Blake must go out!

[Sam23]

I've been pro Blake for as long as I can remember and still am pro Blake but simply there is no room in the team for him!

Gilbert, Blake, Dawson, Fisher, Max - all over 190 cms. Simply too many.

One of our backman are getting rotated forward and simply I don't see why we need this too happen when we have a capable 3rd forward in Gwilt who can do that.

While Gwilt is not that great, our forward line looked a lot better with him hitting up, and he takes the opponents 3rd tall and frees up Roo and Kosi a bit without having that 3rd tall floating.

[jonesy]

God love him,but bye bye Max for mine.

Agree with what you say,just not the player

[sainter35]

God love him,but bye bye Max for mine.

Agree with what you say,just not the player

Sorry?

Thrashing Fevola not good enough for you?

He's still our premier key defender by a long way.

[Enrico_Misso]

Fev is favourite to win the Coleman.

Max held him to one goal (not counting the Adrian F'wit Anderson handout goal) in his second game back.

And you'd drop him

[saint75]

Blake won't go whilst Kingy is out. He is a back up option for Gardiner in the ruck if Ben is struggling.

As for Max, get real! He is a essential for the second half of our season, especially for the finals.

[jonesy]

Luckily we don't come up again against the almighty Fev.

Backline was doing fine without Max,infact it was doing better than fine,it was ranked the best backline of all time the first 8 weeks,so I don't see the need to change it.
Currently we're one too tall down back.Someone has to go unfortunately,no one deserves too,but someone has too,and I think it's Max...for now.

It's either Max,Zac or Blake. Blake gives us flexibilty, Zac has been more than adequate at full back,plus he is cleaner with the ball than Max,and can give more run.

I love Max,and if Dawsons form dropped I'd swap them,but we're here to win a premiership,not play favourites. Hero worshipping syndrome has got us nowhere in the past 30 years. I'm sure most on here will disagree,but what's new

[sainter35]

Luckily we don't come up again against the almighty Fev.

Backline was doing fine without Max,infact it was doing better than fine,it was ranked the best backline of all time the first 8 weeks,so I don't see the need to change it.
Currently we're one too tall down back.Someone has to go unfortunately,no one deserves too,but someone has too,and I think it's Max...for now.

It's either Max,Zac or Blake. Blake gives us flexibilty, Zac has been more than adequate at full back,plus he is cleaner with the ball than Max,and can give more run.

I love Max,and if Dawsons form dropped I'd swap them,but we're here to win a premiership,not play favourites. Hero worshipping syndrome has got us nowhere in the past 30 years. I'm sure most on here will disagree,but what's new

They will disagree but it's not because of hero worshipping or accepting mediocrity, it's because they watched the game on Friday night and could see how important Max is to the structure of our team.

How is Blake more flexible than Max anyway? Max has made a career out of playing on smalls and talls. If you're talking about Blake's ability to play in the ruck, I hope we'll never have to see again.

Personally the only change I'd consider making is Armitage for Geary. Geary has been great this year but I think he's struggled a little the last two weeks. To me Armitage is the next best available player, though the fact Jarryn is more of a small defender and Armitage is a midfielder might prevent that change from occuring.

I don't think there's any need to drop a defender at at all anyway. However if it's decided that we are too top-heavy at the back, surely Blake would be dropped before Max.

[jonesy]

Disagree on the structure to the team thing,as the structure is sh!t with all these top heavy backmen. You can't have two full backs running around in the same side. All well and good to have a million fists spoiling the ball at each contest,but what happens in finals when the ball hits the deck?

So it's either Max,or Zac?

"How is Blake more flexible than Max"... Max is great at his job,one of the best,but that is limited too punching the ball from a power forward,or punching the ball from a fast medium leading forward,doesn't have too many more strings to his bow. Blake,can play a variety of roles..key defensive(albiet average at that), run with role,ruck, rebound out of defense,loose man in defense. He's not a great player,but he is very versatile,Max isn't

I'm not bagging Max for what it's worth,I just don't have him in my best 22 at the moment going on our rounds 1-10 structure,where the backline held up better than it ever has in the clubs entire history. There was no need to tinker with it(except for injuries) for the sake of bringing Max back, it's upset the balance.

So it's either Max or Zac

Anyway,I could argue all night,but it's getting late

[Sam23]

Luckily we don't come up again against the almighty Fev.

