Do we need to reevaluate the Leigh Brown role?

[Bob Sugar]

The Leigh Brown role hasn't worked since Leigh Brown left, the difference between Brown-Dawes and Lynch is Brown could play KB and often did, he gave us genuine versatility and was very hard to match up on, if he was beaten Fwd we would send him back etc etc, he was also better at ground lvl , also, did our 2010-2011 game plan-style suit the LB role more than 2012-2013?

2012-2013 we've played a KF (Dawes-Lynch) as our no2 ruckman, both these guys have been next to useless as a KF since taking over the role and they aren't giving opposing ruckmen many headaches, the better teams in the comp have gone back to 2 genuine ruckmen, is it time we did the same?

[Wokko]

Always better to plan around the troops you have, not try and shoe horn someone into a role that was played by someone else.

I'm sure North would love someone to play the Wayne Carey role too.

[mudlark]

[Bob Sugar]

[Ev5Magpies]

The 'Leigh Brown Role' hasn't worked in 2012-13 because we haven't had 2 tall key position forwards playing together.

In 2010-11 it was Cloke & Dawes with Brown floating forward or back. Since then it has been Cloke on his own with either Dawes, now Lynch floating between forward/ruck.

If we expect Lynch to be the Leigh Brown of 2013, we need another key position forward. Could Paine be that person? Goldsack certainly isn't.

[Bob Sugar]

[Brenny]

^ That (2 rucks plus 1 backup) hasn't worked for Carlton or Essendon this year and years gone by.

I don't really think it worked for us too well against St Kilda.

I personally don't think it's a viable option.

[Skids]

[Pies4shaw]

Good question, Defender.

I tend to agree with mudlark's comments, although as Ev5 just said, we haven't really played the 3-tall forward line. We did briefly against the 'Aints, more to give Witts some game time than because it was Buckley's game plan, I think.

One of the changes Buckley has made structurally (for better or worse) was that he didn't like a "2 KPFs plus the Leigh Brown player" forward line. My early expectation when the interest in Lynch was first announced was that he was going to be played with Cloke and Dawes. Dawes sought clarification from Buckley and, as best one can tell from the various comments made by the player, his agent and the coach shortly after the Dawes/Buckley meeting, it seems that Buckley probably told Dawes that the preferred forward structure was Cloke plus the resting ruckman, a lead-up target (Goldsack, perhaps) and some smalls, so that - barring injury to Cloke - there would be room for either Dawes or Lynch but not both. Hence, Dawes' quick exit.

I don't think that 2-tall structure worked very efficiently last year or this. Of course, it's hard to say whether Dawes' poor forward return in 2012 was because of the reduced help for him created by that new structure or just because he went backwards. Just as it's hard to say whether the reason Lynch has hardly troubled the scorers this year is because of that structure or because he is just getting old (he was, of course, as potent a goal-kicker as Travis at one time, much earlier in his career).

I think the forward structure is presently leading to a lot of hopeless marking contests in the forward line. Typically, if Cloke or Lynch is not available as a target, the last kick into F50 is directed to a very short lead up (at best) target. On Saturday night, eg, that was typically Krak, Blair or Elliott up against a taller opponent. Once again, because the available player personnel is thin at the moment, I don't know whether that aspect of the game plan needs to be corrected by the addition of a third genuine tall or whether the lead-up targets will be less of a mis-match when the preferred forward line players are on the park. I do know that I find it very frustrating to watch.

One thing is certain, though. Leigh Brown's quality and versatility were greatly under-rated. There aren't too many 200+ game 2nd ruckmen to be taken as a late draft pick who can kick 4 or 5 goals from CHF on a good day, take Jonathan Brown (when he used to be able to play football) to the cleaners at CHB, run down and catch a Footscray mid-field star in a final and then physically terrorise the St Vomit back-line in a Grand Final. It's not that Brown could do one thing brilliantly. It's rather that he could do a whole lot of things to at least "good ordinary" standard. The problem with filling his "role" is that it takes a very special tall, strong athlete to do it. There isn't really a Leigh Brown type on the Collingwood list. There are plenty of players who can do better than Leigh one or two of the things he could do but I can't think of anyone who can do them all.

[uuuuu..... The LoneSTAR]

I know it's still early times, but if a player like Jackson Paine could be fast tracked we'd be a more dangerous side.

[Pies4shaw]

[Papie]

I think the Lynch Role would work better if we had a third viable target for the forward line. At present if Jolly is resting forward teams zone off as his lost his mobility and not a real threat anymore. This makes it hard for Cloke as he has 2 defenders at least. If we has another target, Paine maybe this would mean the forward line wouldn't struggle as much when Lynch is in the ruck.

Although at present he doesn't seem to be producing much up forward, his better games have been in the ruck which is a worry

[uuuuu..... The LoneSTAR]

[Papie]

Totally agree LoneStar, we r lacking another target. ANother option will also bring the smaller guys into play more!!!!

Only concern is lack of leg speed a tall option will bring as having THE KRAK in the forward line really slows it down

[Johnno75]

Don't agree. Bucks tried it against the Saints with Jolly and Witts and we looked slow. Maybe now with the sub and 1 less on the bench we need the extra runner that is why Bucks has tried to combine the 2nd ruck forward role.

May possibly work if we play Paine as the 3rd marking tall in the forward line but ideally we would like to turn Paine into a ruck rover type where we could go on the ball if we needed some extra running power.