The Bolts, Tiger and Leaping

[TheHood]

Have had a bit of a RWO hiatus because of leave and interesting reading about Leo and Crouchy, Fossy and Matthews. There are some scathing reviews. I think some critics are looking for scalps without replacements. These guys have been superb. We have all agreed that we can not win without 22 contributors, they must be doing something right.

In case I missed it, I was super impressed with:

Jude Bolton: Obvious BOG, but his consistency has been the best part of his game. I remember his Rd 1 against Carlton was superb but I worried that it was just an aberation. I am glad my worry was for nothing.

Craig Bolton: This guy is the most honest tradesman we have ever employed. Works his butt off and as he gets even more familiar in his role, I see him as the Ben Hart of the Sydney Swans. It's a big wrap but he has the ethic to keep him in the game at the highest level for a long time.

Tadhg: There may have been just one small one, but pretty much a clanger free game. His goal was great but the options by foot and hand all night kept setting us up, was a shining light down back.

Leo: Talk about sparkle, the man has the feet of the Don. The natural instinct for a defender under the pump is to scrag it boundary bound, but Leo does what others don't expect and that is tear away from the congestion, have a bounce, I have a coronary, then he is away by foot to a loose man. If we reviewed every game this year and counted the times it has worked to the times it hasn't, we would all be thinking, hey this running stuff works. When we have moved quickest from defence to goal, it has been Leo and Tadhg that have been responsible for starting the movement.

[NMWBloods]

I echo your thoughts on J Bolton.

I think what's great about C Bolton is that we often seem to forget just how young he is. Only 39 games and yet a now a critical cog in our backline.

[penga]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
I think what's great about C Bolton is that we often seem to forget just how young he is. Only 39 games and yet a now a critical cog in our backline.

also, whats great about him is deep down he is a midfielder, so it adds another player to the rotation... also, id like to see him play on a small forward and see how he goes... i mean he has done extremely well when he has been outsized, i wanna see him undersized and see how he would fare

[penga]

further, when we manage to get two 'gorilla-killers' at CHB and FB, after saddington he would be an option as a 4th tall, while also being able to play small...

therefore, two "gorilla-killers", sadders, bolton, barry and mathews as our backline would be wonderful

with crouch and fixter used as taggers, which will free up kirk to be a ball winner rather than having to shut down someone... :D good times are coming!!!

[Diego]

What I love about CB is the way he always goes for the punch and not the mark. This has caught Saddo out a few times this year,

But CB always goes the punch unless he knows there is more of a chance of going for the mark.

Another one of my silent heroes!!

[desredandwhite]

Originally posted by penga
further, when we manage to get two 'gorilla-killers' at CHB and FB...

Penga, is there ONE SECOND of any day where you're not fantasizing about how good a team we would have with other players in our side? :)

Yep, right now we're doing our best work when the ball comes roaring out of the backline in an open, flowing game - Leo Barry and Tadhg Kennelly definitely vital cogs in that machine. Not exactly rock solid, but make for exciting watching ;)

[penga]

Originally posted by desredandwhite
Penga, is there ONE SECOND of any day where you're not fantasizing about how good a team we would have with other players in our side? :)

no, actually :( ;)

[desredandwhite]

hehehe... just stirring, penga. You always bring up exciting scenarios and then I have to give myself a good dose of reality when I realise how much those players would cost us in terms of picks or trades :D

Really what the backline needs is a Dunkley replacement. How many of THOSE are around?

[Jon]

Originally posted by TheHood

Leo: Talk about sparkle, the man has the feet of the Don. The natural instinct for a defender under the pump is to scrag it boundary bound, but Leo does what others don't expect and that is tear away from the congestion, have a bounce, I have a coronary, then he is away by foot to a loose man. If we reviewed every game this year and counted the times it has worked to the times it hasn't, we would all be thinking, hey this running stuff works. When we have moved quickest from defence to goal, it has been Leo and Tadhg that have been responsible for starting the movement.

Thank God someone else has seen Leo as GREAT this year. He's a gamebreaker in close to career best form.

I feel his move to the backline must now be rated as just as successful as the Leppitsch's was.

Ok...so he occasionally outruns his own teammates. So what? If all 22 are moving around the ball in numbers as they're supposed to, the problems we saw in his game at Manuka would never happen.

[thommoone]

Id rate Leo as our 3rd best player on performance this year, behind Goodes & Bolton

[penga]

Originally posted by desredandwhite
hehehe... just stirring, penga. You always bring up exciting scenarios and then I have to give myself a good dose of reality when I realise how much those players would cost us in terms of picks or trades :D

Really what the backline needs is a Dunkley replacement. How many of THOSE are around?

:D i realise u r havin a stir, but its true... i love coming up with scenarios and potential recruits and possible replacements and future lineups and overcoming matchup problems... :D just makes the whole deal so much more interesting... i think most of my tendency to come up with these scenarios has got something to do with the Madden NFL games and the drafting systms within that...

anyways, with the second part of your post i have a feeling that roosy has a plan to have a small backline up his sleeve... ie sacrifice the goals that will be kicked by the gorillas for the potential run out of the backline that would be created by having this small backline... and i think CB is a huge part of this plan...