I would like to see Setanta get a decent run at FB. However for that to happen, one of Jamo, Bower or Thronton will have to miss out.

Austin will be good IMO, improving all the time he is a big unit and uses the ball well. When he gets a decent run at it I reckon he will be our next long term CHB.

Losing Jamison really hurts us. In fact, if you were to list the players we can least afford to lose (not who is the best player), Jamison is up there in the top handful. Probably only Fevola, Waite and maybe Judd come ahead of him at this point.

Jamison will be a top line full back, I am confident of that. He would have taken Lloyd on Saturday night had he been fit, who knows how that might have changed the game? Pray his shoulders hold out. Thornton is an excellent 3rd tall. Bower,is developing nicely. He has a way to go, but his progress so far I think has been good.

The question is who plays the role of 2nd tall down back. It's been Waite or Thornton, between them, I think most of the time they will get the job done. We may struggle against teams that have multiple key forwards (Brisbane, Hawthorn, St Kilda), but the rest, we should be ok with. The games against Collingwood last year showed that we can keep small forwards in check (Medhurst, Davis, Thomas were kept out of both games, by Jamison, Thornton and Bower). The key to stopping the multiple key forwards actually lies with the midfield pressure, we saw that against Brisbane. No doubt it helps to have good key backs, not having Jamison allowed Bradshaw off the hook, but when we were on top in the midfield, their forwards were out of the game.

How do you stop Franklin, Roughhead and Williams? Southby, Doull and McKay might. Langford, Mew and Ayres might. Scarlett, Harley and Milburn do ok. But the best way to stop them is to stop the supply.

If Austin could take CHB, that would be massive for us. But he's a long way off it seems. Waite/Thornton will do well against most teams over the next couple of years, and that's ok, cause we're not a serious Premiership threat realistically till 2011 anyway. So we have a couple of years for Jamison to keep up his excellent development, Bower to take 2 more steps, and to find that 2nd kep defender, be it Waite, Austin or someone else.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

The problem is that Waite, Thornton and Bower are all very good at the role they're suited too, but they're tall flankers rather than KPP.

Maybe we bite the bullet, play Waite on a wing, let Thornton play that sweeper role Waite is playing and try out Edwards, Hartlett, Austin, O'hAilpin until one of them stands up as the 2nd tall and if they don't then look at how we can obtain one.

Hawthorn's defence gives you hope, but they get a lot more help from the midfield and zoning and have Hodge to quarterback everything.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

I agree TBB although I am doubtful on Hartlett and Edwards.

If we could eventually line up in defence with:

B: Joseph Jamison Thornton
HB: Armfield Austin Johnson

with Waite dropping back I reckon that would be one very good defence. Setanta an option for the Gorilla's.

IMHO, our best possible backline at the minute:

Browne, Setanta, Thornton
Bower, Jamo, Armfield

Austin not too far away. Joseph and maybe Anderson options for bp/hbf, but not sure that Ando will make it in the end. Of course, 1AW also a candidate for HBF on his return.

I think Jamison is better suited to FB.

I have no doubt that if Setanta is playing in the back half, it has to be on the half back line, not the full back line. His athleticism means he can keep up with players running around trying to find space across half back, but he struggles when trying to stay on a lead from full back. It requires a much more exact understanding of the flow of the game, and I'm not sure he has that. If you remember back to the second game against Richmond last year, he started at half back and started well, then Hughes took him back to the full back line and he got burned on the lead a number of times. It's going to be an issue for him if he does come back into the team, I think other teams will look to take him back to full back and exploit that.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

It's all about forward line, and midfield defensive pressure.

You can have a world class back 6, but if the ball's coming in there every 60 seconds, you're going to get a bag kicked on you.

Conversely you can have a defence full of rookies, but with proper defensive pressure further up the field, you can limit the opposition's forward 50 entries, and deny them chances to score.

