Who will do a Roberton?

[gringo]

For me Weller, Delaney and Bruce could all bolt. Armo and Geary to step up a grade and Saunders to be a bolter. I watched a replay of the Swans round 22 match yesterday and think Tom Curren will go very well in 2014 too. I think Lee should step up also.

[stinger]

maybe this guy...

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/o ... 2z0j1.html

[SaintPav]

I don't know who will but I know who should as he has all the tools.

He wears no 28.

[skeptic]

I don't know who will but I know who should as he has all the tools.

He wears no 28.

One does get the impression that if no 28 stood up... it would go a long towards making us a force to be reckoned with

[Beekay]

Rhys needs to relax, get a bit cheeky, and learn how to have-a-crack with a smile on his face.

I'm sure he's got a lot of athletic tricks up the sleeve (particularly flair with his movement), but is almost too shy to use 'em.

Take the game on big fella... and enjoy doing so!

[saintbob]

Webster for mine, just needs to hunt the ball a bit more and use that deadly left foot to create more opportunities further up the ground and have the confidence to run of his player more.

[Bernard Shakey]

For me Weller, Delaney and Bruce could all bolt. Armo and Geary to step up a grade and Saunders to be a bolter. I watched a replay of the Swans round 22 match yesterday and think Tom Curren will go very well in 2014 too. I think Lee should step up also.

Well that's 7 you've named. We will probably play finals in that case. Weller's a rookie by the way.

Tom Hickey and Tom Lee will be prominent.

[Con Gorozidis]

Webster for mine, just needs to hunt the ball a bit more and use that deadly left foot to create more opportunities further up the ground and have the confidence to run of his player more.

Forgot webster but yeah i reckon he is a really good player and ripe to step up.

[Con Gorozidis]

I don't know who will but I know who should as he has all the tools.

He wears no 28.

Which tools ?
Tall blonde fast.

But can he actually play footy ?

Surely this year the jury will be called in one way or another.

[Cairnsman]

Tom Simpkin, he really impressed in patches throughout 2012 and was being lauded as a 200 gamer and the like, however he slipped in 2013 which sounds like injury might have played a hand in that however he could have a break-out year in 2014 if he can stay fit...he's got aggression which I like too.

I also agree with Rhys, he could have a break-out too, he came in for some serious criticism during the 2013 season however in hindsight we know why that was and you get the feeling that he could have learnt a lot from the 2013 season and also benefited physically from stringing the most games together in a a season since his debut...I'm a fan.

[busso mick]

I don't know who will but I know who should as he has all the tools.

He wears no 28.

Which tools ?
Tall blonde fast.

But can he actually play footy ?

Surely this year the jury will be called in one way or another.

I agree Con, he has been here long enough now. Next year we will likely be drafting some talls, so if he doesn't perform in 2014 he will be overtaken. Definitely an interesting project for our new coach.

[skeptic]

I think one of the things with Stanley is that he seemed to suffer from an unclear developmental path which for mine is a bit of a hall mark from the SW era.

DO they want this guy to be an athletic ruck or a stronger forward etc.

The biggest deficit in his game atm (IMO) is that he simply doesn't attack the contest as a big fella should. For mine, I think he needs to seriously hit the weights in the off season.

[Cairnsman]

I think one of the things with Stanley is that he seemed to suffer from an unclear developmental path which for mine is a bit of a hall mark from the SW era.

DO they want this guy to be an athletic ruck or a stronger forward etc.

The biggest deficit in his game atm (IMO) is that he simply doesn't attack the contest as a big fella should. For mine, I think he needs to seriously hit the weights in the off season.

He's a run-in-straight lines (fast) type of player and should probably remain that way to suit his physical attributes. I can't remember him turning on a 10c piece ala Buddy and I'm not sure he's a ruckman, having said that it will be interesting to see how AR deploys him. I'd be using him as a fast paced link-up player between half back and half forward.

[plugger66]

I think one of the things with Stanley is that he seemed to suffer from an unclear developmental path which for mine is a bit of a hall mark from the SW era.

DO they want this guy to be an athletic ruck or a stronger forward etc.

The biggest deficit in his game atm (IMO) is that he simply doesn't attack the contest as a big fella should. For mine, I think he needs to seriously hit the weights in the off season.

If he hits the weights then I think he loses his only real asset in footy and thats pace. He just needs to learn how to use his pace in a game. However i believe he just may not be good enough.

[Con Gorozidis]

I think one of the things with Stanley is that he seemed to suffer from an unclear developmental path which for mine is a bit of a hall mark from the SW era.

DO they want this guy to be an athletic ruck or a stronger forward etc.

The biggest deficit in his game atm (IMO) is that he simply doesn't attack the contest as a big fella should. For mine, I think he needs to seriously hit the weights in the off season.

If he hits the weights then I think he loses his only real asset in footy and thats pace. He just needs to learn how to use his pace in a game. However i believe he just may not be good enough.

the weights dont slow you down. i dont know why you perpetuate this myth.





but i agree that i dont think strength/size its rhys main issue. the issue is his timing and just general footy smarts.
this sounds weird but i also think he has relatively small hands. he is not a good ball handler. he often juggles his marks and fumbles.

