Interesting stats.
I watched Hopper & Taranto very closely on the replay.
Taranto's positioning at stoppage is a bit questionable but he is very good at getting the ball which is the no.1 required trait of an inside midfielder.
It's just his disposal & decision making that's off & for every good thing he does the next passage or so seems to be a negative.
He does lack breakaway speed too. That puts many of his disposals under pressure as he struggles to get separation.
He's 4 games into a midfield role though. & clearly trying his heart out. I'm prepared to give him time & he's the best option we have currently.
I don't see him as a big problem & gets a tick.
Hopper? I'm a little less uncertain by at this point.
Against the Bullies I really didn't like his positioning at stoppage. Always seemed behind his opponent.
At times he goes to ground too often & like TT also lacks a bit of toe. I also don't particularly like his movement from contest to contest & question his workrate a little. He was coming back from injury so gets some slack there but it was noticeable & I've seen it before now too.
His kicking is also a bit suspect & misses many targets under no pressure.
We had Cotchin, TT, Prestia, Graham, Nank & Hopper all going through the middle. They're pretty one paced & samey as a collective.
When Bolton went in we looked more dynamic in that second term. I'd be looking to inject more of Dow, Sonsie & Pickett in there. We need pace when the ball hits the deck & separation as mentioned.
Hopper was great against Adelaide though so again I hope to see an improved performance against the Swans this week.
I hope both lads start to find their feet. They're still a work in progress for sure.
I watched Hopper & Taranto very closely on the replay.
Taranto's positioning at stoppage is a bit questionable but he is very good at getting the ball which is the no.1 required trait of an inside midfielder.
It's just his disposal & decision making that's off & for every good thing he does the next passage or so seems to be a negative.
He does lack breakaway speed too. That puts many of his disposals under pressure as he struggles to get separation.
He's 4 games into a midfield role though. & clearly trying his heart out. I'm prepared to give him time & he's the best option we have currently.
I don't see him as a big problem & gets a tick.
Hopper? I'm a little less uncertain by at this point.
Against the Bullies I really didn't like his positioning at stoppage. Always seemed behind his opponent.
At times he goes to ground too often & like TT also lacks a bit of toe. I also don't particularly like his movement from contest to contest & question his workrate a little. He was coming back from injury so gets some slack there but it was noticeable & I've seen it before now too.
His kicking is also a bit suspect & misses many targets under no pressure.
We had Cotchin, TT, Prestia, Graham, Nank & Hopper all going through the middle. They're pretty one paced & samey as a collective.
When Bolton went in we looked more dynamic in that second term. I'd be looking to inject more of Dow, Sonsie & Pickett in there. We need pace when the ball hits the deck & separation as mentioned.
Hopper was great against Adelaide though so again I hope to see an improved performance against the Swans this week.
I hope both lads start to find their feet. They're still a work in progress for sure.
