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Changes vs Fremantle
- Thread starter Smoking Aces
- Start date
Hope you aren’t suggesting that Jack plays on. Biggy deserving of a game but highly likely to get thrown around by bigger and stronger opponents.
Noah like Shai is a rare talent who could be anything. With this season gone and with a view to the future, and what we most need, a move forward just to see .. is now called for.
Disagree. A "just to see' approach when we have an AA defender in great form seems silly for me. It all depends again on what the club has in store for the end of season.
You have no idea (like I don't) what their strategy is. They may think they already have Himmelberg all signed up or someone else that can fill those roles along with Lynch next year.
If we do, then whats the purpose of swinging Balta forward "just to see". We have a defence working well together (and the bulk of them will play together for the next 5 years+ - Balta, Young, Rioli etc) so what benefit do we have swinging him forward if the long term plan is to play him back??
This is a suggestion of potentially a short term move with no long term benefits just because you think Jack is too old.
I'm not suggesting Jack plays on, but all decisions we make should be made with the long term in play, not the short term, which I don't think the move to swing Balta forward is a long term move so like I said, whats the point?
Well the point is to see if he can be a consistent shooter ready to lead a forward line over the next 5 years. Not doubting that he can be great as a defender but with the group you have referred to, the need there is clearly not so great.
As you know one of his assets is his great speed. He is also very strong physically and a beautiful kick. He is the closest thing to Buddy we have had in living memory.
He is not wasted in defence, but this season is gone and taking the time now to hopefully give him, and the coaching staff, confidence in his capacity to go forward, would be an advantage.
We are a game and a half out of the eight, how can the season be gone!!!!!????
The season is definitely not gone.
Balta is more scary for us than them when he plays forward. Revisit history objectively folks. He doesn’t think or turn like a forward.
Unlike Daniel, he needs to have the play in front of him to use his athleticism.
Balta is more scary for us than them when he plays forward. Revisit history objectively folks. He doesn’t think or turn like a forward.
Unlike Daniel, he needs to have the play in front of him to use his athleticism.
So how will you tell that this season?
I'll take you back to last season with Noah again. Trained as a forward, then was moved back. How did he play last year? Within himself, confused, as well as this year? I'd think the answer for those 3 questions is self evident.
So now this season, trained him back and kept him there, playing the best footy of his career, a real weapon defensively and offensively, and you want to swing him forward, where he hasn't trained all year. Guess how that will go? Playing within himself? Confused? As well as he has in the 1st half of the year?
My guess is, we would learn absolutely nothing about Noah if we moved him forward. I still don't think he's a forward, his leading patterns are all wrong. I remember when he was swung forward against GC earlier this year, Clarke was running to pick up a loose ball on the boundary about 15m outside of our F50, he had a player on him so was going to pick the ball up and kick it quickly, the only feasible place for him to kick it was to the pocket. Balta's man marks it on his chest as he ran past Noah who was leading towards the top of the square expecting Clarke to roost it 70m across goal.
He seems to read the ball a lot better when the ball is coming in from the opposition hence why he's been so good at intercepting (you know he's ranked 2nd in the AFL for intercepts right?).
I just don't see how swinging him forward is anything other than a short term move (and a poor short term move) when we should be coaching players for the long term.
Its the same arguments as Bauer. People say play him forward, he's tall etc, but if the club sees that the best LONG TERM view is to play him down back if they feel thats where his skill set lies, why would we follow the short term route?
we will not win the GF this year so "season" is gone, time to experiment with youth if we make finals a bonus. Balta is a backman forward experiment is dead and burried. Try to create best backline with existing player both in AFL and VFL ie which combination of players jell? Gibcus, Young, Balta Tarrant Biggie Brindley (Talls) etc.
Now for the controversial ... I would like to play MRJ in the VFL as a back pocket for the next few weeks. Gives him an opportunity to get more possessions, be led to the ball (he is not reading the game) create run and use his tackling excellence --- give him some confidence before his return to the firsts.
Now for the controversial ... I would like to play MRJ in the VFL as a back pocket for the next few weeks. Gives him an opportunity to get more possessions, be led to the ball (he is not reading the game) create run and use his tackling excellence --- give him some confidence before his return to the firsts.
It is gone because we can’t make top 4, and because it is virtually impossible to win the flag from any other spot.
We have seen very little of him as a forward. Your conclusion that he can’t play there is premature.
You would see him in action at or near the top of his game and whether the form he showed in last years pre season where he did well as a forward, can be replicated over a longer period.
You seem to be saying he became confused after he was sent back, this after a preseason in which he trained successfully as a forward…
You are going around in circles here… literally. Noah has played well as a forward in preseason and with his exquisite talents that potentially is a huge plus, which we should put ourselves in a position to take advantage of.
Just my opinion.
I've been an advocate of Balta playing as a KPF for a while, because he's got some unique attributes. That said, I am swinging back to leaving him in the backline. He's really starting to be a key player in the backline, which is allowing the other backs greater freedom to play their roles better. Not sure it would be a good idea to disrupt the structure of the backline at this stage of the season given the shakiness of the team.
I'm warming to the idea of Balta being Rance-like, in different ways of course, which would enable the Tigers to build its future backline around a gun CHB.
I'm warming to the idea of Balta being Rance-like, in different ways of course, which would enable the Tigers to build its future backline around a gun CHB.
Yep - Balta is in great form ……. at full back
Long may it continue …… at full back
