Deedubs

I'll have what you're having :) The best team doesn't always win the flag. And the best team often doesn't win any given match due to poor umpiring which can impact any individual game as much as 8 goals. The NBA doesn't have this problem. But with a best of 7 series in finals you can't really argue at the end of it. Our finals are a once off match.

really? Well Bate was a dud, Dunn was solid he was very makeshift and spent time in defence at the pies and Newton looked great on the eye but never carved out a career. Shame about Jurrah.

I prefer a day grand final. It's so much better socially. Go over to a friends for a bbq, drinks, watch the game, and then after it's approaching dinner time (not that ppl are usually hungry) but people can still socialise after the game into the evening. When the game is at twilight it's like 'yeah come over at 4pm for some doritos?'. And when the game is over, it's an awkward time and people just head home afterwards. Day granny is much better. But I understand financially it may not be. I think the AFL should just focus on making the umpiring standard better before worrying about time slots. The game is borderline unwatchable with the low standard of umpiring at the minute and not helped by Brad Scott ridiculous rule changes. And then they wonder why crowd attendances are low...

Eddie mcguire would be spewing. He was calling for the twilight grand final really hard. I didn't really understand the prime time slot thing though. How does 2.30-5.30pm vs 5-8pm make much of a difference? And how does that help other states watch the game? I didn't understand his argument on footy classified the other night.

Harsh. I've at least done some research and added something. I think looking at our list and what we should look for in the next draft/trade period is definitely worthwhile.

yep, it's the evolution of the game. Even josh giddey at 6'8 is a guard. I love it how people get so excited about Cripps being an inside mid at 195cm but in basketball that's a pretty standard guard height.

name calling? where was I using name calling? I showed facts. Go to leading goal scorers of 2022. Look at their heights. That's from a large sample size. If I show 30 key forwards who average 199cm in height, I'm not sure why people mention forwards that are small to demonstrate the point that smaller forwards can be good? it's not even my point. My point is that key forwards are 199cm on average these days. In 5-10 years time, it could very well be 201-203cm. I'm not sure how many people have seen JVR live (I have). He's good, but he's not super tall.

completely missed the point. We're not saying that you can't be a good forward unless your tall. We're saying that the majority of the best tall forwards in 2022 are 199cm on average. It's like all thumbs are fingers but not all fingers are thumbs. Not sure how what I said could be misconstrued.

Incorrect. I'm comparing his unrealistic forward line to my unrealistic example to demonstrate that tall key forwards create match up headaches. keep up junior :)

I didn't ignore it. I said they'd get killed in the air. How much clearer could I be? It's all well and good to say 'don't bomb it in' but it's impossible to not kick the ball long in to the forward line. especially with midfield pressure. So yeah, they'd get smashed. A forward line of "Tom Lynch, H.Mackay, Heeney, Charlie Cameron, Fritsch and Bolton" is a lot more dangerous as it stretches a teams defence in terms of match ups. With a shorter team you can put tall that play small (like Joel Smith) or shorts that play big (Hibberd). Match up options are endless.

Well they wouldn't even get it into their forward line because they would've spent their salary cap on the forward line so your example is unrealistic.

They'd get killed in the air.

if only Weideman was showing a bit more... I think people have slightly misconstrued what I've said but also made some good points. I think we just need to pair up Van Rooyen with a genuine 2m tall instead of some Tim Membrey types.

Obviously spud is in relation to the 700 other AFL players. I would've thought that's implied.

Why are you including Betts and Breust in your averages? They aren't key forwards. I was saying the avg height for a good key forward as of 2022 is 199cm.This is from a sample of 20 key forwards in the leading goal kickers of this year. So I'm not sure why you would include a 174cm forward pocket lol.

Mcdonald was a backman in his first 7 years of his career...

lol. this 'premiership player' tag is a little over the top. There's been a lot of spuds that have been premiership players but yeah he had a career like Tom Mcdonald then I'd take that. Hopefully not being a butcher in the backline for the first 7 years of his career.

I think you'll be happy then because JVR looks like a Mcdonald clone to me.

Half of the players you just listed are taller than JVR so not sure what you're getting at? Also, is it any coincidence that the list of players you provided is significantly worse than the list of players I provided? I wouldn't want Mihocek, Mcdonald, Darling or even Walker being our key forward for the next 10-15 years if they were at the start of their career. 200cm+ please.

I never said all good forwards are 199cm. I simply said that the average 'tall forward' is about 199cm. Across a sample size of about 20 of the leading key forwards. That's a large enough sample size to see the direction that the league is heading. I would always take a good hybrid forward like a Heeney or Fritsch over a bad forward of true key position height like Callum Coleman-Jones. But once Ben Brown is done, we will have the smallest forward line in the league height wise. I think Gawn can play full time forward in a few years if Jackson stays but I think it's really important to be dangerous in the air and make opponents put their tallest defender on our tallest forward. With a forward line of TMac and Van Rooyen, it's a very easy match up for opposition as they'll never have to worry about being out-sized. Both are not super mobile and both are not tall. Both are not quick. That doesn't mean they aren't good or in JVR won't be a great player and have other traits like footy smarts, goal sense, be a strong mark etc. but in terms of match ups these guys won't stress the opposition. If Gawn plays forward or we somehow find a genuine 200cm+ tall forward then all of a sudden TMac and JVR are getting 2nd tall defenders.

I've shown you the facts. Just because we have the best defender in the league doesn't discount the fact that the best key forwards on avg are 199cm and they're only going to get bigger with guys like Sam Darcy (207cm) coming into the league. We need guys of genuine height, at both ends.

Curnow is the exception to the rule. But I don't see him as a true key forward. if you look at all of the leading goal kickers, it's undeniable that they're getting bigger and bigger. The average is 199cm for all key forwards. 199cm! 193cm is noticeably shorter than the average of true key forwards. So we need to recruit a true size key forward and key back. Tom Lynch: 199cm Hawkins: 198cm J.Cameron: 196cm Peter Wright: 203cm Max King: 202cm Naughton: 195cm Mackay: 204cm Casboult: 199cm Chol: 200cm Franklin: 199cm Daniher: 201cm Nick Larkey: 198cm Mitch Lewis: 199cm Ben Brown: 200cm Himmelberg: 195cm Josh Kennedy: 196cm *Ben King: 202cm *injured

Good post. We don't have much coming through in way of key forwards. And JVR is too small to be considered a key forward. Forwards are getting bigger and bigger these days. It'd be nice to have a 200cm+ forward on our list aka (Max King, Mackay, Chol) etc. obviously we won't have a high draft pick to pick one up so that's the challenge. I wouldn't say Lever, petty, Tomlinson, Smith and Turner are Steven May replacements. Turner is unproven, Tomlinson is average at best, Lever is too small to play on the monsters and Joel Smith lacks footy smarts. Drafting a true 195cm+ key defender is also what we need.

Fritsch is a lot more mobile than JVR. JVR is more like Tom McDonald and that's not a bad thing.

Lever has missed the season with injury. No need for a rest for him.