There has been a lot of valid criticism of our star midfielders, especially Hanners and Parker. I don't know what the problem is with them. It's hard to see why 2 of the best midfielders in the league at the peak of their careers should fall away so much. For those who say our midfield is too slow, just imagine if we still had Mitchell.
We don't have to think about a premiership this year, so we can cut the emotion and just focus on building the kind of team that can win in the future, a team with speed and skill. It's easy to see what it looks like. We saw it last night, but it wasn't wearing red and white.
The number 1 problem we have, and it's not a new one, is moving the ball out of defence.
- Drop Reg. He's been great, but is too slow and fumbley.
- Move Lloyd out of defence. He's one of our better players now, but he's not a defender and can be exploited 1 on 1.
- Move Mills to the midfield. He's okay in defence, but he's needed more in the middle.
- Play 3 tall defenders: Talia (could be Maibaum in future), Aliir and Melican.
- Bring Newman back. He may be the best kick on the team. Should be taking the kick ins.
- Use Jones for run and carry out of defence.
- O'Riordan could become part of the defence if we have a rookie elevation spot open.
- When Rampe comes back, put him in the midfield. He's a big body with good pace.
- Smith stays for now, but I would be grooming Sam Fisher to play the small defender role in the future.
- Laidler has played well in the NEAFL. He's a good player. Just a bit slow. Good depth to have at the club.
- Our defence (8 players): Talia, Aliir, Melican, Newman, Marsh, Smith, Jones, O'Riordan.
Number 2 problem is the ruck. Most of the time they seem to be injured, so it's hard to plan who is playing.
- I don't know what to do with Tippett. He's only 30 and is still has another year on his big contract. So what do we do with him. For now, he may have to play in the reserves to see if he can regain form. He has to play as a ruckman if he plays as anything.
- Naismith is a good tap ruckman, but he's a liability around the ground. Needs to fix that part of his game. Injured too often anyway.
- Sinclair? Do we have to say more?
- Cameron looks the best option. If he can hold his own in the ruck he adds a lot around the ground with his marking and goal kicking. But needs to be tested at AFL level.
- Left field option 1: Play Aliir in the ruck. I think this could be his best position. I like the fact that he could pop up anywhere on the ground. He can be very damaging.
- Left field option 2: Play Towers in the ruck. He can make a contest because of his leap. Makes up 15 or more cms on true sized ruckmen. Wish he were a better player, but for a ruckman, would be good around the ground.
- Left field option 3: Don't play any ruckman. Just have a midfielder make a bit of a contest without making physical contact then try to win the ball back with having that extra midfielder at ground level.
Put McVeigh on the LTIL. Even if he recovers from his calf and now hamstring injury he can't add anything to this team. He's going to retire at the end of the year anyway. Elevate O'Riordan.
Put Kieran Jack on the LTIL. I don't know what his problem is, but he clearly is not well. Give him an 8 week rest and try to get him fixed up. Elevate Edwards. Not the perfect player, but brings a lot of energy to the game, something we are lacking.
We are in a good position to experiment now and try a few different things. We should be able to find a solution by the end of the season. It will help with our end of season decisions on player movements and drafting.
The worst thing we could do is to do the same old thing and just say (as our coach often does): "We have to get better." Saying it week after week won't make it happen. Let's not waste the year completely.
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