I have been away for most of the year, so haven't seen a heap of the Dees or watched Casey at all. But from what I have seen, our midfield is the worst I have ever seen. Strauss has been groomed as a running defender since he started. Why don't we now play him as a midfielder - from what I know he played his junior footy through there. The guy can run, has good skills and his defensive side to his game has improved from playing down back for 3 years.

Terlich and Clisby show a bit down back and are playing the role Strauss was groomed for. I feel we have a midfield asset here that we may not be utilising?

It is a bit late in the year to experiment, but let's try anything to improve the midfield. Surely thay couldn't accuse us of tanking for playing him out of position!

It is a bit late in the year to experiment, but let's try anything to improve the midfield. Surely thay couldn't accuse us of tanking for playing him out of position!

Some numbskull in the media will try!!

I have been away for most of the year, so haven't seen a heap of the Dees or watched Casey at all. But from what I have seen, our midfield is the worst I have ever seen. Strauss has been groomed as a running defender since he started. Why don't we now play him as a midfielder - from what I know he played his junior footy through there. The guy can run, has good skills and his defensive side to his game has improved from playing down back for 3 years.

Terlich and Clisby show a bit down back and are playing the role Strauss was groomed for. I feel we have a midfield asset here that we may not be utilising?

I don't think their waiting for him to become confident, I think their waiting for his mental game to get balanced, mature & harden. grow.

I have been away for most of the year, so haven't seen a heap of the Dees or watched Casey at all. But from what I have seen, our midfield is the worst I have ever seen. Strauss has been groomed as a running defender since he started. Why don't we now play him as a midfielder - from what I know he played his junior footy through there. The guy can run, has good skills and his defensive side to his game has improved from playing down back for 3 years.

Terlich and Clisby show a bit down back and are playing the role Strauss was groomed for. I feel we have a midfield asset here that we may not be utilising?

There is only one way to find out.

It is funny how some players are stamped as certain types and never given a chance to prove that they are more versatile than thought.

I have been away for most of the year, so haven't seen a heap of the Dees or watched Casey at all. But from what I have seen, our midfield is the worst I have ever seen. Strauss has been groomed as a running defender since he started. Why don't we now play him as a midfielder - from what I know he played his junior footy through there. The guy can run, has good skills and his defensive side to his game has improved from playing down back for 3 years.

Terlich and Clisby show a bit down back and are playing the role Strauss was groomed for. I feel we have a midfield asset here that we may not be utilising?

Terlich I think could become a good midfielder. He is very good in traffic with his composure and stands up well in tackles.

Strauss I'm not holding any hope for.

He has nice skills, for mine he is abit like fitzpatrick, he has all thee tools to be a decent afl player pace, skills, and so on but needs a consistant run and the confidence of the coach, that's the thing about our list, so many players show they could be absolute freaks in patches but can't do it consistantly

i think Strauss could be a very good player for us, maybe on the wing or half back but at the present time he is only a fringe player.

I have also suggested this before but doubt he has the confidence or hardness for it.

I really do think he could be a player unlike most on here. He has really good pace and is a great kick. He is a great rebounder at Casey and racks up a lot of touches but when he comes to AFL he seems to become to worried about his man and has less confidence in taking the game on. The only real solution is to give him consecutive games - rest of the season.

People say he is poor when one on one but has hardly had the chance to adapt to the speed and style of AFL. There is always a spot for a good kick and rebounder in our defence.

The more obvious question is why not take one of our best tacklers and players at winning the ball and taking the game on in Terlich and put him in the centre square and then get Strauss in the team at half back.

It seems if you are a small forward you'll get a game every week and I mean Blease, Davey, Byrnes, Kent, Tapscott have all got soft games throughout the season. So why not let a resting mid take one of their spots and get Strauss in the side. If you don't want Terlich in the guts then rotate Terlich, Strauss and Clisby through the wing position.

The more obvious question is why not take one of our best tacklers and players at winning the ball and taking the game on in Terlich and put him in the centre square and then get Strauss in the team at half back.

It seems if you are a small forward you'll get a game every week and I mean Blease, Davey, Byrnes, Kent, Tapscott have all got soft games throughout the season. So why not let a resting mid take one of their spots and get Strauss in the side. If you don't want Terlich in the guts then rotate Terlich, Strauss and Clisby through the wing position.

I asked Jade Rawlings this a while back and he said they see him as a defender, they think he is capable of playing as a mid, i personally think he has the makings of an absolute gun mid, not sure on his tank but everything else seems perfect for what we need just now.

I asked Jade Rawlings this a while back and he said they see him as a defender, they think he is capable of playing as a mid, i personally think he has the makings of an absolute gun mid, not sure on his tank but everything else seems perfect for what we need just now.

Absolute gun mid?

Don't know about that. I see him as similar to Grimes in that he just lacks that finesse to be a good mid and as you said his tank could be a problem.

Its not like pressure is being wasted in the back line - watching Geelong last night was inspiring (their pressure was relentless and refused to let North have a clean possession in their forward line).

It was such a wake up call for me and helped me see just how far behind we are and made me think we might just be to far behind to catch up to the comp (its like we are a lone chase group behind the peloton - helpless)

I have been away for most of the year, so haven't seen a heap of the Dees or watched Casey at all. But from what I have seen, our midfield is the worst I have ever seen. Strauss has been groomed as a running defender since he started. Why don't we now play him as a midfielder - from what I know he played his junior footy through there. The guy can run, has good skills and his defensive side to his game has improved from playing down back for 3 years.

Terlich and Clisby show a bit down back and are playing the role Strauss was groomed for. I feel we have a midfield asset here that we may not be utilising?

