Why doesn't Tom Boyd lead?

[1eyedog]

Like ever! Is he being wasted as a get out clause? I understand our smalls benefit from having him there and we have a glut of leading mid-sized forwards but he's quick for his size and could surely offer more than a stand and deliver type.
P.s. love Tom Boyd!

[westdog54]

Two things:

There were a couple of occasions lady night where he made good hard leads up the wing to give us an potion chiming out of defence, and on both pains he used the ball very well. So it's wrong to say he never leads.

I don't mind him staying at home as it's the part of his game that, in my view, needs the most work. He's never going to ferry any love from the umpires so he needs to start winning the wrestling matches. He needs to use that hulking frame of his to get free and put the dukes up, because when he does that he generally clunks the mark.

[1eyedog]

True he does provide a target further up the ground. I mean a leading full forward type. ARe teams closing down space in D50 that much that it makes it very hard to lead?

[ledge]

He is getting his hands on it but dropping a few, but holding them more often and his body strength will start to come next year after each pre season as his body muscles up and he matures.
He gets in the right positions to mark and bodies his opponent well, problem is he is up against seasoned full backs, but he still managed to get the better of them at times. He is only 19 !

[westdog54]

True he does provide a target further up the ground. I mean a leading full forward type. ARe teams closing down space in D50 that much that it makes it very hard to lead?

When you get a chance to look down the ground it certainly seems that way.

[bornadog]

True he does provide a target further up the ground. I mean a leading full forward type. ARe teams closing down space in D50 that much that it makes it very hard to lead?

GWS certainly clogged up our forward line yesterday especially after quarter time. Most of the game was actually played in our forward half. This didn't give Tom many options.

However I do know what you mean about leading. I think he is still learning the game.

[1eyedog]

Kicking it on his head seems low percentage to me as he always has a 2 on 1. I guess the key is quick ball movement through the middle of the ground. Even when we do this and isolate him he still plays a contested style rather than looking to create separation.

[bulldogtragic]

As Red Gum says: He's only 19.

[GVGjr]

He will be a far better player when he leads hard and commands that they kick it to him.

[always right]

He's not quick off the mark and struggles to get separation......which is why he seems to be better on a longer lead further up the ground. He also seems to be easily frustrated by the grappling of defenders and seems to get a bit caught up in the wrestle. I expect as his large frame gets much stronger he will simply shrug off defenders in much the same vane as Tom Hawkins.

[1eyedog]

As Red Gum says: He's only 19.

Isn't leading one of the first things you learn as a FF at junior level? Every coach teaches it. I haven't seen one successful lead out of attacking 50 so far ala Jack Riewoldt. Agreed his reading of the play will develop but the complete lack of, as GVGjr says, hard leading must be part of the game plan surely i.e ensuring the best defender / 3rd defender up cannot affect the contest. There's no doubt Stringer has benefited from his inclusion.

[bulldogtragic]

Isn't leading one of the first things you learn as a FF at junior level? Every coach teaches it. I haven't seen one successful lead out of attacking 50 so far ala Jack Riewoldt. Agreed his reading of the play will develop but the complete lack of, as GVGjr says, hard leading must be part of the game plan surely i.e ensuring the best defender / 3rd defender up cannot affect the contest. There's no doubt Stringer has benefited from his inclusion.

Not necessarily if your 10cm and 20kgs more than other kids. My guess is he's playing under instruction to create space for others, or spoil to crumbers. It seems to be working if that's the plan.

[Twodogs]

He's being held a lot too. Quite often yesterday the ball would be coming in and the fullback would have his arm around Tom or even a fair chunk of his jumper. An umpire would be standing 15 metres away watching and not seeing what thousands of us could see from up to 150 metres away.

[Webby]

For me, Boyd's great value is his ability to take on multiple tall defenders and rarely being out marked. With our current structure, i think it suits our smaller crumbing fleet to have those contests closer to goal.

In time, i think he'll get on his skates and come out a bit. In fact, with Will and Roughie potentially resting up forward, we may see Boyd coming up the ground a bit more often. However i strongly suspect he'd have been instructed to present himself inside the 30m arc more often than not to this point in time.

[ledge]

Imagine if Stringer played yesterday and Stringer got the best Backman , Boyd would have had a field day , losing Stringer and Crameri can be detrimental to who plays on who in the forward line.