By Luke D'Anello
December 1st 2009 @ 2:44am
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Have Carlton recruited too many midfielders?
Is it possible to have too many midfielders? Not according to Carlton. You could say the club has an obsession with them. The Blues used their three selections (picks 12, 43 and 59) in Thursday’s AFL draft on midfielders.
Clubs have always faced the dilemma of whether to pick the best player available or to recruit according to what they need.
The fact the Gold Coast will have nine of the first 15 picks in the 2010 draft made decision-making all the more crucial in this year’s draft.
Carlton has, quite clearly, picked the former. It has since tried to justify its decision by saying you can’t have too many midfielders.
It shows the club has moved on from Brendan Fevola. They have recruited Lachlan Henderson from Brisbane to fill the void, and it is hoped Matthew Kreuzer will continue to improve. Jarrad Waite will also return from a knee reconstruction and can fill a key post at either end of the ground.
And there is no doubt the forwards will receive some silver-service. Judd will miss the first three matches of the season, but Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Richard Hadley, Andrew Carazzo, Shaun Grigg, Kade Simpson, Aaron Joseph, Mitch Robinson and new recruit Brock McLean (Melbourne) will shoulder the workload in the captain’s absence.
If you add the three draftees, it’s a long-list. Have they got the balance right?
Of the Blues’ new breed, Kane Lucas and Marcus Davies both stand at 188cm, while Rohan Kerr is 184cm. They may not be key forwards, but they will provide Carlton with some strong bodies in the midfield exchanges.
Provided they are ready to play in 2010, of course.
It is anticipated that Lucas will be ready for a move to the big-time after playing senior football in the WAFL last season.
It is the same apprenticeship undertaken by Brisbane’s Daniel Rich – and we all know how good he was in his first year.
While the Blues have made an effort to justify their decision to bolster their midfield stocks, it is clear they simply didn’t rate many of the key position players in the draft.
Last season, commentators, Blues’ supporters and impartial observers all, at various times, expressed concern over Carlton’s set-up – at both ends of the ground.
The loss of Waite further emphasised this problem. Now Fevola is gone, the plan is to pinch-hit with midfielders up forward.
But is that sustainable? And can the Blues make the top-eight again?
Some will argue that West Coast, which won the flag in 2006, showed you can achieve the ultimate success without a star-studded forward line.
Daniel Kerr, Ben Cousins and Judd piloted the Eagles’ success.
But there must be serious questions asked of this current Blues team. Are they still a few years away from seriously challenging the league’s elite?
In the first seven rounds next season, the Blues face Richmond, Brisbane (away), Essendon, Adelaide (away), Geelong, Collingwood and St.Kilda.
It is a tough start to the season by any standards. How Carlton responds to it will tell us plenty.
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Pippinu said | December 1st 2009 @ 7:05am | Report comment
The Bullies used to go by the mantra that you can never have too many midfielders – and for the past 12 or so years have basically played every game with a ruckman, a full back (once they got Lake) and 16 short-ar$ed midfielders rotating through the middle.
It’s got them so far – and as a result – Hall is about to become the first legitimate key forward they have had since Kevin Templeton won the Brownlow in 1980.
In conclusion – yes – Carlton may have gone overboard with the mids last draft.
MJ said | December 1st 2009 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Marcus Davies isn’t a midfielder. He’s a 191 cm and plays across half back. And for anyone who wants a comparison for someone who is 191 cm it’s exactly the same as Fevola.
Freud of Football said | December 1st 2009 @ 9:49pm | Report comment
Jesus Christ Pip, you’re a bulldog supporter and you don’t rate Grant or Darcy as legitimate key-forwards?
Given Darcy was utilised more in the ruck but he was never really tall enough for it and could have been an excellent tall forward but Grant was a gun in his day, you might recall he polled the most votes in the 97 Brownlow only for it to go to Harvey because of a suspension.
For someone who likes to get on his high-horse you seem to either forget or not know a lot of stuff.
Pippinu said | December 1st 2009 @ 10:16pm | Report comment
Grant was ok – except he was hopeless with a set shot from 20m directly in front.
Freud of Football said | December 1st 2009 @ 11:24pm | Report comment
So was Richardson, so was Modra – still two bloody good players.
You quite simply have no idea, not even about the club you support.
Gibbo said | December 1st 2009 @ 3:50pm | Report comment
the cats midfield has flattered C.Mooney, and have also filled in holes in defence when injuries struck (bartel, corey & kelly most effectively this last season).
If the Carlton midfield develop into something anywhere near as strong as the Cats have been over the past three years then they’ll be a very good.
Hazey the Bear said | December 1st 2009 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
Good question…It all depends.
