ok

this one is for the regular seconds watchers (your Dr Sherrins etc).... or anyone else who cares to lob-in with a view

QUESTION:

Could we ever look to use Hartlett's forward kicking from defensive 50 in the seniors, ie by playing him either loose or picking up the opponent's weakest forward?

ANSWER:

???

Background - clearly we lack a really creative kicker in our back 50... a Drummond, a Gilbee etc who can set up play with decisive kicking. Hartlett - arguably - is best placed among on our current list to do that.

Is there any way we could find a role for him in defensive 50 where we could use this skill without being exposed for pace?

How it might work?

Play Thornton loose in defence, give Bower and Jamo the best 2 forwards and Hartlett the 3rd or high option.

DISCUSS

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We could, but a) Harts lacks pace to play that role and b) I doubt he is in the coach's plans for 2009.

I think Grigg might end up with that role.

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Hartlett will only get a go if we have an injury to either Jamo, Bower or Thornton. We certainly do not need 4 talls down back. Even then we have Austin & Setanta as other options.

As for kicking I think we are developing some options with O'Keefe, Hill, Johnson, Yarran as future possibilities to fill the 'quarterback' type role. At the moment Scotland does the job well along with Stevens and sometimes Grigg or Gibbs.

Certainly do not want a tall filling the role.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Unless they can mark a bloke?

Hartlett has to be played at CHF at the next level, doesn't have the pace to be a defender.

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Firstly - it has nothing to do with playing a KPP role... its about using his kicking

Secondly - Why can't a tall play that role? As long as he can mark and beat his man as well.

Thirdly - Johnson as the quarterback? Johnson's kicking is TERRIBLE

can O'Keefe or Hill kick like Drummond or Hodge?

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Not yet, but I reckon if they make it you'll be enjoying their long kicking

lack of knowledge right there

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Rhys O'Keeffe is the answer for the future. Is going to be a really solid unit. Beautiful kick of the foot...just not sure if the footy smarts are there yet, but I'm sure it'll come. Think taller version of Josh Hunt.

Johnson was recruited expressly for his kicking ability.

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Chris Johnson missed every target he tried to hit!!!!

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likes this

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if Chris Johnson was recruited for his kicking then Ricky Mott was for his dedication to the cause

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Johnson is a lovely long kick of the football, usually. The ability to kick long and accurately isn't everything though - vision, decision-making, execution under pressure all effect how useful pure kicking skill is.

Hartts knows his time at Carlton is nearing an end. The only hope i'd say he is hanging his hopes on is with a compromised draft he could survive the cull as talls will be very very hard to come by.

He is not in Rattens plans for the future so why wouldn't he nominate for the PSD and go back home

No....just no...he hasnt done enough to warrant getting anymore games, not the future.

Hartlett should have played CHF on Sat night. He would have stretched the Lions defence even further and offered more than Fisher IMO.
The guy has only played 8 games and needs to be given more of a chance. Or are people happy to see a KPP who can kick 60m and who we have put considerable time and effort into, come along nicely at Port or the Crows?

I'd be happy to give that a try.

Not that Hartlett's fowardline form warrants it, but moreso that when he did play there against the Tigers last year, he looked really good as a lead up forward till he hurt himself and the opposition.

The problem I have with Fish is not his kicking (sort of) but his defensive pace in the forwardline. I'm not sure if Harts is any better, but he certainly has a great boot on him. The question is how important are long bombs from 60-70 metres out in the modern game? Lob and hope is not too promising imo.

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I haven't read others reports of the Bullants game just yet, but for mine his kicking was absolutely first rate on the weekend. He took a few nice marks too. He gained 50+ metres straight up the guts to a player on more than a few occassions from his kick-ins. Sure it was only the VFL, but everyone had them tipped to give us a hiding so I can only imagine generally their structures are good and it was Hartlett who should get credit for a job well done.

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Just transplanting the following from my posts in the match review thread because it seems relevant here.

I have seen a lot of Harts and had pretty much written him off after his earlier games this season - he was so uncompetitive at CHF that it was embarrassing to watch, he has never shown too much in the way of footy smarts, he has managed only 8 games and is in his 5th season. If he wasn't a 2nd round draft pick he would have been long gone on what he has shown so far.

Having said all that, he now looks fitter and faster (by quite a big margin) than ever before, he has strung together a series of games without injury or suspension and, for the first time in 5 years, he was a dominant player in a VFL match with the apparent confidence to move up and down the ground to make the play.

The more I think about it the more I come back to the following comment: "he has strung together a series of games without injury or suspension"

Confidence is a massive thing. Only a few weeks ago Harts could not buy a kick and he was doing the stupid things that have seen him get suspended in the past. How much of that was due to the frustration of his body not doing what he wants it to do? The same sort of frustration saw Setanta snap and had Scotland doing dumb things early in the year. Harts looked like Edwards does at the moment - unworthy of a place in the VFL. Each week (over only about the past 4 weeks) Harts has been looking and playing better, doing fewer stupid things and taking a leading role in directing his teammates.

I still want to see him string some more dominant games together but I will be watching with optimism that I haven't directed at Harts for quite a while.

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