IN: Cleary, Khamis, McComb, McNeil
OUT: Darcy, Keath, Macrae, Williams
Printable View
IN: Cleary, Khamis, McComb, McNeil
OUT: Darcy, Keath, Macrae, Williams
Gardiner back isn’t going to help, he joins the long queue of players that can’t hit a target.
Out - Darcy, West
In - Buku, JJ
Would throw the magnets around a bit too - Macrae off half back with Caleb playing on ball. Dale to half forward and JJ to half back. Buku playing third key forward.
OUT- Anti-defence footy strategy. Players names I could list 18 players.
IN- Actual defence & can we find where desire has gone & get it back in the squad.
Not much.
You're 100% right - there's not much logic behind either move, but not sure there's much alternative either except finding another viable role for the second part of their careers.
Daniel is less dramatic than Macrae but I think he and Dale have been figured out off half back and his ball use has been putrid. He has exposed form as a mid at under-18 level and we're light on through there without Dunkley and Trelouar. Ball use coming out of the back half has been awful - I'd like to see us change up the personnel and have a different look at running defenders - whether that's JJ or Cleary. I still think there's a bit of footy left in Caleb and the class he had two or three years ago would be useful in a poorly-skilled midfield.
Macrae has four more years on a contract that probably puts him in the top 5 well-paid players at the club. I think you could excuse the second part of 2022 as a slump, but now it's looking like he's about dusted as an AFL player. I think he's too slow to play forward, he's stinking up the midfield, so what else do you do with him except send him back to Footscray or play him off half back? Matt Boyd was a similar midfield accumulator (albeit he started his career as an accountable mid/defender) who I thought was no chance at making it off half back at the latter stages of his career, but it reinvigorated him. When he is playing well, I think Jack's intelligence and agility would be handy coming out of defense, and he has done bits and pieces of tagging in the past (I'm definitely stretching here).
Both moves driven more by necessity than evidence, but things are starting to feel dire, so I'd be changing it up rather than continuing down the same path.
We need to make some changes to the side and some changes to the roles folks are playing. I?d start by:
Out: Macrae, Daniel, McLean, West, Keath, Darcy
In: McNeil, Cleary, Buku, JJ, Arty, Sweet
Then I would line a side up like follows:
B: Duryea, Jones, Cleary
HB: Dale, Bruce, Richards
C: Scott, Libba, Bont
HF: Williams, Naughton, Arty
F: McNeil, Marra, Sweet
R: English, Garcia, Smith
B: Baker, Crozier, JJ, McComb
Bont on a wing as he?s the only player we have who can hit a target and one of few who?ll work hard up and down in both directions. Let?s let him do that and not also get smashed as our best contested ball player.
Garcia and Smith in the midfield with Libba. Smith needs to kick the footy better and use his pace defensively but hoping to offset some of our defensive weakness with Garcia starting in there.
Cleary straight into the backline, Will be an instant gain in Keath as can use the ball better and defensively just as good if not better than 2023 Keath
Arty straight in, need some wheels and dash and excitement, just about the only player we have with the creative agility
Williams playing a similar role running up and down but named as a forward.
McNeil to tackle tackle tackle and run hard (unsure if he?s right?)
Sweet not a forward but can?t have less of an impact that Darce did last night (and I still rate King Darce as one of our most exciting talents, but we need to settle a position, play him there in the VFL for 4 weeks and then bring him back once he?s got his swagger back)
JJ to play back, Crozier to play forward, McComb at least has some pace and could tag Dunks/Neale, and Baker keeps his spot just.
It?s slim pickings. Gardner and Weightman straight in when available. And would then look to move Bruce forward again.
Ergh.
I don't think it matters. I said this last week, we are done. We've been overtaken and don't have the cattle on and off the field to compete. It's time to rebuild now and work on bringing young players through. Sack this coach ASAP and start the process for building around a new coach, new team in 2024.
Not bad. Obviously need to do something that Brisbane is not expecting.
But I would begin with English as CHB, Bruce as a forward, and Sweet as First ruck, smith on the wing and Bont taking his position.
Why?
Brisbane have 2 confident tall forwards. Need English?s skills to complement Jones.
I?ve been pleasantly surprised by Bruce this year, but most of the team has played with him as a forward. See if they can rediscover how to work with him. I think this would help McNeil to be more effective.
Some of Bont,s good games have been with Sweet rucking. They link well and it might open up his ability to run and deliver. Bont has been doing too much heavy work lately.
I'm not not convinced we should move our best key back over the first two weeks out of the backline. I'm also not convinced that English can keep up with Hipwood or Daniher in that role.
How I would go
In:
Lobb and Adz (if fit)
McNeil
McComb (starting)
Out:
Darcy (develop in VFL)
Marra (taking time away from club)
West (if he isn't attending CBAs, there isn't a spot for him)
Truck
If Lobb is out, I'd play Buku
If Adz is out, I'd play Truck.
With Macrae, I would only have him out if the club believe he is actually truly sulking/not putting in effort.