Been contemplating where this boy plays his best football, but can't hold down a position where i think he is best suited in our team. I seem to think he is a good to average player, that won't win you a game but can be very servicable to a team. On the other hand my brother thinks he is more or less a "dud". I remember reading a few months ago the Gold Coast are interested in luring him over being a young Queensland boy. Im just wondering where his future is going at Melbourne? What position will he secure (surely not in the forward line where he is playing atm)? What's the go im alittle confused....

Been contemplating where this boy plays his best football, but can't hold down a position where i think he is best suited in our team. I seem to think he is a good to average player, that won't win you a game but can be very servicable to a team. On the other hand my brother thinks he is more or less a "dud". I remember reading a few months ago the Gold Coast are interested in luring him over being a young Queensland boy. Im just wondering where his future is going at Melbourne? What position will he secure (surely not in the forward line where he is playing atm)? What's the go im alittle confused....

Yeah i think the same. He has played crap in most games this year, but he must be doing something right?

He is not in the team for no reason. I dont know what the hell it is but it must be somthing.

I don't rate Petterd at all.

We should've taken Alwyn Davey who the Bombers selected a few picks after we took Petterd!!!

GC17 can have him for one of their draft picks.

His form has been a little concerning however how old is he? 20 or something. How many games has he played? Not every one of our young players is going to be an overnight success. He might take a little bit of time.

His form has been a little concerning however how old is he? 20 or something. How many games has he played? Not every one of our young players is going to be an overnight success. He might take a little bit of time.

Yes i completely agree with you.

However what position is he going to become and success and how? I can't see him holding a spot down in a certain position and making it his. Where will he develop and how? Into what sort of player can he mold himself into?...I still confused..?

To be honest, I don't think he has one. I know it's early and I know he's young, but if you stick another tall in the forwardline, along with Watts, when he finally comes in, when Wonna, Jetta and Jurrah are taking up small forward positions and Maric, Morton and Bate are patrolling the rest of the forward half, I don't see him figuring in our long term plans. Unless, he can put on a bit of weight and perhaps play across half back, but again, we're already looking pretty good for our back half.

Personally, I think he started the year reasonably. His attack on the ball was good and his tackling was hard, but the last few weeks he's been very lucky to get the recall. As for tonight, some of his tackle attempts were pretty poor. If we're talking about defensive pressure as well, he completely lacked it tonight.

I think long term, if he's going to make it, he needs to play in the middle... I don't think he's going to feature in our forward line, and the queue is a mile long to get a game down back... Any reason with another pre-season or two he couldn't play in the middle?

A question... I was overseas when Ricky made his debut, and the reports were all very positive positive. He played across half back I believe. What did he do down there to get everyone so excited at the time?

I think long term, if he's going to make it, he needs to play in the middle... I don't think he's going to feature in our forward line, and the queue is a mile long to get a game down back... Any reason with another pre-season or two he couldn't play in the middle?

A question... I was overseas when Ricky made his debut, and the reports were all very positive positive. He played across half back I believe. What did he do down there to get everyone so excited at the time?

For me, he never showed anything particularly outstanding, except a tremendous piece of courage, when he got his punctured lung. Apart from that, perhaps we were just hoping for a star?

bull crap...what about the game he played against syndey? he racked up the possies and looked very promising, earning himself a rising star nomination...

why arent we playing him where we played him then?

i like petterd. he is one of only a few that will put his whole body on the line. He contests and contests. I rate him very highly and when he puts on even more weight he will be important when we hopefully have a crack at winning this thing.lol

i like petterd. he is one of only a few that will put his whole body on the line. He contests and contests. I rate him very highly and when he puts on even more weight he will be important when we hopefully have a crack at winning this thing.lol

Agree completely. Add to this he's a classy user most of the time.

If we can forgive PJ his indifferent start to the year, we can surely forgive this kid. He's played plenty of good footy, and while he might benefit from a week or two with less rpessure at Casey, I back him completely to find form in a few weeks at the most. Maybe Bailey will put the acid on him?

