skilled outside midfielders

Harvey · Joined: 15 Oct 2003

most of u seem to think that wat we r desperately lacking is a skillful outside midfielder. however, with lonie, didak, davis, shaw, lockyer and woey all considered to be outside players, y is everyone making out that we have no one in this category. i mean i would be more worried about our in and under midfield brigade with burns and buckley nearing the end of their careers, mcgough prolly to be traded and shacks on the edge of delisting. apart from those, only licca, holland and bj are capable of playing as the in and under players with lots of hard ball gets.

if we are going to trade/draft all out to fill our 'lack' of recievers, how r we going to be able to replace the hardness from the loss of bucks and burns in a couple of years?

Johnson#26 · Joined: 18 Dec 2003

Lonie will never be a genuine midfielder. He will progress to be a running wingman, but not a midfielder as such. Didak and Davis are hoped to make the move the midfield next season, and it really is crunch time for them - as they have so much skill and abillity. Woey and Lockyer are not outside midfielders, both more in and under players feeding it out. JUlian Rowe will get a role like that in the future while Shaw's future is still under a cloud. That is why losing Scotland hurt. We have to get another quick and skilled midfielder for 2005. Travis Johnstone is the man.

Dale61 · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:56 pm

Harvey wrote:

labrooy · Joined: 18 Sep 2003 Location: Toowoomba, Qld

I think that is where a player dives on the ball with the intention of forcing a ball up.....

Dale61 · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:07 pm

Thx labrooy, but that would be a HARD ball get.

labrooy · Joined: 18 Sep 2003 Location: Toowoomba, Qld

I thought a Hard ball get was when you actually won possession of the ball, not hid it.....

Dale61 · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:15 pm

Maybe it's when a player gets the ball and hides it up his jumper, then tries to get away before anyone notices.

Harvey · Joined: 15 Oct 2003

lol sorry i meant a hard ball

Harvey · Joined: 15 Oct 2003

Johnson#26 · Joined: 18 Dec 2003

You are never too small to win ahrd balls. Remember Libba. Lockyer is a link man who can do the hard stuff.

rand corp · Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Location: south east asia

Lockyer - on the soft side, can go missing when it gets tough
Lonie - not good enough below his knees to be a genuine mid
Didak - on the slow side and needs to build up his aerobic capacity
Davis - on the soft side and needs to build up his aerobic capacity
Holland - inside hard nut that lacks quality at times
Licca- tremendous servant, good aerobically, in and under, lacks quality skills.
Woey - Slow, holds onto the pill for too long, can make poor decisions in the crunches.
Roids - Seems to go better when given a task as opposed to being let free
Rhyce - Soft, poor disposal, poor decision making, has some pace.
MCG- ball magnet, poor foot skills, slow, poor defensive side.
Cole- Seems to need a task as opposed to being left to his own devices.
Lokan- can tag effectively occasionally but looks very limited, has little more to his game than straight line speed at this stage, cannot find the ball.
Swan-has smarts at times but seems to lack pace and footskills
Rowe- early days but looks to have pace and skill, decent overhead and can find the pill. As an outside player can be caught running alongside and just watching the play at times. Poor defensively.
Mullins- where did he go? Slowish but good skills and can read the play.
As an outside player can be caught running alongside and just watching the play at times. Poor defensively.
Bo- Might turn into a reasonable wingman yet, footskills an issue and ability to get into the play.
OB- Soft at times, slow, very poor disposal by foot.
Leonard- Very early days, looks to have the goods but, has a history of injuries. Some queries on decision making.
Burns- ageing champion expected to spend more time forward
Bux- same as Burns
B. Shaw- Not quick but smart and skillfull, will get his chance.
H. Shaw- Looks best suited to HFF or FP. Maybe wing eventually.
Shack- slow, poor conditioning

Now, I realize that I am underplaying the upside of most of these guys but, this is meant to look at what we don't have as opposed to what we do. None of these guys are blessed with deft skills, good pace and an ability to run out a game in conjuction with each other.

When we had Bux, Burns and Licca firing in the middle, we had a midfield capable of beating the best. However, Bucks and Burns are slowed by age and injury and Licca is a shadow of his former self without these twin pillars either side of him. He's still very good, just not as good or perhaps, more to the point, he hasn't been able to go up a cog to fill the void left by these two with the cast set around him.

Woey is no Bux, Licca is no Burns and Dutchy is a poor man's Licca in some respects. O'B, when asked to step up went completely missing instead, MCG looks brilliant at times then lets himslef and the team down very badly at others.

Locks has gone from a man very servicable on a half forward flank or wing on his day, to a man coming back from a serious knee injury and looking a shadow of his former self, which was not a champion.

Others have been thrown in there, either in purely negative tagging roles or as alternative options -with minimul success.

Didak and Davis look reasonable prospects however, both had poor years as forwards, both need to work a hell of a lot on their fitness to have any chance at success in the midfield. Both have beautiful skills, Didak is gutsy but slow, Davis is reasonably quick but a little soft.

Brayden Shaw should be moved to the head of the list as a project and given his chance in the midfield at Willy early. Wasted on the HFF for most of the year this year.

Rowe looks a natural on the wing with his good pace, disposal skills, overhead skills and ability to read the play. Some attitude issues remain and mentoring will be important.

Leonard- I'd elevate the kid now and give him every chance, has a lot of what we need in abundance and really impressed in the pre-season until he completely tore his hammy of the bone.

Bo- Leave him on a wing at Willy (where he showed his best form) and give him a chance to cement a place for himself.

Johnson#26 · Joined: 18 Dec 2003

Brown26 · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:42 pm

I totally agree we need a ball winner, not an outside player, we've got enough of those. Entice Judd to Victoria and I'd be very happy, but it's only a dream - hope the Shaw boys come through next year.

Didak will be a great midfielder when he develops a bit more puff.

- Ben

Harvey · Joined: 15 Oct 2003

rand corp · Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Location: south east asia

Sorry to disagree but, whilst Dutchy, Licca and even Woey are all capable of getting the hard ball, collectively they lack an ability to move the ball quickly through skill and pace.

We desperately need to inject some skill and pace into the midfield IMHO.

Whilst I think Didak, Davis and even MCG all have a role to play in our midfield next season, I do not see Shacks making it, we do not need another short, fat-arsed, slow, hard-nut, footballer in the midfield.

WE NEED SKILL AND PACE.