You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus
You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus
Thye would only be able to match up on certain players i.e. those with no pace. I would have thought Cross would be better suited for these types of players if we are looking for a suitable matchup. Imagine Libba tagging someone like Rioli or Jetta
Picken has enough pace (and attitude) to tag players like Harvey and Murphy which is why he usually gets the gig. If we are looking for players of similar pace and stamina, I guess a smart player like Lower might be an option, Jong would be ideal (albeit inexperienced) and perhaps Tutt, although he would need to develop a harder edge.
Lower is a solid suggestion, but I wonder if Jong might be a better option if he's fit enough? Certainly has the pace and the appetite for the defensive stuff and could be a way to lessen the impact of his disposal at this stage rather than him coming off half back.
He'd need a bit of work on his positioning around stoppages and that sort of thing though, which if he hasn't spent time on it over the pre-season (and it doesn't appear he has) it might not be a possibility right now.
On a whole, we need more defensive accountability across the whole midfield, which may in itself allow Picken more time forward if everyone is doing their bit.
Will look forward to seeing how Picken is used this year, good player.
As an aside, Ward mentioned Picken as the toughest guy he'd played with in an interview Sunday during the GWS game.
I wouldn't mind us looking at Wood as a tagging option too. He's stagnated the last 2 seasons, and I'm still not sure if he's trying to be a lock down defender or a rebounding half back. He has size, athleticism, and is quite good one on one.
While I realise he is still on the rooky list, for mine Jong is the best option. Yes he has limited experience [ particularly in the role] though he did spend some time at Willy in that role last year. But how better for him to learn his craft, and learn where to run and when, than following Judd, Murphy and Ablett etc around for a season or two.
He has pace, strength and courage, and disposal skills are not the essential first ingredient for a tagger anyway. A couple of seasons under his belt as a tagger, while he improves both his reading of the game, and his disposal skills could just be the making of this kid.
Happy for Picken to be used as a defensive forward in the silly stuff and from time to time through the season, though when the real stuff starts I want him in the middle or wherever the oppositions most creative player is, and shutting him down.
I can see the merrit in playing somebody like Lower, Jong or Dahl as more defensive minded midfielders as well to boulster their experience and keep the opposition midfield in check. If that means that Picken gets more time as a forward and brings some accountability that's OK, though I'm not sure what he would bring to the position in terms of creativity.
Yes, I've seen him kick a few handy goals when in the forward half but for the most part (and this is across the entire ground, to a point as well) I haven't seen him be a creative player. To be honest, I couldn't see him being too much of a handful for a competent defender.
I think he is an excellent player for what he is, which for mine is a versatile shut down player and overall tough bastard. We'll see how the preseason pans out I suppose.
You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus
Jong is certainly worthy of consideration, but what is his tank like? He's only had one year in the system and players tend to need a couple of years to build their tank - Clay Smith* was one of the top draftees in the beep test but went into a "full body cramp" just prior to 3/4 time in his first game.
* Pretty pleased I managed to get Clay Smith into another post
Western Bulldogs: 2016 Premiers
Why are we so obsessed with tagging? How about everyone in the team just does a decent job defensively and offensively?
Dal is one of our best playmakers and people want him to tag?
Because this thread is about Liam Picken, who forced his way into the team as a tagger.
He has other attributes that mean he could play other roles, but before Picken's role really changes we'd need someone to step into his role either on an ad hoc or a full time basis (ie Wallis tagged Sam Mitchell for a game IIRC).
Western Bulldogs: 2016 Premiers
So every team needs a dedicated tagger then?