If you go through the VFL player reviews I think you'll find they have tried him as a midfielder at that level. WJ would be able to advise but he may have moved back in more recent games.

I'm surprised he hasn't had a go in the seniors under Craig. Players like Davey, Tapscott, Kent and Byrne are played and have shown little at AFL level yet Strauss is now getting good numbers at Casey and the player reviews are positive. My hope/guess is that Craig thinks Strauss needs to come into the seniors with high confidence to succeed and is giving him a lot of time at VFL level to get it. It seems it would either be that or Craig has put a line though him which doesn't seem likely.

Strauss was starting to show signs under Bailey until he broke his leg so badly and then played under Neeld. His development would have been stymied during that period so I still hold some hopes for him. He more than others will benefit from a good coach who believes in him.

Absolute gun mid?

Don't know about that. I see him as similar to Grimes in that he just lacks that finesse to be a good mid and as you said his tank could be a problem.

Its not like pressure is being wasted in the back line - watching Geelong last night was inspiring (their pressure was relentless and refused to let North have a clean possession in their forward line).

It was such a wake up call for me and helped me see just how far behind we are and made me think we might just be to far behind to catch up to the comp (its like we are a lone chase group behind the peloton - helpless)

He has abit of agro and grunt about him that i think we really lack, i thought Grimes could be a very good mid earlier this year, was getting up around 30 touches and generally uses it pretty well, nothing more than a hard running mid, but we need blokes who show how hard you have to work.

We should have picked Zakarakis with pick 19 in that draft.

Plenty here thought we would too fwiw.

But we didn't.

If you go through the VFL player reviews I think you'll find they have tried him as a midfielder at that level. WJ would be able to advise but he may have moved back in more recent games.

I'm surprised he hasn't had a go in the seniors under Craig. Players like Davey, Tapscott, Kent and Byrne are played and have shown little at AFL level yet Strauss is now getting good numbers at Casey and the player reviews are positive. My hope/guess is that Craig thinks Strauss needs to come into the seniors with high confidence to succeed and is giving him a lot of time at VFL level to get it. It seems it would either be that or Craig has put a line though him which doesn't seem likely.

Strauss was starting to show signs under Bailey until he broke his leg so badly and then played under Neeld. His development would have been stymied during that period so I still hold some hopes for him. He more than others will benefit from a good coach who believes in him.

That just doesn't make sense though. Whats he waiting for.... Strauss to get 20-25+ touches a game ... oh wait he has and all season.

If it is a confidence thing why are guys like Toumpas, Kent and Clisby getting games?

It is just an odd one and doesn't really make sense. It could be that they are waiting for him to improve an area of his game (like blease) - maybe his one on one work?

We should have picked Zakarakis with pick 19 in that draft.

Plenty here thought we would too fwiw.

But we didn't.

We could probably say that about most picks, every year for the last 15 years Ron.

That just doesn't make sense though. Whats he waiting for.... Strauss to get 20-25+ touches a game ... oh wait.

If it is a confidence thing why are guys like Toumpas, Kent and CLisby getting games?

It is just an odd one and doesn't really make sense.

I agree, he has more than earned his chance, Clisby probably needs a rest in the 2's anyway.

I doubt we'll see Strauss in the middle. Far too soft for that.

However, his form at Casey seems to warrant a game at half-back at least for us. I don't know why Craig isn't playing him, whether there's some sort of attitude/other issue there, or if Craig's just stubborn, or if Craig wants to keep our back six settled. But I'm surprised he hasn't been given another chance.

Looking at our back 6 today I think we can find a place for him.

Backs: Lynden Dunn Cameron Pedersen Dean Terlich
Half backs: Colin Garland Tom McDonald Mitch Clisby

Obviously Frawley would come in and replace Pedersen when fit and that results in us having four tall defenders in Frawley, Garland, McDonald and Dunn.

Most games we will only need 3 tall defenders so Dunn would be the first to be dropped. Clisby seems to have shown enough to suggest he has a future and I like Terlich but unsure if he has the finesse to be in a good side. For some reason I see Clisby as a normal young draftee and Terlich more of a mature age draftee with less potential for improvement (probably because he is losing his hair but they are the same age).

Hopefully our back line will look something like this next year:

Backs: James Strauss James Frawley Dean Terlich??? - or Grimes?

(185cm, 85kg, 23yr) (193cm, 96kg, 24yr) (186cm, 85kg, 23yr)

Half backs: Colin Garland Tom McDonald Mitch Clisby

(191cm, 90kg 25yr) (194cm, 92kg, 20yr) (182cm, 75kg, 23yr)

We should have picked Zakarakis with pick 19 in that draft.

Plenty here thought we would too fwiw.

But we didn't.

I remember many people in Big Footy had us taking Sloane and from all reports we told the kid we'd take him to.

Another bungle after another bungle after another bungle.

Picking Stauss, Bennel, Gysberts and Cook were all shocks when we picked then, shocks to everyone.

MFC really were pathetic, I was an amateur and was just shaking my head thinking, James Stauss, ya kidding, no..

Nothing has changed, expect at least now Todd Viney is in charge and Terlich was a hell of a pick, so was Jones, amazing.

I expect to see Strauss across our half-back line for the next few years.

Reasonably quick ,good footskills ,strong body .

As with Blease we have to remember he is a year behind due to a broken leg.

Strauss was probably the worst broken leg I've ever seen.

He has never gotten enough of the ball and like our other APS product,Jack Watts ,he hangs around the pack a bit too much for my liking without affecting the contest.

We recruited him as a "distributor" across the Half Back line.

He needs to grab his chance and get a run of games together.

Clisby impacts the game far more than Strauss already and gives more intensity.