Not Controversial Opinion: It's Year 3 and we STILL don't know what we have (or what to do) with Adam Treloar

[mjp]

A couple of years back - there was this whole trade period 'mess' and somehow, Adam Treloar - one of the pre-eminent mids in the game (electric speed, beautifully skilled on both sides, courageous etc) somehow ended up as a Bulldog.

It was mostly praised at the time - but there was some disquiet about the whole 'where's he gonna play' thing given we already had Bont, Liber, Macrae, Smith, Dunklet, McLean, Hunter etc.

He has been 'OK' - but as of right now his effectiveness as a player would be ranked as:

Pies #1, Giants #2, Dogs #7/8.

He has played inside mid (a bit), lots of outside mid, a fair bit of half forward and even some half-back. I have NO IDEA where he will line up in 2023...I'm not convinced that anyone does.

What is his best spot? Inside mid. Where will he play? Everywhere else...

[1eyedog]

His heart isn't in it anymore but the money is still good. The secnd ruck role is now taken so I guess he'll have to play outside. I don't think he has electric speed but he has enough to play on a wing. I'd rather him there so he can free range a bit when our blue chip midfield is operating rather than back or forward.

[GVGjr]

A couple of years back - there was this whole trade period 'mess' and somehow, Adam Treloar - one of the pre-eminent mids in the game (electric speed, beautifully skilled on both sides, courageous etc) somehow ended up as a Bulldog.

It was mostly praised at the time - but there was some disquiet about the whole 'where's he gonna play' thing given we already had Bont, Liber, Macrae, Smith, Dunklet, McLean, Hunter etc.

He has been 'OK' - but as of right now his effectiveness as a player would be ranked as:

Pies #1, Giants #2, Dogs #7/8.

He has played inside mid (a bit), lots of outside mid, a fair bit of half forward and even some half-back. I have NO IDEA where he will line up in 2023...I'm not convinced that anyone does.

What is his best spot? Inside mid. Where will he play? Everywhere else...
It was a strange move at the time and one that we didn't really need to make. I guess this is the year that we can judge him the most fairly on now that he can spend more time in the position he was always best suited to.
Running him off half back last season wasn't the greatest way to utilise his talents. His best role is right in the midfield.

I really like Treloar but it was a move that perhaps didn't need to be made.

[dog town]

He is an inside midfielder, should not be anywhere near the wing. I think he has done quite well when we have been able to use him there.

[1eyedog]

I think the worse thing happened to Treloar which has blunted his effectiveness and we could kinda see it coming. We couldn't fit him in so he didn't get the opportunities to settle into our structure iin a role that suits his skill set. He has played pretty much everywhere.

Who do we see filling the Dunkley void? Is it a case of Libba and Macrae doing more heavy lifting or does Smith need to play on the inside more and can he be expected to work both ways? Does Treloar move into the Smith role? Is Tobes a dark horse for more midfield minutes?

There's one less player in our midfield rotation from last season but I still don't see where Adz 'fits'.

[azabob]

His heart isn't in it anymore but the money is still good. The secnd ruck role is now taken so I guess he'll have to play outside. I don't think he has electric speed but he has enough to play on a wing. I'd rather him there so he can free range a bit when our blue chip midfield is operating rather than back or forward.

Why do you say this? I'd love to know.

[azabob]

I think the worse thing happened to Treloar which has blunted his effectiveness and we could kinda see it coming. We couldn't fit him in so he didn't get the opportunities to settle into our structure iin a role that suits his skill set. He has played pretty much everywhere.

Who do we see filling the Dunkley void? Is it a case of Libba and Macrae doing more heavy lifting or does Smith need to play on the inside more and can he be expected to work both ways? Does Treloar move into the Smith role? Is Tobes a dark horse for more midfield minutes?

There's one less player in our midfield rotation from last season but I still don't see where Adz 'fits'.

We have two less in the midfield rotations.

I'd move Smith to a wing and play Treloar in the middle as an inside mid.

[1eyedog]

We have two less in the midfield rotations.

I'd move Smith to a wing and play Treloar in the middle as an inside mid.

Smith played there way more than Adz last season though not sure Baz would be completely happy with that re. his expectations.

[azabob]

Smith played there way more than Adz last season though not sure Baz would be completely happy with that re. his expectations.

