#6 Brodie Holland

[HAL]

What's your sign?

[blakey_10]

How can he still be getting a game.They drop a young kid who has shown more ability than brodie has in the last 2 years.He cant kick,he always does his stupid up and under kicks where the opposition chops them off.He always gives away silly free kicks like last week against the swans.He is soft and gives up goals coz he goes to ground and trys to win a free kick and he never puts his head over the ball instead he goes the man.Im getting fed up with him.I cant up with him for much longer!This has to be his last chance!

[Heater_39]

As he was our third best player against Melbourne two weeks ago....

[rocketronnie]

A lot of what Blakey10 says is true. Holland's kicking is weak, and he does stage for free kicks far too much. I remember a passage against Sydney where he was battling for the ball on the ground with his Swan's opponent in the forward line, the guy touches him and over he goes with his arm's out stretched appealing for the free (which wasn't there at all). The Swan's guy kept his feet and cleared the ball. If he kept his feet and focused on the ball, he may have been able to do something constructive.

This happens way too often with Brodie.

I won't even mention some of the stupid frees he gives away at times.

But his main weakness is his lack of pace. Holland is not quick anymore and cannot always keep up with those players he is accountable for at times. This was obvious against the Bulldogs in the Elimination Final last year.

I think some of the other players whose futures will be examined at the end of the year - Licuria, Wakelin etc, justify their positions far more than Holland has in recent times. I know he's coming back from injury but the old habits are still there.

Holland is just playing a role now but I'm thinking he will be exposed in the finals again this year and my feeling is that some of the youngsters - such as Iles maybe be better value in the long run in the role he plays.

Overall Holland may be playing for his future this year and he'd better produce his best or he may be looking for a new home next season.

[Tannin]

Yup. Get some miles into Iles before the finals.

Or Davies. Or whichever of the young midfielders you think is best. Holland's best role is as an understudy to Licuria and O'Bree. If either of those two go down with injury, have Holland ready to step in and hold the fort, just as Wakelin stands ready to wear Presti's boots when the club needs him.

They say Holland is hard at the ball when the traffic is heavy. Fair enough. But so are our kids - and I know who I'd rather see getting a clearance if I was playing on the forward line.

[Zakal]

In an ideal world the following players would have no place in our side.

Holland
Obree
Licuria
maybe even Davies.

Now im not knockin these guys, but im trying to make the point that IDEALLY, they would be chopped in favour of 4 more talented players.

Holland does some very good things at times, as his melbourne game showed, but he DOES do those dinky up and under kicks, he isnt that pacey and lacks the heart of Licuria. In short, he is lacking in class.

. Obree, again, he is our clearance specialist and after a few years of disliking him, i think he does some great work and i like the guy...but again, can't kick and is lacking in class.

Licuria...well if ever there is a pinup boy for players who are branded "to short, to slow, can't kick" Paul Licuria is it. Absoultely love his gut busting effort in every single game he plays. The way he prepares himself is second only to Buckley and thats saying something. For a guy written off early in his career, and throughout his career, his achievements are amazing and has not one, but TWO copelands..BACK TO BACK in a side that contained the pure class and brilliance of Nathan Buckley, Scott Burns, and Paul Williams.
However, his kicking is poor and pace is non-existant.


Now i said in an idea world, we would have a version of Licuria, Obree and Holland that were great kicks. But at this stage we do not.
We DO however have a couple of young kids coming thru who have the potential to be just that...classy versions of the senior players they are replacing. Heath Shaw, Martin Clarke, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas, Shannon Cox, etc etc etc.

But kids can't provide the consistency that these guys (i believe) still can.

The solution, imo, is if these guys are willing to accept a Wakelin-style role, then they should all be retained as depth players...the Wakelin experiment proves just how bloody valuable it is to be able to call a player up from williamstown with 200 games experience and the ability to play a crucial role in the team. Premiership teams, have THIS kind of depth.

[Magpie_Dan]

How can he still be getting a game.They drop a young kid who has shown more ability than brodie has in the last 2 years.He cant kick,he always does his stupid up and under kicks where the opposition chops them off.He always gives away silly free kicks like last week against the swans.He is soft and gives up goals coz he goes to ground and trys to win a free kick and he never puts his head over the ball instead he goes the man.Im getting fed up with him.I cant up with him for much longer!This has to be his last chance!

Because hes a tough player and a good tagger and can really get under the skin of a player who might be cutting us up at the time. Love to see you get out there and get a kick bro!

[Harrysz]

Zakal, I often agree with you but I think you're underrating O'Bree.

[Tannin]

Because hes a tough player and a good tagger and can really get under the skin of a player who might be cutting us up at the time.

MD, we are talking 2007 performance, not past reputation. What has he done this year?

[Pa Marmo]

Holland is a dumb footballer. He can do some very good stuff and is in no way soft as suggested earlier. Brodie continually makes bad decisions in general play and for a player with bad execution it just doesn't and shouldn't cut it.

He insists on trying to bump instead of tackling and 9 times out of 10 he takes the poorly delivered short option.

I believe he has been passed by, by this much more highly skilled younger batch we have coming through at the present time.

[fraser25]

Well it depends who we've got at Willy that can tag.

Mick does likes for likes and who would bag O'Bree this year he's been excellent, especially his skills.

[Babylove]

I'm prepared to trust Mick Malthouse's judgement on this. He's got a lot more experience at this sort of thing than I do.

[blakey_10]

Because hes a tough player and a good tagger and can really get under the skin of a player who might be cutting us up at the time.

He is not a good tagger.His opponent gets 25+ touches a game. People overate his performance as a tagger coz of 03.I cringe everytime holland goes to their midfielder coz i know that bloke is going to dominate coz holland refuses to man up!

Obree is one of only a few who can get the ball out of the middle and nearly every other stop play around the ground

[ad4eva]

i think its about experience, a mistake we dont want to make.

Its all good and well having this young kids coming through and stringing a couple games together however you have to draw a line in the sand and come up with a blend of older, middle age and young blood in the side.

You would be making a mistake to have too much of either and i think Holland, being a former runner up best and fairest, just pipped that year too, deserves and hasnt done too much wrong to suggest an ommision.

I think everyone is only highlighting the mistakes his made but hasnt praised what he has done right.

IMO, give him another crack this week to prove himself as a senior player and if he doesnt perform, sure he warrents an ommision.

[HAL]

No, what are the ingredients?