Article 9: X Factor player positions

[inxs88]

No doubt, the knock on Bux in my mind of thinking has been his reticence in the recruitment, development and positional play of players who've the capabilities of having a real "X Factor" influence on games. With the retirement of Dane Swan, the decline of Travis Cloke and the injury affects on Pendles has dented our ability to close out matches.

In golf there is an expression that you "drive for show, but putt for dough" and with our inabilities to correct close losses in games in 2017 such as:

* GWS
* Dees on Queens Birthday
* Tigers Rd 2
* Cats Round 22
* Adelaide drawn match

So what do we have at our disposal and how can Bux and a fresh coaching panel introduce in 2018 changes to maximize such X factor improvement. To me I'd suggest this team (pre-delistings):

B: Broomhead Dunn Scharenberg
HB: Crisp Moore Varcoe
C: Wells Treloar Maynard
HF: DeGoey Howe Sidebottom
F: Hoskin Elliott Cox Elliott
F: Grundy Pendlebury Adams
ICH: Goldsack, Greenwood, Fasolo, Kirby, Reid
Emerg: Aish, Langdon, Rupert W

Supplementary:

Daicos
Mayne
C. Brown
Oxley
J. Smith
Crocker
McLarty
Sier
Ramsay
Sinclair
Phillips

Summary:

* Broomhead: let him play behind the ball, settle into one position and allow his clean hand and ball use to be an effective distributor from defence.

* D. Moore: loved his work in the last quarter against the Dees in Round 23. Let him be a swingman with J. Howe depending on team matchups

* Varcoe: let his pace and ball use be an outlet from defence

* Maynard: rotate between the wing and on the ball. No defence 50 presence ever again.

* DeGoey: rotate on the ball with Pendles and rest at half forward.

* Sidebottom: play as a permanent half forward, deep winger and access his goal kicking nous for 35+ a year.

* Hoskin Elliott: this guy has a leap that rivals Jeremy Howe. He could be unstoppable as a permanent forward pocket with the occasional release up the ground.

* Mason C: let's reignite the round 23 arrangement of Ruck/forward be it Grundy 60:40 and Mason 40:60. We have the unique opportunity to do a Dean Cox and Nick Natanui ruck/forward balance which would represent a great point of difference.

* Grundy: as above

* Jeremy Howe: he was given 15 minutes for the entire season in the forward 50. That was a travesty and an example of positional stubbornness. As stated above, have him rotate with Moore depending on match ups. Time Jeremy was allowed to win us some matches NOT save them.


For a team that grinds out 11 goals a week, which doesn't make for great spectating, the above would boost our scoring potential, be unpredictable to other teams and make for more threatening and finals bound footy!

[RudeBoy]

Wells, Hoskin-Elliott, Varcoe, Elliott and Kirby say hi.

[3rd degree]

Varcoe is in that side , next to Corrie.

[neil]

We have one KPF and you move him to the backline?

[MightyMagpie]

We need to draft Xavier someone for X factor.

[droversdog65]

Shazza and Freeman were recruited for X factor and would have added much, injury however intervened.
Just because a vocal few insist we have gone after vanilla players recently doesn't make it so.

[Damien]

I think we’d all have loved to see Howe go forward but his intercept marking and ability to launch attacks was so good that he made it impossible. I don’t think it was stubborness, more a case of not wanting to rob Peter to pay Paul. Maybe we’ll see it in 2018.

[inxs88]

[Pies2016]

i quite like the idea of Broomhead out of the back pocket .... if only he had a bit more physical presence. Good skill set but would make me nervous if isolated in one on ones.

[HAL]

"it" being [quoteneil]We have one KPF and you move him to the backline?

[K]

[Damien]

[Pies2016]

[inxs88]

[droversdog65]