Rank our midfield depth

[fugazi]

leaving aside the main midfield contingent
( Ball, Hayes, Dal Santo, Monty, Harvey, Baker)
The following will be shooting out for the remaining midfiled and interchange spots...I include Schneider and Milne as they both need to run through the midfield to earn their keep. Who do you think will cement their spots in the 22 out of these:

Birss
Armitage
Dempster
Schneider
Milne
Jones
Geary
Howard
Fiora
X.Clarke

[Riewoldting]

All of them ... no, wait! ... none of them ... no, wait! ... etc.

[Otiman]

Birss
Armitage
Schneider
Fiora
X.Clarke

Dempster and Milne may be in best 22, but not necessarily used in midfield.

[Eastern]

Gram !!

[Armoooo]

If Birss doesn't cement a spot in out starting 22 I would be very surprised, he has the potential to be a great player for us, he can rack up the clearences and he also applies a lot of pressure, IMO I would like to see Ball Hayes and Birss in the middle doing all the hard work and feeding it out to the likes of Dal, Gram and Monty...

Dempster, Schneider and Milne will all probably be in our 22 and spend time in the midfield but will spend most of their time in the forward or backline.

[Oh When the Saints]

That's the best midfield depth we've had for 4 years.

[Spinner]

That's the best midfield depth we've had for 4 years.

Ha,

Including Armitage, Schneider, Dempster, Geary, Jones and Howard who collectively have played 7 games for St.Kilda.

You are very easily pleased. Fiora and X Clarke are the only player worthy, and Milne is a terrible midfielder...

How could you even rate that list a 1/10. Instead you call it the best in years.....WTF.

[HarveysDeciple]

That's the best midfield depth we've had for 4 years.

Ha,

Including Armitage, Schneider, Dempster, Geary, Jones and Howard who collectively have played 7 games for St.Kilda.

You are very easily pleased. Fiora and X Clarke are the only player worthy, and Milne is a terrible midfielder...

How could you even rate that list a 1/10. Instead you call it the best in years.....WTF.

Armitage, Geary and possibly Howard and Jones will be far better in 08.

It's pretty unkown depth, has a lot of potential, but potential is a nasty word.

I reckon we would want a dozen games from armo next year.

and I'd expect 6-8 from Geary. very likely prospect.

As for the others, who knows.

Birss is great depth, but in an ideal world would be just that, someone sitting outside the 22.

Fiora is already best 22.

X is best 22 when on song, but probably not a midfielder.

[Dan Warna]

leaving aside the main midfield contingent
( Ball, Hayes, Dal Santo, Monty, Harvey, Baker)
The following will be shooting out for the remaining midfiled and interchange spots...I include Schneider and Milne as they both need to run through the midfield to earn their keep. Who do you think will cement their spots in the 22 out of these:

Birss
Armitage
Dempster
Schneider
Milne
Jones
Geary
Howard
Fiora
X.Clarke

dempster, jones, geary and howard will be struggling to get a spot.

schneider on his sydney form should be a walk up start.

birss will be in and out.

I do hope that the coach gives guys like dempster, jones, howard, geary armitage a shot in hte preseason and doesn't experiment during hte main season.

[Quixote]

leaving aside the main midfield contingent
( Ball, Hayes, Dal Santo, Monty, Harvey, Baker)
The following will be shooting out for the remaining midfiled and interchange spots...I include Schneider and Milne as they both need to run through the midfield to earn their keep. Who do you think will cement their spots in the 22 out of these:

Birss
Armitage
Dempster
Schneider
Milne
Jones
Geary
Howard
Fiora
X.Clarke

dempster, jones, geary and howard will be struggling to get a spot.

schneider on his sydney form should be a walk up start.

birss will be in and out.

I do hope that the coach gives guys like dempster, jones, howard, geary armitage a shot in hte preseason and doesn't experiment during hte main season.

Dempster in the mid? Unless he has a Blake-ish motor, no.

I can see Pircha playing 22 next year.

I would really like to see Armo step the f*** up - queries if he has another spoilt brat year.

Fiora and X yes - both best 22. Mid rotations; Fiora specifically I think has potential to spend a lot more time in there. X has other skills to be used elsewhere.

