Next year's team

[liz]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Maxfield ... I see him as one of the few players in our side who can provide a spark through his sheer effort.

There is no other player in the team with the ability to impose himself on a match as well as Maxfield still can. Hall is the only other one that comes close, but the ball needs to be in the forward half before he can really wield his influence. Maxfield can do it wherever it needs to be done.

Sure, he is no longer able to do it for extended periods, but his influence in lifting the team is critical nonetheless.

Added to that, he is still reasonably pacy and is the most penetrating kick in the team, even if sometimes the direction can be a little off. I have never seen another player - certainly not in the R&W - who can 'punch-kick' the ball quite like Maxfield can.

[Mark]

Originally posted by liz
I have never seen another player - certainly not in the R&W - who can 'punch-kick' the ball quite like Maxfield can.

Chapman and Bayes would give him a run for his money in recent years, but agree with the point

[liz]

Bayes had a lovely, elegant arching kick, not unlike Kennelly's. Didn't have quite the "punch" of Maxfield's.

Have to confess that I don't remember Chapman's kicking style particularly. It was his reckless courage that remains etched in my memory.

[dread and might]

Originally posted by liz
Added to that, he is still reasonably pacy and is the most penetrating kick in the team, even if sometimes the direction can be a little off. I have never seen another player - certainly not in the R&W - who can 'punch-kick' the ball quite like Maxfield can.

i will miss that kick long after it has ceased to grace the paddocks of the AFL. the penetration is second to none on our team. ablett is the only other midfielder with a deep long kick, alas he unleashes far too rarely.

Mark discussion and confrontation are two different things. i welcome discussion, and i don't feel like there are too many confrontations on the board....

[LittleSchneider]

to think that you think schneider should be an emergency is ridiculous....

i dont think we can comment on teams now - it depends on who has a good preseason and wizard cup and who doesnt.
remember - selection comprises not just reputation but RECENT form and that doesnt mean that last year is the be-all-and-end-all.... thats why schneider on emg? what the? does no one remember 2003 or was that too long ago? and no monty? hmm...your team doesnt seem balanced to me at all.....

[ScottH]

Originally posted by liz
Bayes had a lovely, elegant arching kick, not unlike Kennelly's. Didn't have quite the "punch" of Maxfield's.

Have to confess that I don't remember Chapman's kicking style particularly. It was his reckless courage that remains etched in my memory.

Bayes was one of the best kicks around.

Chapman had the ability of getting that quick kick out of a pack, who no one else could. And who could forget that pass to Lockett in '96 PF!!

[swansrule100]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Maxfield will definitely be in the 22, not just because he's captain but what he can deliver to the team. I see him as one of the few players in our side who can provide a spark through his sheer effort. I suspect he will start on the ground and then play on and off the bench during the course of each game. This should work quite well as his reduced game time should allow more game time for some of the younger players.

agreed
unless he isnt captain
but i would leave him captain
his worth is more than his stats

[sharp9]

Originally posted by Mark
When fit, Fosdike will be in our best 22, ahead of Monty, Ablett, & Spriggs to name a few.

I know you are allowed an opinion....but this particular one is about as wrong as an opinion can get.....IMO

Monty, in particular, does things Fossy could only dream of.

[sharp9]

Originally posted by liz
Can't fathom how anyone would think that, on last season's form, Buchanan, McVeigh, Schneider, Bevan, Davis, Nicks would provide better value on the ground than Maxfield.

Er, probably because they all played better than him last year, except Davis.

[sharp9]

Honestly lizz what's all this about Maxi's kicking? He was shocking all year. Pathetic hit and hope nine irons. Williams and Jude were nearly as bad and this one thing, more than anything else cost us a shot this year. Our delivery was nothing short of hopeless from these three, for the most part. Throw in Mathews as well....but he generally coughed it up further back.

It's been noted repeatedly that our possessions inside fifty are the lowest in the league, and here people are talking about his wonderful kicking. Are you insane? I do remember when he was a racking , penetrating kick for us, haitr flowing as he romped down the wing to deliver a long pass or shot. But those days were NOT season 2004.

[liz]

Originally posted by sharp9
Er, probably because they all played better than him last year, except Davis.

We're going to have to agree to disagree because our opinions of Maxfield's contribution last year and current ability are clearly miles apart.

[chammond]

Originally posted by sharp9
Honestly lizz what's all this about Maxi's kicking? He was shocking all year. Pathetic hit and hope nine irons. Williams and Jude were nearly as bad and this one thing, more than anything else cost us a shot this year. Our delivery was nothing short of hopeless from these three, for the most part. Throw in Mathews as well....but he generally coughed it up further back.

It's been noted repeatedly that our possessions inside fifty are the lowest in the league, and here people are talking about his wonderful kicking. Are you insane? I do remember when he was a racking , penetrating kick for us, haitr flowing as he romped down the wing to deliver a long pass or shot. But those days were NOT season 2004.

Not sure if you were stoned for the whole season, or just now . . . . your last three posts on this thread prove that it must be one or the other.

[NMWBloods]

I actually thought Maxfield's kicking last year (Williams as well) was below his normal standard. Too many times he kicked to the opposition. That's not to say he was shocking or did not deliver useful F50 kicks, however he turned it over more than he had previously and more than I would expect/like.

[liz]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
I actually thought Maxfield's kicking last year (Williams as well) was below his normal standard. Too many times he kicked to the opposition. That's not to say he was shocking or did not deliver useful F50 kicks, however he turned it over more than he had previously and more than I would expect/like.

There were a few games earlier in the season where he was a tad directionally challenged with his kicking but he got a lot better in the second half. And the penetration was still there.

Sometimes with those long thrusts forward it is up to the forwards to read them and move to the right place, particularly when the ball is given a lot of air. Some of Maxfield's kicks were made to look worse than they were because the forward they were meant for (often Davis) was either incapable of, or unwilling to, moving to the right place.

[chammond]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
I actually thought Maxfield's kicking last year (Williams as well) was below his normal standard. Too many times he kicked to the opposition. That's not to say he was shocking or did not deliver useful F50 kicks, however he turned it over more than he had previously and more than I would expect/like.

My impression was that for the past couple of seasons his role has changed a little, and he's now less likely to get possession in space. That extra pressure is what causes him to be less accurate with his kicking.

I also noticed (in the handful of games that I was able to watch live) that some of the younger players (like Davis, O'Keefe for example) are not particularly good at leading to Maxfield's kicks. Perhaps because he kicks the ball so far and fast, the anticipation by the forward is sometimes wrong, making Maxfield look the goat for delivering badly.

O'Loughlin and Hall don't seem to have any problem with backing Stuey to deliver (and of course Plugger's anticipation was brilliant), but some of the others are still learning, I think.