In what shapes as a career-defining year for him, it looks as if he may be making a change: Move to wing could revitalise Grimes.

"Melbourne coach Paul Roos told AFL.com.au that Grimes had embraced his new role, and the coaches were excited about what he had shown on the training track.

Roos added Grimes had the flexibility and endurance to play in the high half-forward role.

"He is a good athlete. He gets up and back the field really well, [and with] 90 interchange he is really [suited to] where the game is going," Roos said.

"He has really embraced that role and I think it is a role he can play really well."

What are our thoughts on this? Personally, he's not in my best 22 at this stage, although it sounds like Roos has plans for him.

Edited February 18, 20169 yr by Scythe

Really want to see him succeed at the Dees, but I query whether his skill level will allow him to do so.

Shut down role on a half back player?

Needs to improve his disposal if he's to play that role.

Well ... any role really.

Hope he makes it at last.

Love the heart of Grimes. He stood up in the darkest of times and we should support him as much as we can.

 

Saying that, his disposal or confidence with disposal has caused a few "arrgg" moments.

 

C'mon Grimesy show them that you can do it!

26 minutes ago, Gorgoroth said:

Shut down role on a half back player?

Who misses out for him to come in?

Really hope he makes it but as others have said, skill level needs to improve. No question over commitment and determination though.

Article seems a little contradictory. Talks of playing on the wing but Roos' comment say high half forward. They're not too dissimilar I guess but are different roles to my mind.

The bigger story is "who's playing off half back"??

Decision making and disposal is mind boggling terrible sometimes.

Nice guy though, hard worker, and who else do we really have. 

40 minutes ago, Scythe said:

In what shapes as a career-defining year for him, it looks as if he may be making a change: Move to wing could revitalise Grimes.

"Melbourne coach Paul Roos told AFL.com.au that Grimes had embraced his new role, and the coaches were excited about what he had shown on the training track.

Roos added Grimes had the flexibility and endurance to play in the high half-forward role.

"He is a good athlete. He gets up and back the field really well, [and with] 90 interchange he is really [suited to] where the game is going," Roos said.

"He has really embraced that role and I think it is a role he can play really well."

What are our thoughts on this? Personally, he's not in my best 22 at this stage, although it sounds like Roos has plans for him.

 

There are several benefits to this:

1. He has good endurance.

2. He can help with the plan to turn the opp'n ball over before it gets to our backline.

3. He is a good reader of play

4. He has footy smarts and should be able to position himself well

5. So long as he kicks to the top of the square he can never kick out on the full from the wing  

15 minutes ago, The Song Formerly Known As said:

Decision making and disposal is mind boggling terrible sometimes.

Nice guy though, hard worker, and who else do we really have. 

I doubt many on here have him in their best 22, which makes him a borderline best 22 player on a wing/HFF.

Who else do we have? Petracca, Stretch, Harmes, Mitchie, Watts and Matt Jones will all be competing for that spot as well. He will have plenty of competition.

I hear he is having a very good preseason and look forward to seeing what he can do.

If he's going to have his hands on the footy I'd much prefer Grimesy be forward of centre than behind it - I always feel like he puts himself under so much pressure because of where he has the ball on the ground. If he's on the half back flank you can see he wants to 'go' and almost does a number of times before he pulls up and decides not to risk it - those moments of indecision then sometimes create turnovers/clangers as he gets a bit flustered PLUS the opposition have more players in front of him as a result of stalling, making it even harder to progress the ball forward, hence the 15m kick sideways which we all know him for.

So I'm thinking it's a nice move to see if we can 'release' him from being in that position, hopefully he can feel a bit of freedom with not having to watch his opposition number as closely and get forward of centre and start creating instinctively.

Have always liked him but thinking back to the 'aaarrggghhhh' moments, I really would have thought a best position for him would be far, far away from the boundary line. Not a wing.

He's becoming versatile depth. I think he could do the defensive forward role quite well, as required.

14 minutes ago, Night Crawler said:

I doubt many on here have him in their best 22, which makes him a borderline best 22 player on a wing/HFF.

Who else do we have? Petracca, Stretch, Harmes, Mitchie, Watts and Matt Jones will all be competing for that spot as well. He will have plenty of competition.

I hear he is having a very good preseason and look forward to seeing what he can do.

Of the lot you mention NC there is IMO only one who is genuinely as good a player as him in 2016 and that is Watts.

Matt Jones and Michie  are  so far behind they  cannot hear the band, Stretch and Harmes have shown some promise but are still behind Grimes.

That leaves a player who is returning from a serious knee injury plus a broken toe who has not played a senior game yet or any game since 2014.

