Mitch Hannan - where does he fit into the team for 2023

[bornadog]

Mitch has been with the Bulldogs for the past two seasons playing 17 and 7 games last year. He di have some issues with injury and concussion and then found it hard to get back into the team.

* Can Mitch be part of our best 22?

* Where does he play?

* How do you see his 2023 and how best should we use him.

[Happy Days]

I have divested myself of the tiny amount of Hannan stock I bought and don’t think he will ever be a meaningful contributor in any role.

The stint on half back last year was about as frustrated at a coaching move I’ve been under Bevo.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

At times, he did show a bit as a hybrid forward, but he's been mostly underwhelming.

He's had some battles with injury (when he first arrived) and then concussion, so it hasn't been smooth sailing. With that said, he should be showing more than he has to date.

Can he be part of our best 22? Yes, but will he?

I'm a little uncertain how we should use him. There's a spot on the wing open and he has good pace/endurance, so maybe it's worth trialling in the pre-season. As a forward, I think he's behind a few and we might prefer our 'smaller' forward from the likes of Garcia/Clarke given their ability to pressure the opposition.

He's solid depth for a side with Premiership aspirations if nothing else.

[Go_Dogs]

I think he’s a great spare parts player who can do a number of roles to a reasonable level and will play games because he’s a hard trainer who does the team things and has versatility that our coaching group crave.

We’re yet to see his best too I suspect.

I’d suggest a spot on the wing may be his best spot, but he faces tough competition across each line.

[westbulldog]

Spare parts player at best, has done nothing to suggest he is best 22.

[lemmon]

I concur with what's been said above - don't think he's best 22, but a handy mature option to have on the list.

I'd prefer to see a few of the young, flanker/winger types (Bedendo, Gallagher, Cleary) get called upon and hopefully go past Hannan in the pecking order. Baker's another one that will add some competition for those spots.

[jeemak]

Does he play the role Gary Rohan supposedly plays for the Cats?

He's been shown to be very much in the mix when fit and has played some good football for us, so if he's fit and in form then he'll likely feature at different times.

Good depth, in that band of players you need between 14 and 28 who can all contribute when called upon.

[mjp]

Spare parts player at best, has done nothing to suggest he is best 22.

Bevo has played him whenever he has been fit.

I suspect the forward group is going to look something like this:

Talls: Naughton, Lobbe, Jamarra
Mediums: Hannan, JJ, Bailey Smith or a Rotating mid, Garcia or McNeil.
Smalls: Weightman

I'm not sure if he *SHOULD* be but he seems comfortably ahead of Bedendo and Khamis in the pecking order and it seems we are determined to play someone like that - a primarily marking based, medium forward.

[EasternWest]

Does he play the role Gary Rohan supposedly plays for the Cats?

Goes missing when it counts and bangs the physio? No thanks.

[Grantysghost]

He plays the half forward / wing role.

When half forward he's one of the guys that goes up to the stoppage to make it a +1 when there's a secondary midfield bounce.

Baz does this as well.

I don't get the Hannan knockers, he's an athletic beast, can kick it 50 + , has an insane leap and works his arse off.

He's at least 2 x better than Oskar Baker. (who spells Oscar Oskar?)

Here's hoping he can stay injury free.

[Grantysghost]

Goes missing when it counts and bangs the physio? No thanks.

Like that game he kicked the winning goal against your team yeah !!? Wait...

[jeemak]

Goes missing when it counts and bangs the physio? No thanks.

I wondered who would be first.......I shouldn't have.

[Grantysghost]

I wondered who would be first.......I shouldn't have.

Deep down you knew...

You knew.

[jeemak]

Deep down you knew...

You knew.

It's him, of course it's him.....

[Jasper]

Does he play the role Gary Rohan supposedly plays for the Cats?

He's been shown to be very much in the mix when fit and has played some good football for us, so if he's fit and in form then he'll likely feature at different times.

Good depth, in that band of players you need between 14 and 28 who can all contribute when called upon.

