Turning up to the Dockers versus Lions match on the weekend I was unaware of the late withdrawal of Matthew Pavlich.
With Michael Barlow, Pavlich and Nathan Fyfe all out of the team and the Lions showing some real potential over the second half of the season, I was anticipating something bordering a close contest.
The first quarter all but put paid to that.
From the outset it was clear the Dockers were on and their trademark pressure was there for all to see. What impressed me most though was a glimpse into a forward line that could be a real handful for opposition defences.
While some have suggested Freo’s premiership window could close with the retirements of their stars – Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands and Luke McPharlin – the talent on show on Sunday suggested otherwise.
While the dynamic duo of Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters grab plenty of headlines, the latest rising star nomination, Matt Taberner, was the real positive to come out of the game. He covered plenty of ground, providing a real target for his team to go through and leaving space behind for the small forwards to weave their magic.
By halftime Taberner was the leading possession winner for his side, a great example of his work rate. At 197cm and with an engine that allows him to cover plenty of ground he rates along other exciting running talls such as Tom Lynch and Adam Tomlinson.
He kicked one goal and should have had at least one more, and his combination of endurance and a good set of hands should present plenty of headaches for opposition coaches for the next 10 years.
Seeing Matt Taberner roam around the Gabba gathering possessions and providing a dangerous roaming target highlights a largely unseen group of tall forwards that many opposition clubs would love to get their hands on. As well as Taberner there are big raps on Michael Apeness, and the two could form the basis of a potent forward line.
Taberner showed enough against the Lions to suggest he should keep his place for the remaining round and provides a good target further up field to help ease the pressure off Pavlich. All this from a young guy from country Victoria who was taken in the rookie draft – I’m sure there’s a Victorian club or two who would like the 2012 draft over again.
So with Taberner (20 years old), Jack Hannath (23), Michael Apeness (19) and Hayden Crozier (20) there is a group of young talent coming through to support established players Zac Clarke (24), Michael Walter (23), Chris Mayne (25) and Hayden Ballantyne (27).
While Pavlich is a great of the modern era and almost impossible to replace, the forward group looks in good hands with a real spread of talent. The younger players may not come with the profile of the forwards of the expansion teams but in the glimpses the Freo forwards have shown to date, they might have found the right mix to be a potent forward group for years to come.
Ross Lyon’s vision to add a couple of goals a game to his side’s already impressive defensive strength has a bright future – as a Saints fan, Ross Lyon developing quality young players is still a foreign concept!
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
It's going to be a great acid test for him, but there's no better way to hit a finals series than to be in the full flush of form. The good thing for Taberner is the basis of his game is founded on work rate, which is a simple thing he can always turn if he hits the doldrums.
Ian Montgomery
Roar Pro
A good follow up game from Taberner against Port. Will be interested to see how he handles the pressure and intensity of finals football but this gives him a strong platform to hit pre-season hard and really stake a regular spot in 2015
Tom from Perth
Guest
Crozier is in career form. Should play most of the finals. Tabs I'm not 100% on yet, but he looks very promising. Apeness has the right physical attributes, but beyond that it could go anywhere. Not too sure about Josh Simpson either. Could be the next Wizard, but seems he needs to sort out his life outside of football first. Thought he would play a few this year. All in all looking very promising though Balthazar. When Pav, Luke and Sandi retire it's not the end of the world. We'll be top 8 for the foreseeable future.
Ian Montgomery
Roar Pro
You definitely get a better perspective watching players live and Taberner's work rate on the weekend was particularly impressive.If he keeps that same work rate and defensive intensity he should get plenty of opportunities to build his confidence levels at AFL level
Jake
Guest
Yes, there is a bright future for Freo's emerging forwards...... at another club!
Jay
Guest
Johno: Dont forget big John Griffin is in the mold for the freo ruck! Dominated when Sandi was injured until he did his knee last year. Clarke is a more versatile/quick ruckman, which is why i think he gets the second gong behind Sandi, but Griff will shine when Sandi decides to retire. Guess the same thinking is why Silvagni stuck with freo after a couple of years of few games. He knew Lukey Mac's retirement was just around the corner (i will be surprised if he doesnt hang up his boots at the end of this year) and just needed to wait for that to happen before he became more of an automatic starter in the team
johno
Guest
The Freo talls are young and raw, a bit like some of the kids for the Pies who've had to step up recently (Frost and Keefe). Tanner Smith, Vandeleur, Moller and the likely irish rookie in Sean Hurley and we have some good talent to start to mould. Freo without Pav does not so bad when you have Walters, Mayne, Ballantyne, Crozier and Taberner all performing. Silvagni has stepped in nicely to cover for Luke McP and Clarke continues to develop as a ruckman, although I personally think Sandi will play another 3 years.
Balthazar
Guest
Tabs is an interesting one. He's very much a roaming forward in the Nick Riewoldt style. He has struck me as a confidence player - dominating in the WAFL but not quite sure of himself in the big league. I reckon it was the second half of the Hawks game that made all the difference. You could see he had a "light bulb" moment when he outbodied Luke Hodge and goaled in the third. Crozier has definitely taken his chances recently, again after dominating in the WAFL, and is a kamikaze tackler as well as having a prodigious leap on him and a bit of the X factor. As has young Max Duffy taken his chances, albeit they have been limited by injury this year. Apeness looks like great raw material for Rossy to shape - not so sure about Jack Hannath. He is a good kick and lovely mark but he needs to reshape himself to get a bit more speed. We still haven't seen Brady Grey and Alex Pearce (the Tasmanian contingent) who have also done very well in the WAFL and they both come with a very good wrap from the club. Freo fans on this site have been fighting the good fight all year and saying we have really good young kids (the best of whom IMO is Josh Simpson but it's touch and go as to whether he'll be able to adjust to an AFL environment). It's great to see a fan from another club fairly recognise this.
Dalgety Carrington
Guest
Taberner had a pretty good game against Essendon earlier in the year. Got to the right places and took some fairly decent grabs. As is often the case with young tall forwards, he got lost a bit in the next game and they've given him time to develop in the WAFL mostly since. The best thing is him having a couple of games in a row where he's shown nouse and heaps hard work that combined with size and a great tank are great signs for his development.
Michael huston
Guest
Good to see some youngsters from winning sides getting some recognition. I've been keeping an eye on Taberner since a few weeks ago when my Dockers maniac of a friend said he was one of the most useless players on the ground every time he played. He was exaggerating, but still... he's done a complete 180. He's looked rock solid. Could be the Lewis Jetta and Brad Hill of the finals if he can keep his form up and hit the scoreboard.