Jed Adcock - What role will he play?

[GVGjr]

The Jed Adcock selection as a rookie wasn't greeted with a great deal optimism by a lot of our supporters who felt he was too old at 30 and that he would push a couple of our talented youngsters down the pecking order.
It took me a couple of days to grasp that his selection should be a positive for the club.

Lets look at some of his attributes

- He's a 200 game player that will add a lot to our club especially given we are light on for players that have played more than 100 game.
- He's been a captain of a club and he will be able to provide a lot of leadership to our youngsters.
- He's durable having missed only a couple of games here and there over the last 5 seasons.
- He's very versatile having played a lot as a small defender and a mid but he also kicked 4 goals in a game twice last season.

With the loss of Crameri and with Clay Smith likely to miss a large chunk of the season I think Adcock is a perfect addition for us.

I'd like to get some feedback on your thoughts of Jed Adcock in 2016?

Some other thought starters:

Where do you think he will play for us?
How many senior games will he play?
Will he make an impact for us?

[bulldogtragic]

I think it was a good signing. Bevo wrapped him up at a function last year. I think he can play multiple roles for the team, which is a big plus. He looked good playing forward late last year, but can play off the HBF to release Murphy if Bevo so wanted to. He's a tough, hard body, a proven AFL quality and a very good leader who obviously spoke up internally about the joke of club Brisbane was. With Stew gone I like we have Adcock. As for games, it's like last year. That is, if he's fit and in form he gets a game. But if a younger player is in better form for the roles Adcock might play then he's back developing and helping players in the VFL. I look forward to seeing what he can do, he obviously has a point to prove to himself, our club and the club that dumped him. I like that aspect because in form he's a good AFL player who is flexible in roles.

[jeemak]

With any recruit we bring in I ask myself whether that recruit increases the overall talent profile and versatility of our list. In my view, Adcock does.

If we're talking mature age recruits I then think about the less tangible aspects of football outside of on field performance (positive attitudes, leadership experience etc.), and whether there's additional benefits by taking them on. In honesty I can't say I know much about Adcock's attitude as a player, though you don't get to become a vice captain alongside the likes of Luke Power and Simon Black at the age of 22 if you don't possess these qualities. So bringing someone with these qualities into the club can only be a positive.

Like BT, I think he's going to be rewarded for good form and played when list constraints allow him to. I can see him playing a role similar to the role Liam Picken played in 2015. That's of a balanced running midfield flanker that is versatile enough to get back and defend as required, but also be attacking enough to accumulate possessions and keep the footy off the opposition for longer.

With the change to the substitution rule and a restriction on interchanges we'll need his mature body to bolster our running capacity. I think due to these aspects we'll see notable tiring in the likes of Macrae, Bontempelli, Dahlhaus (to an extent), Honeychurch, Stringer, Hrovat, Dale etc. More so than playing a set forward or defencive position, I think Adcock will be part of an extended midfield rotation.

[LostDoggy]

The value of Adcock is more apparent the nearer we get to the season, especially after losing Crameri. With our mid defenders collectively an older bunch and the forward mids now also an important, experienced man down, Adcock will provide invaluable depth.

His versatility, durability and experience will no doubt count for a lot.

I think he will plug holes forward and back but midfield time will be minimal, with just too many ahead of him.

I reckon he'll play 6-12 games depending on injury/form of others.

I am not as bullish on Adcock as some, we know what his ceiling is and it is concerning that Leppitsch, who would know him as well as anyone, let him go when Adcock clearly wanted to stay and Lions clearly needed all the leaders they could muster, citing that he thought Adcock's best was behind him.

Against that, Bevo rates him and no doubt chances will come his way.

I reckon what you see is what you get with Adcock (a good thing). I hope this doesn't come across overly harsh, but I hope he plays less games rather than more, because it will mean the likes of Webb, Dale, Biggs, Daniel and Maclean will be beating him for spots.

[F'scary]

I agree with Peanuts, I would rather see more games for our 2014 draftees, they are the longer term future. However, Adders does fill a specific need (experienced, ready-to-play) if player availability is down at some stage of the season.

[Ghost Dog]

The Adam Goodes recruitment is the model for what we want with Adcock I think. A steadier in the backline.

Gia became the go-to man late in his career and was certainly not a wasted slot on our list. It's hard to weigh the tangibles of a strong leader from the stands, but in training, maybe some of what the young blokes can deliver on field, Adcock will have a hand in during training.

Expect Adcock to make an impact late in the season. He will be keen to prove himself by example when he does come on. Expect a few appearances in the 'Big hits' highlight reel.
He will play predominantly back, as a small defender, and pinch hitting in the midfield.
Expect tackling and decision making to be his strengths.

[Rocco Jones]

I think with interchange caps, players who can rotate between mid and fwd/def will become increasingly valuable. I primarily see Adcock playing forward, with ability to have his turn in the middle and play down back when needed. I think we are well covered for medium/small defenders with Bob, Boydy, JJ, Biggs, Wood and Morris.

