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View Full Version : I really (REALLY) re-watched the 2016 prelim and...



mjp
14-04-2020, 10:43 AM
...

Two things jumped out at me.

[Well - there were a few more than that but ignoring the premature retirement of Matty Boyd, the Roberts/Hamling combo and 'what went wrong', the 'Joel Patful was playing????', the 'Rhys Palmer was playing??????', the 'Are we sure Jake Stringer was actually good?' and the sheer volume of players who have either changed clubs or otherwise exited the game since then...I mean, other than all of that!]

1/. Zaine Cordy is a natural forward.

I know he does it in the GF as well, but he is a NATURAL forward. He leads when he should lead, he 'stays' when he should stay, he brings the ball to ground and he kicks bloody goals! I have asked this question on here before, but why-o-why have we played him in the backline since the 2016 finals series? I do not understand.

2/. What the hell has happened to Toby McLean

First to the ball. In and under. Desperate. First option decision maker. CLEAN below his knees. Just a good player. Where is that bloke? Where has he been? And I don't want to hear the 'played out of position' story because he doesn't need to be a forward or a mid to do those things...he just needs to DO THEM. In fact, I think if he did them a bit more often as a forward his midfield time would increase.

Great game though. We kind of dominated possession and it was a travesty that it was so close in a lot of ways!

GVGjr
14-04-2020, 10:48 AM
I agree about Cordy and mentioned that when we traded for Bruce

I also don't know what has happened to McLean but that is just based on his 2019 form. I think he was good in 2017 and 2018

Mofra
14-04-2020, 11:08 AM
Cordy's last game as a forward he led the side in Kms covered for the game.
On the downside, I thought he didn't have the best GF (yes there was 'that' tackle and goal).

Not sure how he plays forward now given what we have on our list + Marra joining us next year.

The other thing that should strike people - the sheer numbers of former rookies and late picks that made up our side. The eye test suggests those types are "desperate" and it's that desperation that we have lacked since 2016.
Top-end draft talent doesn't guarantee success - arguably, GWS have become a better side with Sam Reid and Matt De Boer in it.

comrade
14-04-2020, 11:26 AM
Swap Naughton and Cordy from the round 1 2020 line up and we are a 5 goal better footy side overall. Don't @ me... :D