MJ23 wrote:themonk wrote:MJ23 wrote:
Thomas I think was good, particularly back half.
I think WHE was up and down. I beleive its how we used him in the team. Looking forward to see what McRae does with him.
Thomas kicked 12 goals for the entire season, averaged 13 disposals along with 3 tackles per game.
The kid is on fire!
Yet 10 of those goals came from his last 9 games and he averaged 15 disposals a game. He also averaged 18 pressure acts the same as Beau which is a great effort for both given the ball didn't go up there much.
Not elite but can work with it.
I’ve never knocked the guy and I’m not going to start now because throughout his career, he’s had his moments and also came back a better footballer after his past indiscretion.
The game has changed and I’m not convinced Thomas is in a position to change with it. Tactics and strategies revolve around creating mismatches and exploiting oppositions weaknesses. Good teams are playing and developing hybrid flankers who are quick, tall and strong in the contest. These type of players are well prepared to play on anyone of 3 or 4 opponents, so the opposition has more trouble exploiting them.
Thomas had a solid half season under Harvey but he’s not tall, he’s not quick and he’s not strong ( overhead ) He also isn’t capable of extended periods in the midfield, so he’s pigeon holed as a permanent half forward.
My best guess would also be that Pendlebury, Sidey and a Lipinski type ( ? ) would have spells at half forward, so those players alone bring more to the table than Thomas.
If Thomas should stay on, ( with a one year incentive based contract ) and continue to get a game most weeks in 2022, then that says to me no one forward of centre has either improved their footy or been traded in by the time we kick off next year. I don’t see that happening.