The "forgotten guys" in 2010

[Dry Rot]

Lots of excitement here about Jones and Roughead, and our new backline star Boumann. ;)

Then there's the curiosity about our latest draft picks (and lots of recent love for Moles) and interest in Everitt, Hill and Stack.

But what about Addison, Tiller and Callan? How do you see 2010 panning out for them?

IIRC all have played in recent finals, but have the new guys passed them by?

[The Pie Man]

Lots of excitement here about Jones and Roughead, and our new backline star Boumann. ;)

Then there's the curiosity about our latest draft picks (and lots of recent love for Moles) and interest in Everitt, Hill and Stack.

But what about Addison, Tiller and Callan? How do you see 2010 panning out for them?

IIRC all have played in recent finals, but have the new guys passed them by?

I'd imagine Tiller is feeling frustrated at his run of injuries over the past 12 months - has he commenced full training yet?

I think we've mulled over where Tiller is best suited - say he was fit right now, with Williams out, he'd be someone you can look to in the back half.....but is he a viable option to play on talls anymore? Promoting Mulligan, drafting Markovic...not great signs.

Really not sure on the senior prospects of the other two - Callan seems to get a game when fit, while Addison's decision making doesn't seem to get any better

[ledge]

Lots of excitement here about Jones and Roughead, and our new backline star Boumann. ;)

Then there's the curiosity about our latest draft picks (and lots of recent love for Moles) and interest in Everitt, Hill and Stack.

But what about Addison, Tiller and Callan? How do you see 2010 panning out for them?

IIRC all have played in recent finals, but have the new guys passed them by?

Not yet but this year will tell i think with the younger ones getting the chance in AFL games.

[GVGjr]

Callan and Addison are probably regarded as depth players. Good guys to have on the list but would probably make room for other players.
Everitt is the emerging talent who we hope everything clicks for him this year.
We haven't seen the best of Stack yet but he looks to be physically ready to mix it with the big boys. Hard to know what position he is best suited for.

Moles will be waiting for his chance and he is a ready made player that could hopefully perform if needed like Picken did for us last season.

By the way, I regard Hill as being in the best 22.

I'm not sure if the new guys have passed them by but it's exciting to have players like them in the squad. We could also add Reid and Wood as players ready to make the most of their opportunities.

[comrade]

Addison is a tricky one.

He's got the build of an inside mid, but can't seem to find himself in ball winning positions. His decision making under pressure is a weakness, which leaves him exposed as a small defender. He doesn't have a natural 'footy brain' so he struggles to make the play as a forward.

So, where do you play him?

Personally, I'd persist with him in a defensive forward role, locking down the opposition's most attacking defender and generally harrassing the forward 50 to keep the ball from trampolining out. He was tried for couple of weeks last year, but after the Eagles loss, the experiment was ended.

[bornadog]

I am not convinced that Callan has enough in him to be a genuine AFL player. I think he tries his guts out but his kicking lets him down and his general skills are not up to scratch. Maybe I am wrong, but he hasn't impressed me to date.

[chef]

Lots of excitement here about Jones and Roughead, and our new backline star Boumann. ;)

Then there's the curiosity about our latest draft picks (and lots of recent love for Moles) and interest in Everitt, Hill and Stack.

But what about Addison, Tiller and Callan? How do you see 2010 panning out for them?

IIRC all have played in recent finals, but have the new guys passed them by?


To me.

Hill and Callan our in our best 22.

Everitt and Stack have the talent and this should be their year to cement a permanent spot.

Tiller and Addison are depth players who will get games if we have a few injuries.

Moles is the great unknown at the moment.

[Go_Dogs]

Personally, I'd persist with him in a defensive forward role, locking down the opposition's most attacking defender and generally harrassing the forward 50 to keep the ball from trampolining out. He was tried for couple of weeks last year, but after the Eagles loss, the experiment was ended.

Agree with this. I think it could be a good role for him, and thought what he showed in the role last year wasn't too bad, considering I doubt he's spent much time in the forward half over his career.


Tiller is one I'm very hopeful of. I think his best form that he displayed - in September 2008 - is certainly AFL quality. Getting consistency into his performance is a must, as is finding his best position. I really hope he gets some runs on the board this year and is retained because I think he's potentially a pretty handy swing man who should play 100 games.

[Mofra]

Tiller is one I'd like to see play - he is a little odd in that his long kicks tend to be more reliable than his short kicks. An interview earlier with the coaching staff described him as a "swingman" which gives me hope we could see him play a variety of roles. He definately has the hardness at the ball and twice last year he played a "Lake-like" role as the general in defence. Definately too good for VFL, will he fully make the AFL transition? Might be biding time until Hargrave retires.

