Medium forward

[rexy]

12 23 44 and 13, lock them in for forward line positions every week, obvious call I know.

Now we need to settle on exactly who is the medium sized forward that gives the most benefit and finishes off the forward structure.

Gilbert Fisher Goddard Raph are all options that are more accomplished behind the footy but have the size and skills. Does using a combination of these guys throughout a game allow us to get match ups that suit us, stop the opposition backline from settling and give us a real advantage when it comes to our own defensive match ups.

Gwilt & Eddy have had a shot with limited success and both have different strengths and weaknesses, Gwilt is my choice of the 2 but it is hard to justify his selection when his inclusion would mean that at least one of Blake Dawson Raph Dempster or Max would probably not get a game, they all seem to have more to offer in total?

Lynch? probably to skinny and green but could he be an X factor late in the year.

Goose? probably to big and slow but could he be an X factor late in the year? And is there still plans to give him an opportunity in the backline before seasons end?

2 or 3 positions up for grabs in the side if we stay injury free. This is one of the important ones.

[bigcarl]

i'd give raph a shot at it.

gilbert and fisher are very important running it out of defence and we need the class of bj on the ball.

so i reckon raph and occasionally give him a run on the ball with bj resting forward.

could be the making of him and bring out his creativity. plus, he can be dodgy in defence when down on confidence.

[felixleo]

Who would you trade for someone like Ryan O'Keefe?

[Dan Warna]

who?

[felixleo]

Ryan O'Keefe, inventor of the multimode vehicle location device.

[bergholt]

12 23 44 and 13, lock them in for forward line positions every week, obvious call I know.

Now we need to settle on exactly who is the medium sized forward that gives the most benefit and finishes off the forward structure.

i don't reckon we need one. add in mcqualter as semi-permanent to the half forward line and i'm pretty happy with the way the whole thing functions.

last week we saw kosi and roo taking it in turns to be the man pushing up to the wing when there's a burst on, so that's part of that role. and usually we move forward in a fairly circumspect fashion, with deliberation across the half-back line and attacks coming from the man found on his own across the middle or half-forward. there's no need for a medium size forward if that's the way we play.

if we are going to put another permanent forward in, i'd like to see them pushing up into the midfield a lot, like mcqualter and schneider do, because that gives us extra numbers in that key part of the ground.

[bigcarl]

if we are going to put another permanent forward in, i'd like to see them pushing up into the midfield a lot, like mcqualter and schneider do, because that gives us extra numbers in that key part of the ground.

raph can do that imo

[samoht]

I think we do lack one... 2 would be better.

We have top quality Bass (Kosi and Riewoldt) and good Tweeters (Milne and Schneider) - we do lack a top quality mid range.

Motlop and Steve johnson would be nice on the half forward flanks (nice dream).

Nick Dal Santo has the necesssary attributes - the poise, the side step and the lovely long kick to potentially make a great half forward flanker - but we need him in the midfield.

maybe Lynch could fit the bill later on .. hope so.

[saintsRrising]

Lynch? probably to skinny and green but could he be an X factor late in the year.

If you mean this year , no.


BJ will rotate through HF.

Otherwise it will remain the two towers with Mini, Schneider and Milne with gardo pusing forward.

BJ will have his 007 licence to roam down into the forward line at will to present as well.



Currently I am anticipating that Dempster will be back.....and so that will free up BJ.

Ray will often now play back deeper.



Raphs form is still dodgey...but as a HFF I don't recall any games indcating that he looked like a HFF. He needs to find frm asa HBF or he will be squeezed out.

[BigMart]

Lynch is 'green'

But not skinny....

[bigcarl]

Raphs form is still dodgey...but as a HFF I don't recall any games indcating that he looked like a HFF.

i can't remember him spending much time there to tell you the truth, so i'm not sure how you can deduce he can't play there.

to me it suits his abilities. has a bit of flair that might surface better relieved of defensive pressures for a while.

[saint08]

12 23 44 and 13, lock them in for forward line positions every week, obvious call I know.

.

I think that NEXT year, jarryd Allen will play the 3rd tall forward. He is back in the vfl in 2 weeks time.

The idea we saw at summer 08/09 training was to have Gilbo play there,but he seems to be superb at HB.

I hope he does well.

Lynch was our No.1 pick , as a specialist HF player.

[SaintWodonga]

I think Lynch will fill this void. In other teams, I think he would have made his debut by now.

[saintsRrising]

Raphs form is still dodgey...but as a HFF I don't recall any games indicating that he looked like a HFF.

i can't remember him spending much time there to tell you the truth, so i'm not sure how you can deduce he can't play there.

to me it suits his abilities. has a bit of flair that might surface better relieved of defensive pressures for a while.

I am not sure that what you stated is what I actually said.

My observation is based on watching him when he has played forward in the seniors or in the VFL. In those games or part games he has not struck me as being a forward.

There is a lot more to being a forward than a bit of "flair".


But yes Raph has talent...and of he can use it he could well succeed at either end.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

I'd love to see Sam Fisher across half forward, in the role Sammy Hamill or James Hird used to play. He's great down back, but could give us a heap across half forward, too, where I agree we're slightly lacking. He could take a dozen marks a game between the forward 50 and the wings/half back.
If Blake played like he did last week more often and with Gilbert, Max and Zac down back (plus possibly Raph and Dempster, with Bakes) we have more than enough down there to cover for Fisher. We have this multitude of talent and we just need to find the best balance and get the most out of all of them.
Games when we're miles in front are the perfect time to try things like this out.