Key Defenders and Small Forwards

[B.M]

We have a strange amount of key defenders (defenders in general) and small forwards on the list.

And not many experienced key forwards and inside Mids?

Brown 195
Carlisle 200
Howard 199
Wilkie 191 (medium/tall)
Battle 193 (can play forward)
Joyce 194
Clavarino 196
Austin 196
Marsh 194

That is a lot of tall defenders?! Compare to key forwards

King 202 (yet to debut)
Membrey 188 (medium/tall)
Ryder 197 (ruck/forward)
Marshall (ruck/forward)
Battle 193 (forward/defender)
Mayo 192 (rookie yet to debut/medium tall)

Then you look at small forwards
Gresham (fwd mid)
Lonie
Long
Parker
Kent
Hind
Butler

Compared to inside Mids
Ross
Steele
Dunstan
Bytel
Hannebury (inside/outside)
Gresham (mid/fwd)
Clark (inside/outside)

The list has great depth, but to me is unbalanced.

Battle and Marshall will probably have to be taken from positions they performed well in last year to play forward.

Picking two sides from the list shows we have excess at either end and are thin through the middle.

[Legendary]

We have had an oversupply of defenders for a decade. Never seem to have rectified it.

[shanegrambeau]

Why does everyone say Parker is a 'small' forward?

[Stian]

Why does everyone say Parker is a 'small' forward?

I know that he is relatively tall and likes to try to take a speccy but the fact is that he plays the ball more off the ground than in the air. Thus, he is more of a crumbing/pressure forward than a marking forward.

Yes, he is taller than Membrey but you can see that the 2 have different game styles.

[skeptic]

Half back flankers is the other odd spot.

The list management strategy has by abysmal for some time and we’ve taken some big strides to swing it back this off-season but it’s a process.

Looking at the above...

Joyce pbly shouldn’t have been signed considering the competition
Brown is depth
Battle probably has to go back forward given the need.

With Howard and Carlisle taking 2 key spots
Wilkie playing the medium role
That pbly leaves Clav, Austin and Marsh fighting for 2 depth spots on the list. I reckon at least one of them goes at season’s end unless they can play somewhere else.


Richo’s obsession with small forwards has always been a bit of a running joke
Kent needs to go and Butler was IMO surplus to needs
Hind I like more as a mid rather than a traditional small forward / defensive forward

Where it gets harder is with Lonie, Long and Parker
Lonie is the one that has played the best football
Long is the most talented
Parker the most well rounded

Reckon Parker or Long need to transition into another position with the ability to drop forward. Don’t know what it looks like exactly. Parker as a mid that rests forward a bit... Long as an Aussie Jones style flanker perhaps? Don’t know but that’s been bandied around before.
Either way can’t have them all there

[B.M]

Not sure Parker has the inside game or endurance to be a midfielder. He needs more meat and potatoes to his game, because as it is, he is just a highlights player who has minimal impact. He definitely doesn’t play tall, and uses his speed, hence being seen as a small forward. The other thing is, he is definitely not 189cm.

I agree Battle will go forward, a pity, he played well at CHB

Richo didn’t put the list together. The recruiters and list management team (of which AR, now Ratten are only a part of) shape the list. The coaches coach.

Long playing HB would have to compete with Savage, Roberton, Webster, Coffield, Clark, Paton, McKenzie.

There are 3 spots for small forwards, if Gresh starts forward there is two.

We have 7 on the list... it’s weird.

Who is better? They’re all about the same level imo. Which is not ideal list management.

[maverick]

Reckon Carlisle will play forward
Austin, Howard, battle and brown are the keys with clavarino backup
Wilkie, Roberton, Webster and probably marsh play medium intercept 1 of these play
There is a lot...

[shanegrambeau]

What about Parker, who is listed as 190cm,. playing on a wing, or are wingers no longer wingers at all?

[saynta]

Reckon Carlisle will play forward
Austin, Howard, battle and brown are the keys with clavarino backup
Wilkie, Roberton, Webster and probably marsh play medium intercept 1 of these play
There is a lot...

Joyce is in front of one or two of those guys imho.

[Nick_BlueNRG]

Logan Austin will be the best of the tall defenders.

[Otiman]

Now that we have a reasonable succession plan for KP defenders, some will have to swing forward.

Battle and Carlisle are the two i'd suggest.

If Robbo comes back, send Wilkie forward.

[B.M]

Wilkie and Carlisle are clearly defenders and would be half as effective playing forward... Carlisle ineffectual.

Battle may go forward as he is a natural forward, but played way better last year as a back.

Logan Austin won’t get a game.

We are clearly overstocked in one area and under in another, poor list management imo.

[Nick_BlueNRG]

Wilkie and Carlisle are clearly defenders and would be half as effective playing forward... Carlisle ineffectual.

Battle may go forward as he is a natural forward, but played way better last year as a back.

Logan Austin won’t get a game.

We are clearly overstocked in one area and under in another, poor list management imo.

Logan Austin will get a game. He will play on the Gorilla types and keep them quiet. I am expecting him to become our full back for the next 7 years. Howard will be CHB, Carlisle the interceptor, Wilkie the third tall and Battle will play in the forward line. Brown will only play if we have injuries.

[The Barometer]

Easy to see how we got into the situation with tall defenders if you think about it for a second.

HBFs and Small forwards is the one that gets me, we have even done the oddity of recuiting HBFs and playing them forward (Long/Hind). Some more pure mids would be nice, why I'm happy with the Byrnes selection. or Mids who are good enough to play while they develop - forward (Steven) or back (Dal Santo).

[Joffa Burns]

Wilkie and Carlisle are clearly defenders and would be half as effective playing forward... Carlisle ineffectual.

Battle may go forward as he is a natural forward, but played way better last year as a back.

Logan Austin won’t get a game.

We are clearly overstocked in one area and under in another, poor list management imo.

Logan Austin will get a game. He will play on the Gorilla types and keep them quiet. I am expecting him to become our full back for the next 7 years. Howard will be CHB, Carlisle the interceptor, Wilkie the third tall and Battle will play in the forward line. Brown will only play if we have injuries.

You have Austin, Howard, Carslile & Wilkie all in the same team and that will never happen.

If Wilkie gets the third tall and Austin gets the gorilla (whatever that is) who does Carslile play on? A small forward?

[B.M]

The interceptor?

Wtf is that position?!

Defenders take intercept marks, yes, but they also have an opponent.

Carlisle is a CHB in old language or a #2 in modern speak