with Battle as a mid and he will great, it’s just not supported on form.

It’s not.

The club keeps making decisions based on these ideas of how things should work or could play out but actual output seems to carry little weight

[Saintmatt]

No, all his own work. 193cm / 90+ kg and plays like its touch footy and he is Lonie's size. Grow some big fella, you used to be better than that. If you can't catch and can't pick up a ground ball and can't judge ball flight then at least tackle/hurt the opposition. What a lump. We stuffed him? be real. Lucky to be re-contracted the way he is trancing around the field. Only so many places to try to hide him and it seems he doesn't like any of them. Try VFL.

Used to be better than that? So he’s just decided to be shyte? Or maybe being used wrong??
Last week Highmore was a forward .....tonight showed he isn’t WTF are these coaches doing ?? Trying to confuse themselves or the opposition or maybe just the players ??

Spot on this. I mean, it's not like the coaching staff knew that Nick Hind was HBF and played him there. Oh wait ...

This sort of stuff goes back ages. Remember when Josh Bruce came to us from GWS as a back man? And was average - especially by foot. He had to go to the coaches and asked to be tried forward. "why should we play you forward Josh?" "umm - because I played as a forward at U18 level and was selected as a forward in the 2010 U/18 AA Team". "Really? Ok - we'll give that a go then".

Seriously - you couldn't make this stuff up.

FWIW - Play Battle as a CHB and see how he goes. He's a bit undersized but was bloody good covering for Robberton. Reads the flight well and intercepts. We could do worse.

[B.M]

He covered for Carlisle the year he played CHB

[Yorkeys]

I thought one of his best games (last year) was at CHF but playing a sort of defensive role - on rebounding Nick Haynes, possibly. Even managed a great goal from a long snap. Often wondered after that why no perseverance with that set up.

[B.M]

The old ‘defensive forward’

The role that ended Weller and Newnes… a position where you actually forget how to get a kick!

[Saintmatt]

The old ‘defensive forward’

The role that ended Weller and Newnes… a position where you actually forget how to get a kick!

That's 100% true. The only difference is that Newnes and Weller weren't natural forwards to start with. The game referred to was the GWS game that we had to win to make finals. Battle was easily top 5 that night. He was very very effective in that role because, as a natural forward with a forward's instincts - he made Nick Haynes actually defend (and not allow him to sag off and intercept mark). Battle was huge in that game.

Since then he's been shunted onto a wing and inneffective.

[Gershwin]

Even in his draft year there was a question mark about where he could play at AFL level which is why he slipped to pick 39.

Five years later it is no clearer.

Forward for me probably coming off the bench in rotation with King, Membrey, Marshall etc.

[spert]

Up until this season, Battle has been a reasonably good contested mark, yet can't seem to take a strong one-on-one grab now..like a lot of the team. He was a good forward before he broke into senior AFL, so it is disappointing to see that he hasn't quite gone on with things.

[B.M]

Until he can show he can make a position his own… which I’m unclear about… he needs to be content as a player playing multiple roles of the bench.

Like a sixth man in Basketball

[magnifisaint]

I don't think he's any good.