Leading Goalkickers...and a QUESTION.

[mjp]

So - I have been supporting the Dog's since I was approx 14 and have been a member since age 24. Which I am quite proud of since it means I have paid lots of $ to basically never attend any games.

In all of that time, we have pretty much ALWAYS been begging the footy gods for a key forward. Refer below:

1995 Richard Osborne 53
1996 Jason Watts 44
1997 Simon Minton-Connell 43
1998 Paul Hudson 61
1999 Paul Hudson (2) 51
2000 Rohan Smith 42
2001 Brad Johnson 48
2002 Nathan Brown 57
2003 Nathan Brown (2) 56
2004 Luke Darcy 30
Jade Rawlings
2005 Brad Johnson (2) 42
2006 Brad Johnson (3) 74
2007 Brad Johnson (4) 59
2008 Brad Johnson (5) 50
2009 Jason Akermanis 43
2010 Barry Hall 80
2011 Barry Hall (2) 55
2012 Daniel Giansiracusa 28
2013 Daniel Giansiracusa (2) 36
2014 Stewart Crameri 37
2015 Jake Stringer 56
2016 Jake Stringer (2) 42
2017 Liam Picken 24
Jake Stringer (3)
2018 Billy Gowers 26
2019 Sam Lloyd 38
2020 Mitch Wallis 25

So - basically, since I first bought a membership in 1995, only in 2010 and 2011 were "WE" happy we had a key forward who coculd consistently impact games. Yes, Jonno was reliable for us but I lived through that...aside from those two years, every single season we were looking for the new messiah who would enable him to become a secondary target...

GIVEN THAT. Why in the name of the lord does 'everyone' want to keep shoving Aaron Naughton into the backline?

I DON'T GET IT.

Last week, he was amazing. He was our best player in a critical game interstate against a likely top four team...who played their captain - who had been in amazing form and was BOG himself the week before - on him. He killed him. Yet - just like every single other week - there are calls in the selection thread for him to go back. He is YOUNG. He JUMPS at everything and (at worst) brings the ball to ground. He takes hangers. He applies pressure. He is not the most reliable kick in the world, but he is BY FAR the best forward prospect we have had since I became a member in 1995 (Chris Grant debuted in 1990 so I am not trying to overlook him...he was an established player by then).

AND - just on the Chris Grant experience. He was amazing forward. And amazing back. And MAYBE, if we had left him to play forward during those critical seasons in the late 90's when we were challenging we might have gotten over the line...

I know we are used to having no-one to kick too, but what exactly is it about Naughton that makes everyone think we have someone better just waiting to replace him? I know I've posted about this before but I just cannot get my head around why anyone would want to move him.

[bornadog]

I just cannot get my head around why anyone would want to move him.

Your list of goal kickers just proves what I have been saying all along, you get a great forward and you don't move him.

In my life time of following the club I have seen Kelvin Templeton, Simon Beasley and Chris Grant as the best key forwards to play for the club. Naughton has the potential to be right up there with those greats, although, the way the game is played now, he won't kick 100 goals.

Key back is easier to play than key forward.

[Bulldog Joe]

I am with you on Naughton as a forward.

He is the most athletically gifted player I can recall with size, speed and agility.

If the new sensation of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan can half life up to the hype we will be a nightmare for defenders of every other team.

With the bonus of having a midfield that is very high quality we should be challenging for flags.

[Mofra]

Absolutely spot on.

A KPF who just presents and jumps at everything makes the midfield look so much better - they know there is always a target on the move to kick to which means our whole ball movement process is quicker.

You can actually hide a defence of average players with an excellent system. What do 4 former rookies, one DFA, one PSD pick, and a guy drafted in the 40s have in common?

[Axe Man]

Preaching to the choir here. I have always been in the Naughton forward camp.

What do 4 former rookies, one DFA, one PSD pick, and a guy drafted in the 40s have in common?

Premiership backline?

[GVGjr]

The worst part of the list is that the highest goal kickers each season were in the main were never genuine key forwards
On top of that we spent a significant amount recruiting a highly regarded key forward in Tom Boyd and tried our best to turn him into a ruckman rather than a gun forward.
The Naughton move forward was a real haymaker that not only landed but is very likely to reaps rewards for years to come and this only happened when we finally acknowledged we needed a target up forward.

Adding Bruce and playing English forward might just provide us with an advantage up forward.

[Happy Days]

Im all the way with you on playing Naughton forward. Leading the league in contested marks, on track for 50 goals, and the forward line is looking better than it has in well over a decade.

[Grantysghost]

I think fans look at the defence and imagine him in there, English and Bruce forward and see a more balanced equation?
What he does up forward for mine is so critical id never move him. Defenders meh, they're guys who can't play forward (yes I played forward and have the scars on the back of my head to prove it).

[1eyedog]

I dunno I'm all for Naughts forward as well even if he doesn't mark it he destroys packs and his ground game is frenetic. Probably got to do with our issue at CHB. I guess some people view saving goals as important as kicking them and if we're in a position to play English and Bruce forward then Naughton is a viable CHB option.

[mjp]

I guess some people view saving goals as important as kicking them...

They're right. But stopping goals is a 18-man job.

Kicking them? One person can turn a game. Naughton's mark last week, Weightman's snap over his head...we need consistent workers in the forward half, but consistent workers who can TURN A GAME. Naughton sitting on top of Jonas sucked the life out of the Power. We have no-one else who could even dream of doing that.

[Mofra]

Premiership backline?

Ding ding ding we have a winner.

Tom Boyd played our of his skin that game and took 6 contested marks. If you look at our team, who would you back in now to take 6 contested marks?

Fletcher Roberts and an immature Joel Hamling, bless them, aren't the types of players opposition coaches put time into but they did the job when it mattered.
A good system can hide defensive personnel inadequacies far more than a deficiencies in the forwardline.

[1eyedog]

They're right. But stopping goals is a 18-man job.

Kicking them? One person can turn a game. Naughton's mark last week, Weightman's snap over his head...we need consistent workers in the forward half, but consistent workers who can TURN A GAME. Naughton sitting on top of Jonas sucked the life out of the Power. We have no-one else who could even dream of doing that.

I fully agree but for shites and giggles what if a Naughton could stop an opposition forward from turning a game? Does it come down to who is the more dangerous forward? Would you throw Naughton back if Tom MacDonald had 6 by half time in a final and we'd already gone through Keath / Cordy / Young / Gardner?

[Rocco Jones]

I agree but I also love the defensive pressure Naughton offers forward. He helps keep it there, which in turn also helps our defence.

[comrade]

Let’s see what happens at the pointy end of the year.

[Happy Days]

I agree but I also love the defensive pressure Naughton offers forward. He helps keep it there, which in turn also helps our defence.

Yeah agree. He’s our best pressure forward and the best one of his size in the league.