Bevan: How long has he got?

[Bloody Hell]

O'Keefe to the wing/guts (already saw that against Geelong), Malceski to the back pocket, Bevo forward. If you wanna make more room in the forwardline, Meredith to the wing as well (Meredith's future is ultimately in the midfield anyway).

You got part of that right - Malcheski back...to the HBF. Bevan on the bench. Then play him wherever you want.

[Young Blood]

Maybe that is because Bevan's ideal position isn't defending against small, ultra-quick small forwards. He's being asked to do the role because the only other player in the entire squad capable is injured. It is a glaring hole in the list balance, made worse by the fact that Crouch isn't going to be around for much longer, and is no longer as quick as he used to be.

This is surely the real issue. Bevo does OK as small defensive forward, but regularly makes costly mistakes in the backline. Can we not start grooming one of the youngsters to play this role?

[Hartijon]

This is surely the real issue. Bevo does OK as small defensive forward, but regularly makes costly mistakes in the backline. Can we not start grooming one of the youngsters to play this role?

We are :Kieren Jack.Remember his game on Akermanis.

[connolly]

I thought he was poor.

He started on Johnson and was moved after Johnson tore him apart, yet he only kicked 3? behinds. Bevan was actually moved onto him to stop the haemorrhaging. Unfortunately for Bevan, Johnson stayed on fire AND found his kicking boots at the same time.

I was trying to confirm on the replay that it was actually Bolton, not Bevan, that Stokes wheeled away from playing on in the 3rd quarter for one of his goals, but I am prepared to concede I am wrong on that one.

Bolton gave away an awful free which led to a goal in the last (?) quarter when he dummied a handball to Kirk and was caught holding the ball.

All that said, I am NOT calling for his demotion, but agree with the early poster that he had a shocker.

Big Bob you are right. Stokes was about 10 mwtres away from Bolton. It was Bolton who was carved up By Johnston in the first twenty minutes of the first quarter. At that point Bevo had kept Stokes out of the game. When Bevo went onto Johnston at his first one on one contest, he took front position and beat Johnston in a one on one, gathered the ball, hand passed to Craig Bolton, who dropped it cold under pressure, Johnston got the handpass from the pack, Bevan tackled him and forced the ball splill, Johnston them ran around the goal side of the pack and got a hand pass out after another Geelong 50/50 win. Bevo made two glaring mistakes. A dropped chest mark in the third quarter and a critical turnover and a kick over the line. He was under extreme pressure all day because he always got to the ball. There were some others who barely contested. Meredith will probably survive because of his youth but I'll be very surprised if Malceski is picked. He was killed by Rooke all day and on some occasions didn't even tackle him. Very sisinterested and disappointing. Shaw went missing. Bevo on the other hand never stopped trying and was courageous. For people to be calling for his dropping just goes to show what little they know about football.

[connolly]

I can't remember the last time a half back flanker/back pocket player had 7(or was it 8?) goals kicked by his opponents but I am sure someone will tell me.
Roos took too long to move C Bolton onto Johnstone ..we had almost lost the game at that point,then Stokes ,his next opponent celebrates the shift with a couple,then the turnovers etc etc.

He is simply too slow to take the oppositions small quick and Johnstone was always going to take him apart.What was Roos thinking?

Craig Bolton started on Johnston. He had four shots at goal before his shifted and Roos put Bevo on him because he knew he would apply ptressure to him. Up until Saturday no forward had kicked more than three goals on Bevo in a match.

[lwjoyner]

I sworre I wouldnt put anything down about Bevan again after being ripped apart as a Bevo hater. I have said all along he cant play makes too many mistakes and one of the major reasons is that he was not born an AFL player
that is one who has grown up on the game. You can tell with the slowness of their decision making just look at LRT. Al;though I must admit we have a couple of others who are too slow too make up their minds about what to do with the pill when they get it Mattner and Richards are 2 others as is Leo B when he plays, You cannot afford to have too many of these types on the backline. I believe that Bevan and a couple of others (mattner was probably saved by his tackle against the Tiges) should be sent back to Canberra although I am not sure they will limprove much back there.

