I reckon we need not look any further than Evans at the moment. He has the pace and smarts to cause trouble at the feet of our big guys. He's also got good defensive skills.

There's this kid I hear knows his way around the goals. Something Kent... Not sure anyone would have heard of him though.

LeCras, Betts, doubt either would leave their clubs.

Looks like we have to develop our own. Evens going ok at the minute.

and surely Blease has potential.

it should be a very formidable fwd line with Clark, dawes and Hogan in there with pedersen and/or sellar occasionally switching in there along with Gawn and Jamar. Davey and Brynes were both very good on the weekend, but we defintely need to address this part of the fwdline as they will both probably be gone in the next 2-3 years.

Blease could possibly fill part of this area as he is fast but he could be of more use up the ground to use his speed. Dom Barry could possibly fill a spot as a small fwd as can howe and jetta, but howe isn't exactly a crumber! I do think we have many (the ones mentioned) who can fill this spot adequately, but not to the extent that someone like an eddie betts, milne or garlett can.

Stokes is on the unrestricted free agent list this year, but i can't see him leaving geelong for us though?

edit: probably also evans, as others has mentioned can cut it in this area as he showed on the wkend

One to have a look at playing in the VFL for northen blues team is Timmy Totevski. super quick, knows where the goals are. Only 20 years old, played for Knights/Vic Metro 2 years ago.

Could be Ahmed Saad of this year. If you get chance have a look when ABC has sat game on.

Smokey!

One of the greatest crumbing forwards of all time, would have loved him at the MFC

I'd have matthews first, then maybe a bartlett type, or a rob wiley.

Also in todays footy, we could do with a Bosusto type, medium forward with lashings of mojo & forwardline pressure.

There's this kid I hear knows his way around the goals. Something Kent... Not sure anyone would have heard of him though.

yep & then there are other s around with a key feature we lack.

Xperience. games & years of playing top level.

our weakknees is our inexperience.

One to have a look at playing in the VFL for northen blues team is Timmy Totevski. super quick, knows where the goals are. Only 20 years old, played for Knights/Vic Metro 2 years ago.

Could be Ahmed Saad of this year. If you get chance have a look when ABC has sat game on.

Smokey!

...and the Saints are going how well.

There's this kid I hear knows his way around the goals. Something Kent... Not sure anyone would have heard of him though.

This! There's also someone coming up in two drafts time by the name of Billy Stretch that could fill this role.

Crumbing forwards can be found easier then mids and good small defenders. I'm confident we'll be able to find someone along the way.

if Clark, Dawes, Hogan, Gawn and Jamar are all fit and playing, then Sellar and Pedersen will be at Casey. Thats if they are still on the list of course

I think Sellar is still in our best six backmen. I rate him fairly high there. He's not a forward's booger, but I reckon he's our best option for the very tall forwards we come up against from time to time.

WE NEED QUALITY MIDS!!!!

I'm led to believe Barry has a touch of "Veal Deal" , about him, a complete shock to many, I think Milney is on the outer and would be right in Neelds frame, since Rodan is getting on in years.

That's a lot of different thoughts crammed into one sentence. Milne is also 3.5 years older than Rodan.

I'd much rather see us target LeCras, as unlikely as he is to switch clubs. He is just what we need.

I don't think there would be many better crumbing forwards around than the Davey brothers.

We just have the out of form one.

But he might come good, he's a smart footballer and hasn't been played as a crumber the past few years.

He is an optimist around the goals.

Davey has kicked three or four fantastic goals this year. Pity they've been lost in the fact that we were absolutely belted in each of the games in which he kicked them.

...and the Saints are going how well.

Um good comment not!! pointless and Irrelevant.

I recall one stat that was mentioned last week that the mfc in basically ranked on the bottom for all stats except we are ranked 2nd in the afl for scoring percentage once we get the ball onside our forward 50. converting forward entries is not our issue getting the ball inside 50 is.

Midfielders and running half backs, i reckon we will turn over 8 to 10 players this year at the least we need to add 6 midfielders.

WE NEED QUALITY MIDS!!!!

more so, we need elite inunder ball magnets, (a DSwan/Sam Mitchell type pairing) where we have quality possessions & quality disposals from those mids.

we now are starting to get some benefit from our ball carriers, in the likes of Sylvia, Jones moves it well, Trenners will be good, as is Grimes, and I'm sure we will be able to add Evans, Davey, Blease, Strauss, Howe, Jetta, Viney, Toumpas, Rodan, Nicholson, & some more we know little about Yet, in clisby, stark, & barry.