Callan will be hard pressed to push Harbrow out of the side, and I'd say Picken or a fit Reid are well ahead of him for the tagger or tough negating midfielder job.

Stack? I'm sorry, I don't hold too much hope for - he is niumble enought o play a smallish forward type role but he reminds me of Lynch in a way - lacks intensity & consistency. The NAB cup game at Manuka showed he wasn't prepared to make the play; rather simply wait until the game comes to him.

Addison I think is a player who needs to be given a specific role in the side to play well - a mission in a way. I think he could play as a defensive forward (although I think Tiller or Picken could also play this role if we decided we need to) and a negating type role - I have doubts on his creativity on the field.

[Mantis]

Stack? I'm sorry, I don't hold too much hope for - he is niumble enought o play a smallish forward type role but he reminds me of Lynch in a way - lacks intensity & consistency. The NAB cup game at Manuka showed he wasn't prepared to make the play; rather simply wait until the game comes to him.



But the week before in the intra club game he lead up pretty hard at the ball and presented well to the players up the field. The Manuka game should be filed away with the never to be looked at again tapes.

He looks from afar as a player who doesn't believe he is good enough to play at the highest level so probably needs his confidence levels boosted by positive re-assurance. I hope he is given an extended run this year and that he isn't dropped when he stuffs up, because it will happen... the stuff up's I mean.

With Johnson and Aker at the pointy end of their careers and doubts about the longevity of Hahn & Gia we seriously need some mid/ small forwards to come through and Stack fits certainly this role.

[Go_Dogs]

With Johnson and Aker at the pointy end of their careers and doubts about the longevity of Hahn & Gia we seriously need some mid/ small forwards to come through and Stack fits certainly this role.

Exactly. We need to find out this year if he is worth persisting with, and I believe he is - but he'll need consistent opportunities to prove his worth and demonstrate to the MC that he NEEDS to be in their thinking for 2010 and beyond. Plenty of opportunities about to open up for him...

[EasternWest]

To me.

Hill and Callan our in our best 22.

Everitt and Stack have the talent and this should be their year to cement a permanent spot.

Tiller and Addison are depth players who will get games if we have a few injuries.

Moles is the great unknown at the moment.

This is a good thread.

Obviously, it's hard for me to comment without sounding biased but I think Chef is probably right on Tiller and Addison. Of course I'd like to see DFA in every week as his complete lack of fear is something to watch, but there are simply players ahead of him.

Tiller is an interesting one. He's pretty gutsy too and I think he showed in the 08 finals that he can cut it, but he's too small to play big and Hargrave really has the spot he's most suited to pinned down.

Does he have the tank to play off the wing? He'd be a tough matchup if he did.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Addison's decision making under pressure is what really lets him down. Happened quite a few times in the intra club game where he'd work very hard, throw a few bodies around, get the ball and then appear like a dear in headlights as soon as he's confronted with it. As comrade said, a defensive forward role might be his gig. We will be losing the likes of Johnson, Akermanis and possibly Hahn in a 1-2 year span so a position may open up. We haven't got a lot of developing mid sized forwards outside of Stack.

Tiller's 08 finals series was good, but it's worth remembering who he played on. Against Sydney he was matched up on Veszpremi - a young kid who's barely played senior AFL footy. He gave him a bit of a bath, as you'd expect Tiller to.

Not sure who he played on v Geelong? Granted, these two performances were his best games by a long while. He was reading the play and making the right decisions.

I was disappointed with Tiller's game v Jack Riewoldt last year though. He blew it in that one IMO because Riewoldt was about the only winner on the ground for them that night. Is Tiller cpable of being our Max Rooke? Capable of pinch hitting down back, able to throw his weight around in the midfield for short spells but also provide something up forward? It's worth trying, although his interrupted pre-season sets him back. How old is he?

[EasternWest]

Addison's decision making under pressure is what really lets him down. Happened quite a few times in the intra club game where he'd work very hard, throw a few bodies around, get the ball and then appear like a dear in headlights as soon as he's confronted with it. As comrade said, a defensive forward role might be his gig. We will be losing the likes of Johnson, Akermanis and possibly Hahn in a 1-2 year span so a position may open up. We haven't got a lot of developing mid sized forwards outside of Stack.

Tiller's 08 finals series was good, but it's worth remembering who he played on. Against Sydney he was matched up on Veszpremi - a young kid who's barely played senior AFL footy. He gave him a bit of a bath, as you'd expect Tiller to.

Not sure who he played on v Geelong? Granted, these two performances were his best games by a long while. He was reading the play and making the right decisions.