Backline was doing fine without Max,infact it was doing better than fine,it was ranked the best backline of all time the first 8 weeks,so I don't see the need to change it.
Currently we're one too tall down back.Someone has to go unfortunately,no one deserves too,but someone has too,and I think it's Max...for now.

It's either Max,Zac or Blake. Blake gives us flexibilty, Zac has been more than adequate at full back,plus he is cleaner with the ball than Max,and can give more run.

I love Max,and if Dawsons form dropped I'd swap them,but we're here to win a premiership,not play favourites. Hero worshipping syndrome has got us nowhere in the past 30 years. I'm sure most on here will disagree,but what's new

They will disagree but it's not because of hero worshipping or accepting mediocrity, it's because they watched the game on Friday night and could see how important Max is to the structure of our team.

How is Blake more flexible than Max anyway? Max has made a career out of playing on smalls and talls. If you're talking about Blake's ability to play in the ruck, I hope we'll never have to see again.

Personally the only change I'd consider making is Armitage for Geary. Geary has been great this year but I think he's struggled a little the last two weeks. To me Armitage is the next best available player, though the fact Jarryn is more of a small defender and Armitage is a midfielder might prevent that change from occuring.

I don't think there's any need to drop a defender at at all anyway. However if it's decided that we are too top-heavy at the back, surely Blake would be dropped before Max.

Please explain this.

Surely blind freddy could see that our structures looked shitloads better with one less tall defender and one more lead up forward.

Whats the point of having one backman playing forward (Blake, Fisher went forward vs. Roos, Fisher, Dawson vs. Blues) when we can simply put Gwilt back in to play the lead up forward or if we don't think we need a 3rd lead up forward play another mid like Armitage or Eddy.

I know we are 12/12 but its about improving the structures of the team and Blake simply doesn't fit in.

[bigcarl]

i've heard about a dozen solutions to this problem (if it really is one, and let's not overlook that we are 12-0). some you wouldn't even entertain, but here they are (in no particular order):

1) drop max.
2) drop blake.
3) drop dawson.
4) drop baker. max takes a small forward.
5) drop mcevoy. blake plays second ruck. gwilt or a runner in.
6) drop mcevoy. dawson plays second ruck. gwilt or a runner in.
7) dawson plays third tall forward.
8) dawson plays gilbert's role. gilbert becomes third tall forward.
9) blake becomes third tall forward.
10) fisher becomes third tall forward.
11) give it another round and hope that it goes away.
12) take no action.

so it is not as though we are without options.

if it is a problem i hope we sort it out sooner rather than later.

[claystreet]

Why would you drop Blake FFS or were you just looking to start another useless thread to start on the subject.

Where's your backup ruckman if Mac hits the deck or is getting flogged? and dont say Kosi hes a waste in the ruck.

This drop this bloke and that bloke wears a bit thin, it really gives an insite into why you lot aint the coach

[Hurricane]

For mine Blake is an old fasioned utility player, i.e he can play a number of positions. Move him foward if we are too top heavy down back, have him play as the "around the ground" ruck cause he is more mobile than Big Ben, I even recall him playing on the wing from time to time.

Blake needs to stay in the team. IMHO he is a much better and more flexable player than Gwilt or Raph.

BANG BANG

[spert]

The only players to come back in, could be Gwilt, whose strength and contesting we missed across the half- forward line last week IMHO, and King for McEvoy. Generally speaking, I think Bakes is 80% of the old Bakes and has slowed a bit, Blake might look a bit up and down, but he usually does the job when needed, Geary may need to do a little bit more, and maybe Armo might get a run in Geary's place ..but it's only a thought after 12 wins in a row.,,

[matrix]

so max should go before dawson or blake??

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

God love him,but bye bye Max for mine.

Agree with what you say,just not the player

Got to be kidding. Not only did Max only have one goal kicked on him in general play on the weekend (by the guy who just kicked 8 the previous week), but he also had 17 possies. And he's only going to get better, as he gets settled and back to full fitness and form.
And to say we can't have "2 fullbacks" in the team, referring to Max and Zac, is simply not true.
Only those with very short memories would suggest Max can only play at full-back, as he used to play on guys as short and fast as Phil Matera and Jeff Farmer, etc, who were relatively tiny and super-quick. He's not as big as Zac and has only ever gone to full back when the likes of Shanahan, S Wakelin and Luke Penny left the club. When those guys were playing, he played pretty much constantly in the pocket, which is where he's always been best/ideally suited, since he's not as big as those guys (or Zac).
He's our best "stopper", especially on the faster, medium sized guys like Steve Johnson, Brad Johnson, Michael O'Loughlin, Mark Williams, Paul Medhurst, Nathan Brown, Brad Fisher, etc. Max playing on guys like them will then free up the likes of Gilbert, or Fisher to be more attacking, either on a back flank or (hopefully) closer to goal. That will be brilliant.
I hope Max is fit enough to go on next year,

[Saints43]

Max can play on a small, fast forward. I have always thought it would be great if we had defenders who could pick up the monsters (fewer & fewer as time goes on) and let him play on the smalls - rather than Bakes etc.

