Agree old see, the biggest caping hole is the midfield which will it least help us become competitive. Once that is established the other holes are easier to fill imo. Richmond have done it very well I over the past 2 years. I give us 3 years under Roo's and we'll be competing for a top 8 finish.

We can rise quickly with some smart decisions recruiting very good midfielders. This is the only thing we are lacking!

Everyone knows we need a massive mid field boost. I wouldn't say the only thing though. We need a classy crumbing small forward/goal sneak with pace and good 'chase down' defensive capabilities (at times). We also need a super quick clever ball user off half back who can run the lines but most importantly, deliver the ball (more often than not), lace out to a hit up forward rather than just bombing it on top of the forward's heads most of the time as the bulk of our players tend to do now and have done for years (Davey the possible regular exception). One of the mid fielders also needs to be able to hit up leading forwards on a regular basis with classy delivery as well.

Some might argue this might include Toumpas (classy outsider through the mid), Blease/Kent off half back breaking the lines through the mid (although we've yet to see if Blease can finish off his good work running the lines etc. To this point he hasn't. I believe Kent will be a very accomplished player in this area in the next few years and also be more damaging on the scoreboard. May end up in the top 5 MFC players given a few more pre seasons IMO) and maybe Grimes off half back (looks promising but a long way off being a classy ball user/finisher on the run. Quite good at chipping it around accurately).

We also need mids who can shuffle/throw/flick and handball the ball out of packs/congestion with lightning/accurate reflexes. This is critical IF we are to start competing with the top 4 to 6 clubs with most of them throwing/shuffling the ball out and away from congestion with lightning precision. Many of these players with the top clubs would be great in a scrum situation with the Storm they are so well drilled at it (and disguising it to look like something that resembles a handball!).

Our ball movement in/around and out of congestion at this point is 1980's like at best. SLOOOOOOW, painful and very unlikely to win many games in today's lightning quick ball shuffling game. This painfully slow (outdated) ball movement allows our opponents to lock down on us with ease in many cases (not always....see Toumpas's ball use recently, we need much more of his slickness/class around the contest), causing plenty of turnovers and taking the ball and doing what we aren't able to do in congestion when they take it off us or get first use (see above).

Hopefully we can also unearth/recruit a mid fielder (this might be Viney and/or Toumpas) with great lateral movement as well so they can create time/space almost at will (a la Sam Mitchell/Gary Ablett style) and link up/bring other players into the game with classy quick ball movement as well as passing the ball (to our advantage on most occasions) into the forward 50 for our KPFs.

If we can fill in these gaps i have no doubt we'll compete with middle of the rung teams within 2 pre seasons under Roos and should be able to match teams in the 4 to 6 bracket on a regular basis with about 3 to 4 pre seasons of building.

Having a competitive mid field will also allow us to more effectively enforce the forward press, walls and zones etc. Garland and Frawley might finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief and start seeing a pay off to their many years of being under the pump in pretty much every match.

Edited September 3, 201311 yr by Rusty Nails

Personally i am hoping for a top eight position in 2014. if Port Adelaide did it with Hinkley, then there is no reason why we cannot do it with Roos as we are not dramaically further behind than they were last year [and IMO are slightly ahead going into the draft/trade periods].

Personally i am hoping for a top eight position in 2014. if Port Adelaide did it with Hinkley, then there is no reason why we cannot do it with Roos as we are not dramaically further behind than they were last year [and IMO are slightly ahead going into the draft/trade periods].

Have to agree with this

The midfield itself doesn't have to be top 8 in 2014, they just need to be competitive and give our forwards a chance and take the pressure off our backline for once

Our talented KPP's stocks at either end will take care of the rest

Yeah, a B+ and a B might even do it, both with some reasonable sort of disposal.

Personally i am hoping for a top eight position in 2014. if Port Adelaide did it with Hinkley, then there is no reason why we cannot do it with Roos as we are not dramaically further behind than they were last year [and IMO are slightly ahead going into the draft/trade periods].

i'd love it, but that is very ambitious of you..

i just want to see some serious improvement

i'd love it, but that is very ambitious of you..

i just want to see some serious improvement

It is not only Roos [and most possibly Ling] coming onboard but if we draft Boyd,then, together with Hogan, they will motivate gun midfielders to want to join us. Every day that goes by I become more ambitious and confident of success in 2014.

Jack Trengove is a great example of the instant difference that Roos is going to make, Roos has already stated in an Article that he believes Trenners will certainly be a genuine A grade elite midfielder, he will bring instant belief to this group, help them rediscover why alot of them were high draft picks in the first place

expecting some marked improvement across the board, without being unrealistic, i don't think we will make the 8 but if we have the sort of year GC or the doggies have had i'll be pretty happy.

Jack Trengove is a great example of the instant difference that Roos is going to make, Roos has already stated in an Article that he believes Trenners will certainly be a genuine A grade elite midfielder, he will bring instant belief to this group, help them rediscover why alot of them were high draft picks in the first place

expecting some marked improvement across the board, without being unrealistic, i don't think we will make the 8 but if we have the sort of year GC or the doggies have had i'll be pretty happy.

Finally someone agrees about Trengove...

I hope he is amazing though.

imagine a midfield of

Jones, Trengove (as an A grader), Viney, Toump, Free Agent/Trade X2, Sylvia and Mckenzie

I still think we'll be no good, but not as bad as we are now. Got to give him some time to rebuild.

Maybe you should draft his sacking letter right now.......will you date it round 1, round 10 or at 2014 season's end?

After all, we haven't won a game under him, not even a quarter. What is all the hoo ha?

My hope is that he will be able to meld this group of individuals into a team. The immediate improvement from everyone playing for each other rather than for themselves could be enormous..

That & the addition of 2-3 AFL midfielders could very quickly turn us into a mid table team next year.

My hope is that he will be able to meld this group of individuals into a team. The immediate improvement from everyone playing for each other rather than for themselves could be enormous..

That & the addition of 2-3 AFL midfielders could very quickly turn us into a mid table team next year.

his biggest trick at Sydney was to take mistakes out of the game,and give the team a chance of kicking a winning score

his next trick was to draft the right ONES

team rules only .that's his motto

leadership brings everybody along for the ride.all team sports need LEADERSHIP,this man brings bucketloads of it

something we haven't seen for yonks,similair to the aussie cricket team,no leadership=no chance of victory

Not much better. I can see us ahead of the doggies, saints and GWS, but that's about it.

I'd add Blues, Bombers, Lions, Tigers, Eagles, Crows.

That puts us in the eight.

Easy really!