He's played 50-60 Bullants games and shown very little as a forward. He finally seems to be stringing some good games together down back. With some fitness and confidence he might be switched up forward but playing Harts down back has been a success.

He's at long odds to become an AFL player in any position, so I can't see why you'd have a crack at the officials on this one.

I think we'll eventually have all bases covered in a year or 2 down the track with a bit more experience and conditioning to match any potential opposition personnel structure.
Youth and inexperience is holding our potential back at the moment.

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There's so much I could say...

Yep and I reckon up forward as well...Fev and Kruezer/Hampson up forward with the likes of Betts Garlett Robbo and Walker is where we wanna be. The four smalls also ensures greater ability to run into space and a less clogging of the FWD 50 corridor so Fev has the space to run into.

If and when Fish has to play it should be then Fev and Fish as the talls with Fish dropping back into the square behind Fevs leads.

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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

The basic reasons we have more talls than smalls in the fwds and backs:

1) Our talls aren't great / reliable / mature so we need options to shuffle the deck when things aren't working

2) Our smalls for the relevant positions are worse than our talls

It's not always about height. Archer was barely 6ft, Leo Barry the same and Peter Dean was only 185cm. Some guys play tall, some play small. The problem with Thornton and Jamo is they generally play smaller than their height and are more suited to your Medhurst and Johnson types. That basically leaves us with Bower who probably isn't physically ready yet to play on the bigger types. We have a lot of similar types down back. Ideally we'd be able to trade one of them at seasons end for either someone who can play of the big forwards or the running player we're missing.

Fletcher has been unique. You don't really need a 198cm defender though because any forward over 196cm is generally ineffective. You'll get your flash in the pan types like Hale or Trippett that will have a good patch, but the only forwards over 196cm who have been effective over a long period of time are Salmon and to a lessor degree McKernan (197cm). Another argument entirely, but thats why Kreuzer is a ruckman, not a CHF like many here think. Josh Kennedy has become too big to be effective as a forward.

The other issue, which someone else mentioned, is that we've been using Waite as our loose man across half-back. We really need to develop that player. Needs to be brave and tall and committed enough to be third man up and then able to run and dispose of the ball well. I'm not sure who that player is or whether he's even on our list yet. A couple of players like this would be great.

The final thing which helps out any defensive structure is pressure further up the field from a forwardline that are prepared to chase and tackle and an accountable midfield. Its no coincidence that our first 6 quarters this year were fantastic when our tackles were up and we had Robbo and Garlett applying a stack of pressure.

At the moment that intensity and committment have dropped off and our midfield aren't the most accountable types.

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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'm hoping Hill can develop into a dashing HBF .........just look at AJ who would've thought he'd get a look in and have acquitted himself so well.

In fact he looks more comfortable out there than ......you know who.

Be nice wouldn't it Rod! I think a summer in the gym might do him the world of good...still VERY thin, yet skinfolds aren't great either from what I've heard. Needs to play remainder of year in the 'Ants ones...going to be playing suburban footy if he stays in the 'Ants magoos.

With regards to the first point, I would suggest that our marking power for the season was expected to come from Fevola, Cloke & Wiggins. With the later two either suffering injury or patchy form, this has been thrown around a bit. Look for a guy like Walker or Carrazzo to come in as the in between guy that they had Wiggins pegged for. Fisher was a last resort.

As for the second point, I agree. I feel that with Waite out, we are now truly structuring with 4 talls down back. The problem is the medium defenders that should come in and supplant one of them, aren't. Another question of form really.

If we could guarantee a medium forward and a medium defender tomorrow, I think the line-up would lose Fisher & Setanta, then swing Austin forward.

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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.

A definite re-jig of the structure down back this week. With Austin out, leaves Jamison, Thornton and Bower as 3 talls. Setanta could play back there too, if they want him on Brown, but that would over cook it.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

From the 22 picked this week:

Setanta needs to play CHF. Needs to learn/do the "Spalding" role. This is his chance to impress.

Fevola at full forward. Nowhere else! I've said it enough times already.

Kruezer/Hampson out of pocket/ruck with Fisher through there more often than not.

Betts/Houlihan/Gartlett plus extra midfielders is more than enough forward smalls.

Jamison (hopefully he's getting better), Thornton & Bower our KP backs. Austin is showing some fantastic signs!!!!

Armfield/Joseph/Browne the small taggers. Scotland the playmaker and Grigg the HBF.

Midfield is well ... Judd and comp. One of Carrazzo or Hadley MUST stand up through there however. We still need an extractor!

Biggest loss apart from Walker & Waite is JACOBS.
Jacobs was giving our midfielders a fair use of the pill until injured and no coincidence his injury has emulated our form.

Anyway what do I know.

Carazzo is the extractor and offers other options as well...Hadley you can forget about.

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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

Whilst IMO the jury is still out on the Jacobs influence (although I must say the big fella did his job at the taps), this is a post which I consider aligned with my thinking.

I have watched the WCE game a few times, and I have to say Setanta really impressed me. The Spalding analogy has a bit of cred. I think he can do it, as you suggest surrey, he has to do it (again) this week...and keep doing it.

We must pick players in form and capable of winning their position and/or doing their role for the team.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

We do appear to have too many talls, but if they're agile and skilled enough, you can get away with it.

I agree with a number of the suggestions.
I suspect there's a bit of quantity compensating for lack of quality at times.
I suspect if we had more quality defensive mediums/smalls, we'd play less talls.
Given that talls often take longer to develop, I wonder if part of the strategy is simply to try and get some games into our developing talls? I mean, that clearly has been the case with Austin in recent weeks.

Or maybe we're trying to develop the future 'blueprint' for what successful teams need. Perhaps the 2 talls forward/3 talls back theory will be revolutionised by the right team with the right players. And maybe that will be us.