I am really enjoying this thread because its been a long time coming!!! I have believed for a long time that our forward line is contrived and not a serious long term proposition.I have criticised our forward line for some time. Our backline,midfield and ruck are generally ok.
Hence I have supported trialling genuine forwards by that i mean players who have GOAL sense and KNOW how to find a free space.McGlynn is a very good example of this type of player. Instead,the selectors and obviously the coaches too have gone ahead with a makeshift forward line even though we know that Bradshaw,even if fit, will only be a 2-3 year prospect at the limit. White is a ruckman we are trying to turn into a forward while Goodes is a great midfielder who seems to get lost and go missing in the forwards.Jetta can't kick straight and the rest are basically rotating midfielders with the exception of Moore who we have missed. I believe this year is a rebuilding year,we won't make the Grandfinal! and I believe we have squandered opportunities to try new players and new strategies. If saying this makes me sound negative so be it,in actual fact i am suggesting positive changes. I am looking towards a crack at another Premiership in 2012 BUT we gotta start NOW! I think a basic skill of a forward is to mark a ball and kick goals. I would therefore be playing ,players who have shown they can do this at a lower level until they can do the same at a higher level. Whether they are "ready" "too young" etc are all subjective judgements that we don't know the truth of until we trial them. I would therefore have played TDL for at least 4 games by now. LJ would also have got a few games,maybe there may also be a potential star there somewhere? a Posiadly?(Would we have played him if we had him?) In this interim period ,and with injuries, we obviously need some makeshift players but we have missed an opportunity to both blood new players and to experiment. We will never know if some other combinations might have worked. eg using a KPP from defense (Grundy,LRT) Instead,we perservered with Playfair,Goodes and White and White is the only one with upside who perhaps might make a forward. Great to have this thread...the forward line which looked so good on paper has turned out to be as thin as paper.
Hence I have supported trialling genuine forwards by that i mean players who have GOAL sense and KNOW how to find a free space.McGlynn is a very good example of this type of player. Instead,the selectors and obviously the coaches too have gone ahead with a makeshift forward line even though we know that Bradshaw,even if fit, will only be a 2-3 year prospect at the limit. White is a ruckman we are trying to turn into a forward while Goodes is a great midfielder who seems to get lost and go missing in the forwards.Jetta can't kick straight and the rest are basically rotating midfielders with the exception of Moore who we have missed. I believe this year is a rebuilding year,we won't make the Grandfinal! and I believe we have squandered opportunities to try new players and new strategies. If saying this makes me sound negative so be it,in actual fact i am suggesting positive changes. I am looking towards a crack at another Premiership in 2012 BUT we gotta start NOW! I think a basic skill of a forward is to mark a ball and kick goals. I would therefore be playing ,players who have shown they can do this at a lower level until they can do the same at a higher level. Whether they are "ready" "too young" etc are all subjective judgements that we don't know the truth of until we trial them. I would therefore have played TDL for at least 4 games by now. LJ would also have got a few games,maybe there may also be a potential star there somewhere? a Posiadly?(Would we have played him if we had him?) In this interim period ,and with injuries, we obviously need some makeshift players but we have missed an opportunity to both blood new players and to experiment. We will never know if some other combinations might have worked. eg using a KPP from defense (Grundy,LRT) Instead,we perservered with Playfair,Goodes and White and White is the only one with upside who perhaps might make a forward. Great to have this thread...the forward line which looked so good on paper has turned out to be as thin as paper.
Comment