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4 tall forwards

Pates
in Melbourne Demons

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So I’m going to throw out a hypothetical situation just for curiosity’s sake. Tom isn’t getting huge amounts of interest on the table, gut feeling (lots to play out though) is that he will still be a Demon next year. Rather than be doom and gloom about it I’m going to come at it from a position of positivity. 

Right now he’s working hard to shed kg’s and become leaner and more mobile, one thing I used to love about Tom was his elite fitness meant he could run his opponent into the ground. So let’s throw out the best case scenario:

We get Ben Brown and he’s the key forward we’ve been wanting for a while. TMac returns to some good form, Sam continues his upward trajectory, and Jacko just keeps being Jacko. 

Thinking creatively are there ways to be able to play all four in the side? Are there previous Premiership winning clubs that have been able to manage that many tall forwards? Don’t want to hear people bagging Tom, we all know he’s been way off since the end of 2018 (I’m sure he would know better than we do). 

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    • Like 4
     
    5 minutes ago, Pates said:

    So I’m going to throw out a hypothetical situation just for curiosity’s sake. Tom isn’t getting huge amounts of interest on the table, gut feeling (lots to play out though) is that he will still be a Demon next year. Rather than be doom and gloom about it I’m going to come at it from a position of positivity. 

    Right now he’s working hard to shed kg’s and become leaner and more mobile, one thing I used to love about Tom was his elite fitness meant he could run his opponent into the ground. So let’s throw out the best case scenario:

    We get Ben Brown and he’s the key forward we’ve been wanting for a while. TMac returns to some good form, Sam continues his upward trajectory, and Jacko just keeps being Jacko. 

    Thinking creatively are there ways to be able to play all four in the side? Are there previous Premiership winning clubs that have been able to manage that many tall forwards? Don’t want to hear people bagging Tom, we all know he’s been way off since the end of 2018 (I’m sure he would know better than we do). 

    Wouldn’t have thought playing all four is an option. 

    B Brown, Weid and Jacko the three preferred with T Mac and M Brown waiting in the wings.

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    • Like 4

    The Tigers have shown that manic, unrelenting team defence can win multiple flags.

    I think all 4 of those blokes playing at the same time would not help to apply enough defensive pressure and to compound the problem all 4 would spend most of their time forward of centre.

    We are already FAR too porous out of our front half.

    Yuck.

     

     

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    • Like 5
     
    11 minutes ago, faultydet said:

    The Tigers have shown that manic, unrelenting team defence can win multiple flags.

    I think all 4 of those blokes playing at the same time would not help to apply enough defensive pressure and to compound the problem all 4 would spend most of their time forward of centre.

    We are already FAR too porous out of our front half.

    Yuck.

     

     

    This.

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    • Like 1

    I can’t see any path to it being a great success that gives us an advantage. 
     

    If I had to set up a game plan to make it work:

    Jackson - wing 

    McDonald - forward/ruck
    Weid - full forward 
    Brown - CHF - big tank and nice kick 

    stagger those 3 to only have 2 on at any stage 

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    • Like 2

    20 minutes ago, faultydet said:

    The Tigers have shown that manic, unrelenting team defence can win multiple flags.

    I think all 4 of those blokes playing at the same time would not help to apply enough defensive pressure and to compound the problem all 4 would spend most of their time forward of centre.

    We are already FAR too porous out of our front half.

    Yuck.

     

     

    Agree... add in Fritsch who plays tall and you have five...

    Mind you we haven't excelled at the Richmond style either

     

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    • Sad 1
    Just now, Diamond_Jim said:

    Agree... add in Fritsch who plays tall and you have five...

    Mind you we haven't excelled at the Richmond style either

     

    Some of our sides under Northey were great defensively, at least for back then.

    The current tigers side (and to embarrass myself I will include the St Kilda side - occasionally) are light years ahead of that.

     

    We don't just lack defensive effort, we lack consistency of defensive effort. No amount of tall forwards is going to fix that.

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    • Like 1
     
    6 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

    I can’t see any path to it being a great success that gives us an advantage. 
     

    If I had to set up a game plan to make it work:

    Jackson - wing 

    McDonald - forward/ruck
    Weid - full forward 
    Brown - CHF - big tank and nice kick 

    stagger those 3 to only have 2 on at any stage 

    Brown is a goal kicker. Why on earth would we recruit him only to play him out of position?

    It also take his marking power away from the scoring zone and replaces it with a bloke who juggles every mark he contests.

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    27 minutes ago, faultydet said:

    Brown is a goal kicker. Why on earth would we recruit him only to play him out of position?

    Goody will Fritsch him probably

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    • Haha 1

    52 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

    I can’t see any path to it being a great success that gives us an advantage. 
     

    If I had to set up a game plan to make it work:

    Jackson - wing 

    McDonald - forward/ruck
    Weid - full forward 
    Brown - CHF - big tank and nice kick 

    stagger those 3 to only have 2 on at any stage 

    +1. Brown at FF, Weideman at CHF, TMac FP and back up ruck and Jackson on a wing where he can run, run and run and outmark any opponent.

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    1 hour ago, Pates said:

    So I’m going to throw out a hypothetical situation just for curiosity’s sake. Tom isn’t getting huge amounts of interest on the table, gut feeling (lots to play out though) is that he will still be a Demon next year. Rather than be doom and gloom about it I’m going to come at it from a position of positivity. 

