Howe must step up

[Undeeterred 3,124]

Give the guy a break. He played most of the game as our single forward and he hasn't got the body type or skill set to do that. He'll be fine.

[InVINCEable 358]

Wait till we get Hoges and Dawesy back in, he'll be flying high again

[Little Goffy 14,581]

How is not a key tall, he's a very dangerous third tall or creative half-forward, who in theory can run through the midfield a bit as well. But regardless of his position and how out of place he was, he didn't contribute a lot saturday and needs to lift.

Probably the biggest individual disappointment of an otherwise 'team-level' disappointing game.

That said, Howe has not yet build up any kind of pattern of consistent performance. Can be excellent, has had some truly potent games not only in effect but even in the gross numbers he accumulated. Obviously, it's a 'persevere but monitor' kind of situation.

[Demon Disciple 12,179]

He has shown that his best is good, but his bad is worse. Needs to find more consistency, as he has had a few years on our list, and is overrated, imo. Sure he has a good highlight reel to date, but he has yet to stand up in a game when it matters.

A player with his abilities should be influencing the game more than he does.

Edited March 23, 2014 by Demon Disciple

[InVINCEable 358]

He has shown that his best is good, but his bad is worse. Needs to find more consistency, as he has had a few years on our list, and is overrated, imo. Sure he has a good highlight reel to date, but he has yet to stand up in a game when it matters.

A player with his abilities should be influencing the game more than he does.

He's not overrated, he's been forced to play a role he isn't meant to play

[Tatu 416]

Yes he must, he was tagged last night and they kept him out of the game, he was effectively, the only recognised forward so keep him out and you shut our forward line down.

He seemed to be playing further up the ground later in the game and did a little but not much.

Howe is a good player when he plays his role... He was competing against defensive tactics normally reserved for the best KPF in the team... When Dawes and Hogan (and Clark maybe) return, his game will pick up where it left off... He's not a Key Forward..

Watching him struggle with the double teaming defensive tactics, really showed me how important tall forwards are in the modern game...

Jeez... A couple of years ago jurrah dominated up forward alone, he would have owned this match... maybe he is a better player and a bigger loss, then i thought he was.... The delivery wasn't any better back then...

Edited March 23, 2014 by tatu

[Jack Jack Tappy 112]

Howe is a good player when he plays his role... He was competing against defensive tactics normally reserved for the best KPF in the team... When Dawes and Hogan (and Clark maybe) return, his game will pick up where it left off... He's not a Key Forward..

Watching him struggle with the double teaming defensive tactics, really showed me how important tall forwards are in the modern game...

Jeez... A couple of years ago jurrah dominated up forward alone, he would have owned this match... maybe he is a better player and a bigger loss, then i thought he was.... The delivery wasn't any better back then...

Absolutely , he's not Cloke or brown and shouldn't be expected to be, as a result he has a bad game. He is much better as the 3rd or 4th tall. Being the main target is obviously not going to work.

[Longsufferingnomore 1,631]

Give the guy a break, whenever the ball came anywhere near him he had two defenders on him. He was never going to get the space. Also as someone else said he was restricted from the first quarter and am not sure whether it was an incident behind play as I looked back from the play he was on the ground and Gwilt was running forward away from him. He got up and was definitely limping. Losing Fitzy and virtually losingTommy Mac as well turned our already compromised game plan on its head. Alex Georgiou taking himself off in the fourth absolutely cruelled us. Add to this Dunn's niggle - geez are we cursed!!

[Adam The God 30,275]

I noticed him run four or five times the entire night. I'm sure he ran a little more than that, but he didn't look interested. He's gotta be able to deal with opposition scrutiny, otherwise he'll find himself out of a job. Having some key forwards around him would help though.

I was disappointed in his game, but I'm not the biggest fan of Howe, so that figures.

[Striker475 696]

I noticed him at one point during the third term. When trying to get anywhere near the contest the Saints were getting right into him with little digs and elbows, bumping him around and making him uncomfortable. Coupled with his lack of a clear run at any ball and the lack of decent forwards (he probably had the #1 defender a lot of the time) and it's not too much of a surprise.

[jazza 1,323]

I noticed him at one point during the third term. When trying to get anywhere near the contest the Saints were getting right into him with little digs and elbows, bumping him around and making him uncomfortable. Coupled with his lack of a clear run at any ball and the lack of decent forwards (he probably had the #1 defender a lot of the time) and it's not too much of a surprise.

good coaches overcome this problem or shift the player out.he will be ok.

i think a little time and patience is needed by some supporters here,after a "shock" first round loss the panic button got hit.

