Midfield

[monopoly19]

We're not going to go far with the one we've got.

Ball and Doyle seem to have little effect in the ruck contests, Goodes isn't even friggin' allowed anywhere near the ruck, Maxfield is going downhill at an alarming rate, Fossie and J Bolton are returning to some pleasant 2001-2 form, Willo doesn't seem to have as much of a penetrating kick as he once did and Kirk and Crouch are largely negating players.

It's disturbing when you think about it.

[ScottH]

Bring back Cressa!!!


Or we could try Bevan or Buchanan in the centre. Someone with a bit of heart.

[Charlie]

Kirk is being reversed tagged.

Most clubs have more depth in the midfield, and they know that tagger or not, Kirk is in our top two. Johnson took him out of the game today. So while the first part of Kirk's job was done for him, he was prevented from doing the second part.

That's been happening the last few weeks. And it's exposing the others.

Now, if Goodes went into the midfield...

[Bleed Red Blood]

I feel we dont have many full time midfielders when you compare Brisbane who have Voss,Black,Aker,Lappin as pretty much full time midfielders we really only have underperformers like Fosdike,Bolton,Willo,Maxfield and then the cameos - Davis,Bolton,Schneider,Goodes,Saddington who arent full time midfielders (Goodes should be) but are expected to take midfield roles this drastically has to change imo.

[NMWBloods]

All these comments are spot on.

Our midfield really struggles under pressure.

[midaro]

The charm of Goodes in the ruck, is that he is infinetly better than any other ruckman when the ball hits the ground.

Hence, if the tap is neutral, which many are, we have an advantage.

Thus, Goodes in the ruck helps compensate for our abyssmal midfield.

PLAY GOODES IN THE ******* RUCK.

[NMWBloods]

I wrote somewhere else, Goodes should be a permanent ruck rover. Taking the tap sometimes or scouting at others. I don't understand what he is doing down forward - he's not our best forward option.

[hammo]

Agree 100% with playing Goodes in the ruck - even as a ruck rover!

As for dropping Jude Bolton ro Fosdike, we simply don't have the depth and will get smashed next week.

A fit Nick Davis would surely be spending more time in the midfield??

[Charlie]

Would prefer Schneider (yeah, I know) or O'Keefe to go into the middle before Davis.

He's just so deadly from a set shot, it seemed a waste last year when he was in the midfield. Sure, he was setting them up, but the likelihood of a goal actually coming from his involvement was lower.

[monopoly19]

There was one point today in our forward line at a ruck contest (one of the few times Goodesy was in the ruck) where Richmond won the tap and Goodes roved his own losing ruck successfully.

I cannot see how playing Goodes in the forward line is good for our structure in the long run (I think this is the explanation that Roosy gave) when we have no ****ing structure in the most important part of the field - the middle.

I was willing to let it go for a while, but I feel it's imperative that Goodes moves into the middle ASAP. It may prolong his career being out of the ruck, but which I would say a premiership is of a little more importance.

[Red]

Originally posted by Charlie
Kirk is being reversed tagged.

Most clubs have more depth in the midfield, and they know that tagger or not, Kirk is in our top two. Johnson took him out of the game today. So while the first part of Kirk's job was done for him, he was prevented from doing the second part.

That's been happening the last few weeks. And it's exposing the others.

Now, if Goodes went into the midfield...

In retrospect (a wonderful thing), Kirk should've probably tagged Brown -- he absolutely killed us today.

As for Goodes in the midfield, I maintain we need him more in defence right now. @@@@, we've got 2 full-time ruckman for a change -- they have to start doing their job.

Goodes for CHB -- ala Leppitch.

[Charlie]

Originally posted by Red
In retrospect (a wonderful thing), Kirk should've probably tagged Brown -- he absolutely killed us today.

As for Goodes in the midfield, I maintain we need him more in defence right now. @@@@, we've got 2 full-time ruckman for a change -- they have to start doing their job.

Goodes for CHB -- ala Leppitch.

No, I don't agree. That takes away what was - last year - the opposition's biggest problem... who to put on Goodes.

At CHB, rather than the other team trying to negate, we're making the decision of who to put Goodes on. That's basically conceding ground from the first bounce.

[hammo]

I'd like to know what Ross Lyon is getting paid for??

If he is getting paid based on results then he will be singing for his supper.

Was never confident with that appointment. Is he making suggestions on game day or is he sitting mute??

Our midfielders have really gone backwards this year. How have our skills become so bad?

[dendol]

Agree that Goodes should be in the middle, and then only resting up forward. On radio, even Eade made the comment that he had made the mistake of playing Goodes up forward when he was coach before. So if Eade made that mistake before, and Roos was assistant coach, why is the same mistake being made now?

[Red]

Originally posted by Charlie
No, I don't agree. That takes away what was - last year - the opposition's biggest problem... who to put on Goodes.

At CHB, rather than the other team trying to negate, we're making the decision of who to put Goodes on. That's basically conceding ground from the first bounce.

Charlie -- I take your point. Obviously Goodes is brilliant in the ruck -- he wouldn't All-Australian otherwise. And I'd say we agree that playing forward is not the best use of him.

But we <i>need</i> a tall, strong, intelligent player in defence -- today is just another example of that. Goodes only played in ruck originally because of a lack of ruck options -- now we have a real lack of defensive options.

If not him, then who else?