[dragit]

I think one of the things with Stanley is that he seemed to suffer from an unclear developmental path which for mine is a bit of a hall mark from the SW era.

DO they want this guy to be an athletic ruck or a stronger forward etc.

The biggest deficit in his game atm (IMO) is that he simply doesn't attack the contest as a big fella should. For mine, I think he needs to seriously hit the weights in the off season.

If he hits the weights then I think he loses his only real asset in footy and thats pace. He just needs to learn how to use his pace in a game. However i believe he just may not be good enough.

the weights dont slow down. i dont know why you perpetuate this myth.

Will certainly slow you down over the course of a game…
Just have a listen to Folau or Hunt from when they switched from being muscle-bound freaks to trying to run with AFL players… they just couldn't keep up.

[plugger66]

I think one of the things with Stanley is that he seemed to suffer from an unclear developmental path which for mine is a bit of a hall mark from the SW era.

DO they want this guy to be an athletic ruck or a stronger forward etc.

The biggest deficit in his game atm (IMO) is that he simply doesn't attack the contest as a big fella should. For mine, I think he needs to seriously hit the weights in the off season.

If he hits the weights then I think he loses his only real asset in footy and thats pace. He just needs to learn how to use his pace in a game. However i believe he just may not be good enough.

the weights dont slow you down. i dont know why you perpetuate this myth.





but i agree that i dont think strength/size its rhys main issue. the issue is his timing and just general footy smarts.
this sounds weird but i also think he has relatively small hands. he is not a good ball handler. he often juggles his marks and fumbles.

Sorry Con but the weights they do to make you bigger to play footy slow you down.

[Con Gorozidis]

Will certainly slow you down over the course of a game…
Just have a listen to Folau or Hunt from when they switched from being muscle-bound freaks to trying to run with AFL players… they just couldn't keep up.

Thats true for sure. yep.
Although Hunt is trying to make it as a mid.
We still dont know if Rhys is trying to make it as a ruck or fwd. The clubs recent recruitment (hickey and Longer) suggests they want him to be a fwd.

For mine id like to see Rhys play fwd in the VFL for this first 6-8 weeks for 2014 season and try to master his craft there. Lets see if he is capable of kicking some bags there.

The notion that he is going to flick some switch and be a gun fwd in the AFL is a nonsense and wont happen. Tom Lee and even Maister showed they could dominate as a fwd in the WAFL first.

If Rhys cant dominate as a fwd in the VFL at age 23/24 then we should forget the idea and just play him as a ruckman.

But imagine Rhys and Spencer as the two key fwds for Sandy for the first 6-8 weeks. Would be exciting.

[Dr Spaceman]

Sorry Con but the weights they do to make you bigger to play footy slow you down.

Maybe not if we replace his legs

[Sobraz]

Stanley's issue is he is not a footballer.. Has never dominated a game at any level, or shown anything except freak athletic ability every now and again.. But he has no footy brain/smarts/nous..

That is the hardest thing to teach... Learning to kick and handball is easy, learning how to get the god damn ball is nigh on impossible if it's not in your dna..

I'm hoping Spencer White overtakes him this year as that extra forward/tall athletic type... He definitely has far more upside..

In response to the OP, I'm hoping Sip has a huge year.. And Newnes has to step up and get some serious midfield ball... He has talent, but he pretty much did nothing in the 2013 season IMO except learn the game.. No real influence.. 2014 is his time to start impacting.

[HitTheBoundary]

I think Stanley should be the Kosi replacement.

Start in the goalsquare and fly for marks. If he takes the mark, turn around and kick for goal.
If he misses the mark, he crashes the pack.

And if the balls on the ground, chase and harass.
Keep it simple for him.

[skeptic]

to be clear, when I say add some weight/muscle whatever, I don't mean become the size of Tony Lockett.

The guys best position to date is clearly ruckman alternating forward. Clearly his speed and athleticism are a key part of this. As a forward, I see him play a Nick Riewoldt style lead game but the key difference being that instead of burning of a tired opponent secondary to superior endurance, he burns them off with his speed.

He needs to be able to hold those semi-contested marks though... the ones taken over or infront of a desperate opponent attempting to spoil. The problem I see is that for a big guy, moderate contact impacts him far too much.

He needs to be able to hold them better and I think that has to do with his poorer upper body strength

He's never going to be a Kosi type player because that level of contested marking simply isn't his things... he's not a bash crash player.

He also needs to be less timed on the field

[BigMart]

In case it is not known.... I do believe Stanley was the strongest man on the list in 2013

Could be Curren in 2014

[skeptic]

In case it is not known.... I do believe Stanley was the strongest man on the list in 2013

Could be Curren in 2014

Really!? You never would have thought it by watching him play. Seems very easily outmanuevered.

Would have thought Riewoldt was stronger for sure

[Con Gorozidis]

In case it is not known.... I do believe Stanley was the strongest man on the list in 2013

Could be Curren in 2014

Bruce and Delaney look pretty strong to me also.