Overall: A huge success. If somebody had said tome at the begging of the year that we would be 2 points and percentage out of the eight I would have told them they are dreaming. The youngest group in the league has got a lot of confidence and although the game plan may be questioned by some, you take a win no matter how good you play. This team is learning how to get over the line and the next step is doing it for 4 full quarters.
Backline: The biggest improvers so far. Waite started the year brilliantly when he beat Reiwolt, Rocca and Nietz (for half a game) and since then he has been playing a bit looser and giving us a lot of run. Bower and Jamison are great young prospects and look like they will be our number one and two defenders in a few years time barring injuries. The run off the back half is starting to be damaging and we are turning the ball over a lot less.
Midfield: The strength of the team was is a big positive because it needs to be to win a flag. There are the obvious standouts of Judd and Stevens but the more impressive players have been the younger guys. Murphy is in the top five players in the team now (with Judd, Stevens, Fevola and Waite) and dominates every second weak. Bentick and Gibbs have taken big steps this year to becoming elite players and a bunch guys playing their first game or so for the club like Brown, Armfield, Grigg and Hadley have been great inclusions. I hope that Walker can make a good recovery as he can only make this midfield better although I don’t want him to be rushed back. Russel has also started to look like a star in the last few weeks which is a great sign.
Ruckman: Hampson looks like a future star. He’s tall and athletic but I still feel that the problem is a second ruckman. Kruezer will be a centre half forward and Cloke is not great in the hitouts although he is good around the ground as a ruck rover type player. Jacobs might be able to fill this role but he’s a rookie and will take about two years until he makes his senior debut (if he ever does). Kruezer might be able to play minimal minutes in the ruck but he is a better forward.
Forward: Far to one dimensional. Fev isn’t the only player up there but sometimes we think he is. When two or three guys go to Fev it leaves guys like Fisher one out with is man and Fisher is such a good mark that id back him every time. Now that Ratten looks like he’s gonna play Kruezer forward more often hopefully we go to him more often than we have been and we can free up Fev so he can dominate like he did in the first six rounds.
Your thoughts?