    Right now he’s working hard to shed kg’s and become leaner and more mobile, one thing I used to love about Tom was his elite fitness meant he could run his opponent into the ground. So let’s throw out the best case scenario:

    We get Ben Brown and he’s the key forward we’ve been wanting for a while. TMac returns to some good form, Sam continues his upward trajectory, and Jacko just keeps being Jacko. 

    Thinking creatively are there ways to be able to play all four in the side? Are there previous Premiership winning clubs that have been able to manage that many tall forwards? Don’t want to hear people bagging Tom, we all know he’s been way off since the end of 2018 (I’m sure he would know better than we do). 

    Rotating off the bench 4th tall in line TMac can also help  playing from the wing and pinch hitting in the ruck. I wouldn't be entertaining playing more than  3 talls  at a time up forward. You would call that top heavy.  You need  crumbers. Game is too quick.  

     

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    The rebound from 50s would be an all time high for opposition teams.

    No thanks.

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    Why would T.Mac be anywhere near the forward line? Hasn't done anything there in 2 years and has been identified by multiple MFC coaches and administration that it isn't going to work anymore.

    It's very likely he won't be at the club next year and if he is, it'll be in the 2s.

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    we would be cut to shreds

    No way should this be considered

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    14 hours ago, faultydet said:

    The Tigers have shown that manic, unrelenting team defence can win multiple flags.

    I think all 4 of those blokes playing at the same time would not help to apply enough defensive pressure and to compound the problem all 4 would spend most of their time forward of centre.

    We are already FAR too porous out of our front half.

    Yuck.

     

     

    Agree. Opponents would simply get the ball to ground and run off 4 talls. Even 3 talls is a stretch. 
     

    key talls - Ben Brown and Weid (Mitch Brown) (Tmc???)

    Play tall and Agile - Jacko and Fritsch (rotate) 

    Small forward- Pickett (Spargo) 

    Half forwards - Melksham, Hunt (Vandenburg) 

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    10 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

    Agree. Opponents would simply get the ball to ground and run off 4 talls. Even 3 talls is a stretch. 
     

    key talls - Ben Brown and Weid (Mitch Brown) (Tmc???)

    Play tall and Agile - Jacko and Fritsch (rotate) 

    Small forward- Pickett (Spargo) 

    Half forwards - Melksham, Hunt (Vandenburg) 

    Agree with what you have but this shows how much is falling to Kozzie - we definitely need some other pressure forwards in there.  Also shows that Melksham's days might be numbered if he can't rediscover the form of 2018.

  • Quote
    40 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

    Agree. Opponents would simply get the ball to ground and run off 4 talls. Even 3 talls is a stretch. 
     

    key talls - Ben Brown and Weid (Mitch Brown) (Tmc???)

    Play tall and Agile - Jacko and Fritsch (rotate) 

    Small forward- Pickett (Spargo) 

    Half forwards - Melksham, Hunt (Vandenburg) 

    Would like to see Harmes rolling through the HF position in 2021 like he did in 2017 (14 G) and 2018 (15 G).

    But in any case, getting him the hell out of the back line would be optimal. 

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    • Thanks 1

    I would be shocked if all four were fit at the same time tbh.

    Take this year for example, you could probably count on one hand the times Brown, Jackson, Weideman and McDonald were all fit and firing at the same time. 

    Depth is always a good thing and I'd also be happy to see McDonald spend a preseason as a Key Defender.

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    • Like 1
    21 hours ago, Pates said:

    So I’m going to throw out a hypothetical situation just for curiosity’s sake. Tom isn’t getting huge amounts of interest on the table, gut feeling (lots to play out though) is that he will still be a Demon next year. Rather than be doom and gloom about it I’m going to come at it from a position of positivity. 

    Right now he’s working hard to shed kg’s and become leaner and more mobile, one thing I used to love about Tom was his elite fitness meant he could run his opponent into the ground. So let’s throw out the best case scenario:

    We get Ben Brown and he’s the key forward we’ve been wanting for a while. TMac returns to some good form, Sam continues his upward trajectory, and Jacko just keeps being Jacko. 

    Thinking creatively are there ways to be able to play all four in the side? Are there previous Premiership winning clubs that have been able to manage that many tall forwards? Don’t want to hear people bagging Tom, we all know he’s been way off since the end of 2018 (I’m sure he would know better than we do). 

    freo ran Hogan, McCarthy, Taberner, Lobb with darcy in the ruck on a couple occassions or even Cox in the forward line when McCarthy or one of the rucks was out of the side. most recent example of going extremely tall i can think of

    EDIT: Giants had Cameron, Riccardi, Finlayson, Himmelberg and Jack Buckley? late this season?

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    3 hours ago, Turner said:

    freo ran Hogan, McCarthy, Taberner, Lobb with darcy in the ruck on a couple occassions or even Cox in the forward line when McCarthy or one of the rucks was out of the side. most recent example of going extremely tall i can think of

    EDIT: Giants had Cameron, Riccardi, Finlayson, Himmelberg and Jack Buckley? late this season?

    Neither of those teams are good teams.

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    I know it’s very early in his career to be trialling this but would Jackson be worth a crack on the wing this year? We know he’s got the legs for it, it’s just whether he has the footy brain for it (yet). 

    I see Brown as the clear FF, and Sam goes to CHF. If, it’s a massive if, Tom were to become more aerobic again he could be used in a HFF position. 

    I will say this, this is all unlikely as it makes us very top heavy. However this is also making the crazy assumption that all 4 of these guys hit irresistible form. Should that happen having marking options across the ground makes things happen. 

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