Regardless of whether Fev gets injured or not, they should certainly try playing without him in some of their preseason games next year. Our players need to learn to trust other options if we're going to be more dangerous up forward.

Special K

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Plan B is to beat the opposition.

As is Plan C, Plan D, Plan E etc.

Kick it long like Ernie!

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C'mon Blueboys!

If Fev was out we have options.

Some posters believe we're doomed, whilst others identify with the problem we have with having a one dimensional forwardline (when Fev plays).

Firstly, I believe with the addition of the raw and young Warnock to The Kruze and Hammer, the ruck division is tall enough to add more opportunity than last year, so there will be more supply going forward than the other way around.

Secondly, I believe we have a very good on ball division with a fair share of class, who are naturally good at clearances, and will get more share of the tap outs (with addition of Warnock). Furthermore, with another preseason under the belt of Murphy, Gibbs, Grigg and Betts, and a good preseason for Hadley, Stevens and Walker, we will be a 5-10% better midfield with the same personnel.

We can take a small option (ala Williams at Hawks) with Betts at FF and run the ball further up the ground rather than kicking it long to Fev, or we can go for a tall target at FF.

We have ample tall options being Hartlett, Kreuzer, Setanta or Cloke. Fisher is a good lead and may surprise; Edwards has a bit of pace and may be good there too.

Sure Fev is class, and adds value, but I think without Fev (and I don't want that) we would revert to a multi prong attack.

I don't believe we will go backwards without Fev, because I believe with the improvement of the list, we have improved on every line; we will be a better team in 09 than 08.

As always it depends on the braintrust in the box. Are they good/ smart enough to conjure up the right game plan to win without Fev, and will the players be able to execute such a plan?

The big question I have is when we play Geelong or Hawks. Are we strong enough at the contest in the middle and around the ground? With or without Fev, thay will be our biggest challenge. It's a pity we don't play those two teams twice to practise and gauge our deficiencies against them, let alone measure our improvement against those 2 teams in the 2009 season.

I wish we played every team twice!!

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

switch Lance forward..

Ratten will become captain coach and kick 80 or something.

But seriosly fev is not the be all and end all. He is the best FF in the league at the moment, but how many FF have won grand finals?


Yabblett snr, nearly got one, nearly, but did not.


Plan B is what ever ratts comes up with, and judd is a bonified god so were could we go wrong?

melvey,
dont care about the next best stuff because we need a CHF and a CHB. like to see hurley at our club to fill the chb role and release waite but i think he will be gone so a key forward is what we need before another mid or another medium defender.

We will have a multi pronged unpredictable forward line that we rotate players through and we redefine forward lines from that day forward.

The tactic becomes Ratts masterstroke and something he is famous for like Clarkson and his cluster and Worsfolds handball at all costs.

Fev then comes back and plays his role in the multipronged forward line and finishes the next five years with 55 goals a year in the most potent attack in the land.

So dont fear.

At the risk of blowing my own horn, I wrote on a thread somewhere on here before last season that if we play Waite back, and use Fisher as our CHF, that we would spend the entire season lamenting the fact that we don't have a CHF/alternative to Fev, and that Fisher would be rendered ineffective. Unfortunately, this is how it transpired.

The season before, I had actually argued that Waite should be played at CHB, but then we still had Kennedy and Whitnall.

For 2009, we must develop a legitimate CHF. I am unconvinced of Cloke's suitability for that role (in fact, I'm unsure of what role Cloke is suitable for, which worries me. And I am a Cloke fan). That leaves 2 options.

The first, and preferred, is Hartlett (of the Adam variety). IF, and it's a big if, he can stay on the field, then I would give him a stretch of games, and let him know that he's getting them, to make the position his own. He was recruited for that role, he's a second rounder...he should be the first priority there.

If that doesn't work, or he can't get on the park, then it has to be Waite. We need to go with Jamison, Bower and Thornton as the talls down back, with eventual backup from Austin (who still may be a year away from regular first team footy) and O'hAilpin, if he takes the next sttp. Waite becomes the roaming CHF, with Fisher the third tall, which is the role he is best at.