... the talent on the list is growing, BUT, we have to fix the Culture properly first, or these kids will not reach Elite levels.

Um good comment not!! pointless and Irrelevant.

no, its not irrelevant.

the saints not having a balanced attack, are/were one dimensional, & it cost them a Premiership. # or more than One?

no, its not irrelevant.

the saints not having a balanced attack, are/were one dimensional, & it cost them a Premiership. # or more than One?

Okay I'll bite. How were the Saints one dimensional?

Um good comment not!! pointless and Irrelevant.

The point is I don't rate small forwards. The game changes and if you need any evidence listen to Mick talking about Yarran this week saying he will play in multiple positions.

The call for a small forward is a wasted call, we need quality smalls, mids and talls and the quality mids and smalls will fill the role forward when required, spend time in the midfield and may even go back.

St Kilda have a bunch of players who only play that small forward role now and it is hurting them. In the current game and the game and into the foreseeable future with capped interchange and the ball in continuos notion there is no place for the one dimensional small forward.

The point is I don't rate small forwards. The game changes and if you need any evidence listen to Mick talking about Yarran this week saying he will play in multiple positions.

The call for a small forward is a wasted call, we need quality smalls, mids and talls and the quality mids and smalls will fill the role forward when required, spend time in the midfield and may even go back.

St Kilda have a bunch of players who only play that small forward role now and it is hurting them. In the current game and the game and into the foreseeable future with capped interchange and the ball in continuos notion there is no place for the one dimensional small forward.

I think we may have discussed this before. What is a small forward? Is it a height designation?The way they play?A role?

I think we may have discussed this before. What is a small forward? Is it a height designation?The way they play?A role?

Was trying to get away with not going over this again, but I would think no matter the height it's more the role and they need to be muti-faceted these days.

Rather than saying we must get a legit crumbing forward I would say we must get quality mids who can go forward and kick goals.

Was trying to get away with not going over this again, but I would think no matter the height it's more the role and they need to be muti-faceted these days.

Rather than saying we must get a legit crumbing forward I would say we must get quality mids who can go forward and kick goals.

Unfortunately mate a definition of the role is very important, people do have different ideas as to what one is and even clubs use the role in different ways.

Assumptions also confuse the issue. There seems to be the assumption that just because a player plays a certain role at a club, he can't play anywhere else. You have made a big assumption yourself in writing that the Saints have too many who can only play the small forward role. How do you know that? Do you know those players intimately?How do you know what these players can and can't do. Just as likely for the Saints and their struggles is that they have an ageing group of stars, who due to a topping up policy under Lyon don't have a talented young group coming through to support/replace them. Not to mention losing Goddard, their plug and fill guy.

Okay I'll bite. How were the Saints one dimensional?

their gameplan was too defensive, when up against another top foe who had a more balanced game. > Cats, & Pies.

and often in H&A games they would kick into an empty forwardline, apart from a milne. this isn't too bad in H&A but they were found out in the Grand finals.

they put most of their effort into the backs & defensive gameplan without enough respect for their offence. IMO their mids were B+, & their forwards as a unit were hot & cold & again B... the game plan was possibly a solid one & % wise showed up well, & for wins.

IMO this can Hide structural problems hidden by the gameplan... that can show up in the Grand Final, & did.

In the Real Deal in September, those errors in structure hurt the club & now it would seem they are in for more restructuring.

In the Grand Final1 against the Pies, they had to move a defender forward to CHF, & they nearly stole it.

They spent a lot of time & effort developing a team & gameplan which failed.

However Ross Lyon left them with a very good competative club nature, which should hold them in good stead as a platform to build from, as we were in 1992.

The point is I don't rate small forwards.

Right!!!

As today's ANZAC Day game is showing... David Zaharakis is the man we want. Quick thinking, agile and in the right places when the ball is forward, much the same and certainly fit enough to run through the midfield. Adds a bit of the speed that we're missing as well.

23 years old, too.

You'd have to think Zaharakis would be exactly the kind of player that the club is hunting. Contracted until end of 2014, unfortunately, so I guess he would be the final piece of the puzzle that gets our midfield up to first rate, along with Billy Stretch, of course!