As a player who can pinch hit.
Forward
Back
Ruck

and possibly can run a little as well.....

Could Carlos play the next 22 games as a super sub.
All clubs will need one
and the player concerned will need to be trained in the role as it could be a vital cog in any side!!

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Stay tuned We're in for a BUMPY ride

I have two thoughts.

1 - play a kid close to regular selection as a method to adapt and gain experience
2 - play an amigo as an impact player

To me the most important questions about the new sub rule are :

1. What sort of player should the sub be?
2. Who do we have on our list who is suited for this role? and
3. Should we look to allocate this role to someone on a regular basis?

To me the answer to the 3rd question is no, otherwise you end up with someone who is getting very little game time which would effect form you would expect and when called upon to sub in early due to injury for example they would lack match fitness. So to my mind it should be a rotating position with the sub getting regularly elevated or eased down to the 2s to get game time, not necessarily every week, but regularly.

There may be times when the sub might be selected due to circumstances, eg a player returning from injury might be not yet ready for a full game but you want to get him some game time at firsts pace. But aside from such situations what sort of player do we want as sub? To some extent this to my mind will be dictated by the ruck situation. A team with only one true ruckman and a very much part-timer to give them a spell would it seems to me need to have a tall on the bench who can cover the "spelling" player in the event that ruckman no 1 goes down, or perhaps run in the ruck himself or spell the speller or cover for the guy who spells the speller etc. Whether that would be the sub or one of the interchange players is another question, but I think most clubs would go for the extra midfielders as interchange.However the Blues do not seem to be in that predicament as long as 2 of Kreuzer/Warnock/Hampson are around as all can play forward to some effect. All 3 could even conceivably be in the team. So assuming we do not need to have a "SPELLER" as our sub what sort of player should it be? Clearly versatility would appear to be the main criteria that the sub will ideally have. To that end I am inclined to the view that it should either be a "speller" or a player with enough height to either play a key position or a least a third tall role but also able to play a midsize role preferably back forward or middle. Who do we have who could be a "speller"? As things stand it seems to me O'hAilpin stands out as that man. Others like Waite or Henderson could do that role (with less capacity to relief ruck) but are too important to have sitting on the bench. Austin might fill the sub role if he is fit and in good enough form, in time one or both of Casboult (handy relief ruck but not much of a defender from what I have seen) and Donaldson if they are kept on might be possibles, but both are only rookies at the moment and neither likely to be promoted (in Donaldson's case must be some risk of being let go).

If on the other hand we went away from the "speller" type, I would think the logical players to look at for the role would be people like White or Thornton ie tall enough to play as a third tall but able also to take a flanking role and can play at either end at least to some degree. Or slightly smaller Walker (if not in the 21) or smaller again Davies, Collins or Anderson (if he stays) can play a third tall type role at a pinch and have versatility in varying degrees.

Lastly, if we decided our structure gave us enough tall/mid-size flexibility and we were prepared to go with a small (which I would only do if we could cover loss of a tall from within the 21) than players like Scotland Lucas or Houlihan (if they were not in the 21) or maybe in time Zac Tuohy have the versatility to play a variety of positions and in the case of Scotland and Houlihan they might benefit from the limitation of grind on their ageing bodies - conversely a teenager like Lucas might benefit from not getting battered too much by more mature bodies, although the trade off there is getting less experience into him.

All in all, I must say that O'hAilpin if he is not commanding a spot in the 21 could well be the ideal sub (although I'd like to see him used down back as our one genuinely tall defensive option) if we were going to give one the role on a somewhat regular basis.

There should be a campaign put the word "Teddy" on the subs bib and when the replaced player comes off the bib should be changed to "Thornley".

There should be a campaign put the word "Teddy" on the subs bib and when the replaced player comes off the bib should be changed to "Thornley".

Collins............

Collins the Super Sub............!


kindest regards tommi








pretty obvious really..........!

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Play Judd as the super sub all season just to see if he would still win the brownlow....

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

A classy comment.

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

Just the best available player. Mid I believe. Easier to rejig the backmen and forwards than find a replacement for a mid.
The problem with the sub is it takes away the role of playing 2 ruckmen. Thats where Malthouse innovated. He started already by playing Brown as the 2nd ruck but in reality a ruck rover role. If your 2nd ruckman isnt versatile, you're almost playing 1 short. Kreuzer will be ideal as a partner to Warnock for that reason.

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T E A M

id use it to get the guys close to breaking senior side a taste without risk of them killing themselves on the field the first time

also wudnt use walker - why waste his huge tank for half a game?

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Better to die standing than to live on your knees...
CAR17ON

Use of the sub will become another tactical play. I see the sub as being a player capable of playing as a midfielder. If no injuries have required the use of the sub prior to 3/4 time I believe the sub will be bought in as a fresh pair of legs for that final quarter burst. The potential lack of game time means that the sub may need to play 1/2 game with the Bullants (if the Ants play the day before the firsts) or if the Ants play after the firsts maybe a full game depending on how the player pulls up. Could be the role that we rotate our younger, emerging players through. It gives them exposure at the highest level so they get an idea of what to expect and what skills they need to work on when they're back playing with the Ants.

Agree with Juddment day here: some of Walker's best attributes are wasted by playing him as the sub. Ditto McLean.

A guy like Setanta, who clearly breaks down every 12 months could be well suited to the role. Some of our better players could be used there when returning from injury or against a lowly opponent to rest them. It's also a good way to blood a couple of youngsters while they're building fitness.

Another tactic could be to place your 2nd ruck there, but that's chancing your arm a bit. Personally I think the best choice is Yarran at this point; still working on his fitness base and can play in a decent variety of positions. Would make a huge impact in the second half.

This is probably the year where we'll see Carrots, Houla & Scotland start to get pushed out of the team for more than a wake-up call.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

Sneaky leaker Tommi?

..don't think so.. ..it's more a case of Brown, even as a pinch-hitting ruck,, is better than either Fraser or Wood.. ..everyone with two good rucks, has played their two good rucks.. ..also, plenty of teams have used their rucks at FF, instead of rotating thru the bench.. ..i reckon we'll do that next year with knockers and krooz..3 interchange would be all mids i reckon..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Where is Ian Prendagast when you need him

Perfect for this role

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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

Brown was not good in the ruck. If Wood isnt better than him as a ruckman he should retire now.

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T E A M

It will be interesting to see how it develops. But for the moment, I agree with all these points.

Absolutely!

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

Robbo - Wheel him in on the Hannibal Lecter trolly and face mask and sit him on the boundary. Unleash him in the second half

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The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

Ronald Reagan