st.byron wrote:BAM! (shhhh) wrote:
To try and drag it back... I'm curious what Matthews would do with Kosi. He's gotten pretty good results out of Clark who has similar weaknesses (leading, endurance) and isn't as good in the strengths (probably a slightly better wrestler, mainly because he gets better position). Kosi isn't a leading forward and isn't going to be... I still look at those strengths though and think that he could be made to look really good, and in doing so actually be a credit to the guy coaching him (which is how I view Clark)... not saying I blame his performances on Ross (beyond being in the Saints forward line, which I think is a great way to look bad if your name isn't Nick Rewoldt), but add a leading forward and employ Kosi as a utility, and Kosi will win more fans while actually having less responsibility.
thanks again for the summation of the way Brisbane use Brown and Bradshaw. Being an armchair observer is pretty limited isn't it because you just don't see the scope of the tactics that are going on all over the ground.
Agree with you that Milney is not going to turn into a mid. Wish he could, but his bread and butter is a crumbing forward and I reckon he earns his spot, even though I know he has many detractors on here.
What would Matthews do with Kosi? I reckon for a start Matthews would put a high powered rocket up the whole team, not just Kosi.
I'm not convinced though that he would make Kosi a better player. He's had plenty of opportunities already in that utility role and he hasn't really grasped it by the scruff of the neck. My view is that Kosi is simply not as good as we thought he would be. He gave us all a warm glow when he had his purple patch and in his first year, but apart from that he's really done bugger all. Talent is one thing, using it is another and I reckon Kosi doesn't actually have what it takes to be a consistent top line player.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a better coach would make Kosi a star.
At this stage I think Kosi is by and large a 2nd rate ruckman (this is the area where I still feel he's got "potential", as AFL ruck taps seem to be one of the hardest to lear skills, but he needs to improve his leap if he's to ever to be a 1st string ruck. His around the ground big midfielder work is good), and a 2nd tier tall forward (leading is the primary attribute of a good key forward IMO, and it's a flat out weakness meaning every possession he wins ends up being in a contest - impressive, but from a forward, the total is more important than the how)... While it's possible he can turn these things around, and saying 2nd rate doesn't mean useless, it's not going to be coaching that takes him from where he is now to the potential we used to see.
BUT
With the skills he does have - pack crashing mark, Very good at ground level for a bigman, good foot and hand skills, I suspect that he could be made to
look like a star. I hope the difference makes sense. I see him as a GOP with a couple of skills that could be gamebreaking, not as a gamebreaker himself.
To pain a picture, before getting injured in '04, Kosi was used in a troubleshooting manner. Had me (and many others i'm sure) very excited about what might happen when he found a position. If we were struggling to get a mark inside 50, he was in the forward line (very tough 3rd forward to match up on), if we were seeing the ball getting stuck at CHB, he'd join the backline, and if we were losing the midfield battle, he went to the ruck (keeping in mind that the importance of rucktaps has changed since '04 - in '04 we didn't do that well in this area but were at the top of clearances). Kosi's great in contests, but unable to have a lot of impact outside of them - so get him to the contest.
It's similar to how Matthews uses Clark - primarily as a forward, but if he needs another marking target around the ground, Clark is it (Brennan's not a bad example either. Not a forward, backliner or mid... but has attributes that can make him dominant in any of the 3 places at the right time). Hence my comparison. When Bradshaw retires, IMO Clark will not be an option as second forward (and Brennan would be wasted there). Similarly we're finding that where we need a 2nd leading forward, it just isn't Kosi.
I still expect that at some stage over the remainder of his career (whetehr at St Kilda or elsewhere), there's going to be a year where Kosi
looks like a superstar. At this stage, unless he vastly improves either his leaps in the ruck, or his leading, I'll be quietly thinking that when it happens it's a credit to his coach rather than him truly being a star (think Blake's '08 season scaled to Kosi's skillset).