Tom McDonald - are his days as a defender over?

[Diamond_Jim 11,679]

5 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Multi Skilling is the way to go

i reckon Jesse could play like Dustin Martin if his confidence is strong

He began as a defender i have been told. 

He stagnates in the goal square

that could be  a real plan ... he would need to increase the tank and improve his ground ball game but I don't mind the thinking.

If only then the Weed could become the big marking forward with Tom "swinging" and Watts at half forward we could have a premiership winning set up.

Edited July 10, 2017 by Diamond_Jim

[monoccular 16,017]

10 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Multi Skilling is the way to go

i reckon Jesse could play like Dustin Martin if his confidence is strong

He began as a defender i have been told. 

He stagnates in the goal square

His [Jesse] best work in this comeback game  was around the middle and wings.

[YesitwasaWin4theAges 5,789]

3 hours ago, yoSMOKIE said:

Absolutely - which is why Lever would almost be the last piece to our premiership puzzle

If this is the way it's gonna work out I've changed my stance on Lever get him in offer a 7 year deal at $850k.

[Little Goffy 12,512]

11 hours ago, bandicoot said:

Can hogan, weideman, watts and Tom all play up forward, 

That's the big question. Throw in Pederson and occasionally resting Gawn, too.

The problem is alleviated by the mobility and versatility of Watts and McDonald. But my concern is that no matter how fit and hardworking and willing to contribute up the ground your forwards are, they will very rarely be able to duck and weave and accelerate and get their body low enough to be 'winners' in midfield packs. So to rephrase the question, instead of 'can we fit that many in our forward line' you could emphasize 'can we spare that many slots on the team sheet from our midfield'.

My thinking is, we can keep that group of tall forwards together if we rotate their roles intelligently. For example, if Hogan, McDonald and Weideman play effectively 100% game time each, with say two of them offering leads all over the place while one semi-rests right up forward. The result would be that our entire bench would be midfielders/flankers rotating to rest and keep fresh.

If between them the forwards spent 30 more minutes on field using this kind of rotation, that opens 30 minutes more time for mids to take a deep breath. Maybe that means a young guy like Oliver gets one extra minute of recovery each time he comes off, maybe that means shorter spells on field for a player capable of good bursts of effort but who fades after longer periods.

 

[Jaded No More 57,674]

5 hours ago, ProDee said:

I'm skeptical about McDonald as a long-term viable forward option, but there's no doubt he's exceeded every expectation, including his own.

I can't come at both McDonalds and Frost playing in defence as their kicking will crucify us, so for the time being McDonald forward solves that problem as well as being a legitimate scoring option.

Right now, what's not to like.

Plus I think Tom makes better decision forward of the ball. He is a natural reader of the play, so he can take a mark and knows where to lead. His tank is enormous so he'll run his opponent into the ground, and for some bizarre reason his goal kicking accuracy is the complete opposite of his field kicking accuracy. 

I think Frost and Omac have done a great job down back, and Joel Smith could be a keeper going forward. 

We've been crying out for a second tall forward, someone who can really play deep and compete in the air. It frees up Hogan to roam, which is where he excels, and takes pressure off Watts to have to compete in the air all the time, which we know is his weakness. It also gives Weiderman plenty of time to develop in the VFL. 

It's a total win, and I would definitely be keeping him up forward for the rest of the year. 

[Gator 16,891]

10 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Plus I think Tom makes better decision forward of the ball. He is a natural reader of the play, so he can take a mark and knows where to lead. His tank is enormous so he'll run his opponent into the ground, and for some bizarre reason his goal kicking accuracy is the complete opposite of his field kicking accuracy. 

I think Frost and Omac have done a great job down back, and Joel Smith could be a keeper going forward. 

We've been crying out for a second tall forward, someone who can really play deep and compete in the air. It frees up Hogan to roam, which is where he excels, and takes pressure off Watts to have to compete in the air all the time, which we know is his weakness. It also gives Weiderman plenty of time to develop in the VFL. 

It's a total win, and I would definitely be keeping him up forward for the rest of the year. 

As my Brother said yesterday, he's always had this ability to get the ball.  We've often not wanted him to get the ball so often due to his back half turnovers, but in the forward-line it's a different story.

[Forest Demon 4,681]

I personally like him more forward.

a) He has a huge tank and could run most defenders ragged

b) He is far more reliable as a set shot than he is in open play. I think he has an awkward kicking action which isn't suited to executing under pressure, but when he has time to set himself and run in, he is actually pretty reliable.

I think it will free Watts up even more to play a more roaming role.

[dimmy 1,108]

I like the bit where Goodwin said they had a "contested marking drill" . We used to call it kick to kick at school.

How dumb are the coaches . If they had rung me I would have told them he can run all day, at a good pace and mark anything he gets his hands on. AND he is competitive !!!     I am now officially a genius.

As for my other favourite in Jetta . Well I cannot recall his being beaten in 1-on- 1 contests unless the ball is coming in at great height and the opponent is standing on a step ladder. What a terrific example to younger players to see a bloke who had his bags packed (and then unpacked) to develop the confidence in his game like has now. An opponent may beat him once, but never twice.

[Wrecker45 3,378]

I'm calling it now his brother will be a better forward. Was as a junior.

We are getting some real versatility. In a game of momentum we have players to put behind the ball when it's going against us and a stack to rotate through the forward line when it is going for us.

 

[Engorged Onion 9,239]

5 hours ago, yoSMOKIE said:

Absolutely - which is why Lever would almost be the last piece to our premiership puzzle

I presume the first was getting rid of Neeld?