Great suggestion but we have a logjam for mid sized forwards. It the track watchers think he could play wing Ill go with that.
At worse he fills in where needed.

[EasternWest]

I wondered who would be first.......I shouldn't have.

It's important to be consistent.

[FrediKanoute]

He plays the half forward / wing role.

When half forward he's one of the guys that goes up to the stoppage to make it a +1 when there's a secondary midfield bounce.

Baz does this as well.

I don't get the Hannan knockers, he's an athletic beast, can kick it 50 + , has an insane leap and works his arse off.

He's at least 2 x better than Oskar Baker. (who spells Oscar Oskar?)

Here's hoping he can stay injury free.

He barely gets the footy. He has minimal impact. List clogger

[GVGjr]

He plays the half forward / wing role.

When half forward he's one of the guys that goes up to the stoppage to make it a +1 when there's a secondary midfield bounce.

Baz does this as well.

I don't get the Hannan knockers, he's an athletic beast, can kick it 50 + , has an insane leap and works his arse off.

He's at least 2 x better than Oskar Baker. (who spells Oscar Oskar?)

Here's hoping he can stay injury free.

Lets see what he is capable of with a solid preseason behind him. Even if he is ends up being that spare parts player then that may suit the team. Bevo will work out how to best utilise him.

[1eyedog]

Has tricks but really does go missing for large parts of the game to be best 22. Decent depth player though.

[Grantysghost]

He barely gets the footy. He has minimal impact. List clogger
I reckon he’s going to have a big year FK.

[jazzadogs]

Great suggestion but we have a logjam for mid sized forwards. It the track watchers think he could play wing Ill go with that.
At worse he fills in where needed.

Except for on the half back flank.

IIRC Mitch had a really solid 2021 finals series, kicking a few goals in each of the first three finals and being one of our better contributors. Last year was a write off with his concussion issues, and then inexplicably being thrown in at half back.

I agree with mjp that he is someone who gets picked when fit, similar to what Ed Richards always had been before getting his body right last year.

I also agree that I would like to see him have more consistent impact on the game, but I think the high half forward is one of the hardest roles to look good in - a lot of the leading patterns are not designed to get the ball, but to create space and drag the dangerous interceptors away from the ball. It can be very frustrating when you are doing everything right but only touch the ball a handful of times. (Yes I play half forward)

[bornadog]

I am still scratching my head why we actually recruited him.

Hopefully he avoids injury and can play a role for us, but he is not in my best 22.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

The Hannan hate is a thing.

[F'scary]

He barely gets the footy. He has minimal impact. List clogger

He is also a soft receiver type who is not a great decision maker when he has the ball. I can't see him getting a game except if we have a horror run with injuries.

[josie]

The Hannan hate is a thing.

I was ok with him being picked for our AFL team based upon what I’d seen in vfl and second hand what demons supporters thought. As with all our players I want them to succeed, to make MC night a headache and prove doubters (like me) wrong.

What I’ve seen in seniors, apart from very few good games eg 2021 preliminary, is higher than average fumbling, inability to hold marks, below average goal kick and generally low impact, leading to me asking myself why is this player picked ahead of others (who I think have more talent and potential). Perhaps he makes space well for other forwards, is a great team mate and/or follows coaches instructions or other positives I don’t see. I’m guessing part of his struggles are confidence related and his recent injuries have not helped.

I really don’t hate any of our current players but I do have doubts on a handful.

[Mofra]

Great suggestion but we have a logjam for mid sized forwards. It the track watchers think he could play wing Ill go with that.
At worse he fills in where needed.
Khamis I'll give you, but Bedendo has played two AFL games and Hannan has shown he can play a few roles forward - blocker, crumber, decoy, high, close to goal.

I suspect he's ahead of Khamis simply because of his running capacity. One of our high forwards plays as a pseudo mid anyway (Baz's role in the 2021 finals series the ideal blueprint, and Garcia/McLean will play there too) so the other has to be able to 'do it all'.

[Go_Dogs]

Maybe his versatility sees him don the 5th man or whatever they’re calling it in 2023.