I think he is in front at present and I hope stays there.

 

1 hour ago, Scythe said:

What are our thoughts on this? Personally, he's not in my best 22 at this stage, although it sounds like Roos has plans for him.

 

23 minutes ago, Night Crawler said:

I doubt many on here have him in their best 22, which makes him a borderline best 22 player on a wing/HFF.

Who else do we have? Petracca, Stretch, Harmes, Mitchie, Watts and Matt Jones will all be competing for that spot as well. He will have plenty of competition.

So it seems we have so many players vying for a place in the 22 that if a few of them hit some form, we will have a selection dilemma.

Finally!

Gifting matches to players who haven't really earned it because we don't have enough class will be a thing of the past? Hope so.

 

Grimes is no different to Dawes is no different to Melksham, to Trengove ... doesn't matter how or why, but they're on our list and it's up to the club to get the most out of them, in whatever capacity.

 

Good players in form who can't get games? Can't wait.

33 minutes ago, old dee said:

Of the lot you mention NC there is IMO only one who is genuinely as good a player as him in 2016 and that is Watts.

Matt Jones and Michie  are  so far behind they  cannot hear the band, Stretch and Harmes have shown some promise but are still behind Grimes.

That leaves a player who is returning from a serious knee injury plus a broken toe who has not played a senior game yet or any game since 2014.

I think he is in front at present and I hope stays there.

 

They are not far behind him OD. Not far at all. (well Matt Jones was a bit of a sneaky addition)

It's confusing as in the article it states that he will be playing wing and then later HFF.

If it is wing then I agree with you a bit. I would hope that Stretch could push for that position. The only selling point for Grimes is his endurance.

If it is HFF then I would have a heap of players ahead of him.

We really are missing a few outside types on our list.

This change of position reminds me Fitzy's move to the backline last year. The coaches had given up on him as a forward and it was a last ditch effort to get something out of him.

The writing was on the wall.

Edit: Also, Grimes doesnt really remind me of a modern winger. Wing usually has pace. Imagine Grimes lining up on Lewis Jetta or Wellingham. Plus he doesnt have the disposal to really hurt the opposition. Ideally, we wouldnt have traded for Melksham and then we could have picked up Ryan Clarke who went to the Roo's. 

Edited February 18, 20169 yr by Night Crawler

Apart from having to have a few guns to have finals success, you also need a handy bottom six of your best 22.

Will Grimes thrive in a more attacking style of play? It could be argued that he was a better player under Bailey than compared to Neeld and Roos...

I wish grimes all the best on the wing, he definitely needs to improve his disposal his turn over rate and putting other players under pressure undoes a lot of the good things he does. Hopefully the wing will allow him a little more freedom and less pressure.

I like Grimes, and he would be in my 22.

I have noticed his clangers are almost exclusively on his left, which he needs to improve without doubt, but I think his right is actually reliable.

I reckon his boat problem is taking too long to dispose of the ball from a mark. That is where most of his clangers occur. 

 

Getting him forward of centre may encourage him to move it quickly as there is more incentive to move it quickly and less reason to hang on and be cautious. Plus his closing speed in the midddle of the ground may make for good defensive play.

 

Not sure he will make it but I hope he does. 

I reckon that the better we get, the more his pros will favour us & the less his blemishes will cost us.

5 hours ago, Eyes on Red & Blue said:

If he's going to have his hands on the footy I'd much prefer Grimesy be forward of centre than behind it - I always feel like he puts himself under so much pressure because of where he has the ball on the ground. If he's on the half back flank you can see he wants to 'go' and almost does a number of times before he pulls up and decides not to risk it - those moments of indecision then sometimes create turnovers/clangers as he gets a bit flustered PLUS the opposition have more players in front of him as a result of stalling, making it even harder to progress the ball forward, hence the 15m kick sideways which we all know him for.

So I'm thinking it's a nice move to see if we can 'release' him from being in that position, hopefully he can feel a bit of freedom with not having to watch his opposition number as closely and get forward of centre and start creating instinctively.

Good call. Really interesting that this year they have been very public about specific roles players will play eg Watts deeper forward, VB in forard line, Frost ditto, Salem sweeping half back, Gawn ruck (a joke joyce) and before his suspension the Melk as rebounding HB.

There must some thought behind this, perhaps it helps to get players ready. I guess that they always tell players what role they might expect to play but the transparency seems novel.

4 hours ago, DemonAndrew said:

Really want to see him succeed at the Dees, but I query whether his skill level will allow him to do so.

I was going to press the "like" button as I agree with Andrew's thoughts

But I would prefer an "agree"button

Grimes could go OK off half back with someone to kick to....if he can kick it to them.