I'm not sure I'd like to see Kreuzer as a permanent forward. I'd like him to have stints on the forward line, stints in the ruck, stints on a wing (let him run and enjoy for a bit) and some time on the pine. Slowly slowly with the big K.

And if Hartlett does hold down CHF, I'd like to see Waite released onto a wing when not needed down back, or as a floating half forward. I think that premiership clubs have X-factors. Players who can really hurt the opposition and can't be contained. We don't have many of them at the moment. Judd, Fevola...that's about it. I think Waite can be an X-factor, if used on a wing or floating half forward, would be very difficult to contain.

As maligned as Terry Wallace is, he stumbled onto something last year that should be ringing bells for other clubs. Athletic, mobile big men who can run and mark and are hard to match up on. We have 3 of them. One already established (Waite), one who will be a star in a few years (Kreuzer) and one who is still a project player (O'hAilpin). I'd like to see us using them to create X-factors, to become unpredictable, to give opposition coaches headaches when they try and work out match ups.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

I think will will be aiming for Yarran in the draft to help out if this scenario takes place.

Or

How about we put Warnock at yes 206cm..... The big K and Hartlett down there and kick it as high as possible

Nah just get more cotton wool for Fev!

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I support the Navy Blues whatever happens!

Good call Denis

What's sad though is that when the opposition try this gameplan with their resting ruckman, they always kill us

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

That's because our backs are still developing and are still a bit light IMO.

We dont have a real tall defender. But with another preseason under their belts we should be in better shape to defend that game plan.

Anyway we'll have the ball so much we wont even need a back line

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I support the Navy Blues whatever happens!

Jarrod Waite is our Luke Hodge without the immaculate foot disposal. As much as i hate to say this but Jarrod Waite is a far better player down back than up forward. When Waiteys played forward he gets lost. Is in and out of games, set him a task down back he will do it, he rebounds from the defense, takes those crucial marks but the only thing is he turns it over

I don't think CHB is as dire as you make out. Besides Croad what do the hawks have down back?? It's all about the midfield and the pressure and support they produce

Im all for picking the next best talent. You must rate the kids and take the next best from that list especially with it being a compromised draft. We don't wanna pick another Silvagni (luke Livingston)

Not saying we shouldn't get Hurley but I think you've got the wrong approach. Early picks should be used on the best player available IMO, then you can target your needs with the rest of the picks. Having pick 6 is like gold (especially with compromised drafts coming up) and we can't afford to be let down by this pick. We need to draft a star, regardless of position. If all things are equal and WH can't decide who is better, then by all means take the position you need. Now I don't know much about the draftees so I'm saying who is better, but hypothetically I would hate to think WH would pick Hurley even if he rated Hartlett or Ziebell or whoever as a better player. Again, if Hurley is the best available, get him and I'll be stoked. Just get the best.

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Maybe we could temp Mick Martin out of retirement...........

Where are the stats

Waite has appeaered to have preformed well everytime Fev has been out


Waite is plan B


and if Fev hadn't pulled his head in he would have been Plan A now

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

With Fev in the side he gets lots of possessions in CHF territory. I don't recall the exact number but over 20% of his goals have been kicked from outside 50. It was reported in a radio call late in the season.
I think the best setup is to have Fev leading out towards 50 and have Kreuzer running into the space behind him.
Two marking targets plus Betts & Houla as crumbers will get us more goals and a better spread across players.
If we can get that kind of structure together we will be less reliant on Fev for our goals and be in a better position to cope without him.

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We're getting closer to 17

Mark my words Kreuz will be a revelation in the forward line in coming years. He and Fev will become an awesome duo and learn to complement each other, and if given space, (and a ridiculously good midfield) they will be very, very hard to stop.

I believe the Warnock recruitment is the best thing that could have happened to us other than Judd, as I think (or at least hope) Ratts is planning on developing Kreuz into a permanent key forward. With Warnock and Hammer he can do that

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