[Rocco Jones]

Also, I am not a believer in the apparent notion that playing as many kids as possible = best for long term development. I think mature guys like Adcock can help the kids.

[jeemak]

The value of Adcock is more apparent the nearer we get to the season, especially after losing Crameri. With our mid defenders collectively an older bunch and the forward mids now also an important, experienced man down, Adcock will provide invaluable depth.

His versatility, durability and experience will no doubt count for a lot.

I think he will plug holes forward and back but midfield time will be minimal, with just too many ahead of him.

I reckon he'll play 6-12 games depending on injury/form of others.

I am not as bullish on Adcock as some, we know what his ceiling is and it is concerning that Leppitsch, who would know him as well as anyone, let him go when Adcock clearly wanted to stay and Lions clearly needed all the leaders they could muster, citing that he thought Adcock's best was behind him.

Against that, Bevo rates him and no doubt chances will come his way.

I reckon what you see is what you get with Adcock (a good thing). I hope this doesn't come across overly harsh, but I hope he plays less games rather than more, because it will mean the likes of Webb, Dale, Biggs, Daniel and Maclean will be beating him for spots.

Do you think with modified interchange conditions we can actually have players who plug spots back and forward week to week (assuming you mean as a defender or forward mainly exclusively)?

I'd probably agree with your assessment of his likely role if it wasn't for those changed circumstances.

If I take it a step further, I look at all of Murphy, Suckling, Boyd, Wood, Biggs and JJ taking up the more regular small defender spots, supplementing midfield requirements with one or two stints for each on a wing throughout a game. Then when I look forward, irrespective of losing Crameri I see Dahl, Wallis, Hunter, McLean, Bontempelli, Dale, Stringer, Stevens and Dickson (plus others) all taking forward spots as well, with a lot of them having to rest in those spots due to the midfield time they usually have to play.

Essentially what I'm saying is, I don't think there's going to be holes to plug at each end if we're fit, as there's only going to be one dedicated small forward on our list this year (Dickson) and only a few dedicated backs of Adcock's size (Murphy, Biggs, Suckling and Boyd - Easton plays pretty tall).

[stefoid]

in case of emergency break glass

[Ghost Dog]

What kind of role can't he play? Has a killer look in his eyes. Similar to Koby Stevens, tries to inflict pain when going for the mid-riff tackle.

[GVGjr]

What kind of role can't he play? Has a killer look in his eyes. Similar to Koby Stevens, tries to inflict pain when going for the mid-riff tackle.

He needs a good game and we need him to be a good player for us. I suspect he will play in many positions against the Lions and I wonder if he can help the coaches with his views on how to best match up on his former team mates

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I haven't seen the Carlton game but I have a few questions on Adcock:

- Does he find enough of the ball now? He did in years gone by but I sense this has slowed over the last 12 months and in a short sample at AFL level (NAB and last week) I'm not sure this has changed.

- Is he quick enough both by mind and foot? Again, he seems to have slowed from my understanding but I haven't seen enough to make a proper call.

He's certainly flexible and in theory can play a role in each part of the ground and his leadership is unquestioned. Given we've lost Murph and now JJ, the leadership component is important IMO. His skills seems OK but again, I haven't seen enough to make a judgement call.

Agree with GVG that we really need him to be a good player and realistically it's all up to him. He will get plenty of opportunity to press his case.

[Ghost Dog]

Plenty to like about his first game. Kicks straight, goes in hard. Maybe an upgrade on a Brett Goodes but a similar role to play.

[1eyedog]

I haven't seen the Carlton game but I have a few questions on Adcock:

- Does he find enough of the ball now? He did in years gone by but I sense this has slowed over the last 12 months and in a short sample at AFL level (NAB and last week) I'm not sure this has changed.

- Is he quick enough both by mind and foot? Again, he seems to have slowed from my understanding but I haven't seen enough to make a proper call.

He's certainly flexible and in theory can play a role in each part of the ground and his leadership is unquestioned. Given we've lost Murph and now JJ, the leadership component is important IMO. His skills seems OK but again, I haven't seen enough to make a judgement call.

Agree with GVG that we really need him to be a good player and realistically it's all up to him. He will get plenty of opportunity to press his case.

All good points TBB and you echo many of my own. These are my observations over the past few years.

He had a really down year last year and struggled to find the ball and was tried all over the ground prior to being delisted. His ball winning ability, once one of his greatest strengths, is now questionable. I noticed he didn't get a lot of it against the Blues

I don't think he's quick at all, very average Matthew Boyd pace and always has been.

Skills are good, rarely misses a target when he gets it, is and always has been a really nice kick.

He's on a bit of mission to prove he was worth the punt and he's obviously keen to put back into the club.

His strengths are / were his reading of the play, the ability to make good decisions (which can never be underestimated) and his ability to understand his role at any given moment. Never ever shirks the contest and is very neat by foot.

Hoping he can recapture some 2014 form. As you say it's up to him.