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I AM DISENFRANCHISED

gorillas on the list, not a great movie that ... a very disappointing ending

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NG
S M C , S F L

my hunch is that Hampson would be a useful addition down back, he's athletic and certainly tall enough

with Kreuzer and Jacobs (and Warnnock to come) working reasonably well at teh mo, he could be tested down back.

we are not top 4 material yet (the real deal) so what have we got to lose by this ?

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NG
S M C , S F L

I had never really though of Hartlett as a backman, but something about the idea appeals to me. he certainly has the height to do it. would certainly be interesting to give it a shot. he has had 4 years to make it as a forward and isn't happening. It has worked in the past for players, Leppitsch (sp?) and Merrett at Brisbane. its also failed dismally... Livo . still it would be interesting to see what would come of it non the less

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

Setanta was terrific at CHB last year had one average game and was dropped. Plenty of speed, strength, mobility, real aggression and isn't that bad at hitting up targets. Does have most of what we want. Must play each week. To go in without a true KP backman Saturday was the height of arrogance, especially against Lloyd, Lucas, Ryder etc... As quickly as Essendon* moved the ball Lloyd took a number of contested marks where a KP backman would've been handy. Just one contested mark less....................

Pagan....lol!

His TAC Cup team, the Northern Knights sits nicely at the bottom of the ladder losing by 38 and 123 points in consecutive weeks looking hopeless. Attempting to play the same game style he played here, which isn't in the spirit of a "developmental" league.

Anyway, I digress........

Maybe he hasn't got the cattle

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

Austin
Austin

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Go to http://www.snoutslouts.org/ for a look at the mighty GFC...

You need not worry Brent Montgomery is in charge of our back line and developing our defenders.

I had to double check that this thread wasn't actually started in 2007

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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

I say our issue is that the current 4 down back are similar type's players. T-bird, Jammo, Bower and Waite are all same height and at best half back flankers and not genuine FB or CHB's. None of them other than Waite create any drive off half back which adds to what i see as our biggest issue the lack of any run off half back.

Now those who argue Setanta is no good, well i didn't see T-bird, Jammo, Waite and Bower hold down Bradshaw and Brown two weeks ago. Bradshaw kicked 6 and brown 4, Llyody bagged himself 5 and Lucas 2. Setanta has amazing closing speed, is able to get a fist in and does not hold back. HE IS A MONSTER who can fill a role freeing up a T-bird to become a more rebounding defender (more on that later)

We need to settle on two talls down back. For mine those two are Jammo and Setanta to fill those two key posts and surround them with 6 who can rotate through the backline and create run off half back. The likes of Armfield, Johnson, Browne, Scottland and Joseph. Unfortunately we have programed Thornton into this lethargic type player who skips around. T-bird needs to get on his bike and use his best asset (his kicking) to our advantage splitting the game open and hitting the likes of Armfield and Brown who should be busting there arses out of defense ala Chance Bateman.

The Dogs have Lake and Morris, Cats had Scarlett and Egan, Hawks have Croad and Gilham. Two talls and then are surrounded by mid to smalls with plenty of drive.

Waitey should be played on a wing kind of a Richo role who can pinch hit up forward or plug a hole down back.

Egan hasn't played for a long time, Gilham is a dud who is helped enormously by the Hawks all ground pressure, Morris isn't genuine KP size, Tom Harley isn't very good man on man either...he's good when he can play loose, read the play and cut off inside 50s but one on one he can be exposed. Jamison has the ability to hold the full forward, unfortunately injury meant Bradshaw cut loose and then he missed this week so couldn't play on Lloyd. I still believe if Bower can put on some more size he has the closing speed to be able to play CHB, as he has shown against someone like Travis Cloke.

I think Austin is more suited to reading the ball coming in rather than playing on a quick leading forward or hard leading CHF.

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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

Gilham dud?

Maybe not a dud... just would be really crap if he had to play for us.......

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