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spert wrote: ↑Sun 25 Feb 2024 4:18pm
We have the firepower up forward, but we need that midfield to step up a bit and get the ball to the forwards cleanly- one the reasons we weren't kicking big enough scores last season. Couldn't see evidence in the praccy match of much difference to last season, as Essendon got it out a bit too easy at centre bounces and looked a bit quicker. We still look a bit slow in the middle.
Did you expect said evidence when we had Steele (who apparently had 9 clearances) and Seb, on what would have been reduced minutes, and playing within themselves, and then basically babies Pou (14 disposals) and Garcia (6 disposals) in there?
From the time Windy went off early in the first, we were missing:
Crouch
Sincs
Clark
Jones
Dow
Windy
So 6 of our 10 main inside options were missing and I don’t remember Owens going in there, so basically 7 of our 10 best didn’t really set foot in there.
saintbob wrote: ↑Mon 26 Feb 2024 8:34pm
Pou was the most disappointing player for me, he was given an opportunity in the midfield and he struggled to have an impact.
He’ll need to do a hell of a lot more against the Roos on Sunday, if he wants to play in round 1.
Not that I disagree - but .... How many days has he been 19?
Hands like a tracer bullet .... just needs to trust his body and learn the patterns.
We saw him lazily slotting them from 50 at practice
If he does not play midfield minutes this year - it will come - he lives and breathes Football and it appears - The Saints
We judge him hard because he has 20 games under his belt - but he is young my Padawan.
If Pou is your 22nd best player - you are doing Okay!
“Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.”
― Aristophanes
If you have a Bee in your Bonnet - I can assist you with that - but it WILL involve some smacking upside the head!
saintbob wrote: ↑Mon 26 Feb 2024 8:34pm
Pou was the most disappointing player for me, he was given an opportunity in the midfield and he struggled to have an impact.
He’ll need to do a hell of a lot more against the Roos on Sunday, if he wants to play in round 1.
Not that I disagree - but .... How many days has he been 19?
Hands like a tracer bullet .... just needs to trust his body and learn the patterns.
We saw him lazily slotting them from 50 at practice
If he does not play midfield minutes this year - it will come - he lives and breathes Football and it appears - The Saints
We judge him hard because he has 20 games under his belt - but he is young my Padawan.
If Pou is your 22nd best player - you are doing Okay!
I agree, he’s going to be a very good player but I also think he needs some RL tough love and I reckon he’ll get it as soon as he signs on the dotted line.
Yeah that’s an interesting last comment. I strongly suspect that had Pou not been from SA that he would have been dropped late in the season last year, as I just didn’t think his output warranted remaining in the team, but I don’t think they wanted to give him the slightest reason to consider going home at the end of his initial contract.
AnythingsPossibleSaints wrote: ↑Mon 26 Feb 2024 11:53pm
Yeah that’s an interesting last comment. I strongly suspect that had Pou not been from SA that he would have been dropped late in the season last year, as I just didn’t think his output warranted remaining in the team, but I don’t think they wanted to give him the slightest reason to consider going home at the end of his initial contract.
Confident he’ll be better this year though.
Pou is highly talented, but if I've ever seen a player who is not a natural midfielder, it's him. He hasn't got the burst off the mark in his legs, and is not really a physical type of player, more relying on natural skills. I see him a forward- he looks a lot more damaging in there.
AnythingsPossibleSaints wrote: ↑Mon 26 Feb 2024 11:53pm
Yeah that’s an interesting last comment. I strongly suspect that had Pou not been from SA that he would have been dropped late in the season last year, as I just didn’t think his output warranted remaining in the team, but I don’t think they wanted to give him the slightest reason to consider going home at the end of his initial contract.
Confident he’ll be better this year though.
Pou is highly talented, but if I've ever seen a player who is not a natural midfielder, it's him. He hasn't got the burst off the mark in his legs, and is not really a physical type of player, more relying on natural skills. I see him a forward- he looks a lot more damaging in there.
He will be a Bont style mid-forward , give him a bit of time, RTB just allowing him to build his game.
Pou is one of those players who will review his own match footage in his sleep. He is his biggest critic and sees what the rest of us sees (and more). With some help and guidance he will keep improving.
saintbob wrote: ↑Mon 26 Feb 2024 8:34pm
Pou was the most disappointing player for me, he was given an opportunity in the midfield and he struggled to have an impact.
He’ll need to do a hell of a lot more against the Roos on Sunday, if he wants to play in round 1.
Not that I disagree - but .... How many days has he been 19?
Hands like a tracer bullet .... just needs to trust his body and learn the patterns.
