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AGRO, that was the 3/4/5th best post for a 30/40/50 year old poster who we can expect 50/60/70 posts a year from...

Posts in a separate thread compare Fisher to Richard Dennis & Matt Clape & I tend to agree that he is from the same mould. I reckon Norman down back to pick up the small/medium forwards, Morrell to take the third tall down back, Waite off a wing (hard to match up on) & Fisher floating across HF...............the side is starting to come together & I'm getting very excited!!!

that is what is the most exciting aspect about our forward line.

Fevola = Number 1 Backmen
Whitnall = Number 2 Backmen
Deluca = Number 3 Backmen
Waite = Number 4 Backmen
Fisher = Number 5 Backmen
Betts = Number 6 Backmen

yep, when fish comes back, that is going to be one awesome forward line, and each have a different style so will be very hard to match up on

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Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

Probably one to many talls in your scenario Prez, I think you need to have a Davies size player in the mix of six as he is good overhead as well as good on the ground - not to many defenders in the AFL can match him in both areas.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

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Fisher's goal kicking may have been effected by a minor knee injury, but his field kicking (especially on the run) has always been woeful. There is a reason he got drafted at 72 after all. Wiseby's profile of him specifically said he had tremendous upside if a club was prepared to draft him and work on his disposal. I doubt 12 months out recoving from a knee injury and not kicking a footy has helped his field kicking much.

Until we have some evidence that the above has changed, then there's only one place to play him and that is in the forward line where he can mark it and bang it through the big sticks.

More mine, our best forward line is

Betts - Fevola - Deluca
Fisher - Whitnall - Davies/Lappin

Enough height to stretch any defence, and enough crumbers at their feet when they bring the ball down.

Fisher is a better mark, and a better kick for goal (even when he had niggling injury if that's what it was) than Digby. For mine Diggers needs to make the 3rd defenders spot his or go back to the Blueants when Fisher is ready to roll.

I'm not sure where the right position for Waite is. A great half against he Roos as a forward but often drops out of the game. Questions marks on his disposal. Maybe on a wing rotating through HFF/HFB?? or, dare I suggest he should also go back to the VFL until his disposal sharpens up and let some of the guys who get 30 possies down there every week have a real run in the seniors. I'd love to see what Simmo could do if he actually got a full game (not 10 minutes) in the seniors. He looked sharp in the Wizard cup. But Bannister, Johnno, Bentick and Bowyer are all possibles. Thoughts anyone?

Digby does have the advantage of always making a solid contest and even if not marking, bringing the ball to ground. This should not be undervalued.

Also DeLuca needs to learn to play/float back as French does. For the sake of team balance/consistancy we need to have Deluca learn this. Too much is dependant on French being fit at the moment.

I agree that ideally we should get Lappin into the forward line, imagine how much more quickly Betts will develop with Lappin near him to learn the trade of small opportunist forward.

Waite to the wing for mine.

Whichever way it is, our attack is definitley pushing forward

Prefer Fisher up forward..no way will he ever have the body size to play a key position down back and you would be murdering him. I think his best position is floating around up forward creating a mismatch on a player who doesnt have his marking skills. Fev, Whitnall,Deluca Betts etc will have their days off and you need a Fisher or Longmuir to give you the extra target and be a decoy, I think thats where he is best suited.

I also in the fan club but I would have the Fish closer to goal than most of the other posters. I think he would create real headaches with his pack-marking playing out of the goalsquare

FWIW, here's my ideal forward line...

FF Fisher Fevola Betts
HF Deluca Whitnall Davies/Walker/Lappin

and like some others I would have Waite on the wing

I see Fisher as a scotty Lucan type.
I think he will be able to play back or forward and will add abit of dash.
I dont think his field kicking was that poor in his first few games.
However the word is that his reco uncovered a problem from his first op which meant his knee hadnt healed 'square' which led to his wobbly kicking.
I can say theyre very happy with his recuperation and rehab and if anything are having to hold him back so as to not risk him by starting earlier than schedule.
I think he would make a fantastic defencer and hes bigger than alot of people think he is now. Hes much stronger in the torso and he is one determined bugger.

i also think longmuir could be handy at either half forward flank.

so maybe waite to the wing, fish to a hff or fp and longmuir to be back up for either flank

It's all music to my ears Synbad. As a graduate of the Black Friday draft Fish has always been one of my favourites. Can't wait to see him up and running again.