[reigning premier]

Our backline was terrible all day.

Malceski was very ordinary.

Shaw seemed to lose his run.

But by far and away, Bevan was the worst. He was smashed by everyone he went near. Seemed to me that the entire Geelong game plan in going fwd was "Kick it to who ever Bevan is on" And, it worked beautifully.

Having said that, he's not as bad as he actually looked on Saturday. He had a very, very average day and had to front up to "the office" against a half a dozen or so blokes that were switched on from the get go.

Perhaps there's something in playing him fwd. He usually goes OK in the back IMHO but Roos should of made a change when he knew Bevan was going to be a liability in the back line (We all knew about half why through the first quarter). Into the middle, down fwd, bench him for the rest... A N Y T H I N G would of been an improvement.... Bevo was bad, the coach wasn't much better.

[connolly]

Its more than his inability. His pass to jolly in the centre square with three geelong players on him when we were 15 points down was close to the dumbest pass of the day (i am not quite sure mattner's pass of 3 metres in the second quarter wasn't actually worse but it wasn't as disastrous)

he was badly outplayed by every player he played on. but it is hard to single him out today exclusively. we are simply not a very good one on one defensive team - does anyone else hold their breath if teddy is one out or malceski is one out or lrt is one out. None of them i would back to beat their opponent one on one at least 2/3 of the time - the team is very ordinary defensively at the moment.

The pass to Jolly was chest high. Jolly was stationary and should have moved to the ball. In the resulting turnover Stokes Bevo's opponent had run back to the goals. There were two players involved in this phase . But you just blame one predictably. Bevo tried to bring the play down the central corridor as he should have. Geelong were playing man on man. Do you suggest he bomb it or play the boundary line?

[connolly]

Me???? Or Connolly? .

Its you

[connolly]

Spevo is so far off being an AFL player it is a disgrace that he is on our list.

And I haven't even seen today's game...

Came sixth in our best and fairest last season. So presumably 75% of the list will go as well. Or are you make an assessment after one game that you obviously didn't see based on vast experience and pure genius? (For those who wonder the last past of the sentence is sarcasm).

[stellation]

Came sixth in our best and fairest last season. So presumably 75% of the list will go as well. Or are you make an assessment after one game that you obviously didn't see based on vast experience and pure genius? (For those who wonder the last past of the sentence is sarcasm).

With all due respect connolly, you were calling for the head of a player after the Geelong game last year and blaming them individually for the loss as you believed their man tore the Swans apart. That player had been dropped earlier in the season after one game and I believe you were fairly clear that you thought it was the right decision.

That said, I don't think Bevan should be dropped (although he did have an absolute shocker) and I seriously doubt that Roos would drop him.

[Bear]

I would be content to see Bevan given a decent opportunity (to the end of this year) to really settle into a forward role. He has a track record of kicking a couple now and again when playing forward.

His strengths - courage and chasing (and tackling when he is in the same suburb as his opponent), could be used to help out in an area we lack - small crumming forward.

He wouldn't have to multi-task (watch the ball and the player at the same time). He could just focus on the ball.

The only concern I would have with Bevan playing a forward role is that he could be switched into defence at any time.

[dimelb]

He can be a useful forward, and his defensive work there is a real asset.

[connolly]

With all due respect connolly, you were calling for the head of a player after the Geelong game last year and blaming them individually for the loss as you believed their man tore the Swans apart. That player had been dropped earlier in the season after one game and I believe you were fairly clear that you thought it was the right decision.

That said, I don't think Bevan should be dropped (although he did have an absolute shocker) and I seriously doubt that Roos would drop him.

He won't be dropped. In the Davis case the reason i called for his dropping wasn't that he got beaten but how and why he was beaten.

[Primmy]

Bevo has courage to burn and sometimes that is more important to the overall team than anything else, it can lift a side to match it even if not all is perfect. Leave Bevan where he is.