Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

[Dancin' Douggy]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

I want a flag. We all want a flag. Whatever is necessary. Backward steps included.

[comrade]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

I suppose if that was going to be the decision then we would have needed to cut into the list a bit deeper than we did. There is pluses and minus's in this approach.
The two scary ones are
1) Losing a number of players like Johnson, Akermanis, Hudson and co in the next season or so whilst we get the games into the younger players and hoping that they can fill the void and
2) The impact on our precarious membership position. The club just hasn't been able to strip back the list like the Hawks did because of the impact of successive low finishes might have on membership numbers.

I am of the impression that we need to be competitive at the top end of the competition rather than taking the hit for a couple of seasons.

Unfortunately, that's our biggest problem. Not to mention our sponsorship situation.

[GVGjr]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

While Aker, Johno, Welsh, Huddo and Eagle are able to pump out good games, than we shouldn't gift too many games to underdeserving players. Yes, i know that's sort of how Hill came on, but still very good teams have fierce competition for spots and if we have that situation i wouldn't like to blood kids if others are ahead of them on form. If their form at Willi demands a spot great, that's what we want.

The club, and Eade in particular, has done a decent job at bringing in young players at the right time. Higgins and Addison from the 2005 draft are performing well but still have plenty to work on. From 2006, Everitt slowed a bit this year but has plenty of potential and Hill in particular has been a revelation. On top of that we have added the grunt of Harbrow. From 2007, Ward looks very classy and even Reid snatched a game.

We probably could have done a bit more but we haven't just shunted these guys off in Williamstown and by introducing them when they have a bit of form behind them, they can at least come in to the side with a bit of confidence.

Grant, Stack, Wood and O'Keefe should get a taste of senior football in 2009 as well. The real question is if we just left them in the side regardless of their output would it benefit the player or the club in the long run?

I don't mind the approach we are taking at the moment.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

The club, and Eade in particular, has done a decent job at bringing in young players at the right time. Higgins and Addison from the 2005 draft are performing well but still have plenty to work on. From 2006, Everitt slowed a bit this year but has plenty of potential and Hill in particular has been a revelation. On top of that we have added the grunt of Harbrow. From 2007, Ward looks very classy and even Reid snatched a game.

We probably could have done a bit more but we haven't just shunted these guys off in Williamstown and by introducing them when they have a bit of form behind them, they can at least come in to the side with a bit of confidence.

Grant, Stack, Wood and O'Keefe should get a taste of senior football in 2009 as well. The real question is if we just left them in the side regardless of their output would it benefit the player or the club in the long run?

I don't mind the approach we are taking at the moment.

Makes two. The point of confidence is a great point. If we are blooding kids, we want form and confidence in and around the team, not players thinking others aren't deserving of spots. We are on an upward curve at the moment, i don't think we need to be re-building. With West, Ray, Street and Doogs who all played some senior footy this year, there absence opens up game time for kids already. I hope the kids are so god damn good next year they force Eagle and others out of the team. If that occurs, then watch this space.

[Sedat]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

So you would be happy to drop some games along the way while they find their feet? Did I read somewhere that when Boumann played for the Willy firsts he had no influence on the game at all? If we already had an established key forward this could work better but we don't have genuine key forward.

As recently as the 2006 season, Buddy Franklin was lamenting in the Box Hill VFL side getting toweled up by opponents of the calibre of Dean Polo. I'm not suggesting that Boumann is the next incarnation of Buddy Franklin but things can change pretty quickly if the natural ability is there and is matched by the work ethic to continue to improve and develop.

[BulldogBelle]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

It seems that Melbourne arent interested in Nathan Carroll anymore

Could he provide a stop gap solution at full back..whereby we would be able to play Williams, Everitt, Shaggy, Dale Morris and Nathan Caroll....and possible release Brian Lake to the forward line with Wilbur and a choise of Welsh, J Grant + Bowman etc as tall forwards....

I know Lake is our largest defender, but someone like Carroll could play on the oppositions 2nd or 3rd tallest forward...allowing Lake as a solution to our tall forward worries...

Carroll doesnt offer much in an attacking sense, but that job would be left to Everritt, Shaggy + Gilbee...

[Desipura]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

Has had a number of off field issues and has still not toed the line. Also he is still contracted for another year.

[The Underdog]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

It seems that Melbourne arent interested in Nathan Carroll anymore

Could he provide a stop gap solution at full back..whereby we would be able to play Williams, Everitt, Shaggy, Dale Morris and Nathan Caroll....and possible release Brian Lake to the forward line with Wilbur and a choise of Welsh, J Grant + Bowman etc as tall forwards....

I know Lake is our largest defender, but someone like Carroll could play on the oppositions 2nd or 3rd tallest forward...allowing Lake as a solution to our tall forward worries...

Carroll doesnt offer much in an attacking sense, but that job would be left to Everritt, Shaggy + Gilbee...

In an even better solution that doesn't involve picking up Nathan Carroll, I think if we want to use Lake forward we should play Tom Williams at FB (assuming he steps on a footy field for consecutive weeks) and Everitt at CHB as by the start of next year he should be 90kgs+. Obviously we then have the flexibility to use Morris, Hargrave and Tiller (if needed) in roles on other mid sized forwards. And if it all goes pear shaped then we also have Brian to move down back and throw one of the other guys forward. I really think we should have Everitt ready to have a crack at CHB at the start of next year. Sure he's going to get beat sometimes but he's showed he can play in the past, it's time he was given the responsibility and some time to learn on the job. It also relies on Tom ever being fit which is more of an issue given his history.

[BulldogBelle]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

I'm sure the club will be happy if Williams can play anything more than 16 games for the '09 season.

[westdog54]

Re: Oldest, Smallest forward line in 2009

We dont have any choice but to take a few backward steps. We cant win the flag with our midget forward line. Key forwards win premierships

Since When?

Roughead and Franklin kicked 2 each this year, which was matched by Rioli and Dew, and bettered by Williams?

Geelong last year? Hell, the Casey Scorpions forward line would've racked up that score against Port Adelaide that day.

2004: Wanganeen was the leading goalkicker and Byron Pickett won the Norm Smith

You've got to go back to Alastair Lynch to find a grand final winning key forward, and he would've done sweet bugger all if not for the delivery he got from the fab 4, one of which is now playing for us.

It wasn't our 'midget forward line' that kept us out of the Grand Final, is was our innaccurate forward line. That same midget forward line that you oh so despise was also the highest scoring in the competition for the better part of 3 months. But I don't expect you to know that since you only seem to pay attention to our club when its doing badly.

Your theories on football would be all well and good in the 1960s, but news flash, jerry. Football has changed a bit since then. You need more than the tallest, strongest bloke in the world to win premierships.

You scream for Eade to be sacked despite us finishing 3rd this year. You cry for a cleanout of what is arguably our strongest list in two decades. You wait for a crushing defeat so you can parade around on this board and tell everyone just how awful we are. And when there's meainginful discussion going on, you offer up cheap, meaningless garbage designed to do nothing other than stir up trouble. I respect the administrators for putting up with your crap, they've got far more patience and tolerance than I'll ever have.

I'll never understand why a so called supporter, as you claim yourself to be, is so eager for our club to be unsuccessful.