Ablett's a godsend

[ScottH]

Ablett's a godsend

"We have to take on more responsibility and show a bit more leadership and get the job done."

At the SCG tomorrow night Ablett is expecting to be given another important role and predicts he'll spend plenty of time on Melbourne matchwinner Travis Johnstone or Brad Green, who led the Dees in inside-50s last season.

"This is part of the progression for him I think. There's no doubt Noggy is going to be an integral part of the Swans' midfield for 10-12 years."

He (and others) need to really step up on Saturday and over the next two months to cover for the loss of Williams (and Maxfield).

Lets hope he can handle the new responsibilty!!

[sharp9]

Here's the correct link

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,15047579-23211,00.html

[ScottH]

Originally posted by sharp9
Here's the correct link

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23211,00.html

Oops, Thanks Sharp9, I must get more sleep in the morning!!

PS. I have corrected the link in my first post now.

[originalswan]

Ablett has to step up??

I think he's one of the players in the midfield this year that can really hold his head up and be proud of his contributions to date.

He's been given a specific task and from my observations and from what the club has been saying (including Willo) he seems to really have developed into a good run with player, with a more attacking role beckoning.

[Ryan Bomford]

Originally posted by originalswan
Ablett has to step up??

I think he's one of the players in the midfield this year that can really hold his head up and be proud of his contributions to date.

He's been given a specific task and from my observations and from what the club has been saying (including Willo) he seems to really have developed into a good run with player, with a more attacking role beckoning.

Great, here's a guy with some size and a booming kick and we're grooming him as yet another defensive 'run with' player. Who, exactly, are we grooming as an offensive minded midfielder, to replace Williams et al, and deliver some decent service into our forward line?

[ScottH]

"Run with players" is the the job given to develpoing players to learn where to go and how to find the ball. That is what happened to Kirk, he learnt what he knows from the best in the business week in week out.

Kirk is now a very attacking player while still having a defensive roll, coz he now beats his opponent to the ball.

[stellation]

Originally posted by Ryan Bomford
Great, here's a guy with some size and a booming kick and we're grooming him as yet another defensive 'run with' player. Who, exactly, are we grooming as an offensive minded midfielder, to replace Williams et al, and deliver some decent service into our forward line?

Luke can look a little lost at times in the midfield. Hopefully spending a season or 2 as a defensive midfielder will get his fitness right up and also help him with his general positioning around the ground and (particuarly) at stoppages. It might just be a step on the way to being an offensive midfielder.

[stellation]

Originally posted by ScottH
"Run with players" is the the job given to develpoing players to learn where to go and how to find the ball. That is what happened to Kirk, he learnt what he knows from the best in the business week in week out.

Kirk is now a very attacking player while still having a defensive roll, coz he now beats his opponent to the ball.

Damnit, too quick!

I must say I like your thinking Scotty boy.

[Newbie]

Originally posted by ScottH
"Run with players" is the the job given to develpoing players to learn where to go and how to find the ball. That is what happened to Kirk, he learnt what he knows from the best in the business week in week out.

Kirk is now a very attacking player while still having a defensive roll, coz he now beats his opponent to the ball.

Saying Kirk is an attacking player is a bit over exagarating. He certainly is not an out and out attacking midfielders in the mode of Green and Johnson for instance.

The Swans seem to have the mindset that developing midfielders must graduate from the "run with players" school for some reasons. I certainly can not recall if Aker, Judd or even Williams were developed in that way at all. "Run with players" could develop a player into a workhorse but not the out and out attacking midfielder type that we are searching for.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by Newbie
Saying Kirk is an attacking player is a bit over exagarating. He certainly is not an out and out attacking midfielders in the mode of Green and Johnson for instance.

The Swans seem to have the mindset that developing midfielders must graduate from the "run with players" school for some reasons. I certainly can not recall if Aker, Judd or even Williams were developed in that way at all. "Run with players" could develop a player into a workhorse but not the out and out attacking midfielder type that we are searching for.

He's get the ball into the attacking 50/out of the centre square than most of our midfielders.

Don't know about Aker and Judd but maybe they have more natural ability to know where to find the ball.

[sharpie]

Cressa was our run with player for years in the mid-late 90s

[sharp9]

I would suggest that he IS being developed as an attacking player....of the future.

Maybe Judd can start his career as an attacking midfielder but that's about it.

McVeigh, on the other hand, has to sit out if he's not producing 'cos he is a normal midfielder only.

I yhink you'll find that Luke Ball was tagging a lot in 2003 and 2004. He's graduating OK I reckon.

The suggestion is that Ablett has not learned exactly where and how to run in order to do maximum damage when set loose.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Originally posted by sharpie
Cressa was our run with player for years in the mid-late 90s

So was Neil Brunton, but sometimes run with players are unable to escape that role and their career ends when they exhaust all the tricks in their bag.

I am hopefull this won't happen to Ablett but on his form this year I'm wondering whether it's not starting to happen to Jarred Crouch.

[Nico]

Neil Brunton was a tagger when we lost 26 games straight from memory. A plodder at best.

Midfield means many things these days. Ablett spends his day following another player around. Is that midfield. I thought midfielders were the engine room and play makers.

Don't get me wrong, I reckon he is a shining light who as yet has not been allowed to be creative.

[hammo]

I think Ablett has shown enough to simply be given a license to attack.

Defensive midfielders aren't going to win us games considering we already have Crouch and Kirk for that role.

I am sure Bazza and MOL would prefer to see our midfielders actually trying to win the ball and to kick it long inside 50.