Ture. I still want Treloar as the inside mid. My thoughts play Smith where he is best for the team. My minority view is play Smith as our attacking wingman. Either way does anyone truly believe Smith will be in RWB at the end of this contract.

[hujsh]

He was almost BOG in the GF until... anyway I think his role is pretty easy this year. There are 5 main mids and they play 80% TOG meaning they can all play significant time in the middle. I'd love if he could utilize his pace in the middle as a defensive weapon (same with Bailey) but I think he, more than any of our other mids, is probably best suited to an outside role. His combination of pace and footskills can't quite be replicated by any other player.

Again though, just because it's an outside role doesn't mean it's an attacking only role. There's no reason he can't apply defensive pressure on the outside when we don't win the ball. I'm not sure any of this is part of 'the plan' though.

[1eyedog]

Why do you say this? I'd love to know.

I was being unfairly facetious I'm certain he's mentally and emotionally strong enough to continue to perform at a high level after being completely shafted by his former coach and players and having just lost his BFF.

Will it be Brisvegas 2024 for Adz? Who knows.

[Sedat]

It was 8 minutes of mayhem in the 2021 GF away from being a masterstroke decision in year 1. And if Bont wasn't superman, Treloar would have been right in the Norm Smith frame.

For mine, he's an inside mid who can burst out of stoppages. I hope we deploy him in the coalface more often than not.

[Boots]

It was 8 minutes of mayhem in the 2021 GF away from being a masterstroke decision in year 1. And if Bont wasn't superman, Treloar would have been right in the Norm Smith frame.

For mine, he's an inside mid who can burst out of stoppages. I hope we deploy him in the coalface more often than not.

I've obviously not watched the GF a second time, but maybe I should (up until the end of Q3 at least - nobody needs to see that again).

I've always liked him as a person and as a player and I was one of the ones who wanted him even though I knew it wouldn't really work. You can't say no when a player like that drops in your lap. But yeah it's been dispiriting seeing him unable to do what he does best most of the time.

[bornadog]

I really like Treloar but it was a move that perhaps didn't need to be made.

Can't agree with this. You can never have too many good players. He fell into our lap, we didn't chase him throughout the year.

On the OP, he should be playing in the middle as an inside mid.

His stats show he has been very consistent year on year with his three clubs

[Mofra]

We have two less in the midfield rotations.

I'd move Smith to a wing and play Treloar in the middle as an inside mid.
So who of Bont, Macrae or Libba do you move out?

He's a second rotation centre square mid with us, or HHF who pushes up to become a virtual midfielder around the ground

[Mantis]

So who of Bont, Macrae or Libba do you move out?

Macrae... or Libba. As good as all 3 are as players I don't like the mix from a ''burst'' perspective.


He's a second rotation centre square mid with us, or HHF who pushes up to become a virtual midfielder around the ground

One of Treloar or Baz should be in the middle at all times.

[MrMahatma]

Macrae... or Libba. As good as all 3 are as players I don't like the mix from a ''burst'' perspective.



One of Treloar or Baz should be in the middle at all times.

I agree. That gives us good variety and all are very talented also.

[meenies]

From what I saw through the pre-season, we seemed to be looking at two superior midfield rotations and trying to find who gelled best with who. Where we have broken down in past years was that when Bont (mainly and English) were out of the centre, things seemed to crumble a little. If we have two very strong rotation teams, we will be a lot better off.

So my question is who best complements Treloar in the mid rotations? And then when not their turn, do they stay on the ground or a full rotation off the ground or some on and some off?

For what it's worth, this is why in previous side selections I had Bont and West in the centre together. They seemed to function very well together over the preseason.

[GVGjr]

Macrae... or Libba. As good as all 3 are as players I don't like the mix from a ''burst'' perspective.



One of Treloar or Baz should be in the middle at all times.

I'd add Bont as a requirement as well. He's not a burst player but is uncanny in the way he can get the ball moving cleanly from the centre square.

[Happy Days]

I think Treloar’s been pretty good wherever we’ve played him and is the exact sort of cream acquisition that good teams (like us allegedly) should look to make. Just because he hasn’t been as good as he was at Collingwood doesn’t mean he hasn’t been damaging.