I think being played forward hurts him a little, as he's just not getting enough touches to hurt the opposition. If he could find it 20+ times in a game, I'm sure we'd all be singing a different tune, as he'd likely have at least 3 to his name. Stick fat with him. I have complete confidence he won't make a fool out of us in the long run.

Ricky is an exceptionally strong mark for his size. He jumps high, and early, has a good strong set of hands and a ridicluous amount of courage. DB's tried him forward this year to try and exploit those strengths, with limited success. Problem is, when you're in that 185-188cm height range, having an exceptional mark can often mean having to play taller than you actually are. He was excellent in round 1 playing as a marking forward, but i struggle to remember any other games this year where he's had a real impact. His footskills are generally good, but his set shot kicking is iffy at times which can often undo alot of his work in the forward 50. Forward line play has stifled him this year and IMO he needs to be freed up further up the ground if we want to see more consistent development from him. Short bursts up forward are fine, but whole matches rotting away in the pocket can't be doing his confidence much good.

Ultimately, i don't believe he'll end up playing his career as a forward, but if he does, it'll be in the role Robbo has played for the last 10 years.

Personally i think he's best suited to wing/half back with short bursts on the ball. He can drop a kick behind the play, use his courage and leap in marking contests, but still have the freedom and space to run and carry on the wing. The 1st two games of his career were as good as anybodys first few IMO, playing that exact role. He marked strongly, went back with the flight etc, and found a lot of space and ran well. I really rated him then, and i still rate him now.

At the minute he looks out of sorts and is having difficulty with his consistency. I thought he was really lucky to get a game ahead of Cheney this week. He'll improve. He's only young, almost died a couple of years ago (lung puncture), and is playing out of, or rather, learning a new position. A run at Casey on the wing might do him a world of good at the minute.

Agree with previous poster. Started on HB and looked great, had that nasty injury now playing fwd. If club wants himto play fwd they will have to wait for the body to bulk up. Should be on the HB for mine, but cant see where he fits there, but he looked great when he did play there.

think we are being too harsh on a young kid calling him a dud

Agree with previous poster. Started on HB and looked great, had that nasty injury now playing fwd. If club wants himto play fwd they will have to wait for the body to bulk up. Should be on the HB for mine, but cant see where he fits there, but he looked great when he did play there.

think we are being too harsh on a young kid calling him a dud

The fact is ATM we have too many players for HB.

He is doing a reasonable job as a forward and is very rarely beaten. Good in the air, good at ground therefore we should persist.

Last night he didn't have the biggest impact he has had but I actually thought his game was pretty good. did some really good things off the ball and contesting that don't show up in the stats.

Moving forward he should stay as a forward and should develop into a really good player.

i like petterd. he is one of only a few that will put his whole body on the line. He contests and contests. I rate him very highly and when he puts on even more weight he will be important when we hopefully have a crack at winning this thing.lol

It amazing you pretentiously carp on about the importance of foot skills and the biomechanics associated with and you like Petterd who repeatedly butchers the ball by foot.

He needs to put on more weight??? Is that to get the body shape of Gary Ablett?

Petterd is playing forward after always playing as a defender, so I'm not suprised that he is struggling at the moment.

He needs to be played as a defender.

Petterd is playing forward after always playing as a defender, so I'm not suprised that he is struggling at the moment.

He needs to be played as a defender.

I don't disagree, but at the expense of whom? Once you include the injured Garland, our backline is chockers at the moment.

he murders the ball...

kicking skills are not good enough and we need players with good execution skills!!

cannot fault his application though and his heart!!

I don't disagree, but at the expense of whom? Once you include the injured Garland, our backline is chockers at the moment.

Yeah, he wouldn't get a game down back in my team.

He plays his best footy across half back but we're already taken care of there with Warnock, Rivers, Frawley, Garland, Martin and Bennell to hold down the defensive posts for at least the next 5 years. He's still only played about 20 games and is young but will be forced to play half forward if he wants to hold down a regular spot at Melbourne. He or Miller will be our un-contracted player to go to Gold Coast IMO just depends which one. It's a nice problem to have that we've got these talented players competing for spots. At Gold Coast he may get to play across half back unlike at Melbourne. Especially seeing as we also have Cheney and McNamara waiting in the wings also.