I reckon Max is more versitile than he's given credit for sometimes. He is a player who has done jobs on J Brown, Fevola, Phil Matera, Nathan Brown (WB).

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

I agree, although I probably wouldn't play him on the very smallest and quickest guys anymore. He'd probably do a hammy. I'd keep him for mostly the medium sized guys I mentioned, who are more his sort of size. We've struggled to match up on a lot of guys like them in the times Max has had to play at full back. It's great to be able to cover the really big and medium sized blokes again, without having to sacrifice someone attacking like Fisher or Gilbert on them.

[borderbarry]

I know Zac is supposed to be quick, but to me he looks hopelessly slow and lumbering. He is a mile behind Max as proved against Carlton when Max beat Fev and Zac was beaten by O'Haliporen ??

[InkerSaint]

Not sure a change is warranted TBH, on paper it might look top heavy but can anyone point out to me where the team has been found out because of this?

The one thing that stuck out in glaring fashion to me was the opposition rebound from back 50. Carlton kept carving us up. Maybe it's just that their midfield has a lot of zip, and we hadn't conceded 40 or more inside-50s since Essendon.

I just wonder if there are some one percenters that Gwilt does that contribute to forward pressure that were missed in his absence.

In any case - Zac and Max both required in my book. Max on Johnson, Zac on Mooney for round 14? Bring it on!

[st.byron]

so max should go before dawson or blake??

yep Max should go.

Recently described by Lloyd, Richo, Fev and Buddy as one of the best defenders in the competition.
A bee's dick off AA last year.
Beat Fev hands down on Friday night in a huge game when he'd kicked 8 the week before.
Track record of beating key position CHF's and smaller nippier forwards.
But yeah - let's drop him

[matrix]

actually inkersaint, speaking of jimmy....
i saw him turn on some wicked pace a couple of weeks ago when the ball was heading towards the boundary..he flashed past two opp players.
was the first time i have seen him actually look like he was at 100% pace....
most other times he seems to be long strides and just running, not sprinting.

actually surprised me with his speed....why the hell dont we see more of this from the jimster

[bergholt]

Not sure a change is warranted TBH, on paper it might look top heavy but can anyone point out to me where the team has been found out because of this?

against carlton, i though their small forwards (betts, garlett) and midfielders pushing forward (murphy, carazzo, simpson, gibbs) looked pretty dangerous for this reason.

i wouldn't mind if we acted before it cost us a game.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

I know Zac is supposed to be quick, but to me he looks hopelessly slow and lumbering. He is a mile behind Max as proved against Carlton when Max beat Fev and Zac was beaten by O'Haliporen ??

He was playing a lot further out from goal on O'Hailphin, which I don't think suits him. I'm haapy with him playing on the biggest guy inside 50, as he's done so well this year. O'Hailphin played out of his mind, though. He seemed at his career best and he is apparently 201cm and very mobile. It's tough to stop someone that bag and quick, when they're at their best.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Not sure a change is warranted TBH, on paper it might look top heavy but can anyone point out to me where the team has been found out because of this?

against carlton, i though their small forwards (betts, garlett) and midfielders pushing forward (murphy, carazzo, simpson, gibbs) looked pretty dangerous for this reason.

i wouldn't mind if we acted before it cost us a game.

I completely agree. They scored 90 odd points in the last 3 and a half quarters, which is almost double our "points against" average per game. I reckon a lot of this was due to their little guys being too quick and nimble, as Essendon's were. This is why I'd put either Fisher or Gilbert across half forward (in the role O'Hailphin played), to give us a dominant marking target between the forward 50 and the wing (and allow Rooey and Kosi to stay dangerous inside 50). Fisher played on the wing on Friday night, but could have been a lot more damaging leading up from half forward, like Hamill used to do. He could play that role brilliantly, as could Goddard, or Gilbert.

[Con Gorozidis]

well all will be revealed in round 14. our over-sized backline will be exposed. but i agree max can play small. maybe max on stevie j?