[Webber 9,974]

1 hour ago, Wrecker45 said:

I'm calling it now his brother will be a better forward. Was as a junior.

We are getting some real versatility. In a game of momentum we have players to put behind the ball when it's going against us and a stack to rotate through the forward line when it is going for us.

 

Hard to argue. I too reckon Oscar will be a gun forward in a few years, and has more native talent than Tom. 

[Sir Why You Little 34,420]

3 hours ago, monoccular said:

His [Jesse] best work in this comeback game  was around the middle and wings.

Agreed. The Weid is still raw, but looks a far more natural Full Forward to me

Jesse could a huge asset around the ground

[Biffen 12,298]

3 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Multi Skilling is the way to go

i reckon Jesse could play like Dustin Martin if his confidence is strong

He began as a defender i have been told. 

He stagnates in the goal square

Jesses kick to Plugger in the 50 was beautifully weighted.

He goes well at CHF.

We are going to have a new crisis to deal with,one that we haven't had for many years.

 

[Wrecker45 3,378]

12 minutes ago, Biffen said:

Jesses kick to Plugger in the 50 was beautifully weighted.

He goes well at CHF.

We are going to have a new crisis to deal with,one that we haven't had for many years.

 

Where to celebrate our premiership wins?

[Wiseblood 24,636]

I think it's more about his days as a swingman have begun, not that his days down back are over.  He will still spend some time down there, but Tom is developing into a real weapon for us.  How many clubs have a KPD that is truly competent at both ends of the ground?  Not many.  It's terrific for us to have going forward.

[Biffen 12,298]

21 minutes ago, Wrecker45 said:

Where to celebrate our premiership wins?

Fitting 27 into 22.

[wattsindawes 57]

Great comparisons to Neita.. It's pretty obvious we have a really good footballer in TMac... if he can give us just a fraction of the 300+ games 600+ goals we will all be ecstatic.. Having a player of his ability able to switch back or forward whenever the game needs it is invaluable. I would be wondering if they will give Weids a run down back in the twos just to add another string to his bow... would be obviously very good to have multiple tall players who can play both ends effectively. 

Edited July 10, 2017 by wattsindawes

[low flying Robbo 979]

On 7/10/2017 at 10:40 AM, DeeWiz said:

We need some sort of Lab analysis on the cm's deviation from the centreline of the goals for each of Tommy Mac's set shots at goal. I'm pretty sure he split the middle of the goals every time!

Pretty sure I've seen him hit the cheer squad target a few times too

[What 18,810]

The number 1 concern everyone had with T Mac being used up forward was his kicking.

He has been just about the most accurate goalkicker in the comp.  Will be fascinating to see if he can keep it going.  Maybe he just has more confidence kicking through the big sticks than pinpointing a teammate coming out of the backline.

[Biffen 12,298]

32 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

The number 1 concern everyone had with T Mac being used up forward was his kicking.

He has been just about the most accurate goalkicker in the comp.  Will be fascinating to see if he can keep it going.  Maybe he just has more confidence kicking through the big sticks than pinpointing a teammate coming out of the backline.

The height of his field kicks got him into trouble,especially his stab passes that didn't work.

He doesn't  hook or fade, which is rare.

He and Watts are straight shooters.

his marking up forward is a sensation as well.

Matching up on us is a tricky task for any coach.

[Moonshadow 16,116]

3 hours ago, Biffen said:

The height of his field kicks got him into trouble,especially his stab passes that didn't work.

He doesn't  hook or fade, which is rare.

He and Watts are straight shooters.

his marking up forward is a sensation as well.

Matching up on us is a tricky task for any coach.

Yes, we are unpredictable and adaptable now, far more than Roos and light years away from Neeld. I've noticed we use the bench very well now to mix up and keep tags away frmo Oliver

[Jaded No More 57,674]

On 10/07/2017 at 5:40 PM, Webber said:

Hard to argue. I too reckon Oscar will be a gun forward in a few years, and has more native talent than Tom. 

Hopefully by then our midfield will be so good, we won't even need defenders.

Just Neville Jetta defending 6 forwards by himself... because he is just that good!

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

On 10/07/2017 at 11:49 AM, Sir Why You Little said:

Hogan will be a far better player up the ground. Wasted in the Goal Square

First game back so I'll cut him some slack but Hogan was still trying to get the ball over the top instead of leading at the ball carrier.

The one goal he kicked he actually was trying to get it over the top but the ball dropped short forcing him to run towards the ball and unsurprisingly he was able to take an easy mark.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Clint Bizkit

[TGR 1,367]

Best set-shot kick for goal, from a small sample, in our side.

Doesn't sulk when supply is not perfect, or umpires miss a decision (take note Hogan and Melksham).

Key forwards are surely more rare than key defenders.  Liam Jones shows you that defending is easier for many.

 

Allows Weed to perhaps become a MDMT, and learn how to play back.

 

Ticks most boxes.  If an opposition player is threatening with 4 first half goals for example, TMac can swing back.

 

 

Common-sense, supply/demand, and pragmatism; which hopefully the MFC now talk and walk.

 

 

 

pTGR

 

 

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

4 minutes ago, TGR said:

Best set-shot kick for goal, from a small sample, in our side.

Doesn't sulk when supply is not perfect, or umpires miss a decision (take note Hogan and Melksham).

The ball barely deviates left or right when he kicks it.

I can't believe we are talking about Tom McDonald.