It wasn't so much who he played on that impressed me the most (though you've got a good memory to remember Veszpremi!) but his decision making and willingness to back himself in I liked. He played like a guy without any pressure to hold his spot, just went for it, took a few calculated risks and did a lot of things right. And he's got a bit of mongrel in him too, and that's just fine with me.

As for DFA you've highlighted why I think there's a place for him somewhere in the side (granted I'm not sure where, but a lockdown forward role doesn't sound too bad). As I've said previously, it's very difficult to mentally defeat a guy who just isn't scared. You may beat him, but he'll just keep coming and coming.

[Mofra]

But the week before in the intra club game he lead up pretty hard at the ball and presented well to the players up the field. The Manuka game should be filed away with the never to be looked at again tapes.
I hope your right. The training reports suggest he has the body right - will be interested to see how he goes under German.

[chef]

Addison's decision making under pressure is what really lets him down. Happened quite a few times in the intra club game where he'd work very hard, throw a few bodies around, get the ball and then appear like a dear in headlights as soon as he's confronted with it. As comrade said, a defensive forward role might be his gig. We will be losing the likes of Johnson, Akermanis and possibly Hahn in a 1-2 year span so a position may open up. We haven't got a lot of developing mid sized forwards outside of Stack.

Tiller's 08 finals series was good, but it's worth remembering who he played on. Against Sydney he was matched up on Veszpremi - a young kid who's barely played senior AFL footy. He gave him a bit of a bath, as you'd expect Tiller to.

Not sure who he played on v Geelong? Granted, these two performances were his best games by a long while. He was reading the play and making the right decisions.

I was disappointed with Tiller's game v Jack Riewoldt last year though. He blew it in that one IMO because Riewoldt was about the only winner on the ground for them that night. Is Tiller cpable of being our Max Rooke? Capable of pinch hitting down back, able to throw his weight around in the midfield for short spells but also provide something up forward? It's worth trying, although his interrupted pre-season sets him back. How old is he?

He turns 23 next month.

[The Adelaide Connection]

Whatever happens I hope that 2010 was the 2009 we were supposed to have. We were told there would be a lot of rotations of players due to the heavy travel load (especially in the early rounds) and there wasn't a hell of a lot.

I know there is a school of thought that tinkering with the team too much can be counterproductive, but I just think we will go into the finals with less niggles and more spring in the step if we manage our list a little better with strategic spells for players (especially the veterans) and get some game time into the fringe players and youngsters.

[lemmon]

Agree with the DFA as a small forward idea, Andrew Mcqualter has performed very well in this role for St Kilda, not only is he able to apply defensive pressure but he has been able to regularly get on the scoreboard and add this extra string to his bow.

[stefoid]

I reckon those 3 would have been lucky to remain on the list when their next contract expires. However some older guys retiring might give them a reprieve.

[Bulldog Revolution]

I thought Addison was very good last night and showed a bit of growth as a small defender.

He was, as he always is tough in the air, and hard to beat one on one

He also disposed of the ball with a bit more speed and purpose seemingly backing his instincts a bit more

I thought he looked more confident and competent

What did others think?

[EasternWest]

I thought his attack, while not uncommon for him, was good. He did some good things with the ball and some poor things, and he is one that really needs to close the gap between his best and his worst.

He did have one absolute howler when he should have stayed down and instead flew for a spoil and took out two of our players, leading directly to a Hawthorn goal.

But all in all I'm with you. I thought he did ok.

[Doc26]

No one can question DFA's courage and commitment but I agree with the earlier comment that his decision making under pressure whether perceived or real is what lets him down and for where we are aiming there will be plenty of it. All going well with injuries and the hopeful development of others he sits outside my 22. With that said there will always be injuries and Dylan will be called upon to fill these holes. He's by no means a bad secondary option.

[Mofra]

Addison's tackling was brilliant last night, but he can only play back if he has a few creative options around him. He doesn't really run the ball or hurt the opposition by foot; his disposal is best described as "competant".

Stack getting some time in the middle in the 4th will do his development some good - didn;t get much of a run but attacked it better than last week.

Everitt did well in the 1st and found himself on Buddy for a little bit late in the game - I think there is still plenty to work with there.

[stefoid]

You couldnt play addison as a half back with his disposal.

He might make a good tagger on someone like ablett though - make sure he is only involved in a passage of play precisely once before he is piledrived.

[EasternWest]

You couldnt play addison as a half back with his disposal.

He might make a good tagger on someone like ablett though - make sure he is only involved in a passage of play precisely once before he is piledrived.

Ha ha. I like it. Call Rocket!

[LostDoggy]

You've also forgotten where Wood and Reid fit into the side. Two very promising players we wouldn't want to loose from the club.