I think the point is that there are MIDFIELDERS and then there are MIDFIELDERS. You’ve mentioned the great season of 2006, when the mighty Eagles from the West (I’m a supporter, in case you didn’t notice) had midfielders all around the ground, with Glass at full back and the Big Q at full forward. But a lot of the midfielders were multi-tasking – Wirrapanda and Chick in the backline to good effect, and Embley shifting back and forward at will. And really, I wouldn’t even have considered Wirrapanda as a midfielder in those later years, although early in his career he started in the middle (often drifting forward)…Even now, a lot of the WCE players are midfielders who slot into a different role based on body size and shape.
So it all depends on how Carlton use those midfielders and whether they can “multi-task” effectively…
bever fever said | December 1st 2009 @ 5:16pm | Report comment
Are not the Bulldogs basically of team of midfielders or in the old language ruck-rovers.
George said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
You got it in one MJ. Davies is 191cm and played at CHB at times during the National Champs and played at HB during the season. Kerr on the onther hand is a live-wire forward, yes not a KP forward, but a forward nonetheless. The only mid the Blues picked up was Lucas… a HFF/Mid.
So what’s up with the author of this unreasearched, rehashed drivel? Does he think there are rucks, KP and the rest are mids; did he just look at the heights of the players and decide they’re not KPP so they must be mids; or has he been listening the opinions others who don’t know what they’re talking about?
Midfielders indeed…
Luke D'Anello said | December 2nd 2009 @ 5:43pm | Report comment
The only drivel is in that post – Davies is listed as 188cm – no player they drafted is over that. Hence, they are not key position players.
I was simply asking the question – not drawing conclusions until we see what these guys are made of.
Luke D'Anello said | December 2nd 2009 @ 5:47pm | Report comment
9. KANE LUCAS East Fremantle
Wingman, 18, 188cm, 79kg
Highly skilled midfielder ranked in the top echelon for speed, agility and endurance at draft camp. Father Jack played 18 games for Sydney. Had 27 disposals, 11 marks and three goals in final round of WAFL.
43. MARCUS DAVIES Tassie Mariners
Half-back/midfielder, 18, 188cm, 84kg
North Hobart youngster with elite endurance (15.1 beep test at draft camp).
59. ROHAN KERR Dandenong Stingrays
Half-forward, 18, 184cm, 80kg
Exciting forward who can push into the midfield. Footy smarts, run and carry and very good foot skills. Solid contributor in Dandenong’s grand final loss in TAC Cup.
George said | December 4th 2009 @ 1:26pm | Report comment
The drivel mate, comes in your comments “Carton used their three selections… on midfielders”. It is plainly an incorrect or ill-informed statement, as many have commented; don’t see why you can’t just admit you were wrong instead of losing all credibility by insisting this rubbish is accurate.
So that’s all you know right… got your hands on some outdated info and think it means Davies is a mid. Well Done! To fill you in, Davies is has grown to 191cm and DID play CHB at the champs (that’s a key position btw). I suggest you check out the heights when the new seasons specs are released by the AFL. Perhaps you will feel suitably embarrassed.
George said | December 4th 2009 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
Latest details from his measurements since arriving at Carlton…
Marcus Davies
Height: 191cm
Weight: 81kg
DOB: 04/06/91
Recruited from: North Hobart
Up on the AFL website… go check an out; then come back and tell me again who is speaking drivel…
Luke D'Anello said | December 4th 2009 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
Poor wording from me there I guess. I’ll wear that one. I used the information I posted there as the basis, and at 188cm, he’s unlikely to be key position.
If he is 191cm, fair enough, but I still think they could have drafted another tall. Obviously they didn’t rate many of them.
George said | December 5th 2009 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
I was hoping they’d snare one as well, but was absolutely chuffed when Lucas was called out at 12. A little less so with Davies, but my boys in Joel Houghton, Ayden Kennedy and David Astbury were snapped just before our pick and Panos, as it turns out, looks like it would have been a real stretch at that pick.
I think I’ve heard that only about 50% of draftees between picks 10-20 go on to play 100 games and only half of them 150 games. So I’d prefer to go for the mid who is going to make it, over the KPP who isn’t; and if that’s the assessment of the recruiting team, you’ve got to support them.
Bring on the rookie draft and hopefully we can get a Dawes, Panos, Temel or Hartigan.
myles said | March 4th 2010 @ 1:40pm | Report comment
we (carlton) did recruit a tall forward
levi casboult
Tall forward with fantastic overhead ability. Contested marking is a clear strength as is his ability to consistently win on-on-one contests. Over age player for Stingrays in 2009 whose clean finishing skills were obvious, booting 41.14 for the season. His 3.04 sec for the 20m was very good for tall player at Victorian screening