samblueboy wrote:
You're right, woof.
Jimmae, I think the role he's given doesn't allow him to get in good defensive positions and the amount of work his role requires takes too much out of him to be more defensive.
I think he's visibly one of our hardest workers, seeing him dodge and weave out of tackles then running free, kick inside 50, follow it up and kick a goal. I don't believe there is a player out there who is kicking goals, winning lots of possessions and tackling heaps/adding defensive pressure. You can have forwards who kick goals and run down opponents, but they're not going to get inside and win you clearances. You could have midfielders who tackle like crazy and win the hard ball, but they won't give you 20 plus goals a year
Players have their limitations and that's not going to change. Murphy is great at his role and he should be in the AA side because he has been the most productive goal kicking midfielder, every team needs a player like this, we just need other players to cover the other areas of the ground more effectively for team balance and that will go a long way towards eliminating perception that the team is one way traffic.
I accept that, but I watch him coast when we don't have the ball.
Not expecting him to be as defensive as some of his team mates because yes, he does have an attacking role to play, but he needs to demonstrate the capacity to be part of the defensive structure when we go through periods without the ball. If we're not getting the opportunities to attack, maybe he can sit back away from CHF when we have the ball and stop the opposition streaming up the corridor should there be a turnover. He can still do damage from there kicking to a lead.
There is a time to attack and a time to defend. Seemingly we go nuts in the offensive direction EVERYTIME we have the ball. I don't want start-stop football, I just don't want numbers streaming towards the 50 every single time.