Firoa's midfield stints were impressive this year. Against both Carlton and Fremantle I thought he was superb. Not many have noticed but the A-Ron has nearly the quickest pair of hands in the AFL. The ball literally shoots out of there.

The others are either unknowns, forwards or Clinton Jones'.

Nah Jones could be very handy, actually. Reckon that kid could work for us.


As for Brad Howard - he is nothing but potential, but in turn a handy wildcard.


Howard sprinting off the back-flank anyone, passing to Gram playing on a wing?

[Dan Warna]

if CJ can get closer to 20 than 10 possessions a game and can get closer to 75% effective disposal than 50% then yes he may have a roll.

on 2007 form he was the worst player on the field for us in the seniors. but by most accounts he was tearing it up for springvale.

maturity? experience? stage fright? perhaps in 08 he can bring his form into the big games, ut at the moment the most overrated player by some here.

McQualter, another junior gun who didn't take the next step? as for armo, well he has plenty of time. Lenny was pretty ordinary when he stepped into the seniors.

her certainly runs hard, but into the wrong places usually.

[fugazi]

Eastern - I have Gram down as a walk up start in backline (or midfield if it comes to that)

my ranking

X.Clarke (please God let him stay fit)
Fiora (huge confidence step lat year)
Schneider (can go in middle)
Milne(better goal sneak - but poor defensive game)
Dempster(good tagger with huge hoof)
Armitage ( on reputation only)
Geary
Howard (fingers crossed, but Springy reserves aint a great start)

[BAM! (shhhh)]

That's the best midfield depth we've had for 4 years.

Ha,

Including Armitage, Schneider, Dempster, Geary, Jones and Howard who collectively have played 7 games for St.Kilda.

You are very easily pleased. Fiora and X Clarke are the only player worthy, and Milne is a terrible midfielder...

How could you even rate that list a 1/10. Instead you call it the best in years.....WTF.

Schneider's a lock, and will do well. Dempster may get some time in defensive roles.

The crux IMO to the St. K midfield depth will be 3 players opportunities and what they do with them:

Armitage: Was drafted as "most AFL ready" available, and barely played, apparently not fit enough. With a big off season, could have a big year... or a bad year could put him alongside Mini on the chopping block.

X Clarke: Fitness again. When kept off the half back line, all that kept him from breaking a couple of games open was some of the worst goalkicking i can recall seeing... would look like he had it figured out getting there, then make himself look like an amateur finishing. My quiet prediction for '08 is that preseason deals with his yips, and he's most improved for the year, fulfilling his potential.

Gram: With the return of Goddard, can and should be rotated through the midfield. Will add pace and goals.

It could easily be the best St. K midfield for 4 years... but I'd bet that has more to do with Hayes fitness, and hopefully Ball's making Dal a tougher tag... the top 5 midfielders at St. Kilda certainly aren't challenged by any of the above (or Fiora, or Schneider), and until they are, the midfield is too easy to match up on.

[RH35]

can you guys talk me through Geary, I didn't see much of Springvale but he was considered something of a steal in the rookie draft. Also, I wouldn't be too concerned about Armitage. Inside mids who rely on tackling and contested footy always take longer to emerge than outside guys who can get by with pace. Lenny, Coughlan, Jones even McLean off the top of my head all took a bit of time. Armitage's running stats were as good as anyones at the draft camp too so it's not like he is S Powell reincarnate. He just needs a huge pre-season and to lose about 4kgs and he will be fine. I would think Howard will get a shot in the back pocket while Attard and Baker are out. He is naive and lost in the mids but with his athletic ability should be able to sit on someone back there.

[Oh When the Saints]

Good post RH35.


From what I have read about Geary, he is a pacy half-back flanker/outside mid ... played the first half of the year with the Casey reserves, and then was selected for the Scorps.

He really kicked on, and was named BOG late in the season when he gathered around 35 disposals ... following that, he was actually named as an emergency for the Saints in Round 22.

That's about all I can say about him - perhaps one of the regular Casey watchers could add a bit more?

[milnedog]

Not much to get excited about there to be honest, hopefully armitage comes on.