Killa wrote: ↑Sun 16 Jul 2023 8:21pm
From what I could ascertain yesterday, Wilkie had King (conceding 14cms and 10kgs, King with 12 disposals and 3 marks), Howard had Casbault (size match up and Casbault kept to 3 disposals and 0 marks) and Battle had Lukosius (size match up and Lukosius with 4 goals from 10 disposals and 6 marks)
So why the knock on Howard?
What we do need is assistance for King (forward), Howard (back) and Marshall (Ruck)
Marshall had 19 disposals, 4 marks and 26 hit outs.
Witts, who I would put was THE point of difference feeding his mids as he did from the contests, had 15 possessions, 2 marks and 39 hit outs.
In secondary ruck roles, Casbault had 10 hit outs
Apart from Marshall, no St Kilda player recorded a hit out.
So GCS doubled our hit outs, and that was game, set and match.
Against a side which is very dangerous on their own patch (or in Darwin) with the number of high end Draft Picks they have had.
The fact that their side, with the advantages it has had from high end Draft picks - noting those who have left and for where resulting in further high end Draft picks - is not making a larger footprint on the competition has seen them sack their Coach.
If you look down the stats as indicative, Atkins had 32 and 2 goals, Ainsworth 21 and a goal, Anderson 25 and a goal, Flanders 33, Miller 25, Rowell 22 .
Fed by Wicks - and that was the game.
But stick to bashing Howard.
Simply, pending Adams and Van Es, Howard is the only tall option we have in defence.
Highmore is 193, the same size as Battle who is undersized for a key defender.
Highmore in not a replacement for Howard, never has been and never will be.