Brad Miller and why he is still with the club

[satyricon 267]

Yes we can all be a little frustrated by Brad during the game, but he gives his all, from Gotch's review of the Casey game, this is why he has been retained, he leads

Brad Miller - 8 Kicks, 2 Handballs, 3 Marks, 3 Tackles

Brad Miller worked hard without much reward. His strength is his leading, and his ability to outrun his opponent - So, he created a lot of contests, but Geelong rolled the numbers out in front of him, which made it difficult. He wanted to contribute to the hardness side of the game, and he certainly did that. His leadership was terrific with all the young guys. I’d say that Brad would be one of the instigators of why we got across the line with the win, because he never gave up, he kept pushing the boys, kept the spirit up - didn’t worry about the scoreboard, and before we knew it, we’d hit the front at the 23 minute mark. Brad played a big part in that.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,049]

Where did you find Gotch's review? I've been looking through the Scorpions website. Nothing there.

Never Mind. Found it on the MelbourneFC site.

Edited April 13, 2010 by RalphiusMaximus

[Chook 15,013]

Yes we can all be a little frustrated by Brad during the game, but he gives his all, from Gotch's review of the Casey game, this is why he has been retained, he leads

Brad Miller - 8 Kicks, 2 Handballs, 3 Marks, 3 Tackles

Brad Miller worked hard without much reward. His strength is his leading, and his ability to outrun his opponent - So, he created a lot of contests, but Geelong rolled the numbers out in front of him, which made it difficult. He wanted to contribute to the hardness side of the game, and he certainly did that. His leadership was terrific with all the young guys. I'd say that Brad would be one of the instigators of why we got across the line with the win, because he never gave up, he kept pushing the boys, kept the spirit up - didn't worry about the scoreboard, and before we knew it, we'd hit the front at the 23 minute mark. Brad played a big part in that.

I totally agree with your summary of how he plays the game. His strength is his leading. But until he can transfer this skill consistently to the AFL in the manner he did (most notably) against Fremantle in that final in '06, he won't have much to offer the Demons. I think he has a lot of positive attributes, and if I were his size, I'd play exactly the same way he does, as I think having a strong lead-up forward who provides a marking target up the ground can be incredibly valuable. Unfortunately, his marking isn't as good as it should be, and his kicking is fairly poor as well.

So instead of presenting a strong link between half-back and half-forward, he becomes a risky option to kick to (because he may not mark the ball you kick) and he needs somebody with better skills near him to dish off to, since his kicking is poor. So in essence, you could just get rid of him and kick directly to that man who Miller would normally dish it off to, freeing up a position in the side that could be taken by another midfielder or a stronger forward.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Chook

[Robbie57 2,020]

I totally agree with your summary of how he plays the game. His strength is his leading. But until he can transfer this skill consistently to the AFL in the manner he did (most notably) against Fremantle in that final in '06, he won't have much to offer the Demons. I think he has a lot of positive attributes, and if I were his size, I'd play exactly the same way he does, as I think having a strong lead-up forward who provides a marking target up the ground can be incredibly valuable.

Time to give Brad room to breathe.

He has had to shoulder a large burden up front and it might be a good thing he and Watts are playing alongside each other for a few weeks.

My bet is with an improved team performance and confidence Brad will start to perform at a higher level.

[Grand New Flag 3,227]

Brad has always been the sort of player who would be a good player in a good team.

[Trengove 0]

He is a natural leader and a man whom all the kids look up to and most importantly he sets a tone at all the team training sessions. Riewoldt gave an example that when he arrived at the saints he would train until he was absolutely exhausted and thought he was training hard; but then he would watch Robert Harvey train and realise just what is required for AFL level.

While Miller may not have the impact on field that we would all love to see, his contributions to the football club as a whole shouldnt be underestimated. Individual aspects of his game have improved over the last 3 years, he is a better mark, better kick for goal and makes better decisions - he just hasnt got them all those aspects gelling together yet.

[Sir Why You Little 37,034]

Individual aspects of his game have improved over the last 3 years, he is a better mark, better kick for goal and makes better decisions - he just hasnt got them all those aspects gelling together yet.

I don't think they have improved that's his problem, his attitude on the ground is not in question-his skills are. I have been hoping for years that BM would play a blinder & still do, but once this forward line starts functioning like it should we will have no room for "Good Blokes"

Brad must pull his finger out right now & improve those skills.

You can't expect the Midfielders to bust a gut all day getting the ball to miller, who then misses from 30 out.

[Steamin Demon 392]

He is a natural leader and a man whom all the kids look up to and most importantly he sets a tone at all the team training sessions. Riewoldt gave an example that when he arrived at the saints he would train until he was absolutely exhausted and thought he was training hard; but then he would watch Robert Harvey train and realise just what is required for AFL level.

While Miller may not have the impact on field that we would all love to see, his contributions to the football club as a whole shouldnt be underestimated. Individual aspects of his game have improved over the last 3 years, he is a better mark, better kick for goal and makes better decisions - he just hasnt got them all those aspects gelling together yet.

Lets just pray GC17 marvel at all these attributes.

[praha 11,240]

What a silly thread.

He's still at Melbourne because of Pia. No man in their right would dump a player with a wife like that.