I don't disagree, but at the expense of whom? Once you include the injured Garland, our backline is chockers at the moment.

I'd start him on the bench.

EDIT: He is the ideal HBF for me, pushing up onto the wing.

Ricky has been dissapointing this year, no way Id write him off yet as in his career. Id like to see him play on the wing or in a similar role to Bruce.

I think he should and will be omitted this week and play for Casey on a Wing.

Hi Demonlanders,

Noticed posters comments about Petterd role in the team and without conspiring to highjack that thred with my insight I choise to create an alternate. I know the moderator will most lilkly merge it but hey what the hell. Petterd's role at the moment in to be an option in a forward ine bereft of potency and marking options. In light of Miller's poor return last night he exists as an alternate avenue to goal from Bate and Miller who are supposedly talls. The problem being we kick the ball to high to him and the opposition pick of the kick every time. His mobility suggests that he should be a lead up forward moving in and around the 50 meter arc however such is the tranportation of the football from our back half, that he gets swamped with oppostion dependers dropping back .Dean Bailey again raised the issue of ball movement in his press conference and Petterd' s ifluence on the game is really contigant on the speed at which we get the ball into our attacking 50 meter arc.At his best he can be a two to three goal a game forward however I feel he remains in the side plainly because Aussie remains on the long term injury list. Petterd was drafted as a defender however due to our recent researgance of this personel is required in the forward half. He retains his spot also because of his pressure on the oppostion defenders in our forward half a task that with the conglomerate of bounding listless tallswe have in the forward half at the moment is only to valuable to have .Roberston was so intent on vigourous celerbration when he kicked a goal, or party antics in order to trya nd kick a goal that he lacked the second effort required to do so.

What would you rather a guy who puts on pressure and has a go or a guy who puts pressureon a concerned because he carries on like a tool.

Hi Demonlanders,

Noticed posters comments about Petterd role in the team and without conspiring to highjack that thred with my insight I choise to create an alternate. I know the moderator will most lilkly merge it but hey what the hell. Petterd's role at the moment in to be an option in a forward ine bereft of potency and marking options. In light of Miller's poor return last night he exists as an alternate avenue to goal from Bate and Miller who are supposedly talls. The problem being we kick the ball to high to him and the opposition pick of the kick every time. His mobility suggests that he should be a lead up forward moving in and around the 50 meter arc however such is the tranportation of the football from our back half, that he gets swamped with oppostion dependers dropping back .Dean Bailey again raised the issue of ball movement in his press conference and Petterd' s ifluence on the game is really contigant on the speed at which we get the ball into our attacking 50 meter arc.At his best he can be a two to three goal a game forward however I feel he remains in the side plainly because Aussie remains on the long term injury list. Petterd was drafted as a defender however due to our recent researgance of this personel is required in the forward half. He retains his spot also because of his pressure on the oppostion defenders in our forward half a task that with the conglomerate of bounding listless tallswe have in the forward half at the moment is only to valuable to have .Roberston was so intent on vigourous celerbration when he kicked a goal, or party antics in order to trya nd kick a goal that he lacked the second effort required to do so.

What would you rather a guy who puts on pressure and has a go or a guy who puts pressureon a concerned because he carries on like a tool.

I refer to us as the 1/2 footers, our disposal (and about 3 times to petterd last night was exactly this)

1/2 foot too high, too wide, too low etc etc, it always seems 1/2 foot out.

I think Ricky could be a 30-40 goal forward when our delivery to him gets better.

Petterd has been sucking big time this year, but it's because he's being played out of posisiton IMO. He's not a forward. He's a half back flanker, maybe a wingman. I think he was moved there in the second half and he got a bit more of the ball.

If the coaches are adamant on him being a forward, then they need to think again, because he just isn't going to make it as an AFL forward.