We saw him lazily slotting them from 50 at practice
If he does not play midfield minutes this year - it will come - he lives and breathes Football and it appears - The Saints
We judge him hard because he has 20 games under his belt - but he is young my Padawan.
If Pou is your 22nd best player - you are doing Okay!
I agree, he’s going to be a very good player but I also think he needs some RL tough love and I reckon he’ll get it as soon as he signs on the dotted line.
I read somewhere that he played the game as a tagger on Parish. If that's the case then I think we need to reassess his game in that light rather than as an out and out attacking mid.
saintbob wrote: ↑Mon 26 Feb 2024 8:34pm
Pou was the most disappointing player for me, he was given an opportunity in the midfield and he struggled to have an impact.
He’ll need to do a hell of a lot more against the Roos on Sunday, if he wants to play in round 1.
Not that I disagree - but .... How many days has he been 19?
Hands like a tracer bullet .... just needs to trust his body and learn the patterns.
We saw him lazily slotting them from 50 at practice
If he does not play midfield minutes this year - it will come - he lives and breathes Football and it appears - The Saints
We judge him hard because he has 20 games under his belt - but he is young my Padawan.
If Pou is your 22nd best player - you are doing Okay!
I agree, he’s going to be a very good player but I also think he needs some RL tough love and I reckon he’ll get it as soon as he signs on the dotted line.
I read somewhere that he played the game as a tagger on Parish. If that's the case then I think we need to reassess his game in that light rather than as an out and out attacking mid.
I saw that too but I don’t think it’s true. Windhager was in Parish’s pocket until he broke his hand and then I think Garcia took over that job. At least I would hope so, given the fact he only had 6 disposals in 3.5 quarters of football.
Mr Magic wrote: ↑Tue 27 Feb 2024 2:42pm
I read somewhere that he played the game as a tagger on Parish. If that's the case then I think we need to reassess his game in that light rather than as an out and out attacking mid.
Are there any stats available to confirm? Only ones I've seen are disposals and fantasy points.
saintbob wrote: ↑Mon 26 Feb 2024 8:34pm
Pou was the most disappointing player for me, he was given an opportunity in the midfield and he struggled to have an impact.
He’ll need to do a hell of a lot more against the Roos on Sunday, if he wants to play in round 1.
Not that I disagree - but .... How many days has he been 19?
Hands like a tracer bullet .... just needs to trust his body and learn the patterns.
We saw him lazily slotting them from 50 at practice
If he does not play midfield minutes this year - it will come - he lives and breathes Football and it appears - The Saints
We judge him hard because he has 20 games under his belt - but he is young my Padawan.
If Pou is your 22nd best player - you are doing Okay!
I agree, he’s going to be a very good player but I also think he needs some RL tough love and I reckon he’ll get it as soon as he signs on the dotted line.
I read somewhere that he played the game as a tagger on Parish. If that's the case then I think we need to reassess his game in that light rather than as an out and out attacking mid.
I’m also not sure that I’m liking the comparison with Bont either… which I’ve read if a few times that people are making.
Bont is all about power whereas I’m not sure that those explosive, big moment moves is what Pou is going to be about. Not saying he’s not but he’s striking me as being of a different style… not that I’ve exactly mapped it out.
More deft touch, great kick and decision making type
What is not known outside of the Club is the purpose of any practice match - so the stress testing given this or that and the response to such stress or stresses.
Simply, it is a practice match, not the ultimate outcome (which is never achieved anyway, hence stress testing).
That said, no doubt our most influential mid is Marshall, who accrues his own clearances after halving or losing the ruck contest.
It is never that Marshall dominates the centre bounces nor the around the ground ruck contests - simply, he does not so is not feeding the "foot traffic".
He actually "feeds" himself.
And he kicks the ball.
Marshall's primary attributes are his sheer athleticism, his size, his ability and that he is just so competitive.
To my mind he is our most valuable player.
The remainder just fall into line behind him.
And with Phillipou, no doubt his quick hands are his attribute so if he gets it he feeds it.
With Steele and Crouch we know what we will get - both very competent "coal face" performers.
From there we look at the development of Windhager and Owens as "all ground" players and now with some experience at the level.
With some assistance from Sinclair given not required from the back 6.
Then Jones, Ross, Dow and anyone else putting their hands up.
Then we have those running the flanks, so Hill, Wood, Henry for starters.
We will see if that and our structure are up to the task once the season proper starts.
Noting that basically, apart from a couple of youngsters only, the side v Essendon was a "first choice" side from 2023, absent who was missing from the practice match.