Perfectly happy to have him prove me wrong on the kicking issue. I have this picture in my head of him mongrel punting one to Whitnall and missing him by a good 10 metres ... but I guess every first year player has those. I didn't see much of him in his second season. To be fair to him, he was certainly thrown in the deep end when he started ... there were no easy introductions through the VFL (like Russell is thankfully getting) for a shiney new draftee in 2003.

The thing I hate most is typecasting.

You never know what a player can do unless you test him.

You don't leave him where you know he can provide a bit, because he'll go stale.

Yes, he could do well as our 5th forward, but our 5th forward is hardly going to get game-breaking chances.

Your 5th defender is much more vital, because he's always in the thick of it where it counts.

What good is a player who can ONLY play as a 5th forward? That's Troy Longmuir syndrome.

Fisher/Waite etc have GOT to get expose to every part of the field...

... we can either have a team of good players, or a good team. What happens in a match where 2 of our tall defenders go down injured?

We've got a 192cm fifth forward trying to take grabs off Fev and Whitnall, and someone like Teague playing on Brendan Lade.

No.... we need to get these guys need to develop all across the park so we're much more flexible.

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Love Cricket? Love me

If you think we need to be trying Waite/Fisher in defence, then the problem as I see it is we've go too many 190-192cm players and trying to cater for them all is going to start robbing players of game time and experience. I think we're approaching the point where some hard decisions need to be made on Digby and (at the risk of being crucified) Prenda. They're honest, corageous and they contest ... but are we now approaching the point where that's no longer enough if it keeps a player who can be more than that on the pine or in the reserves?

Now that I think about it, I agree with what you're saying about Fisher crowding the forward line (which is functional for the first time since Hamill left as far as I'm concerned). If Fisher could play a Chad Cornes-esque read-the-play and mark it role in defence that would be a hugh bonus. We then have the option of bringing him forward as "plan B" if Fevola and Whitnall have a dry day (like Sheeds used to do with Fletcher a few years back). Depends what Fish's disposal is like going forward I guess, but worth trying.

It doesn't really solve the Lade problem you're talking about though, you're still going to be exposed playing 191-192cm player on a 199cm ruckman. We're going to have the same problem with Reiwoldt (who's a tall 193, if that makes sense), Franklin (196), Ottens, and probably half a dozen other forward/ruckman I can't think off. I don't really see this problem going way until Harlett and Setanta come through to give us those extra few inches of height to play around with.

Hmmm, I typed a lot, I hope it made some sense.

Fair call.

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Yes we miss that 196-97cm Justin Longmuir type defender don't we.

Hmmm yeah a Chad Cornes sort of role could work for Fish but there's no point moving him from a position he's showed so much promise in.

Maybe if we are really low on defenders then we could try Waitey and Fish down there but not yet. Leave him forward where he can chip in with 2 a game.

I have a lot of time for Brad Fisher - guys with his marking ability are rare. He makes them stick from anywhere, playing in front, 2nd man, 3rd man, even 4th man.

I see no reason not to try him defensively, however, guys with his hands are wasted at the back. Good defences are usually ones with good fists and closing speed, midfielders pushing back willing to carry the ball out are more valuable in this regard. Fish is a good option for CHF or HFF or wing as an option coming out of defence if his field kicking is reasonable. If it has improved, then goodo.

Having said that, playing him at FF would give us 2 goals/game I think, he is too good a mark to not be kicking to him in a contested situation. He will win even on strength - his body positioning is first-rate, rarely does he ever give up body position - to the point where he regularly outmarks players bigger than him.

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Don't quite agree with this. I think Norman is the perfect size for these blokes and with Thornton @ CHB we have them covered. Livingston is the key to our defensive fortunes. Kid comes good and holds FB and we are away.

How tall is SOS, IIRC he's 191-193cm I think???

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