His work off half back was more in a pinch than a real move and he was pretty great at it anyway.

[The Doctor]

One of Treloar or Baz should be in the middle at all times.

I agree with that.

[derb]

Definitely don't play him in defence again.

He and Bailey Smith are in the same midfield rotation.

[Flamethrower]

I find it strange that posters on here think that Adz was at his best at Collingwood - that is not the impression I get from my Collingwood supporting mates. They couldn't wait to get rid of him and his terrible disposal and poor decision making. He was scapegoat number 1 whenever they lost.

[Testekill]

Treloar was a player that we picked up because he fell into our lap, not because we needed him. He also should be playing as an onballer where he's getting fed the ball by Libba or Bont.

[GVGjr]

I find it strange that posters on here think that Adz was at his best at Collingwood - that is not the impression I get from my Collingwood supporting mates. They couldn't wait to get rid of him and his terrible disposal and poor decision making. He was scapegoat number 1 whenever they lost.

A number of Collingwood supporters I know loved him. Varying comments on a talented enough player.

[jeemak]

I don't really understand the running down of Treloar and what he delivers. We keep saying we don't or haven't needed him, but who do we have that would have been better playing in the side than Treloar these past few years? Yep, I get taking him out of the midfield mix makes it easier for us to understand who our midfielders are, but would we be replacing him with a more effective role player or someone who can step up if our desired midfield mix wasn't firing? Is there an opportunity cost that I can't see?

We're paying him around 20-25% more than the average AFL player earns. Yes, he's earning more than that but that's not our problem it's Collingwood's, and he's worth what we're paying him because he's about 20-25% better than the average AFL player with some change.

I want to see him in the second rotation playing the inside to outside role like he mainly has been with his time with us. Now we don't have Dunkley it should be easier for us to facilitate that.

[MrMahatma]

I find it strange that posters on here think that Adz was at his best at Collingwood - that is not the impression I get from my Collingwood supporting mates. They couldn't wait to get rid of him and his terrible disposal and poor decision making. He was scapegoat number 1 whenever they lost.

I know loads of informed Pies fans. 100% love him and were pissed he left.

[Grantysghost]

Treloar is a good player, I'm constantly asking myself though : would we miss him if he wasn't playing?

He was an A grade mid at the Giants and Pies, spoken about in the top echelon constantly; a massive part of their engine rooms.

For us he feels like an appendix. Nice to have, however not sure we really miss him if he wasn't there.

I can see the logic of using his speed, as the OP says though this guy is an elite inside mid that we've converted to outside.

With Dunks gone would have made sense to me for him to do what he does best, it appears we've anointed Baz instead (which is its own discussion).

Contested ball is everything in this game, in the drawn game last night that stat was also drawn. When you've got a guy who may tip you into the black in such a critical area I would use him.

Edit :

Averaged 12.1 cont poss across 94 games with Pies.
Averages 8.7 with us.

For comparison :

Libba across his career is at 11.9

[bornadog]

I know loads of informed Pies fans. 100% love him and were pissed he left.

same

[EasternWest]

I find it strange that posters on here think that Adz was at his best at Collingwood - that is not the impression I get from my Collingwood supporting mates. They couldn't wait to get rid of him and his terrible disposal and poor decision making. He was scapegoat number 1 whenever they lost.

He's a jet and they're wrong.

[azabob]

Treloar is a good player, I'm constantly asking myself though : would we miss him if he wasn't playing?

He was an A grade mid at the Giants and Pies, spoken about in the top echelon constantly; a massive part of their engine rooms.

For us he feels like an appendix. Nice to have, however not sure we really miss him if he wasn't there.

I can see the logic of using his speed, as the OP says though this guy is an elite inside mid that we've converted to outside.

With Dunks gone would have made sense to me for him to do what he does best, it appears we've anointed Baz instead (which is its own discussion).

Contested ball is everything in this game, in the drawn game last night that stat was also drawn. When you've got a guy who may tip you into the black in such a critical area I would use him.

Edit :

Averaged 12.1 cont poss across 94 games with Pies.
Averages 8.7 with us.

For comparison :

Libba across his career is at 11.9

Not sure the contested ball stat is relevant in this discussion as he would’ve spent more time in the thick of the action at Collingwood.