Let's face it, he might be in the top 1% of kicks in the AFL (might even be the best kick), but he is 29 in 2009 and still appears to be in the top 1% of the most unaccountable midfielders in the AFL.

I say let's do with Stevo what we did with Braddles late in his career, and start playing him down back. There's a number of reasons for this...

1. We need some experience in the back half (Bower, Jamison and Austin are all babies)
2. He can provide exceptional re-bound and field kicking from half back (and we probably need more of that)
3. He NEEDS to be taught (forced) to be more defensively minded
4. We won't see players like Bateman run off him and burn us the other way like in R22 last year
5. By removing him out of the Centre it enables us to blood Gibbs as a Centreman, which let's face it is his destiny!
6. We relieve him of his tag and we all know he struggled with the tag on occasion in 2008 (this happens to nearly all the good Mids, even Juddy from time to time)
7. It places pressure on our young mids to start to take more responsibility and step-up (ie: someone else needs to start to blitz when Judd is relieved for 5 mins every Qtr, ie: it's not Stevo Time, rather Gibbs Time or Murf Time)
8. If all we hear about his neck is true, he might be better off out of the heat of the centre square

Only downside is he might not be able to do the hard checking jobs. Is he just too attacking oriented??

What do we all think? Terrific idea is it not?

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

I think we just have to accept he won't be accountable all the time. If he played HB the opposition would instruct the team to play through his opponent, and he would get isolated close to goal. Given he is a poor overhead mark he would be an even bigger liability. Probably better playing him on the wing but rotating him with a few others off the bench.

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Armfield will end up a powerfull runner off a back flank. He had a big 3 or 4 bounce run agains Collingwood and hit Fev on the tit. Looked birlliant.

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Better late than Cerra

Fair point effes.

But re Armfield, I am not sold yet. Sure he did 1 or 2 really nice things, but that's just 1 or 2 really nice things.

Time will tell on Army.

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

Playing Stevens off halfback is all well and good but what do we do with Scotland and Houlihan who have similar issues?

Plus forcing Stevo down back would cut off his biggest weapon... kicking goals on the run from the 50m mark.

I think Stevens is an elite mid, full-stop. His kick to Fev from the tap-out in the Dogs game was unbelievable. He runs hard, he hurts the opposition. Sometimes we get hurt back. Well, it happens, and logic says to me that a bloke who's never been defensively minded is more dangerous closer to your own goal than theirs. Braddles, in my book, was unfairly maligned as an outside, non-defensive player, and was probably more suited to that Luke Hodge role than Stevo. Frankly, I would have friggin hated to play on any of them.

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Dut, de dut, de daaa!

Prefer to play him on a wing so he can deliver into forward 50 as he is one of the best kicks going around. He is also one of the worst handballers under pressure so dont want him on the HBF. Play him to his strengths, receive, run and carry and deliver by foot in F50 or have shot on the run.

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

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Not quick enough. opposition fwd lines would zone off him and target his lack of pace. Is a genuine mid although his foot skills would be valuable in the back half

I must say I was loving the idea as I read the 1st post, but agree 100% with the nay sayers ............. Not strong enough over head, poor handball under preasure (I remember yelling at the TV after he stuffed up like his 3rd handball in a row, it was in one of the last games of the season) and he his strengths are his kicking into 50 to set up goals or scoring them himself. I would love to play Gibbs throw the midfield more, but I don't think it would be as a replacement for Stevens .............

Simple answer...
Stevens needs to paly a role where opposition player worries about him and he doesn't (well he won't) worry about them....this is not in defence...
outside midfielder running to the 50m line and kicking goals? - yes!

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
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Fair comments all round and hard to argue with any of them.

Guess we will see Bateman hurt us again though

Seriously though some very good points.

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

Put Simo on him on the other wing

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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

..that was poor coaching, leavin' stevo in the guts with bateman hanging off him.. ..shoulda moved stevo forward, hawks wont want bateman away from the middle.. ..but yeah, stevo isnt the most accountable, hence no good for defence.. ..play him off the wing..

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

Well............

i've read all that..........and all i can work out is........we're playing Simpson
on Stevens..........!

fair-enough.............why not...........!


kindest regards tommi

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

It worked against Freo, however, from memory he was playing on Peter Bell who is one of the few players Stevens has all over in the air. Can't see it being a permanent tactic as they'll just drag him back to the goal square ala Cameron Ling...

I we are going to look after Stevens as pushes towards his twilight, it should be done on a half forward flank IMO. He has the skills to hurt the opposition where it hurts the most, and can deliver to his fellow forwards better than most. The only other alternative would be the wing for similair reasons.

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Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

This line makes me happy.

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Dut, de dut, de daaa!

Stevo should be a pinch hitting winging off the bench.
He can hurt the opposition when they're vulnerable at certain times during the game.

Murph & Gibbo should have the tank now to take more of the workload off Stevo.

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There's so much I could say...

As Stevo gets older he should move closer and closer to goal, not further away. I reckon defence is a young man's game - let the youngsters play on HB to learn (and to attack). Grigg, Browne, Armfield, Anderson... Thornton even... These are you half-backs.
Let crafty buggers with skill - like Stevo - kick goals and hurt thye opposition on the scoreboard.

Agree that Stevo's best role is on a wing/HFF. Right now the midfield and defense are taking care of themselves, Stevo and Hoops' delivery into the F50 (and between the big sticks) will be crucial to giving us another element to goal.

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