[Striker475 696]

good coaches overcome this problem or shift the player out.he will be ok.

i think a little time and patience is needed by some supporters here,after a "shock" first round loss the panic button got hit.

Not saying he won't be. It was more of a different play. Closer to how a tagger interacts with their target than a forward/defender relationship.

[Machsy 2,858]

As I said earlier in the thread, he was limping early in the game and looked to be carrying something.

I dare say he'd been a lot more effective had he been fit and had others to help carry the load.

[Akum 2,660]

I noticed him at one point during the third term. When trying to get anywhere near the contest the Saints were getting right into him with little digs and elbows, bumping him around and making him uncomfortable. Coupled with his lack of a clear run at any ball and the lack of decent forwards (he probably had the #1 defender a lot of the time) and it's not too much of a surprise.

Just disagree on one thing - he probably had the #1 & #2 defenders on him a lot of the time.

And Gilbert, Gwilt & Dempster are fast so they have no trouble keeping up with Howe. They would have got completely outmuscled and outbustled by Clark & Hogan, but that's another story.

[Fat Tony 5,247]

1) Howe had a bloody good direct opponent.

2) Our ball movement was too slow and meant our forwards were outnumbered.

3) Our forward entries were woeful.

As much as our forward line was dysfunctional and Pederson and Howe were ordinary, the problem was more to do with our lack of risk taking up field.

[old dee 23,799]

I think that he is the classic dees star.

In a period of low level results and performances we cling to anything that gives the slightest chance of improvement / success.

I certainly have seen him as being way better than I think he actually is.

If I think about the games he has played (57) how many have been in the top 5 players?

From my memory 3 or 4.

The rest have been good quarter games mixed with the occasional specie mark.

He is not IMO a KPF

He is a forward who flashes in and out of the game.

On his good weeks he is capable of 2 -3 goals, the reverse is like Saturday night when he gets the first or second defender he struggles.

In a good team he would be very dangerous but in the MFC team of 2014 when there are not KPF's playing he will be average at best.

We are expecting too much

[ManDee 7,162]

As I said earlier in the thread, he was limping early in the game and looked to be carrying something.

I dare say he'd been a lot more effective had he been fit and had others to help carry the load.

I noticed Howe limping in the first quarter, I thought he would go off, but then Tommy Mac went off, then Fitzy was concussed, Frawley was proppy. What do you do? We ran out of options. Still I would have put Dunn forward & Pedo back.

[Fat Tony 5,247]

I think that he is the classic dees star.

In a period of low level results and performances we cling to anything that gives the slightest chance of improvement / success.

I certainly have seen him as being way better than I think he actually is.

If I think about the games he has played (57) how many have been in the top 5 players?

From my memory 3 or 4.

The rest have been good quarter games mixed with the occasional specie mark.

He is not IMO a KPF

He is a forward who flashes in and out of the game.

On his good weeks he is capable of 2 -3 goals, the reverse is like Saturday night when he gets the first or second defender he struggles.

In a good team he would be very dangerous but in the MFC team of 2014 when there are not KPF's playing he will be average at best.

We are expecting too much

Howe has been playing in a side with a third world midfield. The reason we have only seen flashes is because the ball has been at the other end most of the time. He would win the Coleman at Hawthorn.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,816]

If you saw the game on TV, you'd see he was limping early in the match. I suspect he then had a painkilling injection and struggled because of that and because he was our only real forward and therefore relatively easy for St Kilda to contain.

But here's what we should like...as far as I know, neither Howe nor the club has blamed injury for his poor performance.

I'm confident he'll never play a worse game.

[old dee 23,799]

Howe has been playing in a side with a third world midfield. The reason we have only seen flashes is because the ball has been at the other end most of the time. He would win the Coleman at Hawthorn.

I was warming to your comment until the last five words.

I think your heart is leading your head.

[angrydee 842]

He copped a caulky to the calf early and limped until the next break when he probably got a jab. He didn't seem able to run normally for the rest of the night.

[Tatu 416]

There is something suss about the amount of early injuries we got in this game.... has anybody reviewed vision of these injuries?

[titan_uranus 25,020]

Can't blame him for failing to be the number 1 target when he's hardly even suited to being the third tall, let alone first.

Nonetheless, still wasn't good enough and I thought he could have provided us with more of an effort. Consistency has always been an issue of